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From the Met to the Yeomanry to the Somaliland Field Force - R. Shepherd 7 years 3 months ago #57266

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Richard Shepherd

Sergeant, 43rd Company, Imperial Yeomanry – Anglo Boer War
Civilian Subordinate, Somaliland Field Force

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State & Transvaal to 26013 Sjt. R. Shepherd, 43rd Coy. Imp. Yeo.
- Africa General Service Medal with clasp Somaliland 1902-04 to Mr. R. Shepherd, Somlnd. F. Force

Richard Shepherd was born on 27 May 1873 in Woolwich, Kent the son of John Shepherd, an army pensioner, and his wife Susan. That John had been in the army was obvious by the places his children were born – of Richard’s siblings Harry had been born in Ireland and Louisa in Bengal, India.

The first glimpse we have of Richard comes courtesy of the 1881 England census – the family were resident at 20 Robert Street in Woolwich and it has to be wondered whether or not the arrival of Richard was not perhaps an unexpected joy to his parents… aged 7 at the time of the census his father was already 50 and his mother 51 years old. Joining them in the house were older siblings Harry (18) and Louisa (13)

Ten years later during the 1891 England census Richard, aged 17, had moved into the home of his Uncle, George Waller, at 8 Melford Terrace in Leyton. Uncle George was a Necktie Cutter by trade and nephew Richard followed in his footsteps taking up that occupation as well. But what of Richard’s own family in 1891? The census shows that they had moved to 1 Station Villas in Greenwich where Mr Shepherd was now a Grocer for his own account, assisted by elder son Harry.

Not finding the business of tie cutting to his liking Richard Shepherd, at the age of 25, decided to join the Metropolitan Police completing the examination for this purpose on 26 July 1898. Physically he was described as being 5 feet 11 inches in height with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and dark hair. He weighed in at 11 stone 2 pounds and had no particular marks about his person.

Confirming that he had been born in Woolwich, Kent he was still single and gave his occupation as a Silk Tie Cutter in the employ of Messrs. F & R Gillett of 8 Moor Lane. He had returned to the family fold and was resident at 1 Station Villas, Westcombe Park. Found to be fit for duty he was assigned warrant number 84373 and the rank of Constable with V Division to commence service on 29 August 1898. He was to spend until 10 March 1899 with this Division before being transferred to D Division.

Shepherd’s time spent with the Metropolitan Police wasn’t lengthy – he took his discharge from the Force resigning on 28 December 1900. At this time the Anglo Boer War, which commenced on 11 October 1899, had been raging for more than 14 month and Britain was awash with sentiment around the conflict so far away. Calls were being made for men to come forward and join the Yeomanry regiments being raised in the cities and the shires.

Shepherd, with nothing to occupy his time, presented himself at the Pall Mall Depot in Carlton Street, London on 7 February 1901 for the purpose of enlisting with the 43rd Company (Suffolk Company) of the 12th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry. He was now 28 years of age and confirmed that he was an ex Police Constable. Dr Hastings Stewart found him fit for service and he was assigned no. 26013 and the rank of Trooper. Shepherd sailed with the draft to South Africa on 13 March 1901 having spent 34 days in preparation for the trip. On arrival he was deployed in the field against the Boers.

At this stage of the war the guerrilla phase was firmly underway – gone were the pitched battles which had characterised the early part of the war – to be replaced by small highly mobile Boer Commandos nipping at the heels of the mighty British war machine as it lumbered its way across the South African veld. These commandos would prey on small and isolated patrols and supply convoys taking what they needed in the way of ammunition and provisions before riding off into the sunset.

This, quite naturally, stretched the Imperial forces and there was a dire need for more men in the field to contain and extinguish the Boer threat. The Imperial Yeomanry fulfilled such a role – very often in the company of regular troops they patrolled and saw action in the Orange Free State, the Transvaal and later the Cape Colony in search of the elusive Dutchmen. This frequently led to conflict situations and many a Yeomanry man was under fire approaching an isolated farmstead or caught whilst encamped en route somewhere. That they were in action is placed beyond doubt by the following account by Steve Watt in a series of articles he wrote on the Imperial Yeomanry for the South African Military History Journal:

“With the news of De la Rey's success at Elandslaagte farm, Lord Methuen believed that the Boer leader would take advantage of the gap between Lichtenburg and Mafikeng that had not yet been closed by blockhouses. Methuen sought to prevent this by concentrating a sufficiently large force at Rooirantjiesfontein. His column included 700 men from eight different units under Major A Paris. To these were added 600 men, including regular troops and artillery, drawn from six units. There were 800 mounted troops, including Imperial Yeomanry (11th Coy, 3rd Bn; 100th Coy, 5th Bn; and 43rd Coy, 12th Bn.)

The 1 500-strong force, with a train of 85 wagons, left Vryburg on 12 March 1902. At the same time, a second column under Col H M Grenfell also commenced its march towards Rooirantjesfontein. Methuen, moving north-eastwards, marched in stages dictated by the availability of water. His column went into camp on the farm, Tweebosch, near the confluence of the Little Harts and Great Harts rivers, on 6 March. During the day, an insignificant skirmish at the rear of the screen, by 100 men under Gen van Zijl, found the Colonial and Yeomanry force totally inadequate, lacking discipline and driven to the verge of panic. Returning to the area, Gen de la Rey, with 700 men, resolved to attack Methuen's column before it effected a junction with Grenfell's force.

At 03.00 on the following morning, the column was on the move, divided into two. Ox-drawn transport accompanied by infantry and mounted irregulars departed first, followed, an hour later, by the more mobile mule-drawn wagons with mounted men, including the untried irregulars under Maj Paris. At dawn, the head of the column reached the farm, De Klipdrift, 4km south-west of Sannieshof. The two groups were almost 2km apart when Paris's rearguard was attacked. He rushed his vanguard to the threatened sector, but it never arrived. The men of 5th Bn Imperial Yeomanry, committed to protecting the flank, were soon embroiled in the fight. The irregulars panicked and the only resistance came from the artillery until all the mules were shot down. The rear column was urged to join up with the front column, but, before this could be effected, the Boers under Gen J G Cilliers and Cmdt Wolmarans charged the right flank of the disjointed column and penetrated the British screen of mounted troops before they could make good their escape. Everywhere, resistance collapsed, the ox-wagons remaining stationary, while the mule-wagons stampeded in all directions.

The rout, started by the Colonial troops, spread to the Yeomanry and then to the infantry. There was a headlong rush through the Great Harts River. The Yeomanry (86th Coy, 22nd Bn) and the Cape Police, who joined the flight, never fired a shot and came to a halt 5km away.

Between them, Kemp and Van Zijl managed to turn back many of the fugitives when the wagons were crossing the Great Harts River. Maj Paris and some forty Yeomanry and Cape Police not only managed to occupy a kraal and two houses, but, for two hours, defied their adversaries before they were shelled into submission. With the artillery officers killed and Methuen wounded, all resistance ceased. De la Rey took Methuen and the rest of his column prisoner. (Methuen was treated for a fractured thigh and allowed to leave in his own wagon for Klerksdorp).

British casualties were 82 killed (including sixteen of the Imperial Yeomanry), 118 wounded and some 600 captured. Most of the wagons, 120 in all, were captured, many being stuck in the river through which they had attempted to flee. In addition, 519 horses were rounded up and six artillery pieces and thousands of rounds of small arms ammunition fell into Boer hands. Boer losses were eight killed and 26 wounded.”

This was of course the infamous action where, to the chagrin of the British nation, Methuen was, as can be seen, taken prisoner. This was, so late in the war, of especial annoyance to the British forces.

All told Shepherd served 1 year and 186 days in the war before being discharged at Aldershot on 11 August 1902 by which time he had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant with effect from 13 April 1901. His conduct was rated as Very Good and he was awarded the Queens Medal with clasps Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal as well the clasps South Africa 1901 and 1902.

But Shepherd’s days in Africa were far from over – at some point he returned to the continent as a Civilian Subordinate with the Somaliland Camel Corps as part of the Somaliland Field Force.

Trouble with local tribesmen under the Mad Mullah had stirred up in the Horn of Africa and the British became convinced of their need of Italian assistance, but memories of the disastrous Battle of Adowa inhibited any Italian fervour for action in the Horn of Africa. In 1903, the Italian Foreign Ministry permitted the British to land forces at Hobyo. An Italian naval commander off Hobyo feared "that the expedition will end in a fiasco; the Mad Mullah will become a myth for the British, who will never come across him, and a serious worry for ... our sphere of influence."

The relationship between Hobyo and Italy soured when Sultan Kenadid refused the Italians' proposal to allow British troops to disembark in his Sultanate so that they might then pursue their battle against Hassan's Dervish forces. Viewed as too much of a threat by the Italians, Kenadid was exiled first to the British-controlled Aden Protectorate, and then to Italian Eritrea, as was his son Ali Yusuf, the heir apparent to his throne. In May, the British Foreign Office realised the error, and had Kenadid's son appointed regent, just in time to forestall an attack in Mudug by the Sultan's army.

The expedition ended in failure soon after. Hassan defeated a British detachment near Gumburru and then another near Daratoleh. With 1,200–1,500 rifles, 4,000 ponies and some spearmen, he occupied the Nugal Valley from Halin in the British protectorate to Ilig on the Italian-held coast. The main British force near Galad under General William Manning retreated north along the line Bohotleh–Burao–Sheekh. This "old-established line" had already been breached by Hassan when he invaded the Nugal. By the end of June, the withdrawal was complete.

After the failure of General Manning's offensive, General Charles Egerton was entrusted with a response. Following extensive preparations, he united his field force at Bacaadweeyn (Badwein) on 9 January 1904 and defeated Hassan at Jidballi the next day. The British and their allies from Hobyo harassed Hassan along his retreat, and he lost many of his camels and livestock throughout February.

In early March 1904, the second phase of operations began. The Ethiopians advanced as far as Gerlogubi, but turned back in early April. The Italian Navy bombarded Ilig in the winter to no effect. On 16 April, some ships of the East Indies Station under Rear Admiral George Atkinson-Willes left Berbera to bombard Ilig in cooperation with an advance overland. The capture of Ilig was effected on 21 April, the British losing 3 men killed and 11 wounded, and the Dervishes 58 killed and 14 wounded. The naval detachment which had fought the battle remained ashore for four days, assisted by an Italian naval detachment that arrived on 22 April. Control of Ilig was finally relinquished to Ali Yusuf of Hobyo. Having defeated his forces in the field and forced his retreat, the British "offered the Mullah safe conduct into permanent exile at Mecca”.

The war, as such, then petered out with Shepherd awarded the Africa General Service Medal with clasp Somaliland 1902-1904 – the address provided for him was 62 Westcombe Hill, Greenwich.

After this Shepherd returned to England where, according to the 1911 England census, he was “assisting in the business” of his brother Harry who had now taken over the reins from their father in the Grocery trade. Aged 38 he was still unmarried as was his 48 year old brother. The family residence had remained 62 Westcombe Hill.

Nothing further is known of Richard Shepherd.