Lieutenant William Alexander Kerr, 24th Bombay Native Infantry, attached to the South Mahratta Irregular Horse, winning the VC, July 1857

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

Lieutenant Kerr (1832-1919), 24th Bombay Native Infantry, won the Victoria Cross for his action in defending himself and others fighting in the stronghold or Paga, near the town of Kolapore in July 1857, during the Indian Mutiny (1857-1859). Kerr was severely wounded, while of his 17 men (all sowars of the South Mahratta Irregular Horse), eight were killed outright, another four died later of their wounds, and the rest were all severely wounded.

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.