Dighton Probyn
| Sir Dighton Macnaghten Probyn | |
|---|---|
General Sir Dighton Probyn with Queen Mary, July 1918
|
|
| Born |
21 January 1833 Marylebone, London |
| Died | 20 June 1924 (aged 91) Sandringham House, Norfolk |
| Buried at | Kensal Green Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
Bengal Army British Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1849–19?? |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars |
Indian Mutiny Second Anglo-Chinese War Umbeyla Campaign |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Imperial Service Order Order of Philip the Magnanimous (Hessen) Order of the Red Eagle (1st Class) (Prussia) Order of the Redeemer (2nd Class) (Greece) Royal Order of Kalākaua (1st Class) (Hawaii) Order of the Tower and Sword (Portugal) Order of St Anne (1st Class) (Russia) Order of Osmanieh (2nd Class) (Turkey) |
| Other work | Keeper of the Privy Purse |
General Sir Dighton Macnaghten Probyn VC, GCB, GCSI, GCVO, ISO, PC (21 January 1833 – 20 June 1924) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
The son of Captain George Probyn and Alicia Workman, daughter of Sir Francis Workman Macnaghten, 1st Baronet, Dighton Probyn entered the light cavalry arm of the East India Company's Bengal Army as a cornet in 1849, being posted into the 6th Light Cavalry. In 1852, he was appointed adjutant of the newly raised 2nd Punjab Cavalry which formed part of the 11,000 strong Punjab Irregular Force responsible for policing the Trans-Indus Frontier.
At the time of the outbreak of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, on 10 May 1857, Dighton Probyn was at Jullundur, the station of the 6th Bengal Light Cavalry. Probyn's squadron of the 2nd Punjab Cavalry fought throughout the uprising, with Probyn being 'Mentioned in Despatches' many times for his actions.
By the end of 1857 the squadron of 2nd Punjab Cavalry which Probyn commanded was frequently referred to as Probyn's Horse, as Lieutenant E. H. Verney, RN, records in The Shannon's Brigade in India:
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