John Edmund Commerell Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Edmund Commerell VC GCB ( 13 January 1829 – 21 May 1901 ) was an English Royal Navy officer who was awarded 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 . He was a Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1888 . Early life and career . Commerell was born in London , the son of J W Commerell of Stroud Park , Horsham Sussex . He entered the Royal Navy in 1842 and was present at all operations at the Parana from 1845 to 1846 . At Punta Obligado he helped cut the chain that defended the river . He served in Gulf of Bothnia in 1854 ( medal ) , at Sebastopol and in operations in Sea of Azov , ( medal with two clasps Legion of Honour , and Medjidie ) , twice mentioned in despatches , and received the V . C . for hazardous service in the Putrid Sea . Details of VC award . Commerell was 26 years old , and a Commander in the Royal Navy during the Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC . On 11 October 1855 in the Sea of Azov , Crimea , Commander Commerell of HMS " Weser " , with the Quartermaster ( William Thomas Rickard ) and a seaman , went to destroy large quantities of forage on the shore of the Putrid Sea . After a difficult and dangerous journey they reached their objective - a magazine of corn - and managed to ignite the stacks , but the guards were alerted and immediately opened fire and gave chase . The pursuit was so hot that the men had difficulty in escaping , but they finally reached their ship and the lookouts later reported that the fodder store had burned to the ground . Later career . In 1859 , Commerell commanded HMS Fury and a division of seamen in the Battle of Taku Forts ( 1859 ) when he was strongly mentioned in despatches . He served in HMS Magicienne during operations in China in 1860 . In 1866 , he commanded the frigate HMS " Terrible " assisting the " Great Eastern " to lay the fifth ( and first successful ) Atlantic cable . He was awarded the CB ( military and civil ) in 1866 . From 1871 to 1873 , he was Commander - in - Chief , Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station . However in August 1873 , when he was making a reconnoitre up the River Prah , he was wounded in the lung , and had to resign his command . He was a naval A . D . C . to Queen Victoria from 1872 to 1877 . He was awarded K . C . B . in 1874 and was a Groom in Waiting to the Queen from 1874 to 1879 . From 1879 to 1880 he was a Junior Naval Lord . He became Commander in Chief on the North America and West Indies Station in 1882 holding the post until 1885 . Political career . Commerel was a J . P . for Hampshire . In 1880 he stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Southampton . However at the 1885 general election he was elected Member of Parliament for the seat , which he held until he resigned from the House of Commons on 15 May 1888 . In June 1888 he became Commander - in - Chief , Portsmouth . He retired in 1891 . Personal and legacy . Commerell married Matilda M Bushby , daughter of Joseph Bushby of St . Croix , West Indies in 1853 . He died at the age of 72 and was buried at Cheriton Road Cemetery , Folkestone . Edmund Rock and Commerell Point in British Columbia , Canada , were named in his honour . His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum , London .