Lieutenant Neville Josiah Aylmer Coghill was born in Dublin on 25 January 1852.
On 22 January 1879, after the disaster of the Battle of Isandhlwana, Lieutenant Coghill joined another officer, Lietenant T. Melvill in trying to savethe Queen’s Colour of the Regiment.
In trying to save the colours, Lieutenants Coghill and Melvill were pursued by Zulu warriors, and while crossing the swollen Buffalo River, Coghill, despite an injured knee, went to rescue Melvill who had lost his horse and was in great danger. Although Coghill’s horse was shot, he swam on to rescue Melvill and after some time, the Colours were swept from their grasp and floated down the river. The colours were eventually recovered and are currently on display at Brecon Cathedral in Wales.
The two men were overpowered by Zulu warriors and, following a short struggle, both were killed, Lieutenant Coghill missing his birthday by 3 days when he would have turned 27.
Both Coghill and Melvill were amongst the first soldiers to receive the VC posthumously in 1907.
