Shelley V.C. of Colenso

[michaeldr]

I am reading ‘With the Twenty-Ninth Division in Gallipoli’ by Rev. O. Creighton, C.F., Church of England Chaplain to the 86th Brigade, which was first published in 1916.

Probably because of censorship rules then in effect he often indicates people or regiments by initials only. However when he is writing about someone who has been killed, then he usually gives the correct family name in full, making it easier to identify them.

I have drawn a blank however with one such person

See pages 114/5

“There is a capital fellow who always looks after me, Shelley, a South African V.C. who helped save the guns at Colenso, and has quite lived up to his reputation here. He is utterly cool and fearless. He takes great interest in me, and makes me a comfortable bed and looks after me.”

In the preceding and succeeding sentences there are refs to the ‘L.F.s’ and to ‘Bromley;’

Is there a Lancashire Fusilier who might be ‘Shelley’?

The following gentlemen won the VC at the Battle of Colenso in the South African War; William Babtie, Walter Norris Congreve, Edgar Thomas Inkson, George Edward Nurse, George Ravenhill, Hamilton Lyster Reed, Frederick Hugh Sherston (The Hon.) Roberts, Harry Norton Schofield. However as far as I can see none of them fit

There is another ref to this man on p.123 referring to events on the 4th/5th June

“Several had been killed by our own shells, including Shelley, the South African V.C.” But I can find no CWGC entry to fit such a ‘Shelley VC’

The CWGC do however have two Shelleys, both LFs and both died 4th June

Name: SHELLEY, JOSEPH

Initials: J

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: Lancashire Fusiliers

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Date of Death: 04/06/1915

Service No: 4615

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Sp. Mem. C. 250.

Cemetery: TWELVE TREE COPSE CEMETERY

And

Name: SHELLEY, JOHN

Initials: J

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment: Lancashire Fusiliers

Unit Text: 1st Bn.

Date of Death: 04/06/1915

Service No: 13128

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 58 to 72 or 218 to 219.

Cemetery: HELLES MEMORIAL

Does anyone know if either of them served at Colenso?

Or was the good padre told an old soldier's tale?

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Tom Morgan]

Michael, looking at "symbol of Courage" by Max Arthur, there were 7 VCs won at the battle of Colenso, and 6 of them involved soldiers "helping to save guns."

No immediate clues that I can see, but the men were:

Capt. W. N. Congreve, The Rifle Brigade (father of Maj. W. la T. Congreve VC)

Cpl. George Edward Nurse, 66th Battery, Royal Field Artillery

Pte. George Ravenhill, 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers

Lieut. The Honourable Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts. King's Royal Rifle Corps, who was mortally wounded(Field Marshal Earl Roberts VC was his father)

Capt. Harry Norton Schofield, Royal Field Artillery

All these men are quoted as having "answered General Buller's call for volunteers to save the guns of the 14th and 66th Batteries."

Additionally, there was Capt. Hamilton Lyster Reed, 7th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, who galloped down with three teams from his battery to help save the same guns.

Also there was Maj. William Babtie, Royal Army Medical Corps who rode across open ground to tend to wounded, exposed to heavy rifle fire. He later helped Capt. Congreve VC to rescue Lieut. Roberts VC

Maybe some of this info will ring a bell.

Tom

[Desmond7]

Just checked the VC reference site - I can't see a Shelley.

Mix-up?

Des

Maybe alias for WW1?

[michaeldr]

Tom & Desmond,

Many thanks for your interest in this puzzle

I was hoping that someone might have had some ideas regarding regimental numbering in the Lancs Fusiliers and could tell me if either of the two Shelleys had served in SA

But that was a long shot

The are a few possibilities here

* The Rev may have been told a tale by Shelley himself

* Shelley may not have known of it, but his pals may have spun a yarn to the Chaplain at his (Shelley’s) expense

* Shelley may indeed have served at Colenso and his mates thought that he had deserved to be among the VC winners, and so referred to him as such

And there may be more

Whatever the truth however, it is nice to note that Creighton thought that he had “quite lived up to his reputation here. He is utterly cool and fearless.” And how tragic that his end should be beneath the bombardment of his own guns

Regards

Michael D.R.

[michaeldr]

Tom,

You may wish to cross ref this with your factoid-hunt

I was rereading Sir Martin Gilbert’s ‘introduction’ to the collected talks given by the Gallipoli Memorial Lecture Trust [‘The Straits of War – Gallipoli Remembered’ published by Sutton Publishing Ltd in 2000] and I find that he has followed the Rev Creighton’s lead and refers to (see page xxii) “Among those killed by the frequently misdirected British naval shellfire (now know as ‘friendly fire’) was a South African VC, Captain Shelley.”

I have re-searched the VC site, the CWGC and R. W. Walker’s book on Officers Died at Gallipoli, but I am still unable to trace this chap

If anyone can identify ‘Captain Shelley VC’ then please let me know

In the mean time it seems; “Sir Martin – it can happen to the best of us”

Regards

Michael D.R.