View source for Edmund Costello

{{Short description|Recipient of the Victoria Cross}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|Brigadier-General]] 
| name          = Edmund Costello
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|VC|CMG|CVO|DSO}}
| image         = VCEdmondWilliamCostello.jpg
| caption       = 
| birth_date    = 7 August 1873
| death_date    = 7 June 1949 (aged 75)
| birth_place   = [[Sheikh Badin]], [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier]], [[India]]
| death_place   = [[Eastbourne]], [[Sussex]], England
| placeofburial = [[St Mark's Church, Hadlow Down]], [[Sussex]], England
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|display=inline,title}} -->
| nickname      =
| birth_name    =
| allegiance    = {{UK}}<br> [[British India]]
| branch        = [[File:Flag of the British Army.svg|23px]] [[British Army]]<br>[[British Indian Army|Indian Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1892–1923
| rank          = [[Brigadier-General]]
| servicenumber =
| unit          = [[West Yorkshire Regiment]]<br>[[22nd Punjabis|22nd Punjab Infantry]]<br>[[24th Punjab Infantry]]
| commands      = [[12th Indian Brigade]]<br>[[8th (Jullundur) Brigade]]<br>[[Palestine Defence Force]]
| battles       = 
{{tree list}}
* [[Siege of Malakand]]
* [[World War I]]
** [[Mesopotamian campaign]]
{{tree list/end}}
| battles_label = 
| awards        = [[Victoria Cross]]<br>[[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br>[[Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]]<br>[[Companion of the Distinguished Service Order]]<br>[[Mentioned in Dispatches]] (7)<br>[[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]] (France)
| relations     =
| laterwork     = Director of Military Studies, [[University of Cambridge]]
| signature     =
}}
Brigadier-General '''Edmund William Costello''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|VC|CMG|CVO|DSO}} (7 August 1873 – 7 June 1949) was a [[British Indian Army]] officer and a recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces.

==Early life and service==
Costello was born in [[Sheikhbudia]] on the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier]] of [[India]], the son of a colonel in the [[Indian Medical Service]]. He was educated in England at [[Beaumont College]], [[Stonyhurst College]] and the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]. In 1892 he was commissioned into the [[West Yorkshire Regiment]], but transferred to the Indian Army in 1894<ref>https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/26543/page/4810</ref> and was posted to the [[22nd Punjabis|22nd Punjab Infantry]].

==Victoria Cross==
He was 23 years old, and attached to the [[24th Punjab Infantry]] during the [[Siege of Malakand|Malakand Frontier War]], when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

{{quote|On 26 July 1897 at Malakand on the Indian Frontier, Lieutenant Costello went out from the hospital enclosure and with the assistance of two [[sepoy]]s, brought in a wounded lance-[[havildar]] who was lying {{convert|60|yd}} away, in the open, on the football ground. This ground was at the time over-run with swordsmen and swept by a heavy fire from both the enemy and our own men who were holding the sapper lines.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=26908|page=6143|date=9 November 1897}}</ref>}}

In the subsequent fighting he was wounded twice and [[mentioned in dispatches]] twice.

==Later service==
In November 1900 Costello was appointed [[adjutant]] of his regiment, and on 19 November 1901 he was promoted [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|Captain]] in the [[Indian Staff Corps]].<ref>{{London Gazette | issue=27398 | date=17 January 1902 |page=392}}</ref> He then worked as a recruiting officer for several years before taking part in the [[Mohmand]] operations of 1908. He was promoted [[Major (rank)|Major]] in 1910. In 1913 he entered the [[Indian Staff College]] at [[Quetta]] and graduated just before the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in 1914, when he rejoined his regiment as [[second-in-command]].

The regiment was soon sent to [[Mesopotamia]] as part of the [[17th (Ahmednagar) Brigade]] of the [[6th (Poona) Division]] and Costello remained there for the rest of the war.<ref>{{Lives of WWI | id= 969056 | name= Edmond William Costello }}</ref> He was promoted [[Brevet (military)|Brevet]] [[Lieutenant-Colonel]] in June 1916, was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) in 1917 and appointed [[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG) in 1918. In May 1918 he took command of the [[12th Indian Brigade]] and he received a substantive promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel in September 1918. He was mentioned five times in dispatches during the war and also received the French [[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de Guerre]].

In June 1919 he was promoted Brevet [[Colonel]] and was joint commander of the Indian contingent at the Peace March in [[London]], for which he was appointed [[Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]] (CVO) in the 1920 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=31712 |date=30 December 1919 |page=6 |supp=y}}</ref> He was promoted substantive Colonel in March 1920, although he had held the acting appointment of [[Brigadier-General]] since 1918. From May to December 1920 he commanded the [[8th (Jullundur) Brigade]] in the [[3rd (Lahore) Division]]. In March 1921 he went to [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]] as temporary commander of the [[Palestine Defence Force]] and remained there to command a brigade in 1922. He retired in October 1923 and became Director of Military Studies at the [[University of Cambridge]].

==Family==
Costello married Elise Maud Lang Huggins, daughter of Charles Lang Huggins, of Hadlow Grange, [[Buxted]], Sussex, at St Peter and St Edward's church, [[Pimlico]], on 16 October 1902.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Marriages|date=18 October 1902 |page=1 |issue=36902}}</ref>

==Legacy==
His grave and headstone memorial is at [[St Mark's Church, Hadlow Down]], [[Sussex]], England.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the [[National Army Museum]] in [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]].

==Honours and awards==
<div style="text-align: center;">
[[File:UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
[[File:Ord.St.Michele-Giorgio.png|100px]]
[[File:Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png|100px]]

[[File:Dso-ribbon.png|100px]]
[[File:India Medal BAR.svg|100px]]
[[File:India General Service Medal 1909 BAR.svg|100px]]
[[File:1914 Star BAR.svg|100px]]

[[File:British War Medal BAR.svg|100px]]
[[File:Victory Medal MID ribbon bar.svg|100px]]
[[File:GeorgeVICoronationRibbon.png|100px]]
[[File:Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 ribbon.svg|100px]]
</div>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:UK Victoria Cross ribbon bar.svg|80px]] || [[Victoria Cross]] (VC) || 2 December 1897 at [[Windsor Castle]] by [[Queen Victoria]]
|-
|[[File:Ord.St.Michele-Giorgio.png|80px]] || [[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]] (CMG) ||1918
|-
|[[File:Royal Victorian Order UK ribbon.png|80px]] || [[Commander of the Royal Victorian Order]] (CVO) ||1920
|-
|[[File:Dso-ribbon.png|80px]] || [[Companion of the Distinguished Service Order]] (DSO) || 1917
|-
|[[File:India Medal BAR.svg|80px]] || [[India Medal]] || With 2 clasps, ''Punjab Frontier 1897-98'' and ''Malakand 1897''
|-
|[[File:India General Service Medal 1909 BAR.svg|80px]] || [[India General Service Medal (1909)|India General Service Medal]] || With 1 clasp ''NW Frontier 1908''
|-
|[[File:1914 Star BAR.svg|80px]] || [[1914–15 Star]] || 
|-
|[[File:British War Medal BAR.svg|80px]] || [[British War Medal]] || 
|-
|[[File:Victory Medal MID ribbon bar.svg|80px]] || [[Victory Medal (United Kingdom)|Victory Medal]] with palm for [[Mentioned in Dispatches]] || 
|-
|[[File:GeorgeVICoronationRibbon.png|80px]] || [[King George VI Coronation Medal]] || 1937
|-
|[[File:Croix de Guerre 1914-1918 ribbon.svg|80px]] || [[Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)|Croix de guerre]] || (France)
|}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*Obituary, ''[[The Times]]'', 9 June 1949
*Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, ''Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross'', 2000
*David Harvey, ''[[Monuments to Courage]]'', 1999
*''[[The Register of the Victoria Cross]]'', This England, 1997

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041028141812/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/sussex.htm Location of grave and VC medal]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Costello, Edmund}}
[[Category:1873 births]]
[[Category:1949 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]]
[[Category:Indian Army generals of World War I]]
[[Category:British recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:People educated at Stonyhurst College]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:West Yorkshire Regiment officers]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Malakand Frontier War]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order]]
[[Category:Academics of the University of Cambridge]]
[[Category:British people in colonial India]]
[[Category:19th-century British Army personnel]]