William Nathan Wrighte Hewett Vice Admiral Sir William Nathan Wrighte Hewett ( 12 August 1834 – 13 May 1888 ) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . Life . Hewett was born at Brighton to Dr . William Hewett , physician to King William IV . He entered the Royal Navy in 1847 , and served as a midshipman in the Burmese War . In 1854 , while acting mate of HMS " Beagle " , he was attached to the Naval Brigade during the Siege of Sevastopol . While he was in command of the Right Lancaster Battery on 26 October , and again on 5 November , he performed deeds which led to a field promotion to lieutenant and his award of the Victoria Cross , one of the first for that war . The promotion was made official after passing his examinations at Portsmouth ; Hewett was subsequently appointed to the royal yacht , from which he was promoted to commander 13 September 1858 . Other commands included : HMS " Viper " , and HMS " Rinaldo " before his promotion to captain 24 November 1862 , HMS " Basilisk " ( 1865 – 1869 ) , flag - captain to Sir Henry Kellett ( 1870 – 1872 ) and captain of HMS " Devastation " ( 1872 – 1873 ) . He was Commander - in - Chief , Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station , in charge of naval operations during the Third Anglo - Ashanti War , from 1873 . For his services during this conflict , on 31 March 1874 he was awarded made KCB . He commanded HMS " Achilles " from 1877 until he was drawn into service in the Mahdist War . In 1882 he was appointed Commander - in - Chief , East Indies Station . Following the British defeat at El Teb , Hewett commanded the naval brigade which landed at Suakin 6 February 1884 , and was appointed governor of Sudan 10 February by Baker Pasha . From May 1885 to July 1885 he was Junior Naval Lord . In April , Hewett led a delegation to Emperor Yohannes IV which negotiated , in exchange for free transit of guns and ammunition through Massawa , access through Ethiopian territory for the successful evacuation of the Egyptian garrisons that had been isolated in southern Sudan by the revolt of Muhammad Ahmad ( also known as the Mahdi ) against the Egyptian rulers . After his return from Ethiopia , Hewett was promoted to Vice Admiral 8 July 1884 . From March 1886 to April 1888 he was in command of the Channel Fleet ; however , his delicate health worsened and he died shortly after his retirement . The medal . On 26 October 1854 at Sebastopol Lieutenant Hewett was in charge of the Right Lancaster Battery , which was being threatened by the enemy . Through a misunderstanding , he was ordered to spike his gun and retreat . However the lieutenant assumed the responsibility of disregarding the order , then pulled down the parapet of the battery and with the assistance of some soldiers slewed his gun round and poured on the advancing enemy a most destructive and effectual fire . On 5 November at the Battle of Inkerman he again acted with great bravery . For these two actions he was awarded the Victoria Cross . The medal is displayed at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich , London .