A Mysterious Beginning
Timothy O’Hea, born in 1843 in Schull, County Cork, remains a largely enigmatic figure before his military career. Little is known about his early life until he enlisted in the Rifle Brigade, where he served as a private in the 1st Battalion. He would later be remembered for a singular act of extraordinary bravery that saved hundreds of lives.
Fire on the Tracks
In June 1866, O’Hea was stationed in Quebec, Canada. On June 9th, a train transporting 800 German immigrants and 2000 pounds of ammunition halted at Danville. Four soldiers, including O’Hea, were assigned to guard the boxcar holding the ammunition – a routine task until the unthinkable happened.
Late that afternoon, a fire broke out in the very boxcar the soldiers were guarding. Realising the imminent danger, O’Hea sounded the alarm, and the train car was quickly disconnected. But when he turned to the others for help, he discovered that both the railwaymen and his fellow soldiers had fled to safety, leaving the German immigrants to face almost certain death.
A Selfless Act of Courage
In the moment of crisis, O’Hea did not hesitate and with full knowledge of the risk to his own life, he took charge of the situation. Snatching the keys from the Sergeant in charge, O’Hea began ripping away burning covers from the ammunition cases and hurling them out of the carriage to prevent the fire from reaching the highly explosive cargo.
But his bravery didn’t stop there. Finding a bucket and ladder, O’Hea made 19 desperate trips to a nearby creek, returning each time to douse the flames. Alone and undeterred, he fought the fire until it was finally extinguished, saving countless lives. His fearless actions that day were a testament to his unwavering courage.
Honouring a Hero
For his incredible and selfless bravery, Timothy O’Hea was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour for gallantry. His Victoria Cross is remarkable not only for the act of heroism that earned it, but also for its rarity: O’Hea’s Victoria Cross is the only one awarded for an action on Canadian soil, and one of only six given for acts of bravery not in the face of the enemy. In 1940, the George Cross was introduced for acts of conspicuous bravery not in the enemy’s presence, and the Victoria Cross ceased to be awarded for such actions.

“For his courageous conduct on the occasion of a Fire which occurred in a Railway Car containing ammunition, between Quebec and Montreal… it was due to his example that the fire was suppressed.”
-O’Hea’s VC citation
A Life Cut Short
In 1868, O’Hea was medically discharged from the military due to tuberculosis. Seeking new horizons, he travelled first to New Zealand and later to Australia. In 1874, he joined an expedition searching for survivors of Ludwig Leichhardt’s ill-fated expedition, which had been lost in the Australian wilderness in 1848. Of the three men who set off on the expedition, only one member of the party, Thompson, returned. O’Hea’s body was never recovered, leaving the precise circumstances of his death a mystery.

An engraving of the three men of the expedition: Timothy O’Hea, Andrew Hume, and Lewis Thompson.
Legacy of Bravery
Timothy O’Hea’s story is one of extraordinary bravery, selflessness, and heroism. His quick thinking and fearless actions saved hundreds of lives and earned him a place in history as a true hero. Though his life was tragically short, his legacy of courage continues to inspire.