BATTLE HONOURS FOR SERVICES IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1806-1879.
Cape of Good Hope, 1806--South Africa, 1835--South Africa,
1846-47--South Africa, 1851-1853--South Africa, 1877-1879.
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, 1806.
This distinction has been conferred on the following regiments:
South Wales Borderers.
East Lancashire.
Highland Light Infantry.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Royal Irish Rifles.
Sutherland Highlanders.
Before touching on the capture of the Cape in 1804, it will be
advisable briefly to allude to the previous capture in 1795.
When Holland threw in her lot with revolutionary France, the Cape
became a subsidiary base for the French fleets, which put in there
for provisions and water, as well as for refit. As the islands of
Rodriguez, Bourbon, and Mauritius belonged to France, it became
necessary for the safety of our Indian possessions that we should
seize all those points which were detrimental to the preservation
of the trade route to India. The reduction of the French islands
necessitated the employment of a force larger than we at that time
could dispose of, but the Dutch settlements presented no such
difficulties. It was therefore determined to despatch a joint naval
and military expedition from England, which should be reinforced by
troops from India.
Admiral Sir Keith Elphinstone was selected for the naval command,
his force consisting of the _Monarch_ (74 guns), _Tremendous_
(74), _America_ (64), _Stately_ (64), _Ruby_ (64), _Sceptre_ (64),
_Trident_ (64), _Jupiter_ (50), _Crescent_ (50), _Sphinx_ (24), and
_Moselle_ (16). Major-General Craig embarked on the fleet with the
78th Highlanders, having instructions to pick up the St. Helena
Regiment at that island. Detachments of the 25th and 27th Light
Dragoons also embarked, the idea being to horse them on arrival at
the Cape.
Commodore Blanket, then commanding the fleet in the East Indies,
had instructions to proceed south to co-operate with the Admiral,
and he was to convoy a force under the command of Sir Alured
Clarke, composed of the 84th, 95th, and 98th Regiments. Leaving
Spithead in the _Monarch_ on April 5, Elphinstone arrived at
the Cape on July 11, and Craig at once disembarked his troops.
Desultory skirmishing took place with the Boers until September 3,
when the Indian contingent arrived. The Dutch, seeing the futility
of further resistance, surrendered. In the meantime Elphinstone
had taken possession of the Dutch fleet of eight fine ships--the
_Dordrecht_ (66 guns), _Revolution_ (66), _Admiral Tromp_ (54),
_Castor_ (44), _Brave_ (40), _Bellona_ (28), _Sirene_ (28), and
_Havik_ (18). The total casualties amounted to 9 men killed, 3
officers and 53 men wounded, and fell, as will be seen, chiefly on
the force commanded by General Craig.
CASUALTIES AT THE CAPTURE OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE IN 1795.
+---------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+---------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|78th Seaforth Highlanders | - | 2 | 6 | 24 |
|84th York and Lancaster | - | - | - | 1 |
|Royal Navy | - | 1 | 3 | 15 |
|98th (now Argyll Highlrs.) | - | - | - | 3 |
|95th | - | - | - | 6 |
+---------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, 1806.
In accordance with our time-honoured Parliamentary custom, the
Cape, which had been captured in 1795, was restored, by the terms
of the Treaty of Amiens, to the Dutch, thus necessitating its
recapture on the renewal of the war in 1803. It was known that
efforts had been made to render this more difficult, and therefore
it was determined to employ a larger force. The command of the
troops was entrusted to Sir David Baird, a soldier who had shown
conspicuous gallantry on several occasions in India, and who had
displayed considerable resource when in command of the Indian
division of the Egyptian Expeditionary Army in 1801. With him was
associated Admiral Sir Home Popham, whose squadron, comprised
the _Diadem_, _Raisonnable_, _Belliqueux_, _Diomed_, _Leda_,
_Narcissus_, _Espoir_, and _Encounter_.
The troops forming the expedition were the 20th Hussars; a Highland
brigade, under Brigadier Ronald Fergusson, an officer who had
distinguished himself as Lieutenant-Colonel of the 84th at the
capture of the Cape in 1795, and had added to that reputation by
his conduct in Flanders under Abercromby. This brigade consisted
of the 71st (Highland Light Infantry), 72nd (Seaforths), and
93rd (Sutherland Highlanders). The Second Brigade, under General
Beresford, afterwards the well-known commander of the Portuguese
army in the Peninsular War, under Wellington, consisted of the 24th
(South Wales Borderers), the 38th (South Staffords), 59th (East
Lancashires), and the 83rd (Royal Irish Rifles).
On January 7 the troops were landed, General Beresford, with
the 20th Hussars and the South Staffords, being sent round to
Saldanha Bay to effect a diversion, his brigade being handed over
to Colonel Baird, of the 83rd. In landing, the 93rd unfortunately
lost thirty-six men by the upsetting of a boat. On the following
day--January 8--the Dutch were driven from their entrenched
position on the Blue Mountain by the Highland Brigade, and on the
9th the General capitulated.
When the order was issued conferring this distinction on certain
of the regiments which had taken part in this expedition, the two
corps which were detached under Beresford were for some reason
omitted from the list. There would seem no reason why the 20th
Hussars and South Staffords should not now be allowed to assume the
honour. The casualties amounted to 15 killed and 189 wounded, and
fell chiefly on the Highland Brigade.
CASUALTIES AT THE CAPTURE OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE IN 1806.
+----------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|24th S. Wales Borderers | 1 | - | 3 | 16 |
|59th E. Lancs | - | 1 | 2 | 5 |
|71st Highland L.I. | - | 2 | 6 | 7 |
|72nd Seaforth Highlanders | - | 2 | 2 | 36 |
|83rd R. Irish R. | - | - | - | 6 |
|93rd Sutherland Highlanders | - | 5 | 2 | 57 |
+----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
SOUTH AFRICA, 1835.
This distinction is borne by the
Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Seaforth Highlanders.
Gordon Highlanders.
Our difficulties at the Cape may be said to have commenced with its
first capture in 1795, and to have lasted until the conclusion of
peace with the Boers more than a century later. In the year 1819 we
had to embark on a campaign with the Kaffirs, and now, in the early
part of 1835, there was a general rising of the Kaffirs against
the European settlers in South Africa. Delagoa Bay was attacked,
the Portuguese Governor killed, and the fort captured. Our own
Colony was overrun, and it became necessary to use force against
force. The garrison of the Colony had been reduced to a dangerous
level. There were but three weak battalions of the line, one
company of artillery, and that fine old regiment the Cape Mounted
Rifles. Fortunately, we had as Governor a man well qualified to
deal with the crisis. Sir B. D'Urban was an officer who had acted
as Adjutant-General to Lord Beresford throughout the Peninsular
War, and he now had as his Adjutant-General Colonel Harry Smith,
subsequently known as the victor of Aliwal, and whose name will be
associated with a later war in South Africa.
Leaving the 98th (North Staffords) to garrison Cape Town, General
Sir B. D'Urban moved up the 72nd (Seaforths) to Grahamstown, then
held by a wing of the 75th (now the 1st Gordons). A laager was
constructed round Port Elizabeth, and the inhabitants formed into
battalions of irregulars, and placed under the command of regular
officers. A similar proceeding was adopted at Grahamstown, and in
April Colonel Harry Smith was ready to take the field. His force
did not number more than 3,000 men. It was composed of the 72nd
(Seaforths), Cape Mounted Rifles, some 1,500 mounted Boers, and two
weak battalions of armed Hottentots. Desultory fighting continued
for some weeks--indeed, it was not until the month of December that
a permanent peace was concluded, our frontiers being pushed still
farther to the north.
SOUTH AFRICA, 1846-47.
This distinction commemorates a long-forgotten campaign, and is
borne by the
7th Dragoon Guards.
Royal Warwicks.
Scottish Rifles.
Inniskilling Fusiliers.
Royal Highlanders.
Sherwood Foresters.
Argyll Highlanders.
Rifle Brigade.
For some considerable time prior to the outbreak of hostilities our
relations with the Gaikas, a powerful tribe on the Natal frontier,
had been on the verge of breaking-point; and as no embargo was
placed on the importation of arms, it was foretold that as soon
as these gentry felt themselves strong enough a struggle for the
mastery was inevitable. In the early spring of 1846 the storm broke
by the Gaikas attacking a convoy of prisoners and releasing some
of their own tribesmen, and for a time Grahamstown was practically
besieged. There was but a small force in the Colony to make head
against the insurrection, but as the Boers had as much, if not
more, to lose at the hands of the Kaffirs, large numbers of them
were enrolled for defence. The Governor of the Colony was General
Sir Peregrine Maitland, and he promptly moved up to the front with
all the available troops. Fortunately, a transport conveying the
90th (Scottish Rifles) from Ceylon to England had put into Port
Elizabeth in distress, and the regiment was at once disembarked and
sent up to the front.
In April, Colonel Somerset, of the Cape Mounted Rifles, took the
field, with the 7th Dragoon Guards, the 91st (Argyll Highlanders),
and his own regiment, strengthened by some Burghers and Hottentot
levies, and on April 16 inflicted a sharp defeat on the enemy. The
6th (Royal Warwicks), 27th (Inniskilling Fusiliers), 45th (Sherwood
Foresters), and the Rifle Brigade were successively sent out to
reinforce Sir Peregrine. In the early part of 1847 an advance was
made into the Amatole Bush, and after a few trifling skirmishes the
Gaikas sued for peace, and our frontier was pushed up to the Kei
River.
SOUTH AFRICA, 1851-52-53.
The following regiments are entitled to bear this distinction, for
which a medal was granted by an Army Order of November 21, 1854
12th Lancers.
Queen's Royal West Surrey.
Royal Warwick.
Suffolks.
Royal Highlanders.
Oxford Light Infantry.
King's Royal Rifles.
Highland Light Infantry.
Argyll Highlanders.
Rifle Brigade.
Sandilli, the Gaika chief, had never reconciled himself to
accepting loyally the terms of the treaty entered into after the
war of 1847. In December, 1851, a party of the 45th (Sherwood
Foresters) was surprised and cut up, although we were supposed
to be at peace with the tribes. The Governor of the Colony, Sir
Harry Smith, was a man of energy, and one who knew the country
well, for he had been in actual command of the troops during the
war of 1835. Since then he had added to his reputation in India,
both in the Gwalior and Sikh Wars. He was not the man to sit down
tamely under such an insult. He at once proceeded to Grahamstown
to judge for himself the necessity of the case, and then wrote
home for reinforcements. Without waiting for these, he commenced
operations by an invasion of the Amatole Bush with two columns, the
one commanded by Colonel Fordyce, of the 74th, the other by Colonel
Mitchell; these operations were not unattended with loss, and
further movements in the Waterkloof Mountains cost the 74th their
Colonel and some thirty men.
In the autumn reinforcements commenced to arrive from England.
These included the same battalion of the Rifle Brigade which had
done so well in the previous campaign; but this time the Rifles
were armed with the Minié, a weapon which ranged up to 1,000 yards.
A few of the same weapons were served out to each company of the
other regiments, and though perhaps in close Bush fighting the
old Brown Bess was effective enough, yet, when it happened, which
it often did, that the Kaffirs were holding a position with open
country in its front, the long range of our weapons won the day
before our men began to suffer any loss.
The policy of Sir Harry Smith did not commend itself to the Home
Government, and in the early part of 1852 General Sir George
Cathcart was sent out to the Cape to replace him. Sir George had
earned a high reputation as a writer on military subjects, and
was an officer of considerable experience. He had acted on the
staff of his father, who was attached to the Russian army during
the campaign of Leipsic, as well as in that of 1813-14 against
Napoleon, and he had been Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Wellington
at Waterloo. It was not until the commencement of 1853 that
Sandilli sued for peace, when Sir George Cathcart returned home.
He subsequently became Adjutant-General of the army, but resigned
that position to take command of a division in the Crimean War, and
he fell gallantly leading on his men at the Battle of Inkerman on
November 5, 1855.
SOUTH AFRICA, 1879.
The regiments entitled to bear this distinction on their colours
and appointments are the
King's Dragoon Guards.
17th Lancers.
Buffs.
King's Own Lancasters.
Somerset Light Infantry.
Royal Scots Fusiliers.
South Wales Borderers.
Scottish Rifles.
South Staffords.
Northamptons.
Middlesex.
King's Own Royal Rifles.
Wiltshires.
Connaught Rangers.
Argyll Highlanders.
The campaign was undertaken with a view of punishing the Zulus,
a powerful tribe bordering our Colony of Natal, for continual
violations of our territory. The Zulus were undoubtedly the most
powerful tribe in Southern Africa, and on more than one occasion
they had defeated the Boers. We unfortunately entered on the
campaign with our usual contempt for the forces opposed to us.
The General in command was Major-General Lord Chelmsford, an
officer who had considerable war experience, and who had held the
highest staff appointments in India, both in war and in peace.
He had served in the Crimea, first as a regimental officer in
the Grenadier Guards, and subsequently on the staff. Exchanging
into the 95th (Derbyshire Regiment), he served with that fine old
corps in Central India, and in 1867 he was Adjutant-General to the
Abyssinian Expeditionary Force.
The invasion of Zululand was to have been carried out by five
columns, the Commander-in-Chief exercising a general supervision
of the whole, but at the outset moving with the two centre columns.
No. 1 column was under the command of Colonel Pearson, of the
Buffs, and consisted of the 2nd Battalion of the Buffs, the 99th
(Wiltshires), a strong naval brigade, and some native levies. It
numbered 4,750 men, with four guns.
No. 2 column was under the command of Colonel Durnford, of the
Royal Engineers. It consisted entirely of native levies, commanded
by British officers, and was 3,300 strong. Its commander had
considerable colonial experience, and was generally looked upon as
the best officer in South Africa for dealing with native questions.
No. 3 column was under the command of Colonel Glyn, of the 24th
(South Wales Borderers). It consisted of both battalions of that
unfortunate regiment, one of native levies, with six guns. Its
strength was 4,700 men.
No. 4 column was under Colonel (better known as Field-Marshal Sir
Evelyn) Wood, V.C., C.B., of the 90th (Scottish Rifles). He had
with him the 13th (Somerset Light Infantry), his own corps, and
native levies, including a regiment of Frontier Light Horse, under
Colonel Redvers Buller, V.C., C.B. Its strength was 2,270 men, with
six guns. In composition and leadership there is no doubt that this
was the best organized of the five columns.
No. 5 column was under that exceptionally fine soldier Colonel
Hugh Rowlands, V.C. It consisted of the 80th (South Staffords),
with a number of native levies, bringing up its strength to 1,600
men, with three guns. The duty of this column was to watch the
western frontiers of Zululand, and to keep a watch over another
recalcitrant chieftain, Sekukuni, who had to be dealt with in the
near future.
The army crossed the frontier in three columns--No. 1, under
Pearson, following the easternmost road, near the sea, to Etshowe;
Nos. 3 and 4, with the Commander-in-Chief, crossing the Tugela
River at Rorke's Drift; whilst Sir Evelyn Wood took a more
northerly course. On January 22 Lord Chelmsford, leaving Colonel
Durnford at Isandhlwana, within the Zulu border, moved forward to
reconnoitre. No means were taken to keep touch with Durnford's
column, which was attacked by an overwhelming force of the enemy,
and the whole force annihilated, the 24th losing no less than 25
officers and 591 non-commissioned officers and men. To the credit
of the corps it must ever be remembered that not a man fell back;
all died at their post. The colours were borne away at the distinct
orders of the commanding officer by two young officers, Lieutenants
Coghill and Melville, whose dead bodies were found some days after
in the bed of the Tugela River, with the blood-stained standards
lying safe beside them. A few hours later the Zulus followed up
this success by a vigorous attack on the post at Rorke's Drift, on
the Tugela River, held by one company of the 24th. Its commander,
Lieutenant Bromhead, came of a famous fighting family, and he was
associated with a sapper officer, Lieutenant Chard. The post was
defended with unsurpassed heroism. After some hours the Zulus,
unable to stand against the accurate shooting of the 24th, fell
back, and so the communications with the Cape were maintained, and
the Commander-in-Chief, who, although within hearing of the firing,
was ignorant of the true state of affairs, was enabled to fall back
and to reorganize his army.
Colonels Pearson and Wood held on to their positions. Wood was
attacked on the 25th by the Zulus at Kambula, but beat them off
after a sharp engagement with but slight loss, his two regiments
showing themselves worthy of their high reputations as light
infantry corps.
Pearson, on the other hand, was shut up in Etshowe, and was only
relieved some days later by the Commander-in-Chief, who on his
march to Etshowe inflicted a defeat on the Zulus at Ginghelovo.
The news of the disaster to the 24th caused a strong sensation
in England. Reinforcements were hurried out to the Cape, and the
command of the forces entrusted to Sir Garnet Wolseley. On his
arrival in Natal he reorganized his army, which was now constituted
as under:
First Division: Major-General Hope Crealock.
First Brigade--Brigadier C. Pearson: 2nd Battalion 3rd Buffs,
88th (Connaught Rangers), and 99th (Wiltshires).
Second Brigade--Brigadier-General J. Mansfield Clarke: 57th
(Middlesex), 3rd Battalion King's Royal Rifles, and 91st (Argyll
Highlanders).
Divisional Troops: Naval brigade (800 strong), ten mountain guns,
one company of sappers, and two battalions of native troops.
Second Division: Major-General Newdigate.
First Brigade--Colonel Glyn: 2nd Battalion 21st (Royal Scots
Fusiliers) and the 58th (Northamptons).
Second Brigade--Colonel Collingwood: 1st Battalion 24th (South
Wales Borderers) and the 94th (Connaught Rangers).
Divisional Troops: Three battalions of native levies, one company
of Royal Engineers, and three batteries of artillery.
Flying Column--Colonel Evelyn Wood, V.C., C.B.: 1st Battalion
13th (Somerset Light Infantry), 90th (Scottish Rifles), 80th
(South Staffords), Buller's Frontier Horse, and two squadrons of
mounted infantry.
Cavalry Brigade--Major-General Marshal: King's Dragoon Guards,
17th Lancers, and native mounted troops.
Lines of Communications--Major-General Hugh Clifford, V.C., C.B.:
88th (Connaught Rangers) and details.
Before Sir Garnet Wolseley had time to arrive at headquarters, Lord
Chelmsford moved up from Ginghilovo, and defeated the Zulus in a
serious engagement at Ulundi. Our losses were trifling, those of
the enemy extremely heavy. With this defeat the active opposition
of the Zulus ceased, and Sir Garnet Wolseley at once organized a
number of flying columns to traverse the country and to effect the
capture of the King. This brought the war to a close.
Early in the following year Sir Garnet turned his attention to King
Sekukuni, whose stronghold was captured by a portion of the army
which had been engaged at Ulundi.
The troops who took part in the campaigns against the Zulus and
against Sekukuni were honoured by being awarded the South African
War Medal, with a clasp bearing the date "1879" or "1880," as the
case may be, and the regiments were authorized to add the words
"South Africa" to the other distinctions on their colours. If we
except the losses incurred by the 24th Regiment at Isandhlwana and
the cutting up of a company of the 80th (South Staffords), the
losses in the campaign were not of a very serious nature, as the
appended casualty return shows:
CASUALTIES IN SOUTH AFRICA, 1877-1879.
+-----------------------------+-----------+-----------+
| |_Officers._| _Men._ |
| _Regiments._ +-----+-----+-----+-----+
| | K. | W. | K. | W. |
+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|Royal Artillery | 3 | 2 | 68 | 4 |
|Roy. Engineers | 1 | - | 4 | - |
|K. Drag. Gds. | - | - | - | - |
|17th Lancers | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
|Buffs | - | - | 3 | 3 |
|4th King's Own | - | - | - | - |
|13th Somerset L.I. | 1 | 2 | 8 | 28 |
|2nd Batt. 21st Roy. Scots F. | - | 4 | 3 | 24 |
|1st Batt. S. Wales Bdrs. | 16 | - | 404 | 2 |
|2nd Batt. S. Wales Bdrs. | 5 | - | 187 | 4 |
|57th Middlesex | - | 1 | - | 3 |
|58th N'amptons | - | 2 | 1 | 10 |
|3rd Batt. 60th Rifles | 1 | - | 1 | 5 |
|80th S. Staffs. | 1 | - | 60 | 1 |
|88th Connaught Rangers | - | - | - | - |
|90th Scottish R. | 2 | 3 | 15 | 46 |
|91st Argyll Highlanders | - | - | 1 | 8 |
|94th Connaught Rangers | - | 2 | 2 | 22 |
|99th Wilts | 1 | - | 2 | 4 |
|Naval Brigade | 2 | 1 | 8 | 15 |
+-----------------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+