#OnThisDay 1868 in Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), during the assault on Magdala, when the head of the column of attack was checked by the obstacles at the gate, a small stream of officers and men of the 33rd Regiment and an officer the Royal Engineers broke away from the main approach to Magdala, and, reaching the defences, climbed a cliff, forced their way over a wall and through a strong and thorny fence, thus turning the defenders of the gateway. The first two men to enter Magdala were Private Bergin (from Laois) and Drummer Michael Magner (from Fermanagh).
For this action, both Irishmen were awarded the Victoria Cross.
Pic: Private James Bergin VC
The Irish at War 