For his conspicuous gallantry he was gazetted on 17 June 1879 to receive the Victoria Cross. He was also mentioned in dispatches and promoted to the rank of surgeon major with effect from 23 January 1879. After the battle he remained at Rorke’s Drift and then joined the second invasion of Zululand. He took part in the battle of Ulundi and on 16 July 1879 at St Paul’s in Zululand, Lord Wolseley presented him and the recently promoted Major Chard with their Victoria Crosses. Reynolds lived a long and prosperous life until his death in 1932, a month after his eighty-eighth birthday. He was buried at Kensal Green, London. His Victoria Cross is held by the Royal Army Medical Corps Museum near Guildford.
CORPORAL CHRISTIAN FERDINAND SCHIESS,
NATAL NATIVE CONTINGENT
One of the patients in the hospital was a 23-year-old Swiss who was laid up with either bad blisters, a gunshot wound or a spear wound in the foot (various accounts). An orphan, he was brought up at Bergdorf near Berne in Switzerland and had joined the French Army at the age of 15 and seen action in the Franco-Prussian War. Coming to South Africa, he had joined the 2nd Battalion, 3rd NNC as a corporal. Early in the battle Frederick, as he preferred to call himself, had limped out of the hospital to take up a position at the barricades.
Chard observed Schiess take careful aim on some of the enemy who were causing problems. Directly on the other side of the wall a Zulu fired almost point-blank and blew off his hat. Schiess immediately sprang up and bayoneted the Zulu, shot another and bayoneted a third. He then took a painful gunshot wound on his instep but fought on like a demon.
Frederick Schiess was the first man serving with a locally raised force to be awarded the Victoria Cross. The colonial authorities brought pressure to bear on the British government, who overcame the objections of the War Office, to break the British-only policy when awarding the Victoria Cross. After the war he worked at the telegraph office in Durban but by 1884 he was out of work and destitute. Sick through exposure, he took the offer of a free passage to England in the hope of better things. Sadly, he died off the coast of West Africa and was buried at sea aged only 28 years. No photograph exists of Schiess; his Victoria Cross can be seen on display at the National Army Museum.
The captain’s log of HMS Serapis reads:
Sunday, 14th December, 1884
10.20 a.m. Departed this life Mr. F.C. Schiess,VC
5.10 p.m. Stopped. Committed to the Deep the remains of the late Mr. Schiess, VC
5.15 Proceeded
Ship’s Noon observed Position: Lat S. 13.00: Long W.7.24
PRIVATE SAMUEL WASSALL,
80th (SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT)
Although not strictly a Rorke’s Drift award, Wassall won his medal at exactly the same time and within sight of Rorke’s Drift. His award was the only other Victoria Cross awarded at the time for 22 January 1879.
When Lord Chelmsford left his base camp at Isandlwana to reinforce the mounted patrols he had sent out the previous day, he left behind a large widely spread camp at the base of the mountain. Private Wassall, an excellent horseman, was one of the Imperial Mounted Infantry (Carrington’s Horse), who had been left in the main camp by Chelmsford. Having no particular duty, he and his fellow Mounted Infantrymen were stood down and in camp when the Zulus struck. As the right flank gave way it became ‘every man for himself’. Wassall, in shirtsleeves and without a weapon, caught a small Basuto pony and joined the ranks of those desperately trying to escape over the narrow pass to the safety of Helpmekaar via Rorke’s Drift. Only a few were able to reach safety by this route before the Zulu right horn had reached this escape route and had advanced around the mountain to cut off all retreat. There was no alternative but to head off across rough country and face swimming the Buffalo river.
With the Zulus in close pursuit and due to the steep hills on either side, the escapees had little option but to follow a hazardous 5-mile route that led them to a spot known today as Fugitives’ Drift. All along the route men were dying as the Zulus overtook and killed them but a number of mounted men did reach the river, including Private Wassall. What he found was a river in full spate and, in normal circumstances, unthinkable to attempt to cross. With Zulus opening fire and closing fast, Wassall urged his pony into the torrent. About halfway across he heard a cry and saw Private Westwood of his regiment being swept round in a raging whirlpool. Despite the approaching Zulus, Wassall turned his mount and returned to the bank, coolly tied his horse to a bush and waded in after Westwood. Reaching him, Wassall dragged the half-drowned man to the bank and hauled him onto his pony. Then, pursued by a hail of bullets and spears, pony and men plunged back into the river and managed to reach the far bank, scrambled up the steep sides of the gorge and staggered on to Helpmekaar. The next day Wassall was back in the saddle and was re-posted to the Northern Column where he saw further action at Hlobane and Khambula.
He received his Victoria Cross at Pietermaritzburg a few weeks later; he was, at the age of 23, the youngest recipient of the award. After he left the army he married, raised a family and lived out his life in Barrow-in-Furness until his death in 1927. He was the only survivor of Isandlwana to be awarded a VC.
LIEUTENANT TEIGNMOUTH MELVILL l/24th
LIEUTENANT NEVILL JOSIAH COGHILL l/24th
There were several double acts during the Zulu War that resulted in the Victoria Cross award (as with Chard and Bromhead). Although not strictly Rorke’s Drift medals, the awards to Coghill and Melvill are probably the most celebrated and were the result of actions at exactly the same time and within sight of Rorke’s Drift.
As the Zulus broke through on the British right flank at Isandlwana, Melvill took the Queen’s Colour and carried it out of the camp to safety. The Colour was in a black leather case at the end of the long staff, a clumsy object for a rider to handle at the best of times, especially when harried by a determined and fast closing enemy.
Melvill left the camp on horseback in the company of Lieutenant Walter Higginson, 3rd Battalion Natal Native Contingent and they followed the cross-country trail of the other fugitives. Contrary to popular belief, Coghill did not accompany Melvill and each descended into the Buffalo river gorge by a different route; the first time they met that day was in the swirling river.
It was unfortunate for Coghill that he was left behind at Isandlwana; he was Colonel Glyn’s orderly officer and would have accompanied Lord Chelmsford’s column but for the effects of a previous accident. The question has subsequently been raised about Coghill’s actions: as a serving officer of the 24th, should his first duty have been to remain with his regiment? Instead he joined the disorganized every-man-for-himself rabble that headed off across country and away from the battle. Nevertheless, his bravery in returning to save his drowning brother officer is unquestioned.
The fugitives had to run a gauntlet of Zulus, who were not only chasing from behind but also attacking from the flanks. The fugitives on foot were quickly overwhelmed and even those on horseback who could not manage more than a cautious trot over the rocky ground were run down and killed. Somehow the three officers variously and independently managed to reach the Buffalo river, closely pressed by the Zulus. Coghill plunged into the torrent ahead of Melvill and attained the Natal bank. While pausing for breath, he looked back and saw the other two in trouble. Higginson was unhorsed and clinging to a rock in midstream. Melvill, still holding on to the Colour that had unbalanced him, was floundering in the river and being swept towards the rock sheltering Higginson. Higginson tried to help Melvill but the current was too strong and both officers lost their grip on the rock and the Colour was lost.
Seeing their predicament and ignoring the Zulus who were firing from the far bank, Coghill turned to ride back into the river. Almost immediately his horse was shot and killed. Despite this setback he swam out to Melvill and Higginson and under heavy fire, all three managed to swim to the Natal bank. With Melvill exhausted and Coghill lame, Higginson set off to find some horses. Exhaustion, heavy wet clothing and Coghill’s crippled le
g meant that he and Melvill could only climb a short distance before they were caught by previously friendly local natives and forced to make their last stand, their backs against a large rock.
Some days later, a patrol found their bodies together with a number of dead natives, evidence that Melvill and Coghill had sold their lives dearly. Their attempts to save the Colour and the manner of their deaths made them national heroes but there was no provision in the warrant for posthumously awarding the Victoria Cross. On the contrary, there was some ill feeling that resulted in a sarcastic statement by General Wolseley when he visited their graves. He merely commented that it was ‘unfortunate that they had not died on the battlefield’.
On 2 May 1879 two official memoranda appeared in the London Gazette. One read:
On account of the gallant efforts made by Lt Melvill to save the Queen’s Colour of his regiment, he would have been recommended to her Majesty for the Victoria Cross had he survived.
The item concerning Lieutenant Coghill read:
On account of his heroic conduct in endeavouring to save his brother Officer’s life, he would have been recommended to Her Majesty for the Victoria Cross had he survived.
It was not until the Boer War and the posthumous VC awarded to Lieutenant Frederick Roberts, the son of Field Marshal Lord Roberts, that the relatives of Melvill and Coghill lobbied for the retrospective award. It still took a direct petition by Melvill’s widow to Edward VII before the awards were finally made on 15 January 1907, nearly twenty-eight years to the day of the anniversary of their sacrifice. (Incidentally, they were not the only Victoria Cross winners to perish at Isandlwana. Private William Griffiths 2/24th, who won his VC in the Andaman Islands in 1867, also died.)
CHAPTER 16
Origins and History of the 24th Regiment
It is generally acknowledged that until the twentieth century regiments were raised in troubled times, and the birth of the 24th Foot was in accordance with this dictum. It was from 8 March 1689 that King William and Queen Mary, recently arrived from Holland, reigned uneasily over a Britain still recovering from James II’s determined bid to retain the throne of England in the revolution of 1688. That revolution led to war with Louis XIV of France and for Britain to fight the war it was necessary to raise troops. King William signed the proclamation for the raising of ten ‘Regiments of Foot’ and Sir Edward Dering of Pluckley, a Kentish baronet, was given the task of raising one of these regiments from Kent, as recorded by the memorial stone in Pluckley church that commemorates the event. In 1703 this Kentish regiment began its collection of battle honours under the colonelcy of John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, with deeds such as Ramillies, Blenheim, Malplaquet and Oudenarde being recorded on the regiment’s colour. In 1751 the regiment became known as the 24th Regiment of Foot. In those days there were few permanent training depots and most regiments recruited soldiers from their immediate locality. The events in Scotland (in the 1750s) and Ireland (in the 1830s) created the need for sufficient soldiers and the growth of the large cities provided the source of the majority of recruits for the British Army. Wales was sparsely populated until the expansion of the coal, iron and steel industries in the late nineteenth century; for example, until 1880, Brecon had a static population of only 5,000 people covering a wide rural area. In 1881 Brecon still had a population of only 5,033 (2,551 males of all ages) while the county of Brecknock had a total population of 54,131. The number of men of recruiting age was, therefore, very small.
After their return from the American War of Independence, the 24th Regiment of Foot was based in Warwickshire. On 31 August 1782 a royal warrant conferred county titles on all regiments not already possessed of special designations such as ‘The Queen’s’ or ‘The King’s Own’. The 24th Regiment was accordingly given the title ‘2nd Warwickshire’ and was ordered to send a recruiting party to Tamworth as it was intended that regiments should cultivate a recruiting connection with the counties whose names they took. No special link with the County Militia was established nor were any depots or permanent recruiting centres set up. At the same time the 6th Regiment of Foot, a separate regiment, was given the title ‘1st Warwickshire’. The 6th Regiment of Foot subsequently became the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (1892), the Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers (1963) and The Regiment of Fusiliers (1968). The 24th Regiment has never been part of the 6th Regiment of Foot.
The 24th Regimental depot was founded at Brecon in 1873 and had recruited in the counties of Brecknock, Cardigan and Radnor as well as the neighbouring English counties for the six years immediately prior to the Zulu War with most of the recruits going to the local 2nd Battalion. The 1st Battalion, though, had seen continuous service in various Mediterranean garrisons for the eight years prior to arriving in South Africa on 4 February 1875. At this point in time the 1st Battalion’s link with Wales was, at the very best, tenuous; indeed, its regimental march was the ‘Warwickshire Lads’, composed for the Shakespearean Centenary Celebrations at Stratford-on-Avon in 1769.
Following the Zulu War the 1st Battalion returned to England. Queen Victoria expressed a wish to see the Isandlwana Colour, and with her own hands placed upon it a wreath of immortelles, directing that a silver replica should always be borne round the staff of the Queen’s Colour of both battalions, to commemorate the devotion of Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill and the noble defence of Rorke’s Drift by B Company of the 2nd Battalion. This silver wreath, with the sphinx won in Egypt, was adopted in 1898 as the cap badge of the regiment. It also appeared as the centre badge of the regimental colour, encircling the Roman numeral XXIV. This Queen’s Colour was carried by the 1st Battalion until 1933, and now hangs in the regimental chapel in Brecon Cathedral. Beneath it, in an oaken case, is Queen Victoria’s original wreath.
The regiment was honoured to carry the title 24th (The 2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot until 1 July 1881 when measures were taken to give county names to infantry regiments of line. The 24th Regiment thus became the South Wales Borderers. This was originally the title of one of the militia battalions that since 1873 had been under the command of the officer commanding the brigade depot at Brecon.
In 1936 the Chillianwallah Colours of the 24th Regiment that were carried in the Second Sikh War of 1849 and which had been laid up in St Mary’s Church, Warwick since 1868, were removed to the regimental chapel in Brecon Cathedral. The church council of St Mary’s Church, understandably, was not inclined to part with the colours but the regiment applied for a faculty for their removal. The case was argued before the Chancellor of the Diocese of Coventry on 6 May 1936, and judgement was given in the regiment’s favour. The decision was made on 26 July 1936 and the colours needed to be restored before 23 August, the date set for a regimental reunion. At a cost of 12 guineas, the Royal School of Needlework set to work restoring the colours. They met the deadline and, with full military ceremony, the colours were laid up at Brecon. If fate had taken another turn the 24th might have become an established regiment of Warwickshire. The spirit of the 24th Regiment is strongly maintained by the Royal Regiment of Wales (24th/41st Foot). It is one of the outstanding regiments of the British Army and one with a distinct Welsh flair. Its motto is proudly displayed on the regimental colour – ‘Gwell Angau na Chywilydd’ – Death rather than Dishonour.
At the time of the Zulu War, mention of Wales as an entity did not feature in any official or regimental documentation or reports. Following Isandlwana, a famous music hall song, ‘The Gallant 24th’ by Lee and Green, included the words:
In Zululand the Twenty-Fourth, a gallant little band
Of British soldiers bold and true, ’gainst legions made a stand.
Surrounded by their dusky foe, shut in both left and right,
’Gainst fearful odds they fought as none but Englishmen can fight.
The name they made will never fade
And all with pride will tell
How England’s gallant 24th
As heroes fought and fell.
Private Rober
t Jones VC 2/24th, born at Monmouth, was awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the defence of Rorke’s Drift. When recounting his experiences he innocently wrote in the language of his time,
On the 22nd January 1879, the Zulus attacked us, we being only a small band of English soldiers. My thought was only to fight as an English soldier ought to for his most gracious Sovereign, Queen Victoria, and for the benefit of old England.
The emphasis on ‘English’ is understandable, simply because the language of the time emphasized the term ‘Anglo’ as meaning things ‘British’ and the term ‘English’ was similarly used in everyday parlance. In reference to the 24th Regiment, Lord Chelmsford’s copious records always used the term ‘English’ as he did when referring to all matters relevant to the United Kingdom. In view of the subsequent change in designation of the 24th into the South Wales Borderers in 1881, it is worth considering the actual representation of Welshmen then serving in the two battalions at Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift. With regard to the 1/24th lost at Isandlwana, there was virtually no connection with Wales, as the battalion had neither served in the UK since 1867 or ever recruited from Wales. Indeed, when the news of the loss of the 1/24th reached Britain, the Daily News commented: ‘Death had prematurely visited hundreds of peaceful and happy homes in England’, which sadly ignored the high proportion of Irishmen serving in both battalions.
The 2/24th certainly had a small proportion of Welshmen serving in its ranks; but there were many more Irishmen while the greater number by far were English, a fact that is reflected by the composition of B Company 2/24th and the four soldiers of the 1/24th when they defended Rorke’s Drift:
1st Battalion
England
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