John Sullivan VC (1830 to 1884) was born in County Cork and was the first Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. Sullivan was a boat Swain's Boatswain Mate in the Naval Brigade of the Royal Navy during the Crimean War. On the 10th of April 1855 at Sebastopol in the Crimea at the age of 25, as captain of one of the Downs of Greenhill battery, volunteered to place the flag on one of the concealed enemy batteries in order that the gunners of his battery would be able to identify the position of the enemy guns. His bravery in the face of the enemy was mentioned in dispatches which stated that his gallantry had always been conspicuous.
John Sullivan VC (1830 to 1884)