An Indian Mutiny Victoria Cross awarded to Edmond Jennings of Ballinrobe will come up at Noonan’s in London on February 14. It is estimated at £20,000-£30,000 (€23,400-€35,100). It was awarded for rescuing a wounded officer while under attack and taking him to safety on his own horse. After the event 42 year old Jennings was nominated by his fellow non-commissioned officers. Jennings enlisted in the East India Company’s service in Tullamore in 1836.
Two Victoria Crosses are known to this recipient, the one offered for sale here, and a second one which is held by the “F” (Sphinx) Battery, 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (the successor unit to Jennings’ original unit), together with his campaign medals. Whilst the exact reason for two Victoria Crosses named to this man is a matter of some conjecture, the most likely reason is that the first-named V.C. was sent out to India for presentation to him there (as were the other Bengal Artillery Victoria Crosses), but that once it was known that he was returning home to the U.K. Queen Victoria herself expressed a wish to personally decorate him with the V.C. at an Investiture at Windsor on 9 October 1860, and a second Cross was consequently named up (in the event Jennings’ ship had been delayed in departing India, and he did not arrive in time, thereby missing the Windsor investiture).
