John Simpson Knox Brevet Major John Simpson Knox ( 30 September 1828 – 8 January 1897 ) was a Scottish 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 . Early life and military career . Born in Glasgow on 30 September 1828 , Knox joined the British Army at the age of 14 . He was under - age , but was unusually tall , he was promoted to corporal before reaching the age of 18 . Crimean War . By the time of the Crimean War he was serjeant in the Scots Fusilier Guards ( now called simply the Scots Guards ) . The British and French forces began to land on the Crimean peninsula on 14 September 1854 . On 19 September the combined forces moved off toward Sebastopol and on 20 September came the first major engagement of the campaign , the Battle of the Alma . The Scots Fusilier Guards were part of the 1st Division , brigaded with 3rd Battalion , Grenadier Guards and 1st Battalion , Coldstream Guards , the division ' s other brigade was the Highland Brigade . The division was at the extreme left of the Allied line ( furthest inland ) , and initially in reserve to the Light Division . The two divisions halted a short distance before the Alma River , the Russians having taken up defensive positions just the other side of river . Here , on the further side of the river the British troops faced first fording the river itself , climbing the bank on its far side , then after a small amount of level ground , a further relatively low , but steep bank , and then a gradual upward slope , at the top of which the Russians had built an earthworks armed with artillery . The British contingents were ordered forward at about 14 : 45 , the French having managed to force a crossing further downstream , near the river ' s mouth . The Light Division crossed first , but were thrown into confusion by the Russian artillery , and began to withdraw . The Guards ' Brigade was ordered forward , and crossed the river . The battalions began re - establishing their ranks on the other side having scrambled up both of the banks on that side of the river . The brigadier ordered them forward without delay , and the Scots , in the middle of the Guards ' line obeyed . They began their advance , but the retreating troops of the Light Division broke their line , and some of the Scots Guards joined the retreat . Officers and others , prominent among them Knox , regained control , and rallied much of the battalion . It was this action which was the first of those for which he was eventually awarded the VC . Four other Scots Guards were also to be awarded the VC for their actions that day . In a letter to his family , he described the battle : He was commissioned ( without purchase ) into the 93rd Regiment of Foot as an ensign on 27 February 1855 . On 20 April 1855 he was transferred to the Rifle Brigade ( Prince Consort ' s Own ) as a lieutenant , and his original commission was backdated to 5 November 1854 . On 18 June 1855 , Knox volunteered for the ladder party in the attack on the Redan , an attempt to finish the Siege of Sevastopol , he was struck by a Russian cannonball , removing part of his left arm . His actions that day also contributed toward his receiving the VC . His Crimea Medal shows that he also fought at the Battle of Balaclava and the Battle of Inkerman . On 29 January 1856 Queen Victoria signed the warrant creating the Victoria Cross with the intention of rewarding acts of valour in the Crimean War . Knox ' s own VC was not gazetted until 24 February 1857 , by which time he had already been made a Chevalier of the Légion d ' honneur by an Imperial decree of 16 June 1856 . His VC citation read : He was among the 62 men at the first presentation of the VC , made by Queen Victoria in Hyde Park , London on 26 June 1857 . His action at the Alma was the earliest for which a VC was awarded to a member of the British Army — earlier actions leading to the award of a VC were carried out by members of the Royal Navy . Later life . Despite the loss of his arm , he continued to serve , and was appointed an Instructor of Musketry on 7 January 1858 , and promoted captain on 30 April . On 15 June 1866 he was appointed Inspector of Musketry for the South Western District . He briefly returned to regimental duties from 22 January 1872 , and on his retirement from the army on 8 June 1872 was granted a brevet majority . He took up residence at Cheltenham where he died on 8 January 1897 , and was buried in the town ' s cemetery where three other VC recipients also lie . Sale of medals . In March 2010 it was announced that his VC is to be sold at auction in May by medal and coin specialists Spink ' s , with an estimated price of £100 , 000 – 120 , 000 . His VC was sold along with his Crimean War campaign medals , insignia of the Légion d ' honneur , and the Russian cannonball which caused the partial loss of his left arm at the Redan . No details of the current owner have been given . The sale took place on 22 April 2010 with the medal and the cannonball being sold for £252 , 000 ( $ 387 , 500 ) . The new buyer wishes to remain anonymous .