ROBERTS – THE HON. FREDERICK HUGH SHERSTON

Note:
LIEUT ROBERTS WAS THE SON OF FIELD MARSHAL FREDERICK SLEIGH ROBERTS, 1ST EARL ROBERTS, V.C.  IN HIS BOOK “THE TALE OF A FIELD HOSPITAL” DR. FREDERICK TREVES RECOUNTS AS FOLLOWS – “IT WAS TO THE RIGHT OF COLENSO THAT THE BATTLE RAGED FIERCEST ON DECEMBER 15TH 1899.  IT WAS HERE THAT COLONEL LONG’S BATTERIES OF FIELD ARTILLERY WERE SURPRISED BY THE ENEMY AND WERE ABANDONED AFTER A HIDEOUS SACRIFICE OF HORSES AND MEN.  IT WAS HERE THAT LIEUTENANT ROBERTS RECEIVED HIS FATAL WOUND, AND IT WAS HERE THAT BABTIE WON THE VICTORIA CROSS”.  MAJOR BABTIE R.A.M.C. RESPONDED AS A VOLUNTEER, TO HELP THE WOUNDED IN THE DONGA, AND DR TREVES  DESCRIBES HIS ACTIONS AS FOLLOWS – “HERE, IN THE FACE OF A GALLING FIRE, HE DRAGGED THE WOUNDED INTO SHELTER, AND A LITTLE LATER HE VENTURED OUT UNDER A RAIN OF LEAD TO BRING IN LIEUTENANT ROBERTS , WHO WAS LYING IN THE OPEN DESPERATELY WOUNDED”.  THIS ACCOUNT DIFFERS SLIGHTLY FROM THAT QUOTED ON THE V.C. CITATION OF LIEUT. ROBERTS. BOTH MAJOR BABTIE AND CAPTAIN CONGREVE WERE AWARDED THE V.C. AS A RESULT OF THEIR ACTIONS DURING THE BATTLE. THE V.C. CITATION OF MAJOR BABTIE RECORDS THAT HE WENT OUT WITH CAPTAIN CONGREVE TO RESCUE LIEUT. ROBERTS.  DR TREVES ALSO RECORDS THAT HE WAS CALLED TO SEE LIEUT ROBERTS AND SAYS AS FOLLOWS – “THE GALLANT OFFICER I CAME TO SEE WAS COMFORTABLY BESTOWED IN A TENT, WAS QUITE FREE FROM PAIN AND ANXIETY, AND WAS DISPOSED TO SLEEP.  FROM A SURGICAL POINT OF VIEW THE CASE WAS HOPELESS, AND HAD BEEN HOPELESS FROM THE FIRST, AND NO IDEA OF AN OPERATION COULD BE ENTERTAINED”.    BEFORE  LORD ROBERTS LEFT SOUTH AFRICA, HE TOURED SOME OF THE NATAL BATTLEFIELDS, AND ALSO VISITED THE GRAVE OF HIS SON AT CHIEVELY.
IN HIS BOOK “MY LEWE EN STREWE” GENERAL MANIE MARITZ DESCRIBES AN EVENT AT THE BATTLE OF COLENSO, WHERE HE WAS FIGHTING AS AN ORDINARY BURGHER:-
“WITH SOME OF THE KRUGERSDORP BURGHERS WE STORMED THE CANNONS.  AT THE CANNONS ONE OF THE KRUGERSDORPER’S WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD, AND WHERE, ALSO, LAY A BRITISN LIEUTENANT, WHO WAS PINNED UNDER A BADLY WOUNDED, FALLEN, HORSE WHICH IN ITS DEATH THROES WAS KICKING AGAINST THE LIEUTENANTS HEAD.  I PULLED THE LIEUTENANT, WHOM I LATER DISCOVERED WAS FREDDY ROBERTS, FROM UNDER THE HORSE”.  (TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL AFRIKAANS)

Medal:
Lieut Roberts was awarded the V.C. with the citation reading as follows:- Lieutenant Roberts, assisting Captain Congreve at Colenso on the 15th December, 1899, in attempting to rescue the guns of the 14th and 66th Batteries, Royal Field Artillery after the detachments serving the guns had either been killed or wounded, or driven from their guns by Infantry fire, and having deserted the guns, when Lieutenant Roberts fell, badly wounded. Captain Congreve went out, under fire and brought Lieut. Roberts in.The V.C. investiture took place, posthumously, on 30th January, 1900. (Extracted from: The Victoria Cross and The George Cross, The Complete History, Volume 1, Page 501 to 503.)