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It's seldom that one finds a medal to a Bugler. It's also much less common to find three medals to that rank to the same man. Here is William Hinds' story.

William Hinds

Wounded in Action – Tugela Heights – 17 February 1900

Bugler, 3rd Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps
Trooper, 170th Coy. 38th Imperial Yeomanry
Private, Cape Mounted Police
Private, Royal Garrison Regiment

- I.G.S. Medal (1854) with clasps HAZARA 1891 and SAMANA 1891 to 4992 Bugler W. Hinds 1st Bn. K.R. Rif. C.
- I.G.S. Medal (1896) with clasp RELIEF OF CHITRAL 1895 to 4990 Bugler W. Hinds 1st Bn. K.R. Rifle Corps
- Queens S.A. Medal with clasps CAPE COLONY, TUGELA HEIGHTS, RELIEF OF LADYSMITH and TRANSVAAL to 4992 BUGR. W. HIND, K.R.R.C.

William Hinds (or Hind as the surname was sometimes spelt) was born in Guildford, Surrey on 8 November 1872 the son of John Hind, a Labourer, and his wife Eleanor. Although he hadn’t made his appearance at the time of the 1871 England census, it is instructive to know that his family lived in North Street, Guildford and, apart from the parents comprised his future siblings in the forms of John (6), Edward (4) and Thomas (2).

William had made an appearance when the 1881 England census called round but, as was often the case, the facts were slightly incorrect – although aged 9 the enumerator listed him as 11 years of age. The family had moved to Ash, an agricultural settlement just outside Farnham. William wasn’t the only new addition to the household – he was joined by the three older brothers alluded to earlier, along with Fanny (7) and Frederick (1).

Having decided that he wasn’t going to spend his life as an Agricultural Labourer, Hinds enlisted with the Kings Royal Rifle Corps at Aldershot on 13 February 1889 for Short Service (7 years with the Colours and 5 with the Reserve). Aged 18 years and 3 months he was a Stockman by occupation. 5 feet 6 ½ inches in height he weighed 136 lbs and had a fresh complexion, steel gray eyes and brown hair. By way of distinguishing marks about his person he had a 3 ½ inch long scar over his left shin.

Having been declared fit by the Doctor, he was assigned no. 4992 and the rank of Private. Initially attached to the 1st Battalion, he was appointed Bugler on 25 November 1890 – this coincided with his posting to India where he was to spend the next 6 years and 50 days, fighting in a number of the small campaigns that were so frequent in that far flung corner of the Empire.

The first of these on the Indian Frontier, in March 1891, was the operations on the Samana Range – the 1st Battalion formed part of the 3rd Brigade, Hazara Field Force. The Battalion also took part in the expeditions sent into the Sheikham country and Khanki Valley and the action at Mastoun. In September 1892 they took part in the Isazai Expedition.

Hinds next saw action in the Chitral campaign - Chitral was on the North West Frontier of British India. It is in present-day Pakistan bordering on Afghanistan. In 1892, the ruler of Chitral died and a succession struggle ensued, which led in 1895 to the siege of the Chitral Fort. The Fort was manned by British officers and 420 Indian troops. A strong British force of over 15 000 men was sent in two columns to lift the siege.

During March 1895, the 1st KRRC, which included Hinds, joined the 1st Brigade of the Chitral Relief Force. Another member of the KRRC was the son of Field Marshal Lord Roberts, Lieutenant Freddie Roberts, who would later win the VC during the Boer War, while trying to save the guns during the Battle of Colenso.

On 1 April, the 1st Brigade marched towards the Shalkot Pass and on the next day it moved to the Malakand Pass, which was attacked on 3 April. The battle that dislodged the enemy from the pass lasted five hours. The enemy force of about 12000 lost 500 killed, while British casualties were 11 killed and 51 wounded. KRRC casualties were four killed and four wounded.

After the battle, the crest of the pass was held by the 1st Brigade. On 4 April, the 1st Brigade moved into the Swat Valley, which was occupied to secure the lines of supply and communication.

On 20 April 1895, the Chitral Fort was relieved after a siege of 47 days. Afterwards, the 1st Brigade remained in the Swat Valley to maintain the link between Chitral and the rest if India. On 15 May, the KRRC moved to the mountain range of Laram Kotal, where the men were employed in road-making and repair. A few days later, they settled at nearby Dostai to wait out the hot weather, during which there was a great deal of sickness in the camp.

On 25 September 1895, the KRRC started on its long march back to India and, on 5 October, it reached its base at Jullundur in the Punjab. During the hot season between 9 April and 27 October 1896, the KRRC was based at Dalhousie, a hill station in northern India bordering on Kashmir. It then returned to Jullundur.

Hinds, in the meantime, had extended his service 12 years with the Colours on 15 March 1894. On 11 August 1896 he reverted to the rank of Private which meant that his extension of service was cancelled on his reversion.

On 30 November 1896, the KRRC left Jullundur under orders to garrison the Cape and Mauritius, and it sailed from Bombay on 10 December 1896. Hinds does not appear to have been one of those sent to the Cape Colony – his service record indicates that he was returned home to England with effect from 14 January 1897, transferring to the Army Reserve a few days later, on 19 January 1897.

His time out of uniform was short-lived as, on 5 March 1898, he rejoined the Colours with the rank of Private. On this occasion he was mustered to the 3rd Battalion and, on 22 March 1898, was appointed to his familiar role as Bugler. Not always well-behaved, he forfeited his Good Conduct Pay and reverted to the rank of Private on 3 September 1898 but by early 1899 was restored to Bugler and back in the good graces of the regiment.

For Hinds and for many the next few years would prove to be as traumatic if not more so than anything they had experienced in India. In far away South Africa trouble was brewing between the two Dutch-speaking Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State on the one hand and the might of the British Empire on the other. This culminated in a declaration of war on the 11th October 1899 and, with regular army men in short supply in South Africa, a number of regiments were quickly despatched to the southern tip of Africa to take the fight to the Boers or, perhaps more accurately, try to stem the tide of the overwhelming Boer advance which, in the first few weeks of the war, saw their Commandos stream over the Natal and Cape Colony borders laying siege to the towns of Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith in quick succession.

The 3rd Battalion, KRRC, left England with the 4th Light Infantry Brigade under Major General Lyttelton and landed at Durban on 30 November 1899. By this time Ladysmith had been besieged for almost a month and Sir Redvers Buller was pondering on what course of action to take to relieve the garrison and civilians hemmed up in the town. This was no simple task as the Boers were omnipresent in most parts of Natal where he would have to advance with his growing army of regulars and Colonial volunteers.

The 3rd Battalion took part in all the battles for the relief of Ladysmith, namely, Colenso on 15 December; Spionkop on 24 January 1900; Vaalkrantz 5th to 7th February and the fourteen days continuous fighting from the 13th to the 27th February, including the actions at Cingolo, Monte Christo, Hlangwane, Hart’s Hill and the final battle of Pieter’s Hill on 27 February which paved the way into Ladysmith. At Spionkop it captured, by a “bold and vigorous stroke”, the famous Twin Peaks single-handed, rightly considered one of the most notable feats of the war.

The action referred to was described thus,

“At 5 p.m. under cover of a heavy fire from the left-half battalion and from the Naval guns, the right half fixed bayonets and rushed the eastern peak with a cheer. A few minutes later the left half were in possession of their peak also. Away galloped Burghers guns down the slope of the eastern peak, and the pompom from the slopes of the ridge now exposed to fire from above; down the hill and off the open ridge streamed Burghers Commandos and Botha’s reinforcements.”


Map of Spion Kop battle showing KRRC positions

An unidentified officer of the regiment gave a more detailed account compared to the rather romantic view adopted above: -

“On the night of the 22nd January, 1900, the 3rd Battalion K.R.R., who had been bivouacking for about a week with the remainder of the Light Brigade (General The Hon Neville Lyttelton's) on Potgieter's Kopjes, received orders to recross the Tugela and proceed to Mount Alice, to replace, as guard to the Naval guns, a portion of General Talbot Coke's Brigade, who had received orders to reinforce General Sir Charles Warren.

The night of the 23rd, while on outpost duty, we were told there was to be a big battle on Spion Kop on the morrow. At dawn on the 24th we heard a good deal of firing in the direction of Spion Kop, but were able to make out but little owing to a heavy mist which hid the action from us. About 9 a.m. we were relieved by the Royal Scots Fusiliers, and returned to a bivouac on a kopje about half a mile in rear of the Naval guns. Shortly after our relief, Colonel Riddell, of his own initiative, gave the order that the men were to cook their dinners, as we might have to move off at a moment's notice.

Lucky that he did so, for they had just finished when an orderly rode up with the result that the Battalion fell in. About noon we started, not knowing the reason of the movement nor our objective, and wended our way to a ford across the Tugela, lying between Trichardt's and Potgieter's drifts. We had a brief halt before crossing, during which we saw the Scottish Rifles cross at this drift and move to the left along the northern bank. We then crossed, the water being up to our knees, and on arrival at the other side took off our rolled great coats by companies and left them under guard, a very wise precaution, as had we not done this we could have never climbed up the slopes we had to. Colonel Riddell then explained to the officers what was to be done. Briefly it was that the Battalion was to be broken up into two Half-Battalions, and to attack the two northern slopes of the Spion Kop, the Right Half-Battalion to take the right spur, the Left Half-Battalion the left. Thabanyama is, I believe, the correct name of the hill we took; Spion Kop was applied to so many features, that I think there was a good deal of diversity of opinion as to which particular hill was Spion Kop. Our Spurs, however, were to the north-east of the Spion Kop range and on the Brakfontein side of the position, they were two very high rocky peaks (Twin Peaks), and had frequently caught our eyes as nasty places to negotiate during the days of waiting at Potgieter's Kopjes. I think none of us knew the real reason why we were sent; many of us thought our object was to confirm by a flank attack, a frontal success by Sir Charles Warren; any how we all believed we were intended to get to the top, and we meant getting there.

I can only describe the action of the Right Half-Battalion, as we were fully half a mile distant from the Left Half-Battalion, and my account, I fear, is very sketchy, but a company officer with his company extended to ten paces and bullets flying about, has his time too much occupied to take in much of what is going on round him. The order of the two Battalions was :—

Left Half-Battalion - Major Bewicke Copley - E, F, G & H companies
Right Half-Battalion - Colonel Buchanan Riddell - A, B, C & D companies

We were allowed to move along the valley to the foot of our respective spurs without any notice being taken by the Boers. On our commencing the ascent, however, the enemy were quick to begin business, and we had a very hot frontal and flanking fire poured into us.

Little harm was done by this fire, however, until we had gone about one third of the way up the hill. Here there was a plateau about 200 yards in width, and the right company (A) found it impossible to cross, losing heavily in the attempt, owing to a severe flanking fire. B Company on their left, however, were more successful, and, under Major Kays, had the honour of being the first to reach the top after about two hours' hard climbing and fighting. They fixed swords at the top, but could put them to very little use owing to the hasty retirement of the Burghers. D Company were close on B Company's heels, and some of them I fancy reached the top with B Company, while close on their heels were C and A Companies, whom Colonel Riddell had ordered to file to the left and follow in B Company's wake on discovering than an advance across the ground attempted by A Company would be disastrous. At the top of the hill the Right Half-Battalion gradually collected, and after taking about two hours in the ascent. It may be wondered why they 'gradually collected' and be urged that officers could not have had much hold over their men; but anyone who has seen the country will, I hope, bear me out in saying that, apart from the fight altogether, it was no mean performance to have got close on 400 men up such a place in the time that was taken.

Again, the necessarily wide extension made the section leader's control over his men a task of considerable difficulty. In many cases men would climb in couples, 0ne holding the rifles while the other swung himself up. But the steepness of the spur had its good point, for the amount of dead ground afforded by this steepness caused our losses to be less than they would have been had our attack been up a gentle slope.


KRRC men on campaign in SA

The Boers had not taken the trouble to entrench themselves on the top of the spur, that they had in other places, probably because an attack from the quarter from which we delivered it was deemed improbable; but the great rocks made the position one of enormous natural strength. On the flanks on the other surrounding features they were strongly entrenched. This portion of the position we discovered afterwards to be under Schalk Burgher's command.

On arrival at the top of the hill we found that a few Boers had retired down the further slopes and were making terribly good practice against any of our riflemen who showed theirs heads over the sky line. It was then that Colonel Riddell, who all through the attack had worked wonders by his example, stood up to try and discover where these sharpshooters were located, with the result which has been do much deplored by all who knew him.

There is not much more to tell. Darkness came on, and a sangar was commenced in the expectation that we should recommence work in the morning; however, we received the order to retire on to a pontoon bridge at the foot of Naval Gun Hill, and then to recross the Tugela; the rest of the force on Spion Kop had retired and our position was considered untenable.

It was a disheartening order, as some of us had seen the Boers in evident confusion in the valley beyond Spion Kop. However, down we had to come, feeling a bit humiliated at having to toboggan down the side of the hill on the seats of our breeches, but this was the best, in fact, only mode of progression for a great part of the way. One great consolation we had, however, and that was that next morning the spurs showed just as much wear as our trousers.

As to the success of the attack of the 3rd Battalion K.R.R. on that memorable 24th January, there is no better testimony than an extract from the diary of Commandant Edwards, Chief of the Staff to Botha, which was published in the Manchester Guardian of 24th August, 1901. In it he emphatically declares that our operations against those spurs and the capture of Schalk Burgher's position had defeated Botha; and this statement was confirmed by telescopes in Ladysmith.”

Spionkop had been a tactical defeat for Buller who now retreated back across the Tugela to lick his wounds and plan his next move. This was to be Vaalkrantz, between the 5th and 7th February. A Brief History of the Regiment (K.R.R.C.) stated that: -

“At Vaalkrantz, after being engaged for twenty four hours, the Battalion highly distinguished itself in repulsing the Boer counter-attack. this incident has been graphically and correctly described as follows: -

About 3.30 p.m. on the 6th February, the British shells had set fire to the grass, some 300 to 400 yards in front of the wall held by a battalion of infantry and, taking advantage of this a number of crept forward and suddenly, bursting through the smoke, opened a terrific fire on the advanced line, which under this unexpected attack wavered and gave way. The Boers rushed forward and for a moment it looked as if they would carry everything before them. But the half battalion of the 60th in reserve saw and acted instantly. Scarcely waiting for orders they sprang up, fixed bayonets and charged with a rousing cheer. The Boers heard the cheer, saw them coming and turned tail.”


Map of Pieters Hill showing Cingolo where Hinds was WIA

Despite these heroics, this third attempt of Buller’s to force his way into Ladysmith failed and his army was withdrawn to fight another day. This was to come in what was the final, and successful, push – that of Tugela Heights or Pieters Hill – between 14 and 27 February 1900. It was here, on the 17th February, that Bugler Hinds was Wounded in Action.

The K.R.R.C. Chronicle provided a diary – a day by day account of events as they unfolded – the few days leading up and including the 17th February are provided: -

‘14th February.—3rd Battalion K.R.R., advance guard of Light Brigade, started at daylight and occupied the ridge on the east of Hussar Hill with only 4 casualties, including Lieut. Petre wounded.

15th February.—Reconnaissance towards Cingolo. 3rd Battalion K.R.R. advance guard.

17th February.—General Hildyard's Brigade took Cingolo, making a flanking movement round the right of the Light Brigade, of which we were advance guard.

Hinds was thus wounded in the attack on Cingolo. How severely he was wounded is not revealed, consequently it is difficult to determine what role, if any, he played in the remaining actions leading up to the Relief of Ladysmith on 28 February 1900.

The 3rd King's Royal Rifles, like the other regiments of the 4th Brigade, were chiefly employed in guarding the railway line and fighting on either side of it after the forces of Lord Roberts and General Buller had joined hands. In 1901 the Battalion was employed in building and occupying blockhouses on the Natal line from Botha's Kraal to Roode Kop, and in minor operations until July, when it joined Lieut.-Colonel Bewicke-Copley's column at Springs, which was acting in conjunction with other columns in clearing the country east of Springs. Lieut.-Colonel Bewicke-Copley handed over command of the column on 30th October, and the Battalion returned to Springs on 4th November.

Hinds, after 2 years and 38 days in South Africa, departed for England on 11 December 1901. Back home, he served for a further 63 days before being discharged, time expired, after 13 years service on 12 February 1902. Was this the last we were to hear from Hinds? Not by a long shot – he now embarked on a series of seemingly bizarre enlistments in order to remain in a uniform of one description or another.

The first of these came on 26 May 1902 – some three months after his discharge from the KRRC. Completing attestation papers for service with the Imperial Yeomanry at Aldershot on that day, he was found to be fit for service and assigned no. 45107 and the rank of Private with the 170th Company of the 38th Battalion. Confirming his prior service with the KRRC, he claimed to be a 29 year old Groom by occupation.

As his next of kin he provided the name of his “father” – Mr E. Seals of 2 Bagent’s Cottages, Badshot Lea, Farnham, Surrey (this was in fact his step father – his own father had passed away and his mother had remarried.)

Physically, he was now a healthier 176 lbs and, at the age of 29, was 5 feet 8 ½ inches in height with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair.

With the Treaty of Vereeniging bringing an end to the Boer War on 31 May 1902, Hinds (who mysteriously signed his name as “Hind” on this occasion), arrived in South Africa to find the war over. He took his discharge from the Yeomanry at Graaff Reinet in the Karoo region of the Cape Colony on 18 September 1902. His Proceedings on Discharge form revealed his next destination – the Cape Mounted Police – he had taken his discharge at his own request and had been given a Conduct and Character rating of Very Good.

Armed with the above, he set off for King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape where, on 22 September 1902, he enlisted with the Cape Police and was assigned no. 806 and the rank of Private. Now part of Cape Police District 3 he was appointed on 6/- per day. Hinds wasn’t intent on gracing the Cape Police with his presence for long – on 7 December 1902, after scarcely 9 weeks service, he deserted, never to be seen by them again.

Having skedaddled back to England and the bosom of his family Hinds now decided it was time to join the mainstream Regular Army once more. To this end, on 15 May 1903, he completed the Short Service (3 Years Garrison Duty with the Colours) forms at Aldershot. Now 32 years and 6 months old, he claimed to be a Stockman by occupation. He also made no mention of his stints with the Yeomanry or the Cape Police, preferring to state only his KRRC service. Assigned no. 7188 he became the Royal Garrison Regiment’s latest recruit.

Having commenced service at Fort Ridley it wasn’t long before he had his first brush with authority – on 26 October 1904 he was tried and convicted (on an unknown charge) and sentenced to 28 days Hard Labour. He topped this with a 42 day sentence on 17 January 1905 after which he was discharged on reduction of the establishment on 19 September 1905. A total of 2 years and 128 days service which was added to his accumulated total. Interestingly, his RGR service saw him sent to Malta from 23 August 1903 until 20 April 1904. From Malta he set sail for South Africa which, once he had landed, must have caused him a slight worry (given his desertion from the Cape Police.) The authorities don’t seem to have made the connection and he stayed in South Africa with his regiment from April 1904 until 4 August 1905 when he returned to England and was discharged, as we have seen, after 46 days.

What became of him thereafter is unknown.

Rory
Thank you for all the detail. After all this service and travels it is a shame that he has not been recorded as continuing with a memorable life.
Clive

A very interesting read there Rory and very interesting medals. Thank you for sharing your research.