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Major Gonville Bromhead VC (29 August 1845 – 9 February 1891) was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the British armed forces. He received the medal for his part in the defence of Rorke's Drift in January 1879 where a small British garrison of 139 soldiers successfully repulsed an assault by some 4,000 Zulu warriors. Bromhead was portrayed by Michael Caine in the film ''Zulu'', which depicted the battle. Born into a notable military family, Bromhead was raised in Thurlby, Lincolnshire. He entered the 24th Regiment of Foot as an ensign in 1867 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1871. Bromhead's battalion was deployed to southern Africa in 1878 and subsequently served in the Ninth Cape Frontier War and the Anglo-Zulu War. He spent most of the remainder of his career in South Asia, where he was promoted to major in 1883 and saw service in the Third Anglo-Burmese War. He died in 1891 in Allahabad, India, at the age of 45. ==Early life== Gonville Bromhead was born on 29 August 1845 in Versailles, France. He was the youngest child born to Major Sir Edmund de Gonville Bromhead, 3rd Baronet and his wife Judith. He came from a notable military family: his great-grandfather, Boardman Bromhead, fought under Major General James Wolfe at Quebec; his grandfather, Sir Gonville Bromhead, was a lieutenant general who fought in the American Revolutionary War; his father was a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo; and his three older brothers were officers in the British Army. His family resided at Thurlby Hall in Thurlby, Lincolnshire and he was educated at Magnus Grammar School in Newark-on-Trent. After purchasing an ensign's commission, he entered the 2nd Battalion 24th Regiment of Foot on 20 April 1867 and was promoted to lieutenant on 28 October 1871. Nicknamed "Gunny" by his colleagues, Bromhead was an accomplished boxer and cricketer for the regimental team, and was popular with the men under his command. During his career he developed hearing problems which became progressively worse. However, according to historian Ian Knight, contrary to popular belief, Bromhead's deafness did not affect his ability to command his men. Nevertheless Bromhead was not highly regarded by his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Henry James Degacher, who privately described him as "hopeless". On 1 February 1878, Bromhead's battalion were dispatched to the British Cape Colony in response to a request for reinforcements to assist in the Ninth Cape Frontier War. Arriving at East London on 9 March Bromhead's B Company took part in several offensive operations at the conclusion of the war. During an assault on a Xhosa position in May the company's commanding officer, Captain A.G. Godwin-Austen, was wounded by shot accidentally fired by one of his own men. He was consequently sent back to England to recover and command of the company temporarily passed to Bromhead. In August the battalion were sent to Pietermaritzburg, Natal, to prepare for the invasion of Zululand. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gonville Bromhead」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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