Lieutenant William George Cubitt, 13th Regiment [Bengal] Native Infantry, at Lucknow, 30 June 1857

Oil on canvas, by Louis William Desanges, 1860 (c).

William Cubitt (1836-1903) entered the Bengal Army in 1853. During the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859) he took part in the defence of the Residency at Lucknow, was wounded, mentioned in despatches and awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) 'for saving the lives of three men of the 32nd Regiment at the risk of his own', during the retreat after the action at Chinhut. He later saw action in the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and the 1887 campaign in Burma, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). He retired in 1891 with the rank of colonel.

This painting is one of a series of 55 depicting Victoria Cross subjects executed between 1859 and 1862 by the British artist Louis Desanges, and displayed at the Crystal Palace during the 1860s and 1870s.