Valor Friday

Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, VC

Regular readers of this column will no doubt have noticed that I prefer to put considerable effort into my subjects. When time doesn’t permit that (I got a quartet of young kids with active schedules), you’ll also have noticed that I phone it in. I either point y’all to another article or just do a quick write up with a copy of an award citation. I’ve recently been playing with AI to help with some of my work and for play. I’ve got my kids giving me suggestions for a coloring book I want to make them, so we end up with some real bangers of AI slop like this;

Prompt was “A dog, a cat, and a monkey drinking boba in a classic Chevrolet”

These comical results have been quite entertaining (three armed monkey?), and should make a really fun, zany book for my kids. While playing with AI, I’ve been having it do some research for me, and it came up with the name of the man at the top of the article, Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, the 1st Earl Roberts, and recipient of Britain’s highest honor the Victoria Cross for gallantry in action during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

He had a long and distinguished career, becoming one of the most famous British Army men of his day, and is best remembered today as having given vociferous warnings to the need to arm and prepare for a coming war with Germany. He was ridiculed by the liberal press at the time, but he was downright prescient.

Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts VC

His son Frederick “Freddy” Roberts was also a recipient of the VC, which he earned in the Second Boer War. He was mortally wounded in his VC-earning action, and the elder Roberts (“Bobs” to his troops and the British public) received his son’s medal on his behalf. This was the first posthumous award of the VC, as it had previously been restricted to living recipients.

I’m using AI to write the remainder of the article, as I can’t dig into these two men as much as I’d like this week. Let me know what you think of the computer doing the work when I can’t.

I. Introduction

In the history of the British Armed Forces, few names command as much respect as Roberts. Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts—affectionately known by his troops as “Bobs”—was arguably the most famous British soldier of the Victorian era. His career spanned the Indian Mutiny, the Second Afghan War, and the Boer War. However, his legacy is inextricably linked to that of his son, Lieutenant Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts, who followed his father’s footsteps into the heat of battle. Together, they form one of only three father-son duos to have ever been awarded the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy.

II. Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts (1832–1914)

Early Life and Personal Details

Frederick Sleigh Roberts was born on September 30, 1832, in Cawnpore, India. He was born into a military dynasty; his father, General Sir Abraham Roberts, was a distinguished officer in the East India Company’s service. Despite his later martial prowess, the young Frederick was physically small—standing only 5’3”—and was blind in his right eye due to a childhood illness.

He was educated in England at Eton and Sandhurst before returning to India as a second lieutenant in the Bengal Artillery in 1851. In 1859, he married Nora Henrietta Bews. It was a deeply devoted marriage; Nora was known for her stoicism and for following her husband to various military postings, often under difficult conditions. Of their six children, only three survived to adulthood—a personal tragedy that was common in the era but deeply felt by the couple.

Military Accomplishments and the Victoria Cross

Roberts first distinguished himself during the Indian Mutiny (1857–1858). During the siege of Delhi and the relief of Lucknow, he displayed the tactical mind and personal bravery that would define his career. On January 2, 1858, at Khudaganj, he earned the Victoria Cross. He pursued two sepoys who were carrying off a standard; he engaged them alone, captured the flag, and killed the standard-bearer.

His fame grew exponentially during the Second Afghan War (1878–1880). After the British residency in Kabul was massacred, Roberts led the Kabul-Kandahar Field Force on a legendary 300-mile march in just 20 days through rugged, hostile terrain. His decisive victory at the Battle of Kandahar effectively ended the war and made him a national hero.

In 1899, during the “Black Week” of the Second Boer War, the British Army suffered a series of humiliating defeats. The government turned to the 67-year-old Roberts to take supreme command. He arrived in South Africa and revitalized the war effort, relieving the besieged towns of Kimberley and Ladysmith and capturing the Boer capitals of Bloemfontein and Pretoria.

Post-Service and Final Years

Upon returning to England, Roberts was created an Earl and appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Forces—the last person to hold that specific title. Even in “retirement,” he remained active, warning the British public about the rising threat of Imperial Germany and advocating for National Service (conscription) to prepare for the coming Great War.

In November 1914, shortly after the outbreak of World War I, the 82-year-old Roberts traveled to France to visit Indian troops serving on the Western Front. He contracted pneumonia in the cold, damp conditions and died in St. Omer on November 14, 1914. He was given a state funeral and buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral, the only person to receive such an honor in the 20th century other than Winston Churchill.

III. Lieutenant Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts, VC (1872–1899)

Early Life and Path to Service

“Freddy” Roberts was born on January 8, 1872, in Simla, India. As the only surviving son of the great Lord Roberts, the expectations placed upon him were immense. He was educated at Winchester College and later at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Those who knew him described him as a modest, high-spirited, and exceptionally brave young officer who bore a striking physical resemblance to his father.

He joined the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and saw early service in the Waziristan Expedition (1894–95) and the Chitral Relief Force. By 1899, he was serving as an aide-de-camp to General Sir Redvers Buller in South Africa.

The Battle of Colenso and the Victoria Cross

The defining and tragic moment of Freddy’s life occurred on December 15, 1899, at the Battle of Colenso. During the engagement, two British artillery batteries (the 14th and 66th) were left exposed within 1,000 yards of Boer trenches. The gunners were being decimated by Mauser fire, and the guns were in danger of being captured.

General Buller called for volunteers to rescue the guns. Lieutenant Roberts, along with several other officers, immediately galloped into the “zone of death.” As they reached the guns to hook them up to the horse teams, the Boer fire intensified. Roberts was struck by three bullets, receiving mortal wounds in the abdomen. Despite his injuries, he survived for two days, long enough to hear that his father had been appointed to take command of the entire South African campaign.

He died on December 17, 1899, at the age of 27. His Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously, making him the first person to receive the medal posthumously after the rules were changed to allow it.

IV. Analysis of the Shared Legacy

The Roberts family represents a unique intersection of high-level strategic command and front-line gallantry.

The Double VC Distinction: When Lord Roberts was informed of his son’s death and subsequent Victoria Cross, he was reportedly devastated. Queen Victoria herself wrote to him, stating that “nothing can make up for the loss of such a son,” but she took pride in presenting the son’s medal to the father. They became the first father-son pair to hold the VC (the Goughs and Congreves would follow later).

Military Reform: Lord Roberts was not merely a fighter; he was a reformer. He was a pioneer in focusing on the health and welfare of the common soldier, establishing the “Army Temperance Association” and pushing for better marksmanship. His son’s death at Colenso, caused in part by tactical blunders of the previous command, likely fueled Roberts’ drive to modernize British tactics during the remainder of the Boer War.

The End of a Line: Because Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts died unmarried and childless, Lord Roberts had no male heir to inherit his titles. By special remainder, his Earldom passed to his daughters, but the direct male line of this storied military family ended on the battlefield at Colenso.

V. Conclusion

The story of the Roberts family is a quintessential Victorian saga of duty, empire, and sacrifice. Lord Roberts provided the British Empire with its most significant military victories of the late 19th century, while his son provided the ultimate sacrifice to save the honor of his regiment’s guns. Their dual Victoria Crosses serve as a permanent testament to a family that viewed military service not just as a career, but as a sacred obligation to the Crown.

I can certainly see where high school and college kids like AI reports! None of the heart, but also little personal effort, none of the spelling mistakes, and a lot more em-dashes.

Category: Army, Historical, UK and Commonwealth Awards, Valor, We Remember