| Skene | William | | Lieutenant | He was killed in action at Nooitgedacht, December 13th, 1900. He was the son of T Skene, member of the Commonwealth Parliament of Australia, whose father was a member of the Legislative Council of Victoria. Lieutenant Skene's mother was the second daughter of Dr Anderson, who, as private medical officer, accompanied the ninth Baron Napier to China in 1830. Lieutenant Skene was born December 1875, at Basset, Branxholme, in the Western District of Victoria, and was educated at the Western District College, Hamilton, and at the Church of England Grammar School, Geelong, where he was a Lieutenant in the Volunteer Cadet Corps. Subsequently he held a Lieutenant's commission in the William's Town Garrison Artillery with a view to adopting the regular army as his profession. Some change in the age regulation, however, prevented his competing, and he then worked on his father's property at Marmoo in the North-West District of Victoria. In December 1899, being anxious to serve the Empire, he, with great difficulty, procured a passage for himself and his horse to Cape Town, and on arrival was given a commission as Lieutenant in Roberts' Horse, and assisted to drill recruits at Rosebank Camp. He was subsequently offered a 2nd lieutenancy in the Royal Field Artillery, for which he had been recommended by the acting Governor of Victoria (Sir John Madden), but through some mistake the order to join his new corps to which he was gazetted with seniority from May 23rd, 1900, did not reach him, although he was at the time at Rosebank. Lieutenant Skene then proceeded to Vereeniging, May 26th, 1900, and was present at the entry into Johannesburg and Pretoria and the battle of Diamond Hill. At Vredefort he was thanked for his services by Colonel Ridley. He was also at Elands River where the Australians so distinguished themselves, and in the fighting at Rustenburg and the Magaliesberg, being again in Pretoria in August 1900. Here his appointment to the Royal Artillery reached him, but preferring to remain with his old corps he resigned his commission in the Royal Field Artillery. Lieutenant Skene then served with Clements' Column, in which he acted as squadron leader, and afterwards in the ORC in the fighting near Bethlehem and the operations against General De Wet. On December 13th, at the first break of dawn, the camp was attacked, and Lieutenant Skene in a half-clad state rushed out to reinforce a picket of Mounted Infantry. The Boers on a ridge met the advancing men with a terrific fire. Colonel Legge was one of the first to fall, shot through the head, and Lieutenant Skene was mortally wounded. He, however, until exhausted, continued to call to his men "go on and fight it out," and to his Sergeant Major (McNaughton), "Fight on, Mac" when he fell forward on his face dead. Colonel Cookson, writing of him, said he was "leading his squadron most gallantly to reinforce the pickets, and this prompt action saved the situation".
Source: Donner |
