THE IMPERIAL VISION OF HEROISM 89
reason I have not recommended Captain Schofield, Royal Artillery, who
was acting under orders, though I desire to record his conduct as most
gallant.^63
Oddly enough, Buller recommended only those who had failed to retrieve a
gun; he nominated the six drivers who actually accomplished their mission
and came back with two guns for the Distinguished Conduct Medal. All
in all, it is obvious that he was rushing this report: he closed it with the
statement ‘several other gallant drivers tried, but were all killed, and I cannot
get their names.’^64 It truly seems he was trying to dispatch the letter before
Freddy Roberts breathed his last.
His recommendation sailed through the adjudication process without
comment, and Lieutenant Roberts was gazetted as a Victoria Cross winner
2 February 1900, along with Congreve, Reed, and Corporal George Edward
Nurse. Buller had nominated and had passed four VCs for a dismal failure
that was largely his own fault. More VCs were to come of Colenso: Major William
Babtie, RAMC, who tended Roberts under fire was gazetted 20 April 1900.
Captain Schofield received the Distinguished Service Order for his efforts
that day as well.
Here the Victorian sense of fair play became part of the process, both
inside and outside the administration of the Army. It was hardly proper
that Congreve and Roberts got the VC for trying to do the same task as
Schofield, who received a lesser award. Buller’s argument that Schofield
was acting under orders while the others showed initiative was undercut
by Congreve’s statement to the contrary. It is unclear who initiated the
sequence of events, but once Lord Roberts had handed off command in
South Africa to Herbert Horatio Kitchener and returned to London as the
new Commander-in-Chief, further inquiry was made in the Colenso affair,
specifically as to the actions of Schofield. In a letter marked ‘secret,’ Colonel
Ian Hamilton, Military Secretary to Roberts at Horse Guards, asked Captain
Congreve for his version of the events at Colenso.^65
Based on Congreve’s account, Roberts pushed for an upgrade in
Schofield’s reward for gallantry and on 30 August 1901 he was gazetted for
the VC. Hamilton wrote the letter informing Buller of this development:
In considering the case of a soldier of the Royal Scots Fusiliers recom-
mended for the V.C. the question of Captain Sc[h]ofield, and his reward
came up and was discussed by the Secretary of State and the Comm. in
Chief.
lily
(lily)
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