HOWARD, Arthur L, Major, entered the
Canadian Military Forces, and served in the South African War. He was
created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 27
September 19011: "A L Howard, Major, Canadian Contingent. In recognition of
services during the operations in South Africa". The Insignia, Warrant,
etc, were sent to his son, N G Howard, 18 December 1901, as Major Howard had
been killed in action not long after the DSO had been awarded to him.
He took part in Riel’s Rebellion,
1885. Louis Riel, having escaped after the collapse of his first
rebellion in 1870, returned to Canada at the request of the Metis (former
trappers, small traders, etc., and mostly of mixed blood) who asked him to
help redress their grievances against the Dominion Government. The
ensuing campaign to suppress Riel’s (Second) Rebellion was a short one,
confined to the year 1885, and ended with the defeat of the rebels at
Batoche in May. The government’s forces were commanded by General
Middleton and amongst them was Lieut Arthur Howard, formerly an officer in
the United States Army but resident in Canada since 1880. Engaged in
the armaments business, he was trying to interest the Canadian Government in
the Gatling Gun just as the rebellion broke out and so he immediately
volunteered to support Middleton with two of his guns. In fact, one
gun was turned over to another unit but Howard and his remaining gun played
a decisive role in the four day battle of Batoche. Time and again he
saved the regular troops from collapse and he emerged from the fighting with
a legendary reputation and the sobriquet ‘Gat’ which remained with him for
the rest of his life. In view of at least one expert, Batoche was the
most important battle fought on the North American continent in which the
Gatling Gun proved to be the decisive weapon. Following this theory to
its logical conclusion, it is no surprise that the man behind that single
gun at Batoche became a Canadian folk-hero overnight.
During the Boer War, he volunteered
for service after war broke out and served with various Canadian units until
given command of a corps of scouts, the
Canadian Scouts.
He was commended for his actions
several times but that recorded on 7 July 1900 was perhaps the most typical
of the hero of Batoche. Lt Col Anderson, Commanding 1st MI Corps,
reported: “I would again bring this officer’s name to notice as having done
exceptionally good work with his Machine Gun. At Leewburg on 7th July, Lt.
Howard took his gun up into the firing line… and very materially assisted in
keeping the enemy back. When the line was outflanked and compelled to
retire, Lt. Howard, having had his own horse, his Sergt.’s horse and the gun
horse hit, also the gun carriage hit twice, took the Gun off the carriage
and walked away with it under his arm…Lt. Howard’s coolness in action is
remarkable and he and his gun are always to be relied upon…..” This kind of
bravado occasionally however brought him into conflict with authority and
when Col. Lessard reprimanded him for disobeying orders and thereby
endangering his life, Howard retorted that “he was quite prepared to give
his life; that the war could not be won by remaining in camp; and that he
did not believe in inaction” [source: Hilder papers]. Hilder goes on
to state that “he was, eventually killed on 17 February 1901 when he, and
some of his men of the Canadian Scouts, were caught in an ambush. He
would not surrender and kept on firing until he had used up the last of his
ammunition”.
See his casualty entry
and the entry for the Canadian
Scouts.
DSO, NW Canada
Medal 1885
(1) Saskatchewan (unnamed), QSA (5) CC OFS Belf DH Joh (Lt R Can Dragoons).
QSA naming:
Glendinings 1990
£3100. eMedals Dec 06 Can $ 12,500. eBay Nov 08
