[1] He was a 26 year old lieutenant when the following deeds took place during the Sea of Azov naval campaign of 1855, for which he was awarded the VC, as cited in the London Gazette: "Whilst serving as junior Lieutenant of the Miranda, [Cecil William Buckley] landed in presence of a superior force, and set fire to the Russian stores [on two occasions]."

After mentioning that the stores were in a very favourable position for supplying the Russian Army, and that, therefore, their destruction was of the utmost importance, "Lieutenant Cecil W. Buckley, Lieutenant Hugh T. Burgoyne, and Mr John Robarts, gunner, volunteered to land alone, and fire the stores, which offer I accepted, knowing the imminent risk there would be in landing a party in presence of such a superior force, and out of gun-shot of the ships.

The second volunteer service was performed while the town of Taganrog was being bombarded by the boats of the Fleet: "Lieutenant Cecil Buckley, in a four-oared gig, accompanied by Mr Henry Cooper, Boatswain, and manned by volunteers, repeatedly landed and fired the different stores and Government buildings.

This dangerous, not to say desperate service (carried out in a town containing upwards of 3,000 troops, constantly endeavouring to prevent it, and only checked by the fire of the boats' guns), was most effectually performed."

From 1868 to 1870 he commanded the Pylades, a wooden screw corvette, on the Pacific station and from December 1871 the Valiant, a guard ship in the Shannon Estuary.