ROGERS,
JAMES, Sergeant, was born in Riverina, New South Wales, Australia, on 2
June, 1875. He served in the South African War of 1899-1902, and was
awarded the Victoria Cross [London Gazette, 18 April, 1902]: "James Rogers,
Sergeant, South African Constabulary. On the 15th June 1901, during a
skirmish near Thaba 'Nchu, a party of the rear-guard of Captain Sitwell's
Column, consisting of Lieutenant F Dickinson, Sergeant James Rogers, and six
men of the South African Constabulary, was suddenly attacked by about sixty
Boers. Lieutenant Dickinson's horse having been shot, that officer was
compelled to follow his men on foot. Sergeant Rogers, seeing this, rode
back, firing as he did so, took Lieutenant Dickinson up behind him, and
carried him for half a mile on his horse. The sergeant then returned to
within 400 yards of the enemy, and carried away, one after the other, two
men who had lost their horses, after which he caught the horses of two other
men, and helped the men to mount. All this was done under a very heavy
rifle fire. The Boers were near enough to Sergeant Rogers to call upon him
to surrender; his only answer was to continue firing". He joined the
Australian Expeditionary Force on 6 December 1914, and was attached to the
same Brigade as Lieutenant Colonel Maygar in the early days of the European
War. He was wounded 4 August 1915, at Gallipoli, and returned invalided to
Australia on 10 June 1916. Lieutenant Rogers' appointment terminated in
Australia 31 December 1916.
