| Lieutenant Rudolph Edward Lisle March Phillips de Lisle was born in 1854 the son of Ambrose Lisle March Phillips de Lisle and An officer on the HMS Alexandra he was serving with the Naval Brigade during the Gordon Relief Expedition when he was killed along with his shipmate Lt. Pigott at the Battle of Abu Klea when the Gardner Gun under their command jammed and was overrun by the Dervishes on 17 January, 1885. The 8 December, 1878 edition of the Times states that De Lisle was appointed as a Lieutenant to the HMS Shannon. (Of interesting note is the statement in the same Times column titled Naval and Military Intelligence that No. 5 Company Royal Engineers and a certain Lieut. J. R. M. Chard R.E. as having been posted to South Africa. This is of course before Lieut. Chard would achieve immortal fame and a Victoria Cross as the defender of Rorke's Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.) On 22 September, 1881 De Lisle was posted to the HMS Vernon for a course in torpedo instruction. The period ink inscription on the reverse identifies de Leslie and states that he died "...in the heroic attempt to save Gordon and Khartoum..." and that he was 31 years old at the time of his death. Mounted Photograph (Photographic Copy of an Original Oil Painting) 9 inches by 6 3/4 inches (22.8 cm x 17 cm) J Burton & Sons - Photographer Leicestershire, England c. 1880's - 90's |
