# Israel Harding

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{{Short description|Recipient of the Victoria Cross}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox military person
|name= Israel Harding
|image= VCIsraelHarding.jpg
|image_size= 
|alt= 
|caption= 
|nickname= 
|birth_date= {{birth date|1833|10|21|df=yes}}
|birth_place= [Portsmouth](/source/Portsmouth), England
|death_date= {{death date and age|1917|05|22|1833|10|21|df=yes}}
|death_place= [Billingshurst](/source/Billingshurst), [West Sussex](/source/West_Sussex), England
|burial_place= Highland Road Cemetery, Portsmouth
|allegiance= United Kingdom
|branch= [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy)
|service_years= 
|rank= [Chief Gunner](/source/Chief_Gunner)
|unit= {{HMS|Arrogant|1848|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Barracouta|1851|6}}<br/>{{HMS|Alexandra}}
|commands= 
|battles= [Crimean War](/source/Crimean_War)<br/>[1882 Anglo-Egyptian War](/source/1882_Anglo-Egyptian_War)<br/>[Third Anglo-Ashanti War](/source/Anglo-Ashanti_wars)
|awards= [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross)<br/>[Mentioned in dispatches](/source/Mentioned_in_dispatches)
|relations= 
|other_work=
}}
'''Israel Harding''', [VC](/source/Victoria_Cross) (21 October 1833 &ndash; 22 May 1917) was a sailor in the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) and a recipient of the [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and [Commonwealth](/source/Commonwealth_of_Nations) forces.

==Naval career==
Harding was 48 years old, and a [gunner](/source/Gunner_(rank)) in the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) during the [1882 Anglo-Egyptian War](/source/1882_Anglo-Egyptian_War) when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross) (VC).

On 11 July 1882 at Alexandria, Egypt, {{HMS|Alexandra}}, with other ships, was bombarding the forts of the city and suffering damage and casualties from the enemy's guns. During the engagement a 10-inch shell passed through the ship's side and lodged on the main deck. Gunner Harding, hearing a shout that there was a live shell just above the hatchway (which led to the magazine) rushed up from below, picked it up and flung it into a tub of water. Had the shell burst it would probably have caused many deaths.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25147|date=15 September 1882 |page=4260}}</ref>

On return to England the Victoria Cross was presented to him by [Edward, Prince of Wales](/source/Edward_VII).<ref>Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.307</ref>

Harding later achieved the rank of chief gunner. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the [Imperial War Museum](/source/Imperial_War_Museum) in London.

<gallery>
File:HMS Alexandra 1875.jpg|HMS Alexandra
File:Grave of Israel Harding V.C.jpg|Grave of Israel Harding V.C.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120716185435/http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/hampshir.htm Burial location of Israel Harding] "Hampshire"
*[https://www.victoriacross.org.uk/bbhardin.htm News item] "Israel Harding's Victoria Cross sold at auction"

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Israel}}
Category:British recipients of the Victoria Cross
Category:1833 births
Category:1917 deaths
Category:Royal Navy sailors
Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War
Category:Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War
Category:British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War
Category:Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross
Category:People from Billingshurst
Category:Military personnel from Portsmouth
Category:Burials in Hampshire

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Israel Harding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Harding) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Harding?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.