William Henry Dick-Cunyngham VC

For conspicuous gallantry and coolness displayed by him on the 13th December, 1879, at the attack on the Sherpur Pass, in Afghanistan, in having exposed himself to the full fire of the enemy, and by his example and encouragement rallied the men who, having been beaten back, were, at the moment, wavering at the top of the hill.

Extract from The London Gazette

Name:	William Henry Dick-Cunyngham VC;
Born:	16 June 1851, Edinburgh
Died:	7 January 1900 (of wounds received the previous day); Ladysmith, Natal, South Africa
Buried:	Ladysmith Cemetery, Natal, South Africa
Unit:	92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot
Date:	13 December 1879
Place:	The Sherpur Pass, Kabul, Afghanistan
Rank:	Lieutenant
Entry:	The London Gazette, 18 Oct 1881, Num. 25027, p. 5140
VC No:	352
Presented:	1 Dec 1881 by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle.
Displayed:	Gordon Highlanders’ Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland
References:	[70], Derek Hunt
Connection:	Dick-Cunyngham received his VC from Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 1 December 1881. Helen, his widow, was a Lady-in-Waiting to HRH Princess Christian for many years. When she died in February 1939, she was buried in Windsor Cemetery. One side of the family memorial, a large white marble cross standing on three plinths, is dedicated to William Dick-Cunyngham VC One of the roads inside Windsor Cemetery is named after him. He is one of the three VC recipients named on the information board near the entrance to the cemetery. In 2000, the Slough Observer reported the need for renovations to his grave.

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