A photo of an edition of the print :
Thomas Egerton Hale was born on 24th September 1832 at Faddiley, near Nantwich, the son of G.P. Hale of Faddiley. His education was at Grove Park School. Wrexham, and Kings College London. He qualified MRCS England 1854 and MD St Andrews in 1855. The same year he entered the army after basic training as Assistant Surgeon to the 7th Foot (1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers) and won the Victoria Cross in the first three months of his new appointment, at the Siege of Sebastopol during the attack on the Redan. Dates of Acts of Bravery: 8 September 1855. One for remaining with an officer who was dangerously wounded (Capt H. M. Jones 5th Regiment) in the fifth parallel on 8 Sept 1855, when all the men in the immediate neighbourhood retreated, excepting Lieut W. Hope and Dr Hale; and for endeavouring to rally the men, in conjunction with Lieut. W. Hope 7th Regt, The Royal Fusiliers. Two for having on 8 Sept 1855, after the regiment had retired into the trenches, cleared the most advanced sap of the wounded, and carried into the sap, under heavy firs, several wounded men from the open ground, being assisted by Sgt. Charles Fisher, 7th Regt, The Royal Fusiliers. At the time of winning the Victoria Cross, Assistant Surgeon Hale was aged 23 years. He served in Turkey and the Crimea from 1854 to 1856 and was also present at the Bombardment of Sebastopol. In addition he gained the Crimean Medal and clasp, and the Turkish Crimean Medal. In 1857 Surgeon Hale was present during the latter part of the Indian Mutiny being in medical charge of a field force detached to the Trans-India Frontier. Thereafter he was in medical charge at Cherat in the Peshawar Hills in 1860 and Civil Surgeon at Ferozepore in 1863. From 1864-66 he was medical officer for the Punjab Infantry and for the European detachments on the Punjab Frontier. In 1867 he was promoted Surgeon Major, being placed in charge of Naini Tal Hill Sanatorium. Surgeon Major Hale was appointed medical officer to the 43rd Regiment of Foot in 1869, and to the 94th Foot four years later. He retired in 1876. On the Jubilee of the Crimea (1905) he was created a Companion of the Order of the Bath. Surgeon Major Hale was a man of wide interests: a Justice of the Peace, a keen cricketer, an accomplished rider and a skilful shot. His publications included aspects of Irish history, and he was a fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Historical Society. He died in 1909, on Christmas day at his home at Faddiley Lodge, Nantwich, Cheshire aged 77 years. A memorial tablet can be seen in Acton church, Cheshire. Text supplied by Royal Army Medical Corps Historical Museum.
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