John Paton VC (23 December 1833 – 1 April 1914) 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.
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He was 23 years old, and a sergeant in the 93rd Regiment (later The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders - Princess Louise's), British Army during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 16 November 1857 at Lucknow, India, Sergeant Paton went alone round the Shah Nujjiff and under extremely heavy fire discovered a breach in the opposite side. He afterwards led the Regiment to this breach and the important position was taken.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum (Stirling Castle, Scotland).
References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
