Frederick Whirlpool VC: Australia's Hidden Victoria Cross by Alan Leek

Book Description

Secondhand. Very good condition. Minor wear to book corners and edges

Frederick Whirlpool’s Victoria Cross is displayed near the entrance to the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial. It was the first VC pinned to an Australian uniform, yet almost nothing was known about its enigmatic recipient.

Two acts of valour in 1858, during the Indian Rebellion, won him the Victoria Cross, but 17 severe sword wounds ended his career. Arriving in Victoria in 1859, he became a volunteer rifleman and school teacher. His VC was presented in Melbourne in 1861.

Repulsed by fame, he fled and hid his cross from the world. Fragments of his story were known, but since 1895 they have been tainted by error, guesswork, and, in one recent British work, pure fantasy. This work solves an old mystery. It reveals his true identity and his early life in Ireland before he joined the East India Company Army.