Sergeant-Major (now Quartermaster and Hon. Lieutenant) William Robertson of the Gordon Highlanders.—At the battle of Elandslaagte, on October 21, 1899, during the final advance on the enemy’s position, Sergt.-Major Robertson led each successive rush, exposing himself fearlessly to the enemy’s artillery and rifle fire to encourage the men. After the main position had been captured, he led a small party to seize the Boer camp. Though exposed to a deadly cross-fire from the enemy’s rifles, he gallantly held on to the position captured, and continued to encourage the men until he was dangerously wounded in two places.
Second Lieutenant John Norwood, 5th Dragoon Guards.—On October 30, 1899, Second Lieutenant Norwood went out from Ladysmith in charge of a small patrol of the 5th Dragoon Guards. They came under a heavy fire from the enemy, who were posted on a ridge in great force. The patrol, which had arrived within about 600 yards of the ridge, then retired at full speed. One man dropped, and Second Lieutenant Norwood galloped back about 300 yards through heavy fire, dismounted, and picking up the fallen trooper, carried him out of fire on his back, at the same time leading his horse with one hand. The enemy kept up an incessant fire during the whole time that Second Lieutenant Norwood was carrying the man until he was quite out of range.
*Lieutenant H. E. M. Douglas, Royal Army Medical Corps.—On December 11, 1899, during the action at Majesfontein, Lieutenant Douglas showed great gallantry and devotion under a very severe fire in advancing in the open and attending to Captain Gordon, Gordon Highlanders, who was wounded, and also attending to Major Robinson and other wounded men under a fearful fire. Many similar acts of devotion and gallantry were performed by Lieutenant Douglas on the same day.
Corporal J. Shaul, the Highland Light Infantry.—On December 11, 1899, during the battle of Majesfontein, Corporal Shaul was observed (not only by the officers of his own battalion but by several officers of other regiments) to perform several specific acts of bravery. Corporal Shaul was in charge of stretcher-bearers; but at one period of the battle he was seen encouraging men to advance across the open. He was most conspicuous during the day in dressing men’s wounds, and in one case he came, under a heavy fire, to a man who was lying wounded in the back, and, with the utmost coolness and deliberation, sat down beside the wounded man and proceeded to dress his wound. Having done this, he got up and went quietly to another part of the field. This act of gallantry was performed under a continuous and heavy fire as coolly and quietly as if there had been no enemy near.
Captain W. N. Congreve, the Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort’s Own).—At Colenso, on December 15, 1899, the detachments serving the guns of the 14th and 66th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery, had all been either killed, wounded, or driven from their guns by infantry fire at close range, and the guns were deserted. About 500 yards behind the guns was a donga in which some of the few horses and drivers left alive were sheltered. The intervening space was swept with shell and rifle fire. Captain Congreve, Rifle Brigade, who was in the donga, assisted to hook a team into a limber, went out, and assisted to limber up a gun. Being wounded, he took shelter; but seeing Lieutenant Roberts fall, badly wounded, he went out again and brought him in. Captain Congreve was shot through the leg, through the toe of his boot, grazed on the elbow and the shoulder, and his horse shot in three places.
Lieutenant the Hon. F. H. S. Roberts (since deceased), the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.—Lieutenant Roberts assisted Captain Congreve. He was wounded in three places.
Corporal G. E. Nurse, 66th Battery, Royal Field Artillery.—Corporal Nurse also assisted.
Captain H. L. Reed, 7th Battery, Royal Field Artillery.—Captain Reed, who had heard of the difficulty, shortly afterwards brought down three teams from his battery to see if he could be of any use. He was wounded, as were five of the thirteen men who rode with him; one was killed; and thirteen out of twenty-one horses were killed before he got half-way to the guns, and he was obliged to retire.
Major William Babtie, C.M.G., of the Royal Army Medical Corps.—In the engagement the wounded of the 14th and 66th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery, were lying in an advanced donga close in the rear of the guns without any medical officer to attend to them, and when a message was sent back asking for assistance, Major Babtie rode up under a heavy rifle fire, his pony being hit three times. When he arrived at the donga, where the wounded were lying in sheltered corners, he attended to them all, going from place to place exposed to the heavy rifle fire which greeted any one who showed himself. Late in the day Major Babtie went out with Captain Congreve to bring in Lieutenant Roberts, who was lying wounded on the veldt. This also was under a heavy fire.
Captain Charles FitzClarence, the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment).—On the 14th October 1899, Captain FitzClarence went with his squadron of the Protectorate Regiment, consisting of only partially trained men, who had never been in action, to the assistance of an armoured train which had gone out from Mafeking. The enemy were in greatly superior numbers, and the squadron was for a time surrounded, and it looked as if nothing could save them from being shot down. Captain FitzClarence, however, by his personal coolness and courage, inspired the greatest confidence in his men, and by his bold and efficient handling of them, not only succeeded in relieving the armoured train, but inflicted a heavy defeat on the Boers, who lost fifty killed and a large number wounded, his own losses being two killed and fifteen wounded. The moral effect of this blow had a very important bearing on subsequent encounters with the Boers.