George Alexander Renny Major General George Alexander Renny VC ( 12 May 1825 – 5 January 1887 ) was 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 British and Commonwealth forces . In 1849 he had married Flora Hastings Macwhirter , the daughter of Dr John Macwhirter , late President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh . Renny was 32 years old , and a Lieutenant in the Bengal Horse Artillery , Bengal Army during the Indian Mutiny on 16 September 1857 at siege of Delhi , India when the following deed led to the award of the Victoria Cross : The storming of Delhi took place between 14 – 16 September 1857 the aim of the British being to dislodge the mutineers and retake the city . When the Delhi Field Force renewed its advance on 16 September , its progress was steady and sustained . Siege guns had been brought into the city and began battering a breach in the repaired walls of the arsenal allowing the 61st Regiment and the Baluchi Battalion to storm the building . Within the arsenal were no less than 171 guns and howitzers and a large quantity of ammunition . Realising the enormity of their loss , the mutineers mounted a serious counter - attack , covered by musketry fire from the roofs of nearby buildings . They set fire to the thatched roof of a shed containing explosives . With musket balls cracking around him and in imminent danger of being blown apart , Second Lieutenant Edward Thackery of the Bengal Engineers extinguished the blaze . Simultaneously , Lieutenant George Renny of the Bengal Horse Artillery climbed the arsenal ' s wall and flung several shells with lighted fuses into the midst of the attackers . The carnage caused by the explosion of these put an end to the attack . Both Thackery and Renny were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions . [ London Gazette , 12 April 1859 ] , Delhi , Indian Mutiny , 16 September 1857 , Captain George Alexander Renny , Bengal Horse Artillery . Lieutenant - Colonel Farquhar , Commanding the 1st Belooch Regiment , reports that he was in command of the troops stationed in the Delhi magazine , after its capture on the 16th of September 1857 . Early in the forenoon of that day , a vigorous attack was made on the post by the enemy , and was kept up with great force for some time , without the slightest chance of success . Under cover of a heavy cross fire from the high houses on the right flank of the magazine , and from Selinghur and the Palace , the enemy advanced to the high wall of the magazine , and endeavoured to set fire to a thatched roof . The roof was partially set fire to , which was extinguished at the spot by a Sepoy of the Belooch battalion , a soldier of the 61st Regiment having in vain attempted to do so . The roof having been again set on fire , Captain Renny with great gallantry mounted to the top of the wall of the magazine , and flung several shells with lighted fuzes over into the midst of the enemy , which had an almost immediate effect , as the attack at once became feeble at that point , and soon after ceased there . George Renny was invested with his Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 9 November 1860 . He later achieved the rank of major general . His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Artillery Museum . Major General Renny is buried in Locksbrook Cemetery , Bath , England . In early 2007 his grave was cleaned and refurbished by the Royal Artillery successor unit of the Bengal Horse Artillery .