Frederick Whirlpool, VC (17 July 1831 – 24 June 1899) was an English soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) during the Indian Mutiny. The Victoria Cross is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. In his later life, Whirlpool migrated to Australia; as a result, he is sometimes claimed as an Australian VC recipient although his name is not included in the official count. Early life and military career For many years he was believed to have been born as "Frederick Conker" in Liverpool, in either 1829 or 1830, and some sources state that he was born in London. However, in his 2018 book Allen Leek provided evidence that he was born on 17 July 1831 in County Carlow, in Ireland. His early childhood, was spent in Ireland where he most probably attended the Dundalk Institute an Irish Protestant school. Upon completion of his education he found himself working as a clerk for the Dundalk Poor Law Union, a job that he hated. Following an argument with his father, he left Ireland to enlist in the army of the East India Company. Upon enlistment he assumed the name of Frederick Whirlpool, which he later explained was due to his father's characterisation of his temper. He arrived in Bombay in 1855 and joined the 3rd Bombay European Regiment (later The Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment). Although he was assigned the role of an assistant schoolmaster, in early April 1858, during the Indian Mutiny, Whirlpool's regiment was sent to Jhansi, to recapture it from mutineers who had taken it the previous year. Whirlpool subsequently found himself in the thick of the fighting. Over the course of a month Whirlpool distinguished himself to his superiors on a number of occasions. The first instance came in early April when, during the fighting in Jhansi, braving heavy fire and at great personal risk he rescued two wounded men who had fallen in the open. Later, in May, during an assault on Lohari, he single-handedly defended a wounded subaltern who had fallen in the open and subsequently been surrounded by enemy soldiers. For his actions during this time, Whirlpool was nominated for the Victoria Cross, the British military's highest decoration for gallantry. The award was announced in the London Gazette on 21 October 1859, which stated the following: Later life