Wallace Duffield Wright

Grave of Wright in Brookwood Cemetery

Brigadier-General Wallace Duffield Wright, Template:Post-nominals (20 September 1875 – 25 March 1953) was a British soldier and politician. He was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Early life

Wright, the son of James Sykes Wright, was born in Gibraltar on 20 September 1875.<ref name="victoriacross 1903">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was educated at Cranbrook School, Kent. He joined the Militia in 1893,<ref name="Wills, Barrett 1907, p. 330">Template:Cite book</ref> and was commissioned into the 1st Battalion of the Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) in December 1896.<ref name="victoriacross 1903"/>

Wright served with the Malakand Field Force and the Tirah Expeditionary Force on the North West Frontier (1897–1898),<ref name="victoriacross 1903"/> during which he was severely wounded.<ref name="Wills, Barrett 1907, p. 330"/> He was awarded the India Medal with clasps for the Punjab Frontier and Tirah and was promoted to Lieutenant in September 1898.<ref name="victoriacross 1903"/>

Victoria Cross action

In 1901 Wright was sent to North Nigeria,<ref name="Wills, Barrett 1907, p. 330"/> where he was attached to the Northern Nigeria Regiment, during Kano-Sokoto Expedition in Northern Nigeria.

On the 24th March, 1903, Lieutenant Wright, with only one [other] Officer and 44 men, took up a position in the path of the advancing enemy, and sustained the determined charges of 1,000 Horse and 2,000 Foot for two hours, and when the enemy, after heavy losses, fell back in good order, Lieutenant Wright continued to follow them up till they were in full retreat.

The personal example of this Officer, as well as his skilful leadership, contributed largely to the brilliant success of this affair.

He in no way infringed his orders by his daring initiative, as, though warned of the possibility of meeting large bodies of the enemy, he had purposely been left a free hand.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>{{#if:|

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Later military career

From 1904 to 1914 Wright held a number of staff positions,<ref name="victoriacross 1903"/> such as in April 1909 when he was appointed a general staff officer, grade 3 at the War Office.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

During the First World War he served in the Kamerun campaign in Central Africa from 1914–15 and in France from 1915–19, becoming a brevet major in July 1915,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> major in September,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and brevet lieutenant colonel in 1916. In September that year he was appointed as general staff officer, grade 1, or chief of staff, of the 18th (Eastern) Division.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> In July 1918, a temporary brigadier general when he was appointed as brigadier general, general staff of XVII Corps, taking over from Major General Ronald Charles.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Having reverted in rank due to the war's termination, he transferred to the Middlesex Regiment and was made a substantive lieutenant colonel in August 1920.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> Having been placed on the half-pay list in September 1922,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> he was made a colonel in March 1923, with seniority backdated to January 1919.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was then a staff officer with the British Army of the Rhine from 1923<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> to 1926 and commanded the 8th Infantry Brigade at Plymouth, 1925,<ref name=WW/> an appointment he relinquished in July 1927, together with the temporary rank of colonel commandant.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

He retired with the honorary rank of brigadier general in July 1927.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> In retirement he joined the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and served in the Home Guard during World War II from 1940.<ref name=WW/>

As Member of Parliament

In 1928, Wright was elected at a by-election as Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Tavistock following the death of the sitting MP Philip Kenyon-Slaney. He was re-elected at the 1929 general election, but stood down at the 1931 general election.

He died at Chobham, Surrey, on 25 March 1953, aged 77.<ref name=QRS/>

Honours and awards

	Victoria Cross (VC)<ref name="QRS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> || 1903
	Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)<ref name=WW>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> || 1926
	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)<ref name=WW/>	1916
	Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO)<ref name=WW/>	1918
	Africa General Service Medal<ref name="victoriacross 1903"/>
	India Medal<ref name=QRS/>
	1914–15 Star<ref name=QRS/>
	British War Medal<ref name=QRS/>
	Victory Medal with bronze palm for mentioned in dispatches<ref name=QRS/>
	Defence Medal<ref name=QRS/>
	King George V Silver Jubilee Medal<ref name=QRS/>	1935
	King George VI Coronation Medal<ref name=QRS/>	1937
	Officer of the Legion of Honour<ref name=QRS/>	(France)

His VC was destroyed in the fire at The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Museum, Clandon Park, Surrey on 29 April 2015.<ref name="Get Surrey">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• Template:Hansard-contribs
• Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment: Wallace Duffield Wright
• Location of grave and VC medal (Brookwood Cemetery)
• The Brookwood Cemetery Society (Known Holders of the Victoria Cross Commemorated in Brookwood Cemetery)