Repeated Gallantry: brave veterans of the Anglo-Boer War

During the Anglo-Boer War there were only three gallantry awards available to the Army; Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

78 Victoria Crosses and 2092 DCMs were awarded. The number of gallantry DSOs has not been calculated and they are excluded here.

Thousands of ABW veterans went on to serve in other wars, notably the First World War. The tables below show the gallantry awards subsequently won by ABW veterans.

Further details on these men are available on The Register.

You can see which ABW veterans went on to win their first gallantry awards (and other orders and campaign medals) using the search in The Research Centre.

VC winners - who subsequently won a second VC (1):

Name	Rank	Number	Unit	Remarks
Martin-Leake, A	Surgeon-Captain		South African Constabulary

DCM winners - who subsequently won an MC (50):

Name	Rank	Number	Unit	Remarks
Acraman, WE	Colour-Sergeant	3070	Grenadier Guards
Axten, S	Sergeant	3172	Cameron Highlanders
Beckett, AC	Corporal	27995	Engineers, Royal
Bell, WC	Lance-Sergeant	6380	Fusiliers, Royal
Belt, CB	Quartermaster Sergeant	2814	South Staffordshire Regiment
Boast, ST	Quartermaster Sergeant	1989	South Lancashire Regiment
Bradley, SGL	Colour-Sergeant	328	Middlesex Rifle Volunteers
Brown, A	Sergeant-Major	2623	Dorset Regiment
Burke, J	Sergeant-Major	43	Dublin Fusiliers
Carney, TP	Drummer	5748	East Yorks Regiment
Chalmers, J	Sergeant	4978	Scottish Rifles
Clarke, AJ	Sergeant	3012	Norfolk Regiment
Collier, A	Sergeant	3513	18th Hussars
Croydon, AC	Colour-Sergeant	4401	Lincolnshire Regiment
Dakin, E	Colour-Sergeant	4649	Royal Lancaster Regiment
Downing, S	Sergeant	2689	Devonshire Regiment
Dunn, JC	Trooper	8376	Imperial Yeomanry
Finney, W	Colour-Sergeant	3154	Manchester Regiment
Forbes, HN	Sergeant	4216	5th Lancers
Harford, CE	Regimental Quartermaster Corporal Major	1284	Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)
Harris, CB	Sergeant	2481	Horse Artillery, Royal
Hazelgrove, A	Drill Sergeant	1703	Grenadier Guards
Hazelwood, J	Colour-Sergeant	4588	South Staffordshire Regiment
Hodgkinson, C	Sergeant	3496	Worcestershire Regiment
Hudson, J	Colour-Sergeant	398	Irish Guards	also awarded bar to DCM
Jones, TA	Colour-Sergeant	3871	Sussex Regiment
Langrish, W	Sergeant	3433	Scottish Rifles
Leavens, FC	Sergeant	3254	East Surrey Regiment
MacWhinnie, NH	Sergeant	5177	King's Own Scottish Borderers
Marsden, WH	Lance-Sergeant	4956	Shropshire Light Infantry
Moncrieffe, JA	Sergeant	252	Imperial Yeomanry
Moore, J	Sergeant	4204	King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
Nicholl, RA	Corporal	26794	Engineers, Royal
Parker, EA	Sergeant-Major	1726	Welsh Fusiliers, Royal
Pepper, AL	Colour-Sergeant	2624	Norfolk Regiment
Percy, HJ	Colour-Sergeant	3046	East Surrey Regiment
Reid, W	Quartermaster Sergeant	3479	Inniskilling Fusiliers
Richardson, JT	Quartermaster Sergeant	2547	Norfolk Regiment
Roberts, FG	Colour-Sergeant	4930	Scots Fusiliers, Royal
Ross, T	Sergeant-Major	8322	Scots Guards
Rouse, AW	Sergeant-Major	5365	Berkshire Regiment
Routh, PG	Sergeant	314	Strathcona's Horse
Scaife, J	Corporal	2622	Gloucester Regiment
Seaton, W	Colour-Sergeant	4440	Derbyshire Regiment
Shea, JPL	Colour-Sergeant	4236	Durham Light Infantry
Simpson, W	Colour-Sergeant	6867	King's Own Scottish Borderers
Watts, AF	Sergeant	87933	Field Artillery, Royal
Wenham, E	Sergeant	9283	King's Royal Rifle Corps
White, EO	Colour-Sergeant	2877	Border Regiment
Withers, J	Corporal	3250	Leicestershire Regiment

DCM winners - who subsequently won a bar to the DCM (16):

Name	Rank	Number	Unit	Dated Bar
Boyd, W	Private	3493	Middlesex Regiment	'14th JUNE 1915'
Burley, JE	Lance-Corporal	4	West Australian MI
Carney, TP	Drummer	5748	East Yorks Regiment
Cownie, S	Private	6411	Royal Scots	Also won an MM
Howells, A	Private	5771	South Wales Borderers
Hudson, J	Colour-Sergeant	398	Irish Guards	'10th -11th AUGUST 1915', also awarded MC
Hudson, WG	Sergeant	2208	Devonshire Regiment
Lawn, JW	Private	5516	King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry	'29th SEPTEMBER 1915'
MacDonald, A	Drummer	4938	Hampshire Regiment	'19th OCTOBER 1914'
MacKie, JD	Colour-Sergeant	1980	Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
MacKinnon, A	Sergeant	2541	Cameron Highlanders	'25th-27th SEPT. 1915'
McIntyre, WL	Colour-Sergeant	2794	Highland Light Infantry	'30th JULY 1915'
Noble, A	Colour-Sergeant	3042	Durham Light Infantry	'31st JULY 1915'
Shields, W	Gunner	95011	Garrison Artillery, Royal	'28TH JANUARY 1916'
Skinner, J	Colour-Sergeant	4853	Seaforth Highlanders
Wing, FW	Sergeant	3802	5th Lancers

DCM winners - who subsequently won an MM (3):

Name	Rank	Number	Unit	Remarks
Cownie, S	Private	6411	Scots, Royal	Also won a second bar to the DCM
Donnelly, JP	Private	3269	East Yorks Regiment
Holmes, W	Sergeant	5433	Dublin Fusiliers

A failed escape attempt? - Sgt Delaney, Royal Irish Fusiliers

Eighty British soldiers are recorded as having escaped from captivity, from about 10,000 soldiers captured. But, only 6,000 POWs were kept for any length of time. After September 1900, most British POWs were kept for a short period of time, some only long enough to be stripped of useful arms, ammunition, clothing, food and valuables before being set free to hobble barefoot and nearly naked back to camp.

A post on angloboerwar.com featured the exploits of two escapers of the New South Wales Lancers, Troopers Ford and Whittington. The text and images come from "the first 150 pages of Volume 62 of The Graphic, July to December 1900." A report was carried in the newspapers in June from which the account in The Graphic relies on heavily.

Trooper Milverton Ford had his account published in The Sydney Mail Saturday 30 June 1900 which is transcribed here. He notes they were joined by: "a sergeant of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, who had seen service in India and Omdurman". The report in The Graphic names him as "Sgt Delaney".

Whittington and Ford arrived safely in Delagoa Bay, Portuguese East Africa, but what happened to Sgt Delaney and who was he?

In the report published by the Sydney Mail Ford says that Delaney split from them after four days, "Parting as friends", heading south towards the railway at Bronkhorst Spruit. No further mention is made of him. However, the report published in the Daily Mail (Perth, Western Australia) two weeks earlier on 16th June, states that "Near Middelburg they missed Sergeant Delaney". Middelburg and Bronkhorstspruit are nearly 100km apart in a rough east-west line; Bronkhorstspruit is not south from Middelburg. There is definitely some confusion in Ford's account or the re-telling by the journalist who recorded it.

There was only one Sergeant Delaney of the Royal Irish Fusiliers captured in the war, 4245 C Delaney. The published Natal Field Force simply shows him as dying in Pretoria on 21st May, 1900, no record of him being captured. However, he must have been a POW to have died in Pretoria before the city was captured on 6th June, 1900. Delaney was most likely a POW at Nicholson's Nek on 30th October, 1899, although he was also present at Talana ten days prior.

Contemporary newspapers published confusing information about Delaney's exact date of death. The Army & Navy Gazette, 16th June, and The Times, 11th June, both state the date as 21st May,  but in the Army & Navy Gazette edition published 14th July it states "30-04". Only the latter publication shows the cause of death as peritonitis.

If this is the same Sgt Delaney as escaped with Ford and Whittington then he must have been re-captured by the Boers and returned to the POW camp. Ford recounts that "some of these who had attempted to escape before us contracted fever, and gave themselves up soon afterwards, returning to camp only to die". Delaney became ill and died a prisoner, one of 76 British soldiers to die as a POW, he is buried in Petronella. Sgt 4245 Delaney served in the 1898 Sudan campaign. Unfortunately no service papers have been traced.

Who was there? 66th battery Royal Field Artillery at Colenso 15th December, 1899

Family historians want to know where their ancestor fought, and medal collectors obtaining a medal to someone involved in a well known action is a popular aim, but how do you know "your man" was there?

The Battle of Colenso on 15th December, 1899 was the third and final British defeat in seven days - christened "Black Week" by the newspapers.

The battle was notable for the loss of four guns from 66th battery and six from 14th battery, despite attempts to recover them under intense fire from the Boers that resulted in multiple casualties. Just two of the original 12 guns that were marooned were recovered. The remaining 10 were abandoned on the field of battle on the orders of the British commander, Major-General Sir Redvers Buller, VC. The loss of the guns, a rare event and embarrassment to the Army. For the Royal Artillery the guns were their Colours - the flags each infantry regiment used to carry into battle. The Colours were defended resolutely and many lives were lost in their defense. Conversely capturing the enemies' Colours was a great and celebrated event.

Darrell Hall's excellent forensic examination of the artillery at Colenso is essential reading to understand the battle.                                                              

Immediately news of the battle and the loss of the guns was telegraphed to the world a row broke out; "Who was responsible?" Buller blamed his chief gunner, Colonel CJ Long for positioning the guns too close to the Boer positions so their fire blasted the gunners from their guns. Others blamed Buller for ordering efforts to recover the guns to be stopped and the guns left as his army retreated from Colenso.                                                                                                                                                                         In efforts to recover the guns six Victoria Crosses and 22 Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded. One of the VC winners was Lt FHS Roberts, King's Royal Rifle Corps, the only son of Field Marshal Lord Roberts VC, who was given command in South Africa following "Black Week".

Which members of the 66th battery fought at Colenso? Obviously, the one VC and 13 DCM winners and casualties from the battery are confirmed as being present. But, this group is the minority of those who were present at the battle.

Casualties 66th battery

	Officer	NCO	Other        Rank	Total
KIA	1	2	3	6
WO	3	2	10	15
POW	2	4	15	21
Missing			2	2
Total	6	8	30	44

The next source of identification is the clasp qualification on the Queen's South Africa medal. The "Relief of Ladysmith" clasp covers this battle, but also other battles, the qualification date for the clasp is from the 15th December, 1899 to the 28th February, 1900. Therefore soldiers not present at Colenso could be awarded the clasp the same as those present at Colenso, how do you tell them apart?

A total of 266 men are on the roll of the 66th battery with the clasp "Relief of Ladysmith", but the usual complement of a battery was 171 men (from Hall), a contemporary account states there were 165 men in the battery at the battle of Colenso (Act-Bdr 31002 T Stephenson, English Lakes Visitor 20-01-1900). It is clear that about 100 men on the 66th battery roll with the clasp "Relief of Ladysmith" could not have been at the battle. To identify the men who were there from those who were not you need to establish when they joined the battery. A number of men were bought into the battery to make up for its losses at Colenso. This information can be found in the service records.

For each of the 266 men I have looked for service papers and constructed a nominal roll for the battery at Colenso. Each man's entry in The Register will show whether it was likely he served at the battle or not. A summary is shown in the table below:

Rank	Establishment (from Hall)	Total on Roll	Present - 66th btty	Percentage of establishment	Present Other #	Not Present	Unknown *
Major	1	2	1	100		1
Captain	1	4	1	100	1	1	1
Lieutenant ^	3	5	3	100		2
Battery Sergeant-Major	1	3	1	100		1	1
Quartermaster Sergt~	1	3	2	200		1
Farrier Sergt~	1	3	1	100	1		1
Sergeant	6	10	6	100		1	3
Bombardier~	6	15	9	150		3	3
Corporal	6	9	3	50		3	3
Trumpeter	2	4	2	100	1		1
Farrier	4	0	0	0
Saddler	2	0	0	0
Wheeler~	2	3	2	100			1
Gunner	76	104	61	80	4	18	21
Driver	59	88	48	80	5	15	20
Cpl SS	0	1	1	0
Cpl Collar Maker	0	1	1	0
Bmdr CM	0	3	1	0		1	1
Shoeing-Smith	0	8	6	0	2
	171	266	148	87	14	47	57

^ the number of Lieutenants on the roll is unusually inflated by 1 as Lt CStL Hawkes was on the sick list at the time of the battle and his place was taken by Lt GL Butler from the Unattached List.

~ Ranks listed follow Hall, these ranks include trades such as Wheelers and Acting ranks as shown on the medal roll, such as Wheeler QMS and Acting Bombardier

# Present other - with RA Staff or 66th battery's Brigade partners the 7th and 14th batteries

* Unknown - no service papers or papers show no proof

This table shows that 86% of the 66th battery who served at Colenso have been verified as joining the battery prior to the 15th December, 1899. Two men were transferred in just two days prior to the battle. A further 62 who appear on the 66th battery medal roll for the "Relief of Ladysmith" clasp did not serve with the battery on the 15th December. There is a large rump, 56 men, for whom no proof has been found that they served, numerically over half of this group could not have served with the battery at Colenso.

Having established that "your man" was there the next question is "Where was he on the battlefield, what did he do?". Did "your man" try and rescue the guns?

Again, unless he won a gallantry medal this is very difficult to establish. It is believed that all who tried to rescue the guns either received a gallantry medal or were killed in the attempt. However Bombardier 31002 T Stephenson wrote a number of letters home, in one he gives a lengthy account of his unsuccessful attempt to rescue a gun (English Lakes Visitor 20-01-1900). Stephenson did not receive a gallantry award, so his letter raises the possibility others tried to rescue the guns whose names have been lost.

Artillery batteries are very structured, divided into "the guns" and "the ammunition supply". Certain ranks only served in one of those sections; Lieutenants, Sergeants and Bombardiers served on the guns, Corporals were on the ammunition wagons (in the rear). Gunners and Drivers, the most numerous ranks in the battery, served on both the guns and ammunition wagons. 

In Bombardier 31002 T Stephenson's lengthy account he summarises, "Out of 165 men only 91 returned, but half of them were in charge of the baggage." (English Lakes Visitor 20-01-1900) The figure of "91 returned" seems low given that only 44 of the battery were casualties. Stephenson, according to his account, was stranded on the battlefield and made his own way back to camp. Perhaps there were more stragglers like him to add to the "91 returned". From the nature of the fight, the majority of casualties were among the gun crews and not the ammunition wagon crews, as Stephenson remarks, "half of them were in charge of the baggage.". Most Gunners and Drivers who were present but not casualties or gallantry award winners would not have been with the guns but on the ammunition wagons. The experience of the men on the ammunition wagons, well to the rear of the guns themselves - about 800 yards on the day sheltered in the "large donga" was different to those serving the guns exposed to the full force of the Boer fire.

The other evidence showing "he was there" is a letter or account either written by the man or he is named. I have found letters, long and short from three members of the 66th battery:

Shoeing-Smith	25723	AH	Butler
Gunner	29487	W	Silsby
Acting Bombardier	31002	T	Stephenson

No doubt others exist.

This work has uncovered two new casualties; Driver 6302 T Jeffs was, according to his service papers, wounded, Driver 31020 J Williams suffered from chorea, literally "shell shock" when a "shell burst above his head". He is not in the official casualty roll due, I believe that chorea was not regarded as "wound", accordingly I have not included him as a casualty above. Gunner 85109 J Treanor was actually in prison on the 15th December, he is counted as "not present".

Royal Army Medical Corps - casualty analysis

The Royal Army Medical Corps served throughout the war in every theatre. They served on the front line and at all stations back to the hospital ships taking wounded and sick men back to Great Britain.

When I analysed their casualties I was surprised at how few men were battle casualties.

A total of 411 men became casualties, as expected the overwhelmingly majority fell victim to disease, 68%, only 18% were battle casualties.

Total RAMC Casualties (some men had more than one casualty)

Accident	3
Battle	73
Deserted	3
Died*	16
Disease	282
Drowned	7
Miscellaneous	22
Railway	2
Self-inflicted	1
Suicide	2
Total	411

* - Died, cause not known

~ - Miscellaneous, various known; poisoning, during surgery, hepatitis, etc.

Breakdown of Battle Casualties

Killed	10
Died of wounds		10
Missing	9
POW	6
Wounded	38
Total	73

The men of the RAMC were certainly in the firing line. The Corps won five Victoria Crosses – all for tending the wounded under fire,  and 37 DCMs, 14 of these were to the rank of Lance-Sergeant and below and would have been for gallantry in action. Those of  the rank Sergeant and above could equally of have been awarded DCMs for good service in the war as for an act of gallantry.

Lord Roberts' Bodyguard

The military response to the ultimatum issued by the South African Republic lay squarely with Britain. In their wisdom, the War Office, and Britain's generals believed they knew best how to prosecute the war. The local knowledge and military experience, albeit limited but critical, present amongst the residents of the Cape Colony and Natal was largely ignored. Not surprisingly this upset "the colonials" and by then end of 1899, after "Black Week", three towns besieged the New Year looked bleak. The arrogance of the British military establishment was a source of embarrassment.

The War Office realised new blood was needed and they appointed Field Marshal Lord Roberts to replace Major-General Sir R Buller, VC, as Commander-in-Chief. Lord Roberts and his energetic deputy, Lord Kitchener, arrived in Cape Town on January 10th, 1900. They had much work to re-organise and re-energise the battered British forces. Crucially, they realised the contribution "the colonials" could make to future military success.  Roberts authorised further mounted units be raised; Roberts' Horse and Kitchener's Horse. A Colonial Division was formed, commanded by the newly promoted Major-General EY Brabant, a veteran of the Cape's earlier wars. They were to do sterling service, not least in the successful defence of Wepener in April 1900.

Roberts' public relation offensive included a public face, about five days after arriving he asked Major DT Laing to raise a bodyguard composed of selected men from colonial units. Major Laing was a veteran of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders who had settled in southern Africa. he had fought in the conquest of Matabeleland in 1893 and commanded the Belingwe Field Force. Laing understood both the British Army and the colonial fighter.

The initial strength of the Bodyguard was 40 men, enrollments began on January 23rd, by February 1st 40 men had been signed up.

Unit	1st 40	Replacements
Brabant's Horse	5
Canadian Dragoons	0	2
Canadian Mounted Rifles	1	1
Cape Garrison Artillery	1
Cape Town Highlanders	2
District Mounted Rifles	2
Duke Of Edinburgh's Volunteer Rifles	2	2
Imperial Light Horse	1	2
Kaffrarian Rifles	2
Marshall's Horse	2	1
Nesbitt's Horse	1	1
New Zealand Mounted Infantry	0	1
Prince Alfred's Volunteer Guard	3	1
Queensland Mounted Infantry	2
Queenstown Rifle Volunteers	4
Rimington's Guides	3
Robert's Horse	2
No parent unit traced	7	1
Totals	40	12

Those men whose parent unit has not been traced must have had previous military service in southern Africa and be known to Major Laing or recommended by men he trusted. There is very little written about the recruitment of the Bodyguard, what we know has been derived from the medal rolls (WO100) and nominal rolls (WO127).

The Bodyguard obviously accompanied Lord Roberts' on his great march from Orange River Camp to Belfast via Paardeberg, Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Diamond Hill. Seventeen also earned the Relief of Kimberley clasp, why they were separated is not known.

On 25th October, 1900 Britain marked the annexation of the South African Republic with a large parade in Pretoria. The Bodyguard were one of four units representing "the colonies". [Dundee Courier 29-10-1900] The St James' Gazette reported on 28th November, 1900 the "Kimberley contingent" left that town by train following an address from the mayor. Their destination was not shown.

In late 1900 Lord Roberts handed over command to Lord Kitchener and left in December. Before he left Roberts asked Major Laing to raise a regiment known as "Commander-in-Chief's Bodyguard". The Bodyguard was dissolved, a few men stayed with the new regiment, the majority returned to their parent units. Over the time the Bodyguard existed a total of 52 men served in the unit, one just for 3 days. Most served into October 1900 when most transfers out began, the last man transferred out was on December 11th. The last man transferred in was on June 14th and he served for six months.

These 52 men earned 25 clasp combinations; the most common clasps are Paardeberg, Driefontein, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast and Cape Colony - the clasps awarded Lord Roberts himself. Others to be found are Belmont, Modder River, Relief of Kimberley, Elandslaagte, Relief of Mafeking and Defence of Ladysmith and Wittebergen. These men truly represented the breadth of Colonial service in the war.

For the full list of men who served check this PDF.

The group to MJ Paxton, Kaffrarian Rifles, Cape Colony Cycle Corps and in WW1 3rd SAMR and 8th SA Horse.

On May 29th, 1900 the 69th (Sussex) company IY were briefly attached to Robert's Bodyguard immediately prior to the occupation of Johannesburg. Their post of honour was brief as they joined the 7th bn IY very soon after. (A Yeoman's Letters, PT Ross, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton & Ket, 1901 pp3-5. The 48th (North Somerset) Company IY also acted as a bodyguard to Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener. They were commanded by a nephew of Lord Roberts, Cpt WM Sherston, DSO. [Banffshire Journal and General Advertiser 04-06-1901, Central Somerset Gazette 27-05-1905]

Finding "new" casualties

With the digitisation of records from archives ...

Soldier's Effects on Ancestry is very useful aas it often gives the soldier's first name, place and date of enlistment and names of his next of kin which makes genealogical research possible in the absence of service papers. As a rule, service papers for deceased soldiers were destroyed.

I have used Soldier's Effects to find the names of soldiers who died at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley, Hampshire in the UK after they had served at the war in South Africa. I extracted a list of names with death dates between 10 October 1899 and 31 December 1902. Then, cross referencing this list with The Register and medals rolls I was able to update existing casualty records; where men had been wounded but not recorded in the casualty rolls as dying, and add new records for men invalided from the war who died at Netley.

Existing casualty records updated - 48
New casualties identified              - 44

These men are included as casualties.

I cross referenced these men against Steve Watt's "In Memoriam" as he lists Netley deaths and there are five net "new" casualties, and seven updates to dates and units compared to that information in Watt .

There was a third category of men who died after the end of the war 31 May 1902 - these are not included as casualties unless they had been wounded or invalided with an illness during the war. Their deaths are recorded in the Biographical Notes section, there are 44 men in this category.

The vast majority of the men identified served in the British Army, however individuals from "colonial" units also found themselves at Netley and some unfortunately died there: British South Africa Police, Cape Medical Staff Corps, Canadian Artillery, Imperial Yeomanry Scouts, Prince of Wales Light Horse, Rand Rifles and Rhodesian Regiment.