Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Hon. Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts | |
|---|---|
| January 8, 1872 - December 17, 1899 (aged 27) | |
 Hon. Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts VC |
|
| Place of birth | Umballa, British India |
| Place of death | South Africa |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | King's Royal Rifle Corps |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War: Battle of Colenso |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Mention in dispatches |
| Relations | Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts |
Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts VC (January 8, 1872- December 17, 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.
He attended Eton College 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. After joining the Army he was soon involved in action, fighting in the Warziristan Expedition in 1894 and 1895, where he was mentioned in dispatches. 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 made a lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps. At the age of 27, Roberts went with the King's Rifles to the South African War, 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, Lieutenant 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. Lieutenant 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. 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.S.H. Robert's Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum (Chelsea, England).
[edit] References
- Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
- Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War (Ian Uys, 2000)
[edit] External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (City of London)
