Walter Norris Congreve

General Sir Walter Norris Congreve VC KCB MVO DL (20 November 1862 – 28 February 1927) 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. He was 37 years old, and a captain in The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own), British Army during the Second Boer War when he won the VC.

Early career

Walter Norris Congreve was the son of William and Fanny E. Congreve of Castle Church, Stafford.^[1] He was educated at Twyford School, Harrow School and Pembroke College, Oxford.^[2] He married Cecilia Henrietta Dolores Blount La Touche at St Jude's Church, South Kensington, on 18 May 1890.^[3]

Action at Colenso

On 15 December 1899 at the Battle of Colenso, South Africa, Captain Congreve 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 (gully) about 500 yards behind the guns and the intervening space was swept with shell and rifle fire. Captain Congreve, with two other officers (The Hon. Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts and Harry Norton Schofield), and Corporal George Edward Nurse retrieved two of the guns. All four received the VC for this action. (F.S.H. Roberts was the son in one of the two other father and son pairs of VC winners.) Then, although wounded himself, seeing one of the officers fall, Congreve went out with Major William Babtie, RAMC, who also received the VC for this action, and brought in the wounded man. His citation read:

At Colenso on the 15th December, 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 tbrough the leg, through the toe of his boot, grazed on the elbow and the shoulder, and his horse shot in three places.^[4]

The Somme: Action at Delville Wood

Congreve commanded 6th Division from May 1915 and then XIII Corps from November 1915.^[5] As commander of XIII Corps, Lt-Gen Congreve led the battles for Longueval and Delville Wood between 14 July and 3 September 1916. The rapid advance of his Corps in the southern sector of the Somme offensive had brought about a situation where the allied front was set at a right angle – the left sector facing north and the right, facing east from Delville Wood. This meant that an advance on a wide front would result in the attacking forces diverging from one–another as they advanced.^[6] In order to "straighten the line," General Sir Douglas Haig had decided to exploit the advances which had been made by Congreve in the south by taking and holding the town of Longueval and Delville Wood. Being on fairly high ground and providing good spotting opportunities for artillery fire, an occupied Longueval would protect the right flank and allow the Allies to advance in the north and align their left with that of Congreve's XIII Corps on the right.^[7] XIII Corps succeeded in securing Delville Wood, but it was one of the bloodiest confrontations of the Somme, with both sides incurring large casualties. During World War I, Congreve lost a hand in action.

Later life

Congreve continued his war service becoming General Officer Commanding VII Corps in 1918.^[8] Later Congreve rose to the rank of general and was knighted. He was General Officer Commanding the Egyptian Expeditionary Force between 1919 and 1922 and then Commander-in-Chief Southern Command between 1923 and 1924.^[8]

From 1924 to 1927, he served as the governor of Malta,^[8] where he died. At his request, he was buried at sea in the channel between the coast and Filfla Island; there is a small monument to him on the coast between Hamrija Tower and the prehistoric site of Mnajdra; the channel between Malta and Filfla is unofficially known as Congreve Channel (the official name is 'Il-Fliegu ta' Filfla'). The presence of Congreve's monument in a place of prehistoric worship is considered a colonial sacrilege by a large section of the Maltese locals, and there have been repeated calls for its removal.

There is also a stone bearing his name above the gate to the "Scouts" HQ in Floriana, Valletta.

Congreve was the father of Major William La Touche Congreve, VC - they are one of only three father and son pairs to win a VC. His younger son Geoffrey Cecil Congreve was created a Baronet, of Congreve in the County of Stafford, in July 1927 (see Congreve Baronets).^[9]

Victoria Cross

Congreve's Victoria Cross is on display at the Royal Green Jackets Museum (Winchester, England).

Citations

References

• Buchan, John (1992). The history of the South African forces in France (Litho reprint of 1920 ed.). London: Imperial War Museum & Battery Press. ISBN 0-901-627-89-5. 
• Prior, Robin and; Wilson, Trevor (2005). The Somme (1st ed.). New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-10694-7. 

References

• David Harvey, Monuments to Courage, 1999
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• Ian Uys, Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War, 2000

External links

• Find-A-Grave profile for Walter Norris Congreve