THE BOOK OF THE V.C.
_BY THE SAME AUTHOR_
WITH PIZARRO THE CONQUISTADOR
CANADA: BRITAIN’S LARGEST COLONY
THE EMPIRE ELOCUTIONIST
STORIES OF KING ARTHUR
[Illustration: HOW LORD ROBERTS WON THE V.C.
HE OVERTOOK THE PAIR JUST AS THEY WERE ABOUT TO SEEK REFUGE IN A VILLAGE,
AND ENGAGED THEM BOTH AT ONCE.--_Frontispiece._--_See p. 75._]
THE BOOK
OF THE
V.C.
_A Record of the Deeds of Heroism for which
the Victoria Cross has been bestowed, from
its Institution in 1857, to the Present Time_
COMPILED FROM OFFICIAL PAPERS AND
OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES
BY
A. L. HAYDON
AUTHOR OF “WITH PIZARRO THE CONQUISTADOR” ETC. ETC.
_WITH TEN ILLUSTRATIONS_
NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY
31 WEST TWENTY-THIRD STREET. 1907
TO MY SON
ARTHUR CECIL HILLYARD
(“MAC”)
CONTENTS.
CHAP. PAGE
I. THE ORIGIN OF THE VICTORIA CROSS AND THE FIRST
PRESENTATION 1
II. THE CRIMEA.--THE BATTLE OF THE ALMA 9
III. THE CRIMEA.--IN THE BALACLAVA CHARGES 16
IV. THE CRIMEA.--THE HEROES OF INKERMAN 27
V. THE CRIMEA.--WITH THE SAPPERS AND MINERS.--IN
TRENCH AND RIFLE-PIT 34
VI. THE CRIMEAN CROSSES OF THE NAVY 45
VII. PERSIA.--HOW THE SQUARE WAS BROKEN 57
VIII. INDIA.--THE GALLANT NINE AT DELHI 61
IX. INDIA.--WITH SABRE AND GUN AGAINST SEPOY 69
X. INDIA.--THE BLOWING UP OF THE CASHMERE GATE 78
XI. INDIA.--THE STORY OF KOLAPORE KERR 84
XII. INDIA.--THE DEFENCE OF THE DHOOLIES 92
XIII. INDIA.--THREE BRAVE CIVILIANS: MANGLES,
McDONELL, AND “LUCKNOW” KAVANAGH 102
XIV. INDIA.--SOME OTHER CROSSES OF THE MUTINY 112
XV. IN THE SIXTIES.--CHINA, JAPAN, INDIA, WEST AFRICA,
AND CANADA 124
XVI. NEW ZEALAND.--FIGHTING THE MAORIS 133
XVII. IN ASHANTI BUSH AND MALAY JUNGLE 142
XVIII. HOW SOME AFGHAN CROSSES WERE WON 150
XIX. MAIWAND.--A GUNNER’S STORY 161
XX. ZULULAND.--THE DASH WITH THE COLOURS FROM ISANDHLANA 168
XXI. ZULULAND.--HOW THEY HELD THE POST AT RORKE’S DRIFT 178
XXII. SOME OTHER ZULU AND SOME OTHER BASUTO CROSSES 189
XXIII. SOUTH AFRICA.--AGAINST BOERS AND MATABELE 198
XXIV. IN EGYPT AND THE SOUDAN 207
XXV. V.C. HEROES OF THE INDIAN FRONTIER 216
XXVI. HOW SURGEON-CAPTAIN WHITCHURCH WON FAME 223
XXVII. WHEN THE AFRIDIS WERE UP 229
XXVIII. SOUTH AFRICA.--THE V.C.’S OF THE SECOND BOER WAR 239
XXIX. SOMALILAND--NIGERIA--TIBET 253
APPENDICES 263-294
APPENDIX A. ROYAL WARRANTS 263
” B. THE FIRST PRESENTATION OF THE V.C. 269
” C. WARS AND CAMPAIGNS IN WHICH THE
V.C. HAS BEEN WON, FROM 1854 TO 1904 272
” D. COMPLETE ALPHABETICAL LIST OF RECIPIENTS
OF THE V.C. 274
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
HOW LORD ROBERTS WON THE V.C. _Frontispiece_
THE VICTORIA CROSS 3
THE FIRST PRESENTATION OF THE V.C., IN HYDE PARK, JUNE
26, 1857 5
“I GOT HIM TO STAND AT THE HORSE’S HEAD WHILST I LIFTED
THE CAPTAIN OFF” 22
THE ESCORT CAME SWINGING UP THE ROAD WITHOUT A SUSPICION
OF DANGER 53
McMANUS NOW RUSHED OUT, ACCOMPANIED BY PRIVATE JOHN
RYAN … AND CARRIED IN CAPTAIN ARNOLD 98
REINING IN HIS HORSE, HE TURNED TO CATCH VOSPER’S …
AND HELPED THE ORDERLY TO REMOUNT 137
WITH THE FLAG … FIRMLY GRIPPED IN HIS HAND, MELVILL
SPURRED HIS HORSE FOR THE RIVER 173
GRAVE OF MELVILL AND COGHILL 175
THE COLONEL HAD TO RIDE BACK … AND, WHILE ASSEGAIS
AND SHOTS SPED PAST HIM, CARRY OFF THE DISMOUNTED
MAN UPON HIS HORSE 193
PIPER FINDLATER … PROPPED HIMSELF UP AGAINST A
BOULDER AND CONTINUED TO PLAY HIS PIPES 236
THE GUNS WERE REACHED, BUT AT ONCE BOER SHELLS AND
BULLETS BEGAN TO DROP THICKLY AROUND 242
PREFACE
The celebration this year of the Jubilee of the Victoria Cross may be
offered as sufficient excuse for the appearance of this volume. Such a
notable event deserves to be fittingly commemorated, and it is in the
hope that it will be accepted as a standard work on the subject that the
present book is put forth. My original intention of telling the stories
of _all_ the V.C. exploits was found to be impracticable within the
limit of space prescribed. A selection, therefore, has been made, and
these instances--a very large number--have been narrated more or less at
length. The history of the Decoration has been brought right up to date.
In such a book as this, accuracy is of course of the first importance,
and in my account of the deeds that won the Cross I have been at
considerable pains to verify the smallest particulars. To this end
the _London Gazette_ and other authentic sources have been consulted,
while in many cases the information has been obtained from the V.C. men
themselves. It is possible, however, that errors have crept in despite
the care exercised, and I shall be grateful if any reader who detects a
misstatement will notify me of the fact, that the correction may be made
in a future edition.
A. L. H.
LONDON, _June 1906_.
Muscovite metal makes this English Cross,
Won in a rain of blood and wreath of flame;
The guns that thundered for their brave lives’ loss
Are worn hence, for their fame!
…
The men of all the army and the fleet,
The very bravest of the very brave,
Linesman and Lord--these fought with equal feet
Firm-planted on the grave.
The men who, setting light their blood and breath,
So they might win a victor’s haught renown,
Held their steel straight against the face of Death,
And frowned his frowning down.
…
And some who climbed the deadly glacis-side,
For all that steel could stay, or savage shell;
And some, whose blood upon the Colours dried
Tells if they bore them well.
Some, too, who, gentle-hearted even in strife,
Seeing their fellow or their friend go down,
Saved his, at peril of their own dear life,
Winning the Civic Crown.
Well done for them; and, fair Isle, well for thee!
While that thy bosom beareth sons like those,
“_The little gem set in the silver sea_”
Shall never fear her foes!
SIR EDWIN ARNOLD.
THE BOOK OF THE V.C.
CHAPTER I.
THE ORIGIN OF THE VICTORIA CROSS AND THE FIRST PRESENTATION.
Every nation loves to honour the brave deeds of her sons. We know how in
olden times this was done, how the Romans conferred a “Civic Crown” upon
the hero who saved a citizen’s life, and inscribed his name in letters of
gold upon the marble wall in the Capitol. In these modern days it is the
custom to bestow a medal or similar decoration upon the bravest of the
brave, as a public mark of appreciation of their heroism.
So Russia has its Order of St. George, which is conferred solely for
exceptional gallantry on the field of battle; Austria its Order of
Maria Theresa (so exclusive that there are not more than twenty living
possessors of its Cross); Prussia its Order “Pour le Mérite”; France its
Legion of Honour and War Medal; and the United States a “Medal of Honour”
which carries no privileges and confers no rank on the bearer, and which,
curiously enough, is sent to the recipient through the post.
Great Britain’s symbol of the grand democracy of valour is a little
Maltese cross of bronze, insignificant to look at beside many a more
showy medal, and intrinsically worth only fourpence halfpenny, but the
most coveted decoration of all that our soldiers and sailors can aspire
to.
Somewhat reminiscent of a badge awarded to the 28th Regiment after the
siege of Badajoz in the Peninsular War,--a badge which bore a crown, a
star, and the letters V.S., signifying “Valiant Stormer,”--the Victoria
Cross is adorned with a crown surmounted by a lion, and a scroll bearing
the simple inscription “For Valour.” On the reverse side of the medal
is given the date or dates of the act of bravery for which it has been
awarded, while the name of the recipient is inscribed at the back of the
bar to which it is attached by a V. The Cross, which is cast from cannon
that were taken at Sebastopol, is suspended from its wearer’s left breast
by a piece of ribbon, blue for the Navy and crimson for the Army.
Such is the world-famed Victoria Cross. What, then, was its origin? For
answer to this we must go back to the days of the Crimean War, fifty
years ago. Up to this time decorations for distinguished services in
the field were very sparsely distributed. The men of Wellington’s day
were thought to be sufficiently honoured if they were “mentioned in
despatches.” But after the Crimean campaign, in which British soldiers
did such prodigies of valour, a feeling arose that some medal should be
struck as a reward for bravery in the face of the enemy.
Perhaps it was the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava that inspired
the idea, but, however this may be, a certain Captain Scobell, R.N.,
sometime M.P. for Bath, set on foot an agitation which at length drew
the attention of the authorities and led in due course to the institution
of the Victoria Cross. The new decoration, which by Queen Victoria’s
special desire bore her own name, was first announced in the _London
Gazette_ on February 5th, 1856. The present year, therefore, celebrates
its jubilee.
[Illustration: THE VICTORIA CROSS.]
As stated in the original Royal Warrant, which is given in full in the
Appendix, the Cross entitles all its bearers below commissioned rank
to a pension of £10 a year, with an additional £5 for each extra clasp
or bar,[1] and, by a recent clause, an increase to £50 a year in cases
where the recipient is incapacitated by old age or ill-health. Another
important new alteration in the rules provides that if a man dies in
winning the V.C. the decoration shall be handed to his relatives.
It is the great distinction of the Victoria Cross that it may be won
by the humblest member of the services. “Linesman and Lord,” private
soldier, common sailor, Field-Marshal and Admiral, are all on a level
on the Roll of Valour. Out of the 522 Crosses which have been bestowed
up to the present time (June 1906), it has been, or is still, worn by
three Field-Marshals, six Admirals, one clergyman, three civilians, and
twenty-five Army doctors.
Furthermore, how truly democratic is the decoration is shown by the fact
that it has been won by three men of colour--Seaman Hall, a negro serving
in Captain Peel’s Naval Brigade at Lucknow, and Sergeant Gordon and
Private Hodge, both of the West India Regiment.
Of the different campaigns in which the Cross was won the Indian Mutiny
yielded the greatest number, 182. The Crimean War accounted for 111;
the recent South African War comes third with 78; while the Zulu War
provided 23; and the Afghan War of 1870-80, 16. In the list of V.C.
regiments--excepting the Royal Artillery and the Royal Engineers, which
have forty-one and twenty-seven Crosses to their credit--the South Wales
Borderers top the list with sixteen. Next in order come the Rifle Brigade
(fourteen), the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, the 9th Lancers, and the Gordon
Highlanders (thirteen each), and the Seaforth Highlanders (eleven). The
Black Watch and the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) total ten each.
It is pleasing to note, too, in this connection how many V.C.’s have
been won by Colonial troopers, for the most part in the late South
African War. No fewer than twenty-five were awarded to South Africans,
Australians, Canadians, and New Zealanders, showing of what sterling
metal were these Sons of the Empire who crossed the seas to fight at the
call of the Mother Country.
* * * * *
The first presentation of the V.C. took place on June 26th, 1857, the
year after the close of the Crimean War. The scene of the ceremony was
Hyde Park, and on that beautiful summer morning the sun shone down
upon a brilliant spectacle. A large body of troops under the command
of the veteran Sir Colin Campbell, comprised of Life Guards, Dragoons,
Hussars, Royal Engineers, Artillery, and other regiments, together with a
detachment of smart-looking Bluejackets, were drawn up in imposing array,
and a vast number of people of all ranks had assembled to await the
coming of Royalty, for the Queen herself was to pin the Crosses on to the
heroes’ breasts with her own hand.
Just before ten o’clock, to the booming of a royal salute, her Majesty,
with the Prince Consort, the Crown Prince of Prussia, the Prince of Wales
and his brother Prince Alfred (the late Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha), all
on horseback, rode into the Park and took their places near the dais that
had been prepared. On a small table near by, showing up strongly against
the scarlet cloth with which it was covered, lay the Crosses that were to
be bestowed that morning. The little band of sixty-two heroes, headed by
Lieutenant Knox, of the Rifle Brigade, meanwhile stood at ease a little
distance off, the observed of all observers, until the signal was given,
and then one by one they came forward as Lord Panmure, the then Secretary
for War, read out their names.
As a complete list of these first recipients of the V.C. is given at the
end of this volume I need not enumerate them here, but there were one
or two, notably Lieutenant (now Rear-Admiral) Lucas, the first man to
be awarded the decoration, Lieutenant Hewett (“Bully Hewett” as he was
popularly known), the gallant Commander (late Rear-Admiral) Bythesea, and
Lieutenant Knox, whose empty sleeve bore eloquent witness to his daring
bravery at the storming of the Redan, who stood out from the rest. And
hardly less conspicuous among those present were Lord Cardigan, at the
head of the 11th Hussars and mounted on the very horse that carried him
through the Balaclava Charge, and Fenwick Williams, the gallant defender
of Kars.
The presentation, the most historic ceremony that Hyde Park has ever
witnessed, was over in barely more than ten minutes. After the last
Cross had been pinned on Major Bourchier’s breast the little band of
heroes was drawn up in line again, and a review of the troops brought the
proceedings to a close.
* * * * *
A truly glorious and inspiring record is that of the V.C. The stories of
how the Cross was won, though they cannot be told as fully as one could
wish, make a Golden Book of Valour that every British boy should be made
familiar with, as the sons of the old Norsemen were made familiar with
the sagas of their heroes. For they tell not merely of physical courage,
which the ancients extolled as the highest of all the virtues, but of
that moral courage which demands even more fully our admiration.
[Illustration: THE FIRST PRESENTATION OF THE V.C., IN HYDE PARK, JUNE 26,
1857.--_Page 5._]
One’s heart warms at the recollection of the giant M’Bean slaying his
eleven sepoys single-handed at Lucknow, but his heroism pales before
that of Kavanagh or of Surgeon Home and the other heroes of “Dhoolie
Square.” Their gallant deeds were not performed in the fierce heat of
battle, when in the excitement of the moment a man may be so lifted out
of himself as to become unconsciously a veritable paladin, but done
quietly, from a high sense of duty and in the name of humanity, in the
face of what looked like certain death.
There is room only in the succeeding chapters for a recital of a limited
number of the deeds that won the Cross. One would like to tell of all,
making no exceptions, but such a task is beyond the scope of this volume.
The most striking and most notable acts in the annals of the V.C. have
accordingly been selected, and while keeping strictly to fact the
endeavour has been made to present them in a worthily attractive setting.
And in calling to mind the heroism of the brave men who figure in these
pages let us not forget those who may be said to have equally earned the
distinction but who for some reason or other were passed over. Of such
were Chaplain Smith, who was one of the heroes of Rorke’s Drift; Gumpunt
Rao Deo Ker, the Mahratta sowar who stood by Lieutenant Kerr’s side at
Kolapore, saving his leader’s life more than once in that terrible fight;
and the gallant little bugler boy, Tom Keep, of the Grenadier Guards,
who, while the battle of Inkerman was at its height and bullets were
whistling round him (one actually passed through his jacket), went about
tending the wounded on the field. These are names among many that deserve
to be inscribed high up on the scroll which perpetuates the memory of our
bravest of the brave.
Out of the 522 winners of the V.C. some 200 are alive at the present
time. Death has been busy of late years in thinning the ranks. Only the
other day, as it seems, we lost Seaman Trewavas, Mr. Ross Lowis Mangles
(one of the few civilians decorated), General Channer, and Baker Pasha.
We have, however, still with us the senior winner of the distinction,
Rear-Admiral Lucas, whose exploit is narrated at length in its proper
place, Field-Marshals Lord Roberts, Sir George White, and Sir Evelyn
Wood, Admiral Sir Nowell Salmon, General Sir Redvers Buller, and many
another hero of high rank. May the day be far distant when their names
have to be erased from the survivors’ roll!
[1] No such clasp or bar has yet been granted.