| Smith-Bingham | Oswald Buckley Bingham | | Captain | SMITH-BINGHAM, OSWALD BUCKLEY BINGHAM, Captain, was born 7 October 1868, second son of O Smith-Bingham and of Mrs Smith-Bingham. He was educated at Winchester, and joined the 3rd Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards as Second Lieutenant 8 June 1889; served in India, 1889-92; in South Africa, 1892-95; became Captain 30 January 1898; served in the South African War, 1900-2; took part in operations in the Transvaal, May and July 1901; Orange River Colony, February 1901 to 31 May 1902: Zululand Frontier of Natal, September and October 1901; Cape Colony, February 1901. He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette 2 July 1901]; received the Queen's Medal with five clasps, and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 2 July 1901]: "Oswald Buckley Bingham Smith-Bingham, Captain, 3rd Dragoon Guards. For marked gallantry in the rearguard action on the 3rd June 1901, near Vrede". The Insignia were sent to the Commander-in-Chief in South Africa, and presented there. He was promoted Major, Dragoon Guards, 1 April 1903; Lieutenant-Colonel 2 July 1912. He took part in the European War, 1914-17; was twice severely wounded, on 13 May 1915, at Ypres, and on 27 September 1915, at Loos; promoted Colonel 2 July 1910, and created a CMG, 1916. Brigadier General 28 September 1917, and Inspector-General of Cavalry. He married, in 1903, Edythe Mary, second daughter of R Turnstall Moore, of Stodalt, County Meath, Ireland, and they had three sons: Oswald Cyril, born 29 January 1904; Arthur Turberville, born 28 March 1906, and Denis Robert.
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | 3rd (The Prince of Wales's) Dragoon Guards |
| Smith-Dorrien | Horace Lockwood | | Captain | SMITH-DORRIEN, HORACE LOCKWOOD, Captain, was born 26 May 1858, son of Colonel H A Smith-Dorrien and Mrs Smith-Dorrien, of Haresfoot, Berkhampstead. He was educated at Harrow, and entered the Sherwood Foresters (Derby Regiment) on 26 February 1876. He served in the Zulu War of 1879; was one of the few survivors of Isandhlwana, and was recommended for a VC; was at the Battle of Ulundi; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 15 and 21 March, 1879], and received the Medal and clasp. He took part in the Egyptian Expedition of 1882; raised and commanded a corps of Mounted Infantry; received a Medal and clasp, and the Bronze Star. Sir Evelyn Wood wrote: "Horace Smith-Dorrien has done brilliant work in North and South Africa and in India. It is needless to repeat what the Commander-in-Chief wrote of his conduct in the Retreat from Mons, which must have made his wife and all his friends proud. In 1882 I was left twelve miles outside Alexandria with six battalions to cover a frontage of over five miles, which in the previous weeks, before the departure of another brigade, had been penetrated by small parties of the enemy, sixteen of whom had been killed in one garden. I sent an order into Alexandria for a smart subaltern, who was to go to the Khedive's stable and all the saddlers' shops and produce in one day some mounted infantry. Smith-Dorrien received the order at 1.30 pm, and at 6.30, with twenty-one horses, three mules and a donkey, carrying Derbyshire men, the Sherwood Foresters—few of whom had ridden before—he passed me at Ramleh, and went out into the desert, engaged an Egyptian outpost, killed its commander, and never let the enemy inside our line of outposts again". Lieutenant Smith-Dorrien became Captain 22 August 1882. He served with the Egyptian Army in the Nile Expedition (1884), and with Mounted Infantry in the Sudan Expedition (1885) (clasp). He again saw active service in the Sudan in 1885-86, with the Frontier Field Force. For his services in this last campaign Captain Smith-Dorrien was mentioned in Despatches, awarded the 4th Class Medjidie and created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 26 November 1886]: "Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, Captain, Derbyshire Regiment. For action at Ginniss". The Insignia were presented to him by the Queen. At the Battle of Ginniss, when the Dervishes were retreating, the cavalry posted to cut them off had failed to do so. Captain Smith-Dorrien, at that time a Lieutenant Colonel on the Staff of the Egyptian Army, was thereupon ordered to take a mixed mounted force of cavalry and mounted infantry, and to pursue—with strict orders not to go beyond—to Koheymatto, 19 miles distant. He, however, took on himself to go 60 miles, cutting across the desert to cut the Dervishes off at Absarat, accomplishing this in 23 hours, cutting off and capturing all the enemy's river transport, many prisoners and booty. Being successful, his disobedience was rewarded with the DSO, as above recorded. It was one of the first ever given. In 1887 he received the 4th Class of the Osmanieh, and the same year joined the Staff College, where he gained the psc. He became Major 11 May 1892; was DAAG, Bengal, 1893-94; AAG, Bengal, 1894-96. He was DAAG of a brigade in the Chitral Relief Force in 1895. In 1897-98 he served in the Sherwood Foresters in the Tirah Campaign, on the North-West Frontier of India; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 30 September 1898]; was given the Brevet, of Lieutenant Colonel 20 May 1898; received the Medal and two clasps. He served with the Nile Expedition of 1898, and in the pursuit after the Battle of Omdurrnan was the first to break into the Mahdi's house. He commanded the troops which accompanied Lord Kitchener to Fashoda. He was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 30 September 1898]; received the Brevet of Colonel 16 November 1898, and the Medal. He served in the South African War, 1899-1900, first in command of the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters, and then as a Major General commanding a brigade and a division. At Paardeberg, Sir Conan Doyle writes in his 'Great Boer War' (page 253), "Smith-Dorrien's Brigade, who were winning in the western army something of the reputation which Hart's Irishmen had won in Natal, were placed astride of the river to the west, with orders to push gradually up, as occasion served, using trenches for their approach". Sir Conan Doyle goes on to describe the battle, and later says: "The two brigades at either end of the Boer lines had lost no chance of pushing in, and now they had come within striking distance. On the night of 26 February it was determined that Smith-Dorrien's men should try their luck. The front trenches of the British were at that time seven hundred yards from the Boer lines. They were held by the Gordons and by the Canadians, the latter being the nearer to the river. It is worth while entering into details as to the arrangement of the attack, as the success of the campaign was at least accelerated by it. The orders were that the Canadians were to advance, the Gordons to support, and the Shropshires to take such a position on the left as would outflank any counter-attack upon the part of the Boers. The Canadians advanced in the darkness of the early morning before the rise of the moon. The front rank held their rifles in the left hand and each extended right hand grasped the sleeve of the man next it. The rear rank had their rifles slung and carried spades. Nearest the river bank were two companies (G and H), who were followed by the 7th Company of Royal Engineers carrying picks and empty sand-bags. The long line stole through a pitchy darkness, knowing that at any instant a blaze of fire such as flamed before the Highlanders at Magersfontein might crash out in front of them. A hundred, two, three, four, five hundred paces were taken. They knew that they must be close upon the trenches. If they could only creep silently enough, they might spring upon the defenders unannounced. On and on they stole, step by step, praying for silence. Would the gentle shuffle of feet be heard by the men who lay within stone-throw of them? Their hopes had begun to rise when there broke upon the silence of the night a resonant metallic rattle, the thud of a falling man, an empty clatter! They had walked into a line of meat-cans slung upon a wire. By measurement it was only ninety yards from the trench. At that instant a single rifle sounded, and the Canadians hurled themselves down upon the ground. Their bodies had hardly touched it when from a line six hundred yards long there came one furious glare of rifle fire, with a hiss like water on a red-hot plate, of speeding bullets. In that terrible red light the men as they lay and scraped desperately for cover could see the heads of the Boers pop up and down, and the fringe of rifle barrels quiver and gleam. How the regiment, lying helpless under this fire, escaped destruction is extraordinary. To rush the trench in the face of such a continuous blast of lead seemed impossible, and it was equally impossible to remain where they were. In a short time the moon would be up, and they would be picked off to a man. The outer companies upon the plain were ordered to retire. Breaking up into loose order, they made their way back with surprisingly little loss; but a strange contretemps occurred, for, leaping suddenly into a trench held by the Gordons, they transfixed themselves upon the bayonets of the men. A subaltern and twelve men received bayonet thrusts—none of them fortunately of a very serious nature". He was promoted to Major General 11 February 1900, for distinguished service at the Battle of Paardeberg; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 8 February and 16 April, 1901, and 29 July 1902], and received the Queen's Medal with four clasps. He was Adjutant-General in India, 1901-3; commanded the 4th (Quetta) Division in India, 1903-7: was created a KCB in 1904; promoted to Lieutenant General on 9 April, 1906, and became Commander-in-Chief, Aldershot, 1907. He was promoted to General 10 August 1912; held the Southern command, 1912-14; and was | (Sherwood Foresters) Derbyshire Regiment |
