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Royal Horse Artillery
Military History Army Royal Artillery Royal Horse Artillery |
[UP] - Prince of Wales' Own Artillery - Royal Horse Artillery - 10th Battery |
How Captain Edward Kinder Bradbury, Sergeant David Nelson And Battery Sergeant-Major George Thomas Dorrell, ?L? Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, Won The V.C. At Neary Three only of the battery?s guns could be brought into action, and these quickly opened fire. After getting their horses into safety, the Bays, who were in the line of fire, joined in with rifles and machineguns. The three guns kept up their fire admits a storm of shot and shell, but the range was only four hundred yards, and two of them were quickly knocked out of action. Captain Bradbury, who was in command, had a leg blown off by a shell, but with the utmost bravery he propped himself up and continued to direct the fire till he fell dead. Both Lieutenant Campbell and Brigade-Major Cawley died beside him, the latter after bringing up orders from Headquarters. Lieutenants Gifford and Mundy were both wounded, and then, amidst a storm of fire from field guns, maxims, and rifles, sergeant Major Dorrell took command. He was supported by Sergeant Nelson, who, though severely wounded, refused to retire, and also by gunner Barbyshire and Driver Osborne. While they kept the last gun in action, the 5th Dragoon Guards worked round to the northeast, to make a diversion from that flank. They succeeded to a certain extent, but colonel Ansell fell, shot through the head, at the very commencement. Without reinforcements they could do no more than make a demonstration, and for a time the situation was doubtful. But the 4th Cavalry Brigade suddenly arrived on the scene. Dismounting from their horses they at once joined up with the 5th Dragoon Guards, and the combined regiments then poured a steady fire into the enemy?s flank. Finding that their position was getting rather hot, the Germans attempted to man handle their guns out of action. A steady fire, however, was poured into their flank by the cavalry, and the Bays, who had mounted a marine gun in a sugar factory to the west of the village, attacked them with a frontal fire. This proved too much for them, and, abandoning eight guns and a maxim, they made off towards Verrines. The engagement had now been in progress a little over an hour, but to cap the victory the 11th Hussars sprang on to their horses and dashed off in pursuit. Fifty horses and a number of prisoners were brought back, and the Germans casualties in killed and wounded proved to be considerable. Of just over two hundred officers and men of ?L? Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, only forty survived, but their magnificent courage and tenacity saved a serious situation, and, later, greatly helped towards the enemy?s defeat. For their most gallant services, V.C.?s were awarded to Captain Bradbury, Sergeant-Major Dorrell and Sergeant, now Lieutenant, Nelson. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' How Corporal I. C. Allpress, Of The Royal Horse Artillery, Won The D.C.M. Near Krithia The storm next broke violently against the French left, south of the Krithia road, and the Senegalese, who held the first and second line trenches, supported by British artillery, were driven from them. Here, at a place which we had named Stone Ridge, Corporal Allpress and a comrade belonging to ?B? Battery, R.H.A., were occupying a dug out, which served as an observation station for their battalion in the rear, Allpress observing, while the other man worked the telephone. The wave of Turks dashed over the first line trenches and on to the second, which they also carried; and the observation post became an island in a sea of men. Happily, this particular spot was only crossed by three of the enemy, whom the artillerymen disposed of with their revolvers. A bullet in the throat, however, killed Allpress?s comrade,, and he was left alone. Nevertheless, this brave fellow, undisturbed by the extraordinary situation in which he found himself-one man in the midst of thousands of fanatical enemies, some of whom might at any moment discover his whereabouts-calmly assumed the double duty of observer and telephone operator, and continued to watch the fire of his battery and communicate his directions to the gunners throughout the remainder of that night, the whole of the following day, and the succeeding night. And when, on the second night, the Allies and the lost trenches retaken delivered a successful counter attack, there was Corporal Allpress still alternatively observing and telephoning-an example of coolness and courage which would be indeed difficult to beat. Corporal Allpress was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, ?for great gallantry and devotion to duty,? thus adding yet another honour to the long list of decorations won by the R.H.A. since the beginning of the war. Extracted from 'Deeds That Thrill The Empire' Light Horse1st Fife Light Horse It was originally formed as the 1st Fife Mounted Rifles, with headquarters at Cupar, and four troops (companies), 1st at Cupar, 2nd at St Andrews, 3rd at Kirkcaldy, and 4th at Dunfermline, the date of acceptance of its services being June 7th 1860, and that of the first commissions of the officers July 11th 1860. The original uniform was scarlet tunics with blue piping, blue pantaloons with scarlet piping, Napoleon boots, black leather helmets with silver ornaments and spike, blue forage caps with scarlet band and top, and brown belts. White plumes for full dress were added to the helmets in 1864, and in 1879 the officers adopted silver lace belts for full dress. The original armament was a cavalry sword and short Enfield rifles, and the men rode their own horses and used hunting saddles. In 1870 the designation of the corps was changed to 1st Fife Light Horse, mainly on account of the difficulty of keeping up the minimum establishment of four companies of ?mounted rifles,? which was fixed at 172, while for ?light horse? it was only 144. At the same time Westley-Richard carbines were substituted for the short Enfield rifles, which were very inconvenient to carry on horseback. In 1876 the 1st Forfar Light Horse, one troop strong, was attached to the regiment for training and administration, and in 1883 a fifth troop was raised with headquarters at Perth. On the formation of the Imperial Yeomanry for service in South Africa in January 1900, the Fife and Forfar Light Horse formed the nucleas of the 20th company, which was embodied in the 6th (Scottish) battalion, two of the officers of the Fife Light Horse, Lieutenants J. Gilmour and J. Simpson, proceeding to South Africa with the company. In May 1901 the corps was amalgamated with the 1st Forfar Light Horse and transferred to the Imperial Yeomanry establishment under the title of ?Fifeshire and Forfarshire Imperial Yeomanry,? in which ?A? squadron represented the old 1st, 2nd, and 3rd troops, ?B? the 4th and 5th, and ?C? the 1st Forfar Light Horse. The commanding officers have been- Lieut-Colonel John Anstruther Thomson (hon.col), late Captain 9th Light Dragoons, August 31st 1866. Leut-Colonel Sir John Gilmour, Bart., V.D., October 30th 1895, till transfer to Imperial Yeomanry. The 1st Forfar Light Horse, one troop strong, was raised, with headquarters at Dundee, on July 5th 1876. Its uniform was the same as that of the 1st Fife Light Horse, to which it was attached for drill and administration from the date of its formation, and with which it was finally amalgamated on the transfer of both to the Imperial Yeomanry in May 1901. Its commanding officer throughout its independent existence was- 1st
Elgin mounted Rifles The uniform was blue hussar tunics with white lace and red collars and cuffs, Bedford cord breeches with riding boots, and Busby with blue bag, and the armament was swords and short Snider-Enfield rifles. The commanding officer was- Captain J. Grant Peterkin, January 9th 1869. Rifles On January 22nd 1880, the corps was granted the title of ?The Border Mounted Rifles,? and in that year grey helmets with Silver Star and the motto, ?Whadaur meddle wi me?? replaced the busbies, and silver lace edging was added to the piping on the collars, shoulder straps, and the Austrian knot. In the following year the Martini-Henry rifles replaced the short Snider-Enfield in the armament. The corps acquired much fame in shooting competitions for its special arm, and in 1884 its team were first and fifth, and in 1885 fist and second, for the Lloyd-Lindsay competition at Wimbledon. In 1886 the corps attained its highest strength, 57 members, and was then divided into two troops, ?A? at Hawick and ?B? at Kelso headquarters being moved to Hawick. In 1888 bandoliers for 50 rounds were adopted in addition to the pouch for 20 rounds in front and that for 40 rounds in rear hitherto worn, and the sword was placed on the saddle. In the following year the corps was attached to the ?South of Scotland? Volunteer Infantry Brigade, of which Viscount Melgund, who had till then commanded the corps, was appointed Brigadier and it was supplied which four 1-horse carts as transport. Unfortunately, agricultural depression had its effect on the corps, and the numbers gradually fell off. In 1891 the corps did not train, and on March 31st 1892, it was disbanded, after a honourable existence of twenty years. The commanding officers were- Captain J. C. Earl of Dalkeith, November 27th 1889, till March 31st 1892. 1st
Dumfries Mounted Rifles Its uniform was scarlet without facings, blue pantaloons with scarlet stripes, butcher boots, black leather helmets with silver ornaments, brown ?Sam Browne? belts, and scarlet forage-caps with white (silver for officers) bands. The armament, equipment, and saddlery were similar to those of the Border Mounted Rifles described above. Its commanding officer throughout its existence was- Captain Arthur Johnstone Douglas, late English 42nd Foot, November 25th 1874. PATRICK MULLANE (Sergeant,
afterwards Sergeant Major) Royal Horse
Artillery
On July 27th 1880, after the disaster at Maiwand, our
small force was retreating to Kandahar, when Driver Pickwell Istead fell
badly wounded. Although the
enemy were only ten or fifteen yards distant, Patrick Mullane, seeing
the driver?s danger, unhesitatingly ran back two yards and lifted him
on to the limber of his guns, where he unfortunately died almost
immediately.
Later on, he volunteered to fetch water for
the wounded, going for it to a village near, where already so many of
our men had been killed. JAMES COLLIS (Gunner) Royal horse Artillery After the fearful disaster at Maiwand, on July 27th 1880, a retreat was made to Kandahar by the remnant of our force. The road became blocked by masses of fugitives, and the sufferings of the wounded were increased by terrible thirst. The conduct of James Collis was most noticeable, for, time after time, he went into the villages on the road to procure water for them, running the greatest risk in so doing, by reason of the bands of Afghans who hovered around, attacking our disorganized soldiers whenever an opportunity presented itself. His finest act took place at the bend of a road through a narrow defile. A body of Afghan cavalry bore down upon the gun carriage he was guarding and directed a hail of bullets on the wounded, who had been placed upon the limber. In order to draw their attention from the helpless men, Collis to the side of the road and returned the fire of the pursuing horsemen, making himself their target, and by his heroic act the limber was dragged around the bend of the road and the wounded saved. Later on he again distinguished himself by volunteering to carry a message from the beleaguered garrison to General Dewberry, entrenched some distance off. This he successfully accomplished though fired at by the enemy both when going and returning. James Collis was born at Cambridge in 1860. His Cross-was presented to him on Poona Racecourse by Sur Frederick (now Earl) Roberts. EDMUND JOHN PHIPPS-HORNBY
(Major, now Lieut. ?Colonel) ?Q?
Battery Royal Horse Artillery
On March 31st 1900, a force under General Broadwood
was falling back upon Bloemfontein from Thabanchu.
It crossed the Modder River and Bivouacked at 4.30 a.m.
When the Boers attacked at 5.45 a.m., the convoy of about 100
wagons was hurried away towards Bloemfontein along the road which
traversed a large open plain about one-and-a-half miles in diameter,
across which, at right angles, ran a donga, and through this the wagons
began to pass. The guns of
?Q? and ?U? Batteries followed in line.
From the statement of some Boer prisoners, who said that they had
been present on the occasion, it would appear that a large party of them
had been making their way to Thabanchu and marched across the spruit
straight into our camp. They
promptly beat the hasty retreat and got into the drift just before
daylight, and as the convoy came up, disarmed the drivers, took them
prisoners, and packed each wagon on.
Various statements have been made as to what actually happened at
this moment. One version is
that Major Hornby, being told that the enemy were in the drift, promptly
galloped his battery away to bring it into action, and that the noise
caused thereby told the Boers that they were detected, and they at once
opened a terrific fire on all who had not passed the drift. However, it is certain that no sooner had the battery
commenced to dash away than the enemy concentrated a furious fire upon
the frantic horses and their gallant drivers and gunners.
One gun and one wagon, their horses mown down, were left behind.
Reaching a spot about 800 yards distant, the remaining guns were
unlimbered and came into action, firing steadily.
The horses were taken behind some unfinished railway sheds some
distance away. So terrible
was the fire, that every man round one of the guns was hit, and, at two
of them, only one man was left to serve each, and one to bring up
ammunition for both. Soon,
of all the officers who had come into action, Major Phipps-Hornby was
the only one left. The
ground was littered with dead and dying men, the bullets were rattling
on the guns like hail, and every time that limbers with ammunition were
brought up, the horses were all killed.
Word was presently sent to retire and save the guns I possible,
and, as the fire was too hot for the horses to face, it was resolved to
try to drag them back by hand. Four
guns were hauled to shelter in this way, and it was then necessary to
bring the limbers. The work was so terribly hard, and the distance so
considerable, that volunteers were called for to take out horses for the
purpose. This means and two
more partly by horses and partly by hand brought in two limbers.
One gun and one limber still remained in the open, and, though
four heroic attempts were made, the horses were killed each time, and,
finally they had to be abandoned. The
rescued guns had one by one been sent to a place of safety, where the
battery was reformed. Upnder
a deluge of shot and shell, such as perhaps has only been equalled by
that forced by the 14th and 66th Batteries at
Colenso the heroism displayed by all ranks was so magnificent that it
was impossible to select any individual for special reward, and the
Commandr-in-Chief decided to act in accordance with Rule 13 of the
Victoria Cross Warrant, which resulted in the decoration being awarded
to Major Phipps-Hornby, Sergeant Parker, Gunner Lodge and Driver Glasock.
That so many guns were saved under such terrible circumstances,
and such a frightful fire from the enemy, and that the little force was
extricated from the dangerous position in which it was placed, was very
greatly due to the heroism and individual example of Major Phipps-Hornby,
who was in command, and who most fearlessly exposed himself during the
terrible ordeal.
Colonel Phipps-Hornby, son of Admiral of
the Fleet Sir Geoffrey Phipps-Hornby, G.C.B., was born December 31st
1857, at Lordington, Sussex. Entered
the Royal Artillery in 1877, his first service being in the Bechuanaland
Expedition 1884-5. Became
Major, December 11th 1895; Brevet-Lieut. ?Colonel-for
distinguished service-Novemebr 29th 1900; and was, from April
12th following, until attaining the rank of Lieut. ?Colonel
in the Regiment, A.D.C. to the Commander-in-Chief, Earl Roberts, V.C. A.
PARKER
(Sergeant) ?Q? Battery Royal
Horse Artillery
The heroic act in which Sergeant Parker took part will be found
described in detail in the record of Major Phipps-Hornby.
The bravery exhibited by all concerned in the affair at Korn
Spruit on March 31st 1900, wasd so marked as to render to
impossible to single out any individual for special merit.
Therefore the Commander-in-Chief decided to treat the case as
coming under Rule 13 of the Victoria CrossWarrant, and Sergeant Parker
was elected by the non-commissioned officers of the Battery as the
representative they considered most worthy of the decoration. ISAAC LODGE (Gunner, now Bombardier) ?Q? Barttery Royal horse Artillery The Victoria Cross was awarded to this gunner for his heroic bravery in saving the guns at Korn Spruit, a description of which is given in the sketch of Major Philips-Hornby (V.C.). Isaac Lodge was born at Great Canfield on May 6th 1866, enlisted in the R.G.A. on December 29th 1888, and transferred to the Royal Horse Artillery in February 1889; posted to ?B? Battery and transferred five years later to the now historic ?Q? Battery. During the early days of the war, he saw very active service in Cape Colony, Transvaal, and Orange Free State, including the relief of Kimberley, and the bombardment of the victors of Magersontein at Paardeberg, for which he was awarded the Queen?s medal and four clasps. H. H. GLASOCK (Driver) ?Q? Battery Royal Horse Artillery The episode of saving the guns at Krn Spruit on March 31st 1900 will rank in the annals of the British Army with the heroic act at ?Maiwand,? in the Afghan War, when James Collis and Patrick Mullane earned their Crosses so worthily. A full description of the Korn Spruit affair and the heroism displayed by Glasock, Parker. Lodge, and Major Phipps-Hornby, will be found in record of the last named. The conduct of all concerned was so splendid that it was impossible to choose any individual as more worthy of the distinguished decoration than any of the others engaged, therefore the Commander-in-Chief decided to treat the case of the Battery as one of collective gallantry under Rule 13 of the Victoria Cross Warrant, and Driver Glasock was selected by the drivers of the Battery as the man they considered most deserving of the award. ALFRED ERNEST IND (Shoeing Smith) Royal Horse Artillery, X.I. section Pompoms) On December 20th 1901, a sharp action was fought in the Orange River Colony, at aplace called Tafelkop. So fierce and accurate was the fire of the enemy that the whole of those serving the Pompom had, with the exception of Ind, been shot down. Disregarding his coimrades fate, Ind stuck to his post, firing into the advancing Boers until the last possible moment. So heroic was his behaviour on this occasion, that Captain Jeffcoat, mortally wounded at he was, signified his wish that Ind?s conduct be brought to the notice of the superior officer, and, eventually, to the authorities, for not only had he, on this special occasion, behaved with conspicuous bravery, but on every one in which he had been engaged since his section had been in action. Alfred Ernest Ind is the son of Mr. George Ind, of Tetbury, Gloucestershire, where he was born on September 16th 1872. Entered the Royal Horse Artillery on February 19th 1901, being promoted Corporal subsequent to the action above described. For his services during the war has been awarded the Queen and King?s medal with clasps to each, and is now a member of that celebrated battery known as the ?Chestnut Troops.? He was once wounded, and four times mentioned in despatches, including that in which he was named for the Victoria Cross, which was pinned to his breast at Buckingham Palace, Novemeber 26th 1902, by H.M. the King. GEORGE ALEXANDER RENNY (Captain, afterwards Major General) Royal (Bengal) Horse Artillery On September 16th 1857, after our capture of the Delhi magazine, the enemy made a very determined attack upon the post, and was kept up with great violence for a considerable time. Under cover of a heavy crossfire from the high houses on the right flank of the magazine, from Selinhur and the palace, the enemy advanced to the high wall and endeavoured to fire the thatched roof. In this they partially succeeded, but a soldier of the Belooch Battalion extinguished it. On repeating the attempt, which was more successful, Captain Renny, with the greatest courage, mounted to the top of the wall of the magazine and flung several shells with lighted fuses into the midst of the enemy, which had a most beneficial effect, as the attack almost at once became less severe at that point, and shortly afterwards entirely ceased. General Renny, Born in 1827 was educated at Addiscombe, obtaining his commission in June 1844. Served through Sutlej Campaign, present at battle of Sobraon. He died at Bath on January 5th 1887. |
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