Charles Davis Lucas

Rear Admiral Charles Davis Lucas (19 February 1834 – 7 August 1914) was an Irish-born Royal Navy officer whose gallantry in 1854 was the earliest action that led to the award of the Victoria Cross, the highest British award, which is for gallantry in the face of the enemy. He reached the rank of rear admiral during his time in the navy.

Details
Lucas was born in Druminargal House, County Armagh, on 19 February 1834. He enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1848 at age 13, served aboard HMS Vengeance (1824), and saw action in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852–53 aboard the frigate Fox at Rangoon, Pegu, and Dalla. By age 20, he had become a mate. For his gallantry during the Battle of Bomarsund of the Crimean War, he was awarded the Victoria Cross for the following deed:

On 21 June 1854 in the Baltic, HMS Hecla (1839), with two other ships, was bombarding Bomarsund, a fort in Åland off Finland. The fire was returned from the fort, and at the height of the action a live shell landed on Hecla upper deck, with its fuse still hissing. All hands were ordered to fling themselves flat on the deck, but Lucas with great presence of mind ran forward and hurled the shell into the sea, where it exploded with a tremendous roar before it hit the water. Thanks to Lucas's action no one on board was killed or seriously wounded by the shell, and accordingly he was immediately promoted to lieutenant by his commanding officer.

Lucas was personally presented with the Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria at the first VC investiture held at Hyde Park, London, on 26 June 1857.

Later life
His act of bravery in Hecla was the first to be rewarded with the Victoria Cross. His later career included service on HMS Calcutta (1831), HMS Powerful (1826), HMS Cressy (1810), HMS Edinburgh (1811), HMS Liffey (1856) and HMS Indus (1839). He was promoted to commander in 1862 and commanded the experimental armoured gunboat HMS Vixen (1865) in 1867. He was promoted to captain in 1867, before retiring on 1 October 1873. He was later promoted to rear-admiral on the retired list in 1885. During his career he received the India General Service Medal with the bar Pegu 1852, the Baltic Medal 1854–55, and the Royal Humane Society Lifesaving Medal.

In 1879 he married Frances Russell Hall, daughter of Admiral William Hutcheon Hall, who had been captain of Hecla in 1854. The couple had three daughters together. Lucas served for a time as Justice of the Peace for both Kent and Argyllshire, and died in Great Culverden, Kent on 7 August 1914. He is buried at St Lawrence's Church Mereworth, Maidstone, Kent.

Medals
Lucas's campaign medals, including his Victoria Cross, are displayed at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. They are not the original medals, which were left on a train and never recovered. Replacement copies were made, though the reverse of the Victoria Cross copy is uninscribed.