Born at Dunbar, Scotland, on the 30th of November 1826, the son of George Home, Esq.
He passed his youth in Berwickshire and Selkirk, and after obtaining his M.D. at St Andrew's in 1847, studied for a year in Paris prior to obtaining his M.R.C.S. in 1848.
Assistant Surgeon in the 3rd West India Regiment: 17th of March 1848.
Assistant Surgeon in the 72nd Foot: 8th of December 1848.
Assistant Surgeon (Staff): 10th of December 1852.
Assistant Surgeon in the 8th Hussars: 15th of August 1854.
Surgeon in the 13th Light Dragoons: 9th of February 1855.
Letter ("Very Pressing"):
"Horse Guards,
3rd February 1857.
Sir, — By order of HRH the General Commanding-in-Chief I have the honour to request that you will instruct Surgeon A. D. Home, who is at present doing duty with the 13th Light Dragoons to proceed immediately to Portsmouth to join the 90th Regiment of Foot, to which he is about to be appointed.
I am, etc., etc.
W. L. Foster,
DAG.
[To: Officer Commanding 13th Light Dragoons, Cahir.
Surgeon in the 90th Foot: 6th of February 1857.
Staff Surgeon (Second Class): 31st of March 1858.
Marriage
He married, on the 19th of October 1858, at St George's, Hart Street, Bloomsbury, London, Jessie Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Penham Luxmore Hallet, Esq.
His address was given as No. 7 Bloomsbury Place and hers as 31 Bedford Place, London. He was then 31 years and 10 months of age and she 20.
The service was conducted by the Revd George Winston, M.A.
Two sons and six daughters were born into the family and in his will he left £2,000 to each of the seven surviving children and the residue to his wife out of his estate of £24,607.
Deputy Surgeon General: 24th of December 1873.
Surgeon General: 4th of April 1880.
Retired from the service on the 30th of November 1886.
Before joining the 8th Hussars in the Crimea in 1854 he had served in the West Indies from May 1848 to June 1851, Nova Scotia from August of 1851 and in Gibraltar from February 1853 to September of 1854, as well as in Guernsey and Ireland.
Surgeon Home served the Eastern campaign of 1854-55, including the battle of Balaclava and the Siege and fall of Sebastopol. (Medal and Clasps.)
He was serving in the General Hospital at Scutari from the 14th of November 1855.
Served during the Mutiny campaign of 1857-59, including the first relief of Lucknow, present in the Residency during the siege and was subsequently with the force left at the Alumbagh, and was present at the final action of Lucknow. (V.C. and Medal with clasp for Lucknow. One year's extra service allowed for Lucknow.)
He is said to have been the last survivor of the eleven men besieged with him at Lucknow.
Served in China in 1860, Capture of Taku Forts and the action of Palichoo on the road to Pekin. (Medal.)
Served in New Zealand during 1864-65: in the campaign in the Wakato Valley, Touranga and Waguni. (Medal and C.B.)
He was specially promoted, to Surgeon General, for his services in New Zealand.
Present during the Ashanti campaign. Principal Medical Officer to the Forces and present at the action of Essema. (Mentioned in despatches twice (18th of November 1873 and the 7th of March 1874.) K.G.B. and Medal.)
Employed as an Inspector under the Privy Council, 30th of August 1871 — 1st of November 1872.
He had the local rank of Surgeon-General when employed on the West Coast of Africa, 24th of May 1873, local rank of Surgeon-General when serving as P.M.O. Cyprus, on the 12th of June 1878 and given temporary rank on the 9th of April 1879.
Head of the Statistical Branch of the Army Medical Department at the War Office, 1874-78 and Principal Medical Officer of H.M. Forces in India, 1882-85.
Entitled to the Crimean medal with clasps for Balaclava and Sebastopol.
Mutiny medal with clasp for the Relief of Lucknow, Medal for China, 1860 (but apparently no clasps), New Zealand medal, dated 1864-65 and the Ashanti medal.
Appointed a C.B. on the 6th of July 1865 and a K.C.B. on the 31st of March 1874.
He is shown on the roll of the 8th Hussars for Balaclava and that of the 13th Hussars for Sebastopol. (Hart's "Army List" for 1862 shows him as being present at the Alma and not at Balaclava, but that was not so.)
Awarded the Victoria Cross — the citation for this stating:
"For persevering bravery and admirable conduct when in charge of the wounded men left behind the column when the troops under Major-General Havelock forced their way into the Residency at Lucknow on the 26th of September 1857.
The escort left with the wounded had, by casualties, been reduced to a few stragglers and being entirely separated from the column the small party with the wounded were forced into a house, until it was set on fire.
They then retreated into a shed — a few yards from it — and there they plainly defended themselves for more than 22 hours until relieved.
At last only six men and Mr. Home remained to fire.
Of the four officers with the party all were badly wounded and three are since dead.
The conduct of the defence during the latter part of the time devolved therefore upon Mr. Home and his active exertions previously to being forced into the house and good conduct throughout, the safety of any wounded and the successful defence are mainly attributed."
Both he and William Bradshaw (Assistant Surgeon of the 90th Regiment) received the Victoria Cross from the hands of Queen Victoria at an investiture held at Buckingham Palace on the 8th of June 1859.
Further detailed medal information archived.
Former addresses were Mount Athos, Portobello, Midlothian, Scotland, and he was living in Denmark Terrace, Brighton, in 1898.
He died at No. 7 Palace Gardens, Kensington, London, on the 9th/10th of August 1914, from "Heart failure".
He was buried on the 12th of August in Highgate Cemetery, West Side, in Square No, 40, Grave number 16593 and a headstone was erected.
His father and wife are also buried in the same grave. (This part of the cemetery is now closed to the public because of the dangerous condition of many of the monuments.)
His youngest surviving daughter, Georgina, died at Landsdowne Terrace, Bath, on the 11th of January 1942, and was buried at Bath.