List of Second Boer War Victoria Cross recipients

A painting of the Relief of Ladysmith depicting Sir George Stuart White greeting Major Hubert Gough on 28 February 1900, as portrayed in a painting by John Henry Frederick Bacon.

The Victoria Cross (VC) was awarded to 78 members of the British Armed Forces for action during the Second Boer War. The Victoria Cross is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. The VC was introduced in Great Britain on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War, and takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and to civilians under military command. The first ceremony was held on 26 June 1857, when Queen Victoria invested 62 of the 111 Crimean recipients in Hyde Park.[1]

The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 to 31 May 1902, between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic (Transvaal Republic).[2] After a set of failed negotiations over foreigner land rights in the territories, led by Joseph Chamberlain, both sides issued ultimatums. When the ultimatums were rejected, war was declared. The war had three distinct phases. First, the Boers mounted pre-emptive strikes into British-held territory in Natal and the Cape Colony, besieging the British garrisons of Ladysmith, Mafeking and Kimberley. The Boers then won a series of tactical victories against a failed British counteroffensive to relieve the three sieges. The second phase began after British forces under Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts launched counteroffensives with increased troop numbers. After Natal and the Cape Colony were secure, the British were able to invade the Transvaal and the republic's capital, Pretoria, was captured in June 1900. The third phase began in March 1900, when the Boers engaged a protracted hard-fought guerrilla warfare against the British forces. In an effort to cut off supplies to the raiders, the British, now under the leadership of Lord Kitchener, responded with a scorched earth policy of destroying Boer farms and moving civilians into concentration camps.[3]

The British Government had expected the campaign to be over within months, and the protracted war became increasingly unpopular especially after revelations about the conditions in the concentration camps. Emily Hobhouse, a campaigner, had forced the British Government to set up the Fawcett Commission, led by suffragist Millicent Fawcett, into the conditions at the camps. Hobhouse published reports from the camps which told of thousands of deaths from disease and malnutrition. These reports helped to sway public opinion against the war. The demand for peace led to a settlement of hostilities, and in 1902, the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed.[4] The two republics were absorbed into the British Empire, although the British were forced to make a number of concessions and reparations to the Boers. The granting of limited autonomy for the area ultimately led to the establishment of the Union of South Africa.

The original Royal Warrant, was silent on whether the VC could be awarded posthumously. From 1857 until 1897, 18 recipients were gazetted after their deaths but only 12 of the next of kin received the actual medal. In the other six cases there was a memorandum stating that they would have been recommended for the VC had they survived. By 1899, the precedent had been established that the VC could be awarded posthumously if the recommendation for the award was submitted prior to the recipient’s death from wounds. Two such awards were granted during the Second Boer War, the well known award to Frederick Roberts, the son of Lord Roberts VC and to Francis Parsons. In 1900 and 1901, three memoranda were issued for Herman Albrecht, Robert Digby-Jones and David Younger stating they would have been recommended for the VC had they survived. In a partial reversal of policy restricted to the Second Boer War, it was announced in the London Gazette on 8 August 1902, that the next of kin of the three soldiers mentioned in memoranda would be sent medals. In the same gazette, the first three posthumous awards were gazetted to Alfred Atkinson, John Barry and Gustavus Coulson. In 1907, the posthumous policy was reversed and medals were sent to the next of kin of the remaining six officers and men.[5] Although the Victoria Cross warrant was not amended to specifically include posthumous awards until 1920, one quarter of all awards for the First World War were posthumous.[6][7]

Recipients

NameUnitDate of actionPlace of action
Albrecht, HermanHerman AlbrechtImperial Light Horse6 January 1900*Ladysmith, South Africa
Atkinson, AlfredAlfred AtkinsonYorkshire Regiment18 February 1900*Battle of Paardeberg, South Africa
Babtie, WilliamWilliam BabtieRoyal Army Medical Corps15 December 1899Battle of Colenso, South Africa
Barry, JohnJohn BarryRoyal Irish Regiment7 January 1901*Monument Hill, South Africa
Bees, WilliamWilliam BeesSherwood Foresters30 September 1901Moedwil, South Africa
Beet, HarryHarry BeetDerbyshire Regiment22 April 1900Wakkerstroom, South Africa
Bell, FrederickFrederick BellWest Australian Mounted Infantry16 May 1901Transvaal, South Africa
Bisdee, JohnJohn BisdeeTasmanian Imperial Bushmen1 September 1900Warm Bad, South Africa
Bradley, FrederickFrederick BradleyRoyal Field Artillery26 September 1901Itala, South Africa
Brown, EdwardEdward Brown14th Hussars13 October 1900Geluk, South Africa
Clements, JohnJohn ClementsRimington's Guides24 February 1901Strijdenburg, South Africa
Cockburn, HampdenHampden CockburnRoyal Canadian Dragoons7 November 1900Komati River, South Africa
Congreve, WalterWalter CongreveRifle Brigade15 December 1899Battle of Colenso, South Africa
Coulson, GustavusGustavus CoulsonKing's Own Scottish Borderers18 May 1901*Lambrechtfontein, South Africa
Crandon, HarryHarry Crandon18th Royal Hussars4 July 1901Springbok Laagte, South Africa
Crean, ThomasThomas CreanImperial Light Horse18 December 1901Tygerkloof Spruit, South Africa
Curtis, AlbertAlbert CurtisEast Surrey Regiment23 February 1900Onderbank Spruit, South Africa
Digby-Jones, RobertRobert Digby-JonesRoyal Engineers6 January 1900*Ladysmith, South Africa
Douglas, HenryHenry DouglasRoyal Army Medical Corps11 December 1899Magersfontein, South Africa
Doxat, AlexisAlexis DoxatImperial Yeomanry20 October 1900Zeerust, South Africa
Dugdale, FredericFrederic Dugdale5th Lancers3 March 1901Derby, South Africa
Durrant, AlfredAlfred DurrantRifle Brigade27 August 1900Bergendal, South Africa
Engleheart, HenryHenry Engleheart10th Hussars13 March 1900Bloemfontein, South Africa
English, WilliamWilliam EnglishScottish Horse3 July 1901Vlakfontein, South Africa
Farmer, DonaldDonald FarmerQueen's Own Cameron Highlanders13 December 1900Nooitgedacht, South Africa
Firth, JamesJames FirthDuke of Wellington's Regiment24 February 1900Arundel near Colesberg, South Africa
FitzClarence, CharlesCharles FitzClarenceRoyal Fusiliers14 October 1899Mafeking, South Africa
Glasock, HoraceHorace GlasockRoyal Horse Artillery31 March 1900Korn Spruit, South Africa
Gordon, WilliamWilliam GordonGordon Highlanders11 July 1900Krugersdorp, South Africa
Hampton, HarryHarry HamptonKing's (Liverpool) Regiment21 August 1900Van Wyk's Vlei, South Africa
Hardham, WilliamWilliam Hardham4th New Zealand Contingent28 January 1901Naauwpoort, South Africa
Heaton, WilliamWilliam HeatonKing's (Liverpool) Regiment23 August 1900Geluk, South Africa
Holland, EdwardEdward HollandRoyal Canadian Dragoons7 November 1900Komati River, South Africa
House, WilliamWilliam HouseRoyal Berkshire Regiment2 August 1900Mosilikatse Nek, South Africa
Howse, NevilleNeville HowseNew South Wales Army Medical Corps24 July 1900Vredefort, South Africa
Ind, AlfredAlfred IndRoyal Horse Artillery20 December 1901Tafelkop, South Africa
Inkson, EdgarEdgar InksonRoyal Army Medical Corps24 February 1900Colenso, South Africa
Johnston, RobertRobert JohnstonImperial Light Horse21 October 1899Battle of Elandslaagte, South Africa
Kennedy, CharlesCharles KennedyHighland Light Infantry22 November 1900Dewetsdorp, South Africa
Kirby, FrankFrank KirbyRoyal Engineers2 June 1900Delagoa Bay Railway, South Africa
Knight, HenryHenry KnightKing's (Liverpool) Regiment21 August 1900Van Wyk's Vlei, South Africa
Lawrence, BrianBrian Lawrence17th Lancers7 August 1900Essenbosch Farm, South Africa
Lodge, IsaacIsaac LodgeRoyal Horse Artillery31 March 1900Korn Spruit, South Africa
MacKay, JohnJohn MacKayGordon Highlanders20 May 1900Johannesburg, South Africa
Mansel-Jones, ConwynConwyn Mansel-JonesWest Yorkshire Regiment27 February 1900Tugela, South Africa
Martineau, HoraceHorace MartineauProtectorate Regiment26 December 1899Mafeking, South Africa
Martin-Leake, ArthurArthur Martin-LeakeSouth African Constabulary8 February 1902Vlakfontein, South Africa
Masterson, JamesJames MastersonDevonshire Regiment6 January 1900Ladysmith, South Africa
Maxwell, FrancisFrancis MaxwellRoberts's Light Horse31 March 1900Korn Spruit, South Africa
Maygar, LeslieLeslie Maygar5th Victorian Mounted Rifles23 November 1901Geelhoutboom, South Africa
Meiklejohn, MatthewMatthew MeiklejohnGordon Highlanders21 October 1899Battle of Elandslaagte, South Africa
Milbanke, JohnJohn Milbanke10th Hussars5 January 1900Colesberg, South Africa
Mullins, CharlesCharles MullinsImperial Light Horse21 October 1899Battle of Elandslaagte, South Africa
Nickerson, WilliamWilliam NickersonRoyal Army Medical Corps20 April 1900Wakkerstroom, South Africa
Norwood, JohnJohn Norwood5th Dragoon Guards30 October 1899Ladysmith, South Africa
Nurse, GeorgeGeorge NurseRoyal Field Artillery15 December 1899Battle of Colenso, South Africa
Parker, CharlesCharles ParkerRoyal Horse Artillery31 March 1900Korn Spruit, South Africa
Parsons, FrancisFrancis ParsonsEssex Regiment18 February 1900*Battle of Paardeberg, South Africa
Phipps-Hornby, EdmundEdmund Phipps-HornbyRoyal Horse Artillery31 March 1900Korn Spruit, South Africa
Pitts, JamesJames PittsManchester Regiment6 January 1900Caesar's Camp, South Africa
Price-Davies, LlewelynLlewelyn Price-DaviesKing's Royal Rifle Corps17 September 1901Blood River Poort, South Africa
Ramsden, HoraceHorace RamsdenProtectorate Regiment26 December 1899Mafeking, South Africa
Ravenhill, GeorgeGeorge RavenhillRoyal Scots Fusiliers15 December 1899Battle of Colenso, South Africa
Reed, HamiltonHamilton ReedRoyal Field Artillery15 December 1899Battle of Colenso, South Africa
Richardson, ArthurArthur RichardsonStrathcona's Horse5 July 1900Wolwespruit, South Africa
Roberts, FrederickFrederick RobertsKing's Royal Rifle Corps15 December 1899*Battle of Colenso, South Africa
Robertson, WilliamWilliam RobertsonGordon Highlanders21 October 1899Battle of Elandslaagte, South Africa
Rogers, JamesJames RogersSouth African Constabulary15 June 1901Thaba Nchu, South Africa
Schofield, HarryHarry SchofieldRoyal Field Artillery15 December 1899Battle of Colenso, South Africa
Scott, RobertRobert ScottManchester Regiment6 January 1900Caesar's Camp, South Africa
Shaul, JohnJohn ShaulHighland Light Infantry11 December 1899Magersfontein, South Africa
Towse, ErnestErnest TowseGordon Highlanders11 December 1899Magersfontein, South Africa
Traynor, WilliamWilliam TraynorWest Yorkshire Regiment6 February 1901Bothwell Camp, South Africa
Turner, RichardRichard TurnerRoyal Canadian Dragoons7 November 1900Komati River, South Africa
Ward, CharlesCharles WardKing's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry26 June 1900Lindley, South Africa
Wylly, GuyGuy WyllyTasmanian Imperial Bushmen1 September 1900Warm Bad, South Africa
Young, AlexanderAlexander YoungCape Police13 August 1901Ruiterskraal, South Africa
Younger, DavidDavid YoungerGordon Highlanders11 July 1900*Krugersdorp, South Africa

References

  1. ↑ Ashcroft, Michael; preface; XI–XIII
  2. ↑ Thomas Pakenham, The Boer War, p. xxi
  3. ↑ Thomas Pakenham, The Boer War, pp. 493–495
  4. ↑ Thomas Pakenham, The Boer War, pp. 463–571
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27986. p. 325. 15 January 1907. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Crook, MJ, Chapter 8 pp. 68–90
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 31946. p. 6702. 18 June 1920. Retrieved 17 October 2012.

Further reading

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