Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts
Encyclopedia
Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts VC
(8 January 1872- 17 December 1899), son of the famous Victorian
commander Field Marshal
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
, was born in Umballa, India
, and received the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
and joined the army soon after completing his studies. The son of Field Marshal
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
, one of the greatest commanders of the Victorian era, it was only natural that he should follow his father into the British Army
, and after Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst he was commissioned as a second lieutenant
in the King's Royal Rifle Corps
on 10 June 1891. After joining the Army he was soon involved in action, fighting in the Waziristan Expedition in 1894 and 1895, where he was Mentioned in Despatches. He came to the attention of senior officers for his effective leadership. In 1898 he took part in the Nile Expedition
following which he was promoted lieutenant
, and awarded Order of Meijidieh of the Fourth Class.
, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross
.
On 15 December 1899 at the Battle of Colenso
, South Africa
, Roberts, with several others, tried to save the guns of the 14th and 66th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery, when the detachments serving the guns had all become casualties or been driven from their guns. Some of the horses and drivers were sheltering in a donga
about 500 yards behind the guns and the intervening space was swept with shell and rifle fire. Roberts with two other officers (Walter Norris Congreve
and Harry Norton Schofield
) and Corporal George Edward Nurse
helped to hook a team into a limber and then to limber up a gun. While doing so, he fell badly wounded and two days later died of his wounds at Chieveley, Natal
. The action was observed by the Commander-in-Chief
, Redvers Buller
who recommended Roberts for the VC in a despatch written on 16 December, before Roberts had died from his wounds.
Confirmation of the award was made on 2 February 1900, the citation reading:
Roberts was one of only three father-son pairs to win the VC, his father having won it in 1858 for an action at Khudaganj
during the Indian rebellion.
F.H.S. Robert's Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum
in Chelsea
, England).
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(8 January 1872- 17 December 1899), son of the famous Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
commander Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
, was born in Umballa, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and received the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Early life
Roberts attended Eton CollegeEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and joined the army soon after completing his studies. The son of Field Marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts
Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, Bt, VC, KG, KP, GCB, OM, GCSI, GCIE, KStJ, PC was a distinguished Indian born British soldier who regarded himself as Anglo-Irish and one of the most successful British commanders of the 19th century.-Early life:Born at Cawnpore, India, on...
, one of the greatest commanders of the Victorian era, it was only natural that he should follow his father into the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, and after Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst he was commissioned as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
on 10 June 1891. After joining the Army he was soon involved in action, fighting in the Waziristan Expedition in 1894 and 1895, where he was Mentioned in Despatches. He came to the attention of senior officers for his effective leadership. In 1898 he took part in the Nile Expedition
Nile Expedition
The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition , was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan after Britain decided to abandon the country in the face of a...
following which he was promoted lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
, and awarded Order of Meijidieh of the Fourth Class.
Second Boer War
At the age of 27, Roberts went with the King's Rifles to the Second Boer WarSecond Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
On 15 December 1899 at the Battle of Colenso
Battle of Colenso
The Battle of Colenso was the third and final battle fought during the Black Week of the Second Boer War. It was fought between British and Boer forces from the independent South African Republic and Orange Free State in and around Colenso, Natal, South Africa on 15 December 1899.Inadequate...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Roberts, with several others, tried to save the guns of the 14th and 66th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery, when the detachments serving the guns had all become casualties or been driven from their guns. Some of the horses and drivers were sheltering in a donga
Donga (ditch)
In Afrikaans and Zulu, a Donga is a ditch formed by the erosion of soil. The word means "bank, side of a gully" in Zulu.They were extensively used by both sides during the Boer Wars as serendipitous defensive positions. Though present during this period, Dongas have become increasingly prevalent...
about 500 yards behind the guns and the intervening space was swept with shell and rifle fire. Roberts with two other officers (Walter Norris Congreve
Walter Norris Congreve
General Sir Walter Norris Congreve VC KCB MVO DL was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
and Harry Norton Schofield
Harry Norton Schofield
Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Norton Schofield VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:Schofield was 34 years old, and a captain in the Royal...
) and Corporal George Edward Nurse
George Edward Nurse
George Edward Nurse VC was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland. He was educated in the Channel Islands where both his parents had been born...
helped to hook a team into a limber and then to limber up a gun. While doing so, he fell badly wounded and two days later died of his wounds at Chieveley, Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
. The action was observed by the Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
, Redvers Buller
Redvers Buller
General Sir Redvers Henry Buller VC GCB GCMG was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
who recommended Roberts for the VC in a despatch written on 16 December, before Roberts had died from his wounds.
Confirmation of the award was made on 2 February 1900, the citation reading:
Roberts was one of only three father-son pairs to win the VC, his father having won it in 1858 for an action at Khudaganj
Khudaganj
Khudaganj is a town and a nagar panchayat in Shahjahanpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.-Geography:Khudaganj is located at . It has an average elevation of 144 metres ....
during the Indian rebellion.
F.H.S. Robert's Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, England adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the "Chelsea Pensioners". The National Army Museum is open to the public every day of the year from 10.00am to 5.30pm,...
in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, England).
External links
- Location of his grave (South Africa)