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John James Scott Chisholme (1 August 1851-21
October 1899) was a British cavalry officer who died heroically
leading a charge that turned the Battle of Elandslaagte in the Second Anglo-Boer War.
Chisholme was the son of John Chisholme and Margaret Walker and
was born at Stirches in
Scotland. His father succeeded to the estate of his maternal uncle,
James Scott of Whitehaugh, and under the terms of the latter's
will, assumed the surname of Scott in addition to his own.
Scott-Chisholme was educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh, and Repton School. He
joined the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers in
1872, and was promoted to Captain in March, 1878. He served with
the 9th Lancers in the Second Anglo-Afghan War of
1878-80, and was present at the capture of Ali Musjid, in the
affair at Siah Sung where he was severely wounded. He also took
part in the operations around Kabul in December 1879 and was again
wounded. In 1881 he became Brevet-major in March being awarded the
medal with two clasps, and became Major in December 1884. In May
1889, he was transferred to the 5th Royal Irish Lancers and was
military secretary to Lord Connemara, who
was governor of Madras from 1886 to 1890. Subsequently he
was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in August 1894, and
brevet-colonel in 1898. Although he retired in 1899 he then
volunteered for service in the Second Anglo-Boer
War. [1]
As Colonel he became the first commander of the Imperial Light Horse formed of 444 men
including officers, chosen from among 5,000 volunteers. He was
killed at the regiment’s first battle at the Battle of Elandslaagte on 21
October 1899 leading from the front and waving a red scarf.
Chisholme was the last in the male line of an ancient border
family.
- Conan Doyle - "Chisholm, a fiery little Lancer, was in
command, with Karri Davis and Sampson, the two stalwarts who had
preferred Pretoria Gaol to the favours of Kruger, as his
majors."
- "Plucky little Chisholm, Colonel of the Imperials, had
fallen with two mortal wounds as he dashed forward waving a
coloured sash in the air." [2]
- Kruger - "For a hundred yards the British fell back in
confusion along the hogsback. Hamilton was in the thick of them,
yelling that help was at hand. A lieutenant of the Gordons called
on his men to follow as he went forward, only to fall riddled with
six bullets. French himels came into the firing-line and everywhere
the officers tried to stem the panic. Waving a silk scarf the
colonel of the I.L.H., wounded in leg and lung, urged on his men
until a bullet pierced his brain, his last words being destined to
send a throb through the Empire, 'My fellows are doing well.' The
retreat stopped. The men charged forward again as the Devons
emerged from the plain below. In a wild three minutes the combined
assault overwhelmed the defenders. Cease-fire rang out over the
battlefield and the pipes of the Highlanders skirled a
paean."[3]
- Parkenham - "On their right, the Imperial Light Horse had
left their horses in shelter and were strung out across the
hillside, led by Colonel John Scott Chisholme, waving a Lancer's
red scarf (his old regiment's) tied to a walking-stick.
- "Even now the attack might have faltered, had not the
Brigadier, Ian Hamilton, ridden up and pushed his way forwards to
the firing-line. He gave the order : 'Fix bayonets.
Charge !' Drum-Major Lawrence of the Gordons rushed into the
open to play the call. The men gave a tremendous cheer. It was
answered by the sound of the Devon's bugler floating up from the
valley below. The Devons had resumed their frontal
attack.
- "As Hamilton groped his way upwards behind the ILH he could
see Colonel Chisholme's red silk scarf leading the race for the
summit. It was a splendid sight, he later wrote, to see Jabber
Chisholme's 'little red rag going on and on'. At last the
inevitable happened : poor Chisholme fell, shot through legs,
lung and head. Woolls-Sampson, the second-in-command, was shot in
the thigh. Half the ILH was down. But the swirling, panting,
stumbling line of infantry pressed on, fixing their bayonets as
they ran."[4]
References
- ^
The Last Post by Mildred G.
Dooner, pages 62-63
- ^
Arthur
Conan Doyle, The Great Boer War : A
Two-Years' Record, 1899-1901 London, Smith, Elder & Co.,
1901
- ^
Rayne Kruger, Good-bye Dolly Gray - The Story of the Boer
War, Pimlico, ISBN 0-7126-6285-5, p. 84-85
- ^
Thomas Parkenham, The Boer War, JBP, ISBN 0-86850-046-1,
page 138
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