Description
Admiral Lord Charles Beresford Vanity Fair Print 1876
Original Lithograph of Lord Charles William De La Poer Beresford with the caption at the bottom of the print: The Little Rascal
Published: 12-Aug-1876 Signed by: SPY, Leslie Ward . Dimensions approximately 26cm x 38cm.
Lord Charles Beresford between 1859 and 1916, was a British admiral and Member of Parliament. He had a distinguished career in the Royal Navy and had a long running dispute with Admiral Jackie Fisher. He was a sitter for Vanity Fair later on in life as well in 1899.
He was captain of the gunboat HMS Condor in 1882 when it took part in the bombardment of Alexandria during the Egyptian war of 1882 and won admiration amongst the British public for taking his ship inshore to bombard the Egyptian batteries at close range.
In 1884 and 1885 Beresford joined the staff of the Gordon Relief Expedition under Garnet Wolseley, along with the Naval Brigade and a Gardner machine gun, to which Beresford was much attracted. During the battle of Abu Klea, Dervishes overran his Gardner gun when it jammed at the last moment. Beresford just escaped death by diving under the trail of the gun. Henry Newbolt’s Battle of Abu Klea poem “Vitaï Lampada” is often quoted,[why?] “The Gatling’s jammed and the Colonel’s dead…”, although it was a Gardner machine gun which jammed.
Aside from his British Decorations he was awarded the following foreign awards. Grand Cordon of the Order of the Medjidie of the Ottoman Empire. Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia. Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer of Greece. Grand Cross of the Order of St Olav of Norway. Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour of France
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Note that these lithograph prints are all in excess of 100 years old. There may be minor imperfections commensurate with age. Please do not hesitate to ask questions about shipping or condition.
