Charles Davis Lucas Rear Admiral Charles Davis Lucas , V . C . ( 19 February 1834 – 7 August 1914 ) , was an British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and the fourth 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 . He rose to the rank of rear - admiral during his time in the navy . Details . Lucas was born in Druminargal House , Scarva , County Armagh on 19 February 1834 . He enlisted in the Royal Navy in 1848 at age 13 , served aboard , and saw action in the Second Anglo - Burmese War of 1852 - 53 aboard the frigate " Fox " at Rangoon , Pegu , and Dalla . By age 20 , he had become a mate . During the Crimean War , he was awarded the Victoria Cross for the following deed : On 21 June 1854 in the Baltic , " Hecla " , with two other ships , was bombarding Bomarsund , a fort in the Åland Islands off Finland . The fire was returned from the fort , and at the height of the action a live shell landed on " Hecla " ' s upper deck , with its fuse still hissing . All hands were ordered to fling themselves flat on the deck , but Lucas with great presence of mind ran forward and hurled the shell into the sea , where it exploded with a tremendous roar before it hit the water . Thanks to Lucas ' s action no one on board was killed or seriously wounded by the shell , and accordingly he was immediately promoted to lieutenant by his commanding officer . Further information . His act of bravery in " Hecla " was the first to be rewarded with the Victoria Cross . His later career included service on , , , , and . He was promoted to commander in 1862 and commanded the experimental armoured gunboat in 1867 . He was promoted to captain in 1867 , before retiring on 1 October 1873 . He was later promoted to rear - admiral on the retired list in 1885 . During his career he received the India General Service Medal with the bar Pegu 1852 , the Baltic Medal 1854 – 55 , and the Royal Humane Society Lifesaving Medal . In 1879 he married Frances Russell Hall , daughter of Admiral William Hutcheon Hall , who had been captain of " Hecla " in 1854 . The couple had three daughters together . Lucas served for a time as Justice of the Peace for both Kent and Argyllshire , and died in Great Culverden , Kent on 7 August 1914 . He is buried at St . Lawrence Church , Mereworth , Maidstone , Kent . The medal . Lucas ' s campaign medals , including his Victoria Cross , are displayed at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich , London . They are not the original medals , which were left on a train and never recovered . Replacement copies were made , though the reverse of the Victoria Cross copy is uninscribed . Notes . a . The first Victoria Cross recipient to be gazetted was Lieutenant Cecil William Buckley , in the " London Gazette " of 24 February 1857 , for his actions in the Sea of Azov on 28 May 1855 . The first recipient to physically receive his award was , because of the seniority of his rank , Commander Henry James Raby , at the inaugural awards ceremony on 26 June 1857 . Lucas was fourth in line at the investiture . His were the earliest actions to result in the award of the Victoria Cross . References . Listed in order of publication year