At the Battle of El Teb on 29 February 1884, a lieutenant attached to the Naval Brigade's right half-battery was mortally wounded. Captain Arthur Wilson of HMS Hecla took the officer's place rather than send another subordinate forward. When attackers charged the detachment, Wilson fought in front of sailors who were still harnessed to and hauling their gun. He held the position until soldiers of the York and Lancaster Regiment reached them. The accounts cited describe him fighting eight men with a sword, apparently killing about four and being wounded before assistance arrived. The action earned Wilson the Victoria Cross and supplies useful context for the unusually hands-on officer later entrusted with naval procurement.
Notable Point · 1:26:28-1:29:22
Arthur Wilson wins the Victoria Cross at El Teb
Before becoming a procurement leader, Wilson took over a Naval Brigade gun detachment at El Teb and protected its crew until infantry support arrived.