Topic: Evelyn Wood

Field Marshal Sir Henry Evelyn Wood VC, GCB, GCMG (9 February 1838 – 2 December 1919) was a British Field Marshal and a 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.

Wood was born in Braintree, Essex as the fifth and youngest son of Sir John Page Wood, 2nd Baronet, and an elder brother of Katherine Parnell (Kitty O'Shea). Sir Matthew Wood, 1st Baronet, was his grandfather. His uncle was Lord Chancellor William Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley. He was educated at Marlborough College.

Wood served as a midshipman in the Crimean War during the siege of Sebastopol. Seriously wounded in an attack on the Redan, Wood was mentioned in dispatches. He then left the Royal Navy to join the British Army, becoming a cornet in the 13th Light Dragoons and then a lieutenant in the 17th Lancers. In India, he saw action at Rajghur, Sindwaho, Kharee, and Barode during the Indian Mutiny.