Captain Lewis Stratford Tollemache Halliday
Royal Marines Light Infantry

HMS Orlando, Boxer Rebellion, Peking

"On 24th June, the enemy consisting of Boxers and Imperial troops made a fierce attack on the west wall of the British Legation, setting fire to the west gate of the south stable quarters, and taking cover in the building which adjoined the wall. The fire which spread to part of the stables, and through the smoke of which, a galling fire was kept up by the Imperial troops, was with difficulty extinguished.
As the presence of the enemy in the adjoining buildings was a grave danger to the Legation, Captain Strouts, with my sanction, organised a sortie to drive them out. A hole was made in the Legation wall, and Captain Halliday, in command of 20 Marines, led the way into the buildings and almost immediately engaged a party of the enemy. Before he could use his revolver, however, he was shot through the left shoulder at point blank range, the bullet fracturing the shoulder and carrying away part of the lung; notwithstanding the extremely severe nature of the wound,
Captain Halliday killed three of his assailants and telling his men to "carry on, and not mind him", walked back unaided to the hospital, refusing escort and aid so as not to diminish the number of men engaged in the sortie.
London Gazette _ 1st January 1901
Lewis Halliday was promoted Major General in 1925 and on 1st October 1927 was appointed Adjutant- General, Royal Marines and promoted to General in the appointment. He was Knighted Commander of the Bath in January 1930 and retired in October of that year at his own request.
Apart from the V.C. he held a China War Medal with Defence of Legations clasp, the Order of Companion of the Bath, 3rd June 1913, British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1914-1918 Star. He was Deputy Lieutenant for Devon from the 1930's until 1950 and Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State. He died on 9th March 1966 in Dorking where he is buried.