104 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
these junior officers. The obvious reason for this disparity is the potential
for valour provided to lieutenants by virtue of being at the sharp end of
combat more often than more senior officers. There was also an institutional
bias in their favor from the very inception of the award. Lord Panmure,
although admitting the award was open to all ranks, inquired of Horse
Guards whether or not it should be directed toward the lower ranks.^22
Although never made statutory, the bias is apparent in two cases in point.
On the night of 29/30 October 1863 Major Charles Keyes led an assault to
capture a mountain strongpoint called the Crag Piquet during the Ambeyla
Campaign in India; his success prompted a recommendation for a Victoria
Cross. His recommendation was quashed by the Commander-in-Chief, India,
Sir Hugh Rose, with the following explanation:
Personal gallantry on several occasions during a hard-fought campaign on
the part of certain Majors in command of regiments was no more than
their duty, and should be recognized by other rewards than the Victoria
CrossA captain or a subaltern might stake his life and lose it for the
sake of the decoration without playing with the lives of others, but a
field officer in command risked not only his own life, but possibly the
success of the operation devolving upon him, by an unnecessary display
of personal valour.^23
Likewise, when then Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hamilton was recommended the
second time for a VC in 1899 for his leadership in the assault on Elandslaagte
in South Africa, it was denied on grounds of his rank; his notification of
this pointed out that the award was meant for younger men.^24 Ironically,
Hamilton had been recommended for a Cross on 27 February 1881 as a
28-year-old subaltern for the defense of Majuba Hill. The recommendation
was rejected on the grounds that the act was really not quite VC material
and as a young man he would have many opportunities in the future to
earn recognition.^25 It is evident that even though it was confirmed in statute
that all ranks had equal footing, in practice lieutenants had an edge over
other ranks.
It is interesting to note that in the second instance that Hamilton was
recommended Sir Redvers Buller was the officer who decided not to forward
the recommendation to higher authorities. Buller also refused to approve
Hamilton’s promotion in South Africa.^26 This situation brings up the ques-
tion of inter-Army politics, as Buller was a member of the Ashanti Ring
while Hamilton was a partisan of Roberts. Buller disliked Hamilton, and the
two were diametric opposites when it came to style and character. While
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