The Shervintons : soldiers of fortune, Shervinton of Madagascar, Shervinton of Salvador, and Tom Shervinton, N.N.C.

Front matter

Google to make the world's books discoverable online.

It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject

to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books

Contents

SHERVINTON OF MADAGASCAR.

CHAP. PAGE

I. EARLY LIFE . . . . . .1

II In South Africa— Gaika And Gaelika

WARS

THE two Shervintons arrived at King William's Town in August, 1877, and joined the Colonial Forces, who were now waging war against the Gaelikas, under their chief Kreli, and the Gaikas under Sandilli. These chiefs had been the aggressors, as they had attacked our allies, the Fingoes.

Tom joined, as a trooper, the " Frontier Armed Mounted Police Force," which was afterwards reconstituted as the "Cape Mounted Rifles," in 1879, and made a cavalry regiment, to the displeasure of the men, who had joined as police, and whose wishes in the matter had not been consulted.

Shervinton obtained a commission as lieutenant in " PuUeine's Rangers," a corps of infantry raised by Major Pulleine, of the 24th Regiment, and both brothers were at once sent up to the front.

Within three weeks Shervinton was made drill

instructor. He soon became known as a daring

rider, ever ready to volunteer for the post of danger,

carrying despatches alone through dangerous parts,

O. R. 8T. LEQER 8HERVINT0N.

GAIKA AND GAELIKA WARS ii

&c., and although considered rather too reckless, he seemed to come through unscathed where others lost their lives.

The Gaelika Campaign was not exactly a picnic, and food was often very short, as will be seen from quotations from a letter which appeared in a Cape paper : —

" During three days of incessant rain, we were almost wholly without provisions, our sole food consisting of meat without even a pinch of salt, and a few mealies given us by the Fingoes. We were then ordered to start when the rations were two days overdue, and on our refusal were told that it amounted to mutiny. Eventually some broken mouldy biscuits were served out, some men being fortunate enough to get a very small quantity of bad meat. When there was meal, it was often mixed on an old mackintosh, for want of proper utensils."

One of the first battles was fought at Ibeka on September 28th, and Tom was present with the Frontier Armed Mounted Police. Immediately in front of the little fort at Ibeka was the boundary between the countries of the Gaelikas and the Fingoes. (The war had been begun by the Gaelikas attacking our allies the Fingoes on the Government Reserves.) On the day of the battle there were only 120 Frontier Armed Mounted Police at Ibeka, and about 2,000 Fingoes (our allies to run away, Tom called them). Kreli, who was the most powerful chief in Kaflraria, attacked with 8,000 nien, being afterwards reinforced with 2,000 horsemen. They advanced to within a short distance of the camp firing, but were driven back by the guns again and again. The Fingoes were desired to charge a bank where some Kaffirs were massed. They hesitated, but Allan Maclean jumped into the ditch, riding-whip in hand, and drove them on towards the Kaffirs. Fifty of the Frontier Armed Mounted Police then charged with fixed bayonets, and the Gaelikas wheeled about and fled.

The Gaelikas lost over a thousand men. Our loss was forty Fingoes killed and eleven wounded. Not one of the Frontier Armed Mounted Police was killed.

The night which followed was bitterly cold, with heavy rain, no fires, and no food, and all night the little garrison remained under arms, expecting to be attacked. At daybreak the Gaelikas returned, but were driven back by Maclean and his Fingoes, the 7-pounders completing the rout. This was the last attack on Ibeka. Under cover of a dense curtain of fog the Gaelikas withdrew ten miles from the fort.

Commandant Griffiths was now sent into Gaelikaland with all the troops that could be mustered to destroy Kreli. An attack was made on Kreli's Kraal, inwhich Shervinton commanded the advanced guard.

The Gaelikas, taken by surprise, fled, hotly pursued by our troops. Kreli lost over 1,500 men, and would now willingly have made peace, which was not granted. Want of ammunition and supplies kept the forces inactive at Ibeka, but after waiting twelve days Griffiths advanced without them and drove the enemy from Lusisi, thirty-five miles beyond Ibeka.

Here they remained some time, almost washed away by the rain, and more than half starved. Many

GAIKA AND GAEUKA WARS 13

a man who escaped the bullets of the enemy afterwards died like Tom Shervinton from ill-health caused by the exposure and hardships they endured. One man wrote : " We are all dreadfully hungry here, and for six days no one has had his spurs off."

The Burgher force of 1,000 men now demanded their discharge, and they could not be detained against their wishes. When they left, they took with them all the cattle they could lay hands on. They considered that they had been badly treated, and refused to serve when a little later the Cape Government tried to induce them to return.

Early in December some of the regular troops, with a Naval Brigade, crossed the Kei river on the way to Ibeka, to make a third attempt to clear Gaelikaland, Colonel Glyn of the 24th having entire command.

A thousand pounds was offered for the capture of Kreli, but this wily chief was never caught, and by this time the Gaikas had joined the Gaelikas.

There were constant skirmishes, and a great deal of desultory fighting. Both the Shervintons were in the thick of it. Charlie was anxious to get Tom into his own regiment, and got the promise of a lieutenancy for him, which Tom declined, as he preferred to be in a mounted regiment. However, he soon regretted his refusal, as he was sent on every foot patrol going, and thought he might just as well be an officer. Unfortunately it was too late, as the commission had been given to another.

Shervinton was promoted Captain in January, 1878, and Tom, full of pride in his elder brother, wrote home : " Charlie is getting on splendidly. He is Captain in Pulleine's Rangers, and gets 21s. a day. He is very popular with his men, who say they will follow him wherever he chooses to lead them. When he left King William's Town they all wanted to get into his company, and actually smuggled themselves into the train, but were found out at Kei Road and were sent back to King. He is very good to me, and helps me in every way he can."

Shervinton was already pretty well known, and constantly mentioned in despatches by General Sir A. Cunynghame, Colonel Glyn, and others. He was present at most of the engagements, and his hardy physique enabled him to resist the effects of insufficient food and constant exposure, which told so heavily upon poor Tom, who was still a growing lad.

In March, 1878, the Imperial troops were raised from 2,500 to nearly 5,000, and consisted of two Batteries Royal Artillery, one Company Royal Engineers, the 24th, 88th, and 90th Regiments in Cape Colony, the 3rd Buffs and 8oth in Natal, and the 30th Light Infantry in the Transvaal. Also a small Naval Brigade under Captain Campbell, R.N., and a contingent of 400 Boers under Piet Uys, who, with his son, a boy of twelve, perished at Unkunkinglove.

Shervinton commanded Pulleine's Rangers with Colonel Hopton's column on the Dalcousie, and crossed the Kei river to relieve the troops stationed at the " Springs."

He had some narrow escapes. Riding alone into Dimba's Kraal one pitch-dark night, he only got away thanks to his good horse. Another time he

GAIKA AND GAELIKA WARS 15

volunteered to carry an express for assistance, was attacked on the way, and got through with some difficulty.

At the " Springs " he had to build a fort, which was called "Fort Pulleine." The General wrote across his plan, " Very good indeed," and it was said to be one of the best forts planned out there. Then as there was a temporary lull, he employed his men in making bricks to build their huts, as he found that they grew discontented unless there was something to occupy them, and he tried to amuse them as well, joining heartily in their games of football and cricket.

Sometimes they would have to turn out about I a.m. in pursuit of Kaffirs, and after marching from ten to fifteen miles up and down hill, would arrive at their destination only to find that the enemy had bolted. This they considered the hardest work of all, on account of the frequent disappointment. But they cheered up when these night patrols ended in a brush.

Being in command of the station at the " Springs," the Government supplied him with a horse and forage. He was now under the Imperial Government, and received 15s. a day — he would have had 25s. a day from the Colonial Government, but he preferred to be as he was, as he hoped to be eventually transferred permanently to the Imperial service. This was one of the ambitions of his youth. The other was to obtain the V.C. Neither was to be fulfilled, although it was said that if he had a hundred opportunities of winning the V.C. he would win it every time.

He had loo men of his own regiment and 900 Fingoes at Fort PuUeine. He received an ugly stab from an assegai during one of their constant patrols. An officer stationed at the " Springs " thus describes the incident : " While Shervinton was visiting a block-house a couple of miles from the ' Springs/ as evening was drawing in, it w^as observed from the camp through a field-glass that some two dozen natives were closing on his track. It was evident that he saw them too, for suddenly he shortened his reins and set his horse going his best. Emptying his revolver right and left as he dashed through them he left five men on the ground behind him, escaping with an assegai wound in the leg, which prevented him walking for six weeks, though able to perform his duties on horseback."

On another occasion he was seen to have a narrow escape as a huge Zulu hurled an assegai at him, but turning quick as lightning in the saddle, Shervinton caught the assegai in one hand and shot the man dead with the revolver which he carried in the other. He had the advantage of being able to use his left hand as easily as his right.

Three times he co-operated in a combined movement to attack the Tala and Inyezane, but when there was no fighting he found things very dull. Such a thing as an English newspaper was not to be had. But the war was now at an end.

Sandilli, the Gaika chief, was killed early in June, and an amnesty was proclaimed on June 28th. Kreli, the Gaelika chief, after wandering about for a long time, finally gave himself up to the authorities, and was allowed to settle near his old kraal.

GAIKA AND GAELTKA WARS 17

Shervinton hoped to be sent home to go through the School of Musketry at Hjrthe, and also a School of Instruction. Little did he think that it would be seventeen long years before he saw home again.

In June he quitted the '' Springs/' having been sent 80 miles further up-country into Bechuanaland, where he commanded the last and farthest outpost in the Transkei, with a strong detachment consisting of 180 PuUeine's Rangers, 100 Police, i Gun, and 200 Fingoes.

In October he was appointed one of the members of the Gaelikaland Commission engaged in dividing the country lately occupied by the Gaelikas into farms for the Europeans, and locations for the Gaikas, who had been removed from the Colony. It was expected that this would occupy the Commission till April or May. Here he found his knowledge of surveying most useful. The other members were Captain Hughes and Captain Sansom, and Colonel Eustace, president.

Shervinton describes a dinner party which he gave here. The menu was original. Porridge and fresh milk, curried salmon and rice, bread, butter and jam, bottled beer. This fare was highly appreciated, for as a rule they lived on very tough beef, and bread that was described as being as hard as a cannon-ball.

Before entering upon the Zulu War of 1879, I will devote a chapter to the fortunes of the young brother, Tom, as it shows something of the hardships of a soldier's life in those rough times.

Ill

TOM SHERVINTON A TROOPER IN

SOUTH AFRICA

ON the arrival of Tom Shervinton at King William's Town, he at once joined the Frontier Armed Police Force as a trooper. A capital rider and devoted to horses, he preferred to be in a mounted regiment. But he was far too young for such a life and such a climate, and though he loved it at first, he soon found that it was by no means as rosy as it had been represented. Always tall and slight, he soon grew to over six feet. The hardships and constant exposures of the first few months told heavily upon him, and his health soon became a source of constant anxiety to his brother.

Shervinton, older, hardier, and obtaining a commission at once, found little to complain of, his iron constitution scarcely suffered from privation and discomfort, but Tom remained a trooper for some months, and, like his fellow-privates, had much to endure.

Anxious to see service as soon as possible, he at once volunteered for the front, ordered his uniform, and bought his horse and accoutrements. A trooper's initial expenses were pretty heavy; a horse cost

I8

TOM SHERVINTON IN SOUTH AFRICA 19

about ;^28; accoutrements, blankets, &c., ;^i5; and uniform about ;^8. However, the uniform was not ready in time, and he was not only obliged to remain behind, but had to hand over his horse, &c., to another man — his first horse which he had taken such pride in buying, and which he said was the best in the camp. His next horse he nearly lost too. He was sent as orderly to Fort Murray, nine miles off, and when he came out of the office where they kept him for three hours, his horse was gone. Luckily he had his revolver with him for the long lonely walk back, for the lurking Kaffirs would soon have disposed of an unarmed man. On his return to camp he found that a trooper had borrowed the horse, finding his own over-tired.

Among his comrades in the ranks there were plenty of gentlemen — men who had been in the Guards, Hussars, and Lancers.

The Colonial troops could be moved with great rapidity — half an hour was considered sufficient for all preparations. On horseback they carried a valise, two saddle-bags, nose-bag, gun and revolver, two blankets, a few underclothes, and a week's rations. Within thirty minutes of receiving an order, they saddled up and were off. Of course they had to suffer hardships to which the regulars were not exposed.

Sometimes Tom and his fellow-troopers were actually without food for days, and had to steal the mealies or Indian corn from their horses to keep themselves alive. With neither tents nor trees for shelter, they lay for weeks on the bare desert plains.

with the rain pouring down day and night, and only their soaking blankets to cover them. Tom's health began to give way, and the doctors said his lungs were going, but he stuck gallantly to his work. There was great discontent in the Frontier Armed Mounted Police. The regulars said they were treated like dogs, and worse than niggers. Danger they did not mind, nor discomfort if necessary, but it was hard to return, after a long day spent in fighting, and find nothing to eat. On more than one occasion one of the regiments shared its dinner with them. When there was neither meat nor biscuit left, they were offered coarse meal, which they refused ; they had no means of grinding or cooking it, and no utensils for mixing bread. And after lying down hungry to snatch a few hours' sleep on the veldt, it was a common thing to be wakened up in the middle of the night and sent — still stupid with sleep — to ride express for perhaps eighty or ninety miles through some of the most dangerous parts of the country.

Tom came in for his share of fighting, and was present at several engagements.

On December 30, 1877, the Kaffirs sacked and burnt a farmhouse a few miles fron; Draat-bosch. Major Moore, 38th Regiment, with thirty of the Frontier Armed Mounted Police, went to take the offenders, and came upon between 200 and 300 of them concealed behind stones and rocks sloping down a kloof. A bullet was their only answer when summoned to surrender and give up their arms. The police dismounting, advanced in skirmishing

TOM SHERVINTON IN SOUTH AFRICA 21

order, each man holding his own horse, and with a few volleys drove out the Kaffirs, who retreated over the hill, carrying their wounded in blankets. The police mounted, galloped to another kloof about a mile away, and drove them oflf again. This they did four times, till they were about ten miles deep in hills. About 500 Kaffirs were now seen advancing up a hill covered with rocks. The police galloped to the top to get shelter behind the stones, and were in the act of dismounting, when Kaffirs started up from behind the stones and fired at them. A panic seized the police; about twenty of them set spurs to their horses and bolted, leaving only ten with Major Moore, Tom Shervinton among them. The Kaffirs ran in among them throwing assegais, and one man Giesse, who had not been able to remount, was stabbed between the shoulders and killed. Major Moore walked his horse up to the Kaffir, drew his revolver and shot him. He was then himself wounded in the arm by an assegai, but shot his assailant, and then gave the order to retire. As Tom turned his horse, he saw a Kaffir just at his horse's tail levelling his assegai; luckily his carbine was loaded, and he shot him through the body, and shot another in the hip at fifteen paces. Then he galloped after Major Moore (who afterwards received the V.C). Tom and nine others were then told off to push the post into Gray's Farm, but it was far too small a party for the work ; they were almost surrounded and had to gallop for their lives.

Next day — Sunday — 40 soldiers and 20 police were sent out to do it. They saw about 3,000 Kaffirs two and a half miles off, and awaited their attack. They came up with the foot in skirmishing order, and a body of horse on each side. The soldiers opened fire at 300 yards, and the Kaffir horse wheeled round so as to outflank them.

The firing was heard in camp, and ten volunteers were asked for to go to their assistance. Tom, being nearest, was the first to volunteer. They saddled up and were off, the soldiers following on foot. They met eight men of the police (Afrikanders and Danes) who had run away, and told them that the troops were beaten, and all the police force killed.* The runaways were told to fall in, and the small party galloped on to cover the retreat of the soldiers. But the deserters had lied, and the Kaffirs soon retreated. Only eight of the Frontier Armed Mounted Police had held their ground, and these were all English recruits — the oldest had only six months' service, and the youngest barely one.

Next day the telegraph wire was cut, and ten of the Frontier Armed Mounted Police were sent to mend it. Tom and another man were told off as scouts. The pole had been cut down, the wire and bell smashed. They mended it and returned. It was considered a dangerous affair. The General and the Manager-General of the Telegraph Department sent letters of congratulation on their success. The General asked for the names of the party, and said they were to be thanked on parade.

All these little excitements kept things lively, but there were many causes of dissatisfaction, and one

TOM SHERVINTON IN SOUTH AFRICA 23

was the number of horses that were lost from being turned out on the veldt to graze. No doubt there was reason in this, as forage was so dear. A small bundle cost is. 2d., and a horse required five or six of these in a day, so that the troopers had to spend more than all their pay on their horses, and had nothing left to live upon themselves.

Tom had paid £;i% for his horse ; it was turned out on the veldt and was lost. He reported it to the corporal in charge, and four men were ordered to saddle up and look for it. It was found fifteen miles away, dead lame. Next day when the troops went out, the corporal said the horse was too lame to stray, and must go with the others. However, the men in charge of the horses allowed it to stray, and it was heard of no more. The horse guards were fined £2^ but Tom lost his horse and got nothing for it, though he applied to the remount fund for half its value. He was offered several other horses at £2<^ each, but refused them all, as he said they were not worth £\o.

Besides losing horses, their other property was frequently stolen, as many bad characters joined these regiments. Tom found it hard lines to have all his sugar and coffee stolen when their luxuries were so scanty, and when he went up to the front all his things, as well as his brother's, were left at Fort Murray. Everything was stolen, and Tom was left with nothing but his uniform.

However, he said he seldom wore his clothes in the rainy season, they all put on mackintoshes only, as the best way to avoid rheumatic fever. For

24 THE SHRRVINTONS

three months Tom was on duty every day, with very little sleep, and not half enough to eat, and continual rain over the Bashee where they were encamped. The river overflowed, carrying away saddles, &c., and leaving them up to their knees in water, with nothing to turn to at night except their dripping blankets. The heavy duty by day and the comfortless nights affected all seriously ; numbers of men went daily to hospital, Tom among others, and was kept there for over three months.

His health was now very bad, and his brother Charlie managed to get him his discharge from the police, for which he considered him totally unfitted. He was anxious to send him home to be carefully looked after, and said that Tom was so simple that he could never rough it properly with a lot of men.

However, Tom thought differently, and as soon as he got his discharge from the Frontier Armed Mounted Police, instead of returning to England, he got a commission in the Colonial Commissariat with 7s. 6d. a day pay. He found the work pretty hard, as he was at it from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. He had daily to ration 250 men, besides various outposts and stations, and then make out the ration returns at night, which sometimes took him till 11.30 p.m.

He was now at Malan's Mission in the Transkei, a desolate country, hilly, windy, and destitute of bush. He lived in a mud-hut thatched with straw : three poles in the form of a triangle supported the roof; a bed was made out of six pieces of wood stuck in the ground with some sacks across, some

TOM SHERVINTON IN SOUTH AFRICA 25

empty soap and candle boxes for seats, and a bayonet for a candlestick.

Tom had thatched the hut himself; there was no one on the station who understood thatching, so he undertook to do it for all. It was probably not entirely successful, as. far as his own hut was concerned, for he often complained that it leaked like a sieve. He used to spread his waterproof cloak over him, head and all, at night, and sometimes found three or four quarts of water in it in the morning. Sometimes the horses stampeded, and there was trouble to get them back. One night the whole of them — ninety in all — disappeared, but were brought back safely the following afternoon.

Tom did not much like commissariat work; he described the department as fearful for " grousing." The senior officer could not account for 98 lbs. of tea, and declared that he had sent it to Tom Shervinton, who must be held responsible. However, Tom was not so simple as they thought ; it was not in the waybill, he had given no receipt for it, and declined to pay. Seeing that he was determined to fight the matter out, the senior commissariat officer gave way, and eventually found that the tea had been sent to another station.

Towards the end of 1878 his corps was disbanded, and Tom was anxious to obtain a lieutenancy in a corps that was being raised for the Transvaal to hem in Cetewayo. The doctors told him that he had better go home if he wanted to see any of his own people again, and Charlie was always urging him to go, or if he would not do that, wished to send him to Bloemfontein to see what the climate there would do for him.

However, Tom was anxious to be independent, and to earn his own living, so he went to King William's Town, and got a lieutenancy in the 22nd Regiment, Natal Native Contingent, No. i Column, in which corps Charlie now had a captaincy. Their uniform was tan-coloured cord, and a smasher hat with blue silk handkerchief round it.

Tom was now sent with his regiment to Fort Pearson on the Lower Tugela, and for a short time the brothers were together.

IV

SHERVINTON was now transferred to the 5th Battalion Natal Native Contingent, with which he served throughout the Zulu War. Tom was also in the Natal Native Contingent as lieutenant, and the brothers belonged to the same column.

During the Zulu War 36 different volunteer corps were raised — a force of 9,000 men, horse and foot. At the beginning of the war some of these Colonial regiments were described as being no better than a mounted rabble, undisciplined, untrained, and only half-armed, for at first only 10 per cent, of the rank and file were provided with firearms. In spite of these drawbacks, they soon proved themselves to be composed of splendid fighting material, and when well-officered were second to none. The native levies numbered 7,400, of these 5,000 were Swazies, the hereditary enemies of the Zulus. The whole of the troops, Imperial and Colonial, were formed into three columns under Lord Chelmsford : —

ist Column, commanded by Colonel Pearson,

3rd Buffs.

2nd Column, by Colonel Glyn, 24th Regiment.

3rd Column, by Colonel Evelyn Wood, V.C., C.B., 90th Regiment.

The Zulu army consisted of 33 regiments, 25 of which (numbering 40,000) were composed of seasoned men in the prime of life ; the remaining 8 regiments comprised men who were either too old or too young for active service except in case of emergency. Besides the assegais and knobkerries with which the Zulus were armed, many of them were provided with firearms. At least 400,000 rifles had been smuggled into South Africa in defiance of the law, and become the property of the natives. Consequently the Colonial forces were frequently at a great disadvantage, as so few of them were at first provided with firearms.

Cetewayo, the Zulu chief, had long defied the British. He had backed up Sekukuni in his rebellion, and later the sons of one of his chiefs had seized two native women on British terrritory — their father's wives who had taken refuge there. Also another party of Zulus had caught and maltreated an English ofiicer.

The authorities, tired of these lawless ways, demanded the surrender of the two sons of Sirayo, a fine of 500 cattle, and the entire dispersion of the Zulu army, with the threat of war if these conditions were not complied with by December 31st.

Cetewayo, who boasted that he would drive all the white men into the sea, made no reply, and war commenced on January 12th, when the Tugela river was successfully crossed, both Shervintons being present.

The infantry were hauled across in a flat-bottomed boat by oxen, immense numbers of which were employed in drawing the heavy wagons, some of which carried 8,000 lbs. weight, and required a team of 18 oxen. Altogether over 28,000 horses and transport animals were employed in the course of this war.

Colonel Pearson with the right column reached the Inyezane on January 22nd, and here a battle was fought which lasted for over two hours. The enemy left 300 dead on the field, their wounded they carried away. Our loss was 10 killed and 16 wounded. Of the 3 officers and 6 non-commissioned officers killed and wounded, all except one officer belonged to the same company. The natives deserted them and the Zulus ran in and assegaied them. Colonel Pearson and Colonel Parnell had their horses shot under them. The enemy were 5,000 strong.