page_title: George Willoughby (soldier)
section_title: Recognition
hierarchical_section_title: George Willoughby (soldier) / Recognition
caption_attribution_description: English: This is a picture of Lieutenant Willoughby's Campaign medals, which was taken by me. The medals are owned by the family.The picture should go with the article on George Willoughby (soldier)
context_page_description: George Dobson Percival Willoughby was a British soldier who served as a lieutenant in the Bengal Artillery of the East India Company. He is remembered for having blown up the powder magazine at Delhi during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 to prevent it from falling into the hands of the rebels.
context_section_description: The following official account of the capture of the Delhi Magazine by the rebels was published in the Calcutta Government Guide:
  The Right Hon'ble the Governor-General in Council is pleased to direct the publication of the following authentic report of the occurrences at the Delhi Magazine on the 11th of May last when attacked by mutineers, and of the noble and cool soldiership of its gallant defenders, commanded by Lieutenant G. D. Willoughby, Commissary of Ordnance.
  The Governor-General in Council desires to offer his cordial thanks to Lieutenants Raynor and Forrest and the other survivors among the brave men mentioned in this report, and to express the admiration with which he regards the daring and heroic conduct of Lieutenant G. D. Willoughby and the warrant and non-commissioned officers by whom he was supported on that occasion. Their names are Lieutenants Raynor and Forrest, Conductors Shaw, Buckley, and Scully, Sub-Conductor Crow, Sergeants Edwards and Stewart.
  
  The family of the late Conductor Scully who so devotedly sacrificed himself in the explosion of the magazine, will be liberally provided for, should it be ascertained that they have survived him.
  In 1888 a memorial was erected at Delhi:
  On the 11th of May 1857 nine resolute Englishmen Lieutenant Geo. Dobson Willoughby, Bengal Artillery, in command Lieutenant William Rayner, Lieutenant Geo. Forrest, Conductor Geo. William Shaw, Conductor John Buckley, Conductor John Scully, Sub Conductor William Crow, Sergeant Benjamin Edward, Sergeant Peter Stewart, defended the magazine of Delhi for more than four hours against large numbers of the rebels and mutineers until the walls being scaled and all hope of succour gone these brave men fired the magazine – five of the gallant band perished in the explosion which at the same time destroyed many of the enemy. This tablet marking the former entrance gate of the magazine is placed here by the Government of India.
  In 1857 the Victoria Cross was only awarded to living recipients. The survivors of this action were thus honoured, Raynor, Buckley and Forrest; Willoughby did not receive the Victoria Cross because of his death a day later at the hand of villagers. In recognition of his gallantry Susan Willoughby was awarded a Civil List pension of £150 per annum for the rest of her life.
  In 1907, a posthumous award of the Victoria Cross was made to six men who had fought in the Indian rebellion of 1857 and the Second Boer War, but Willoughby was not among them. This may have been an oversight, or due to the fact that his mother had already received a generous pension, no other form of accolade then being available. One of the recipients in 1907 was Private Edward Spence, who "dauntlessly placed himself in an exposed position so as to cover the party carrying away the body". The body referred to was that of Willoughby's brother, Edward, killed on 15 April 1858. Spence died two days later from "the wound which he received on the occasion".
  In 2012, efforts began by the family to present the case for a retrospective award of the Victoria Cross to Willoughby. It has so far been denied, three main reasons having been given: that it would be rewriting history; that there is no scope for retrospective action; and that the floodgates would be opened for similar claims.
caption: Willoughby's campaign medals
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