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Date	Original Topic
25th August 2001	Captain Campbell at Hlobane By Lyn Purves Why was Captain Campbell not awarded a posthumous VC for his gallantry at Hlobane when posthumous awards were finally allowed in 1907? It was Campbell who volunteered for the action and who led the attack on the cave, followed by Lysons & Fowler - both the latter two survived & received VCs, and Wood said at the time he would have recommended Campbell had he been alive. After all, Melvill & Coghill received posthumous VCs, albeit after some controversy.
Date	Replies
25th August 2001	Martin Everett When instituting the Royal Warrant for the VC in in 1855, the document made no reference to posthumous awards. It was decided from the beginning that the VC would not be given for an act in which the potential recipient was killed, or where he died shortly afterwards. In such cases, a 'memorandum' entry was made in the London Gazette to the effect that had the person survived the person concerned survived he would have been recommended for the VC. In 1900, a VC was awarded to Lt FHS Roberts (son of Lord Roberts VC) who died 24 hours later. Nearly two years year the King approved 6 posthumous VCs for the Anglo-Boer War. The question then arose of the 6 'memorandum' entries gazetted between 1859 and 1897. These were approved in 1907 (and included Melvill and Coghill). It appears that no one put in the recomendation for Capt Campbell immediately after Hlobane. It would create a lot of difficulties to make awards retrospectively. I have a copy of the 1879 Gazette which clearly recommends Melvill and Coghill for the VC. Perhaps, Pte Richard Perry of the 1/24th who saved the Regimental Colour during the Battle of Chillianwallah (13 Jan 1849) should have been awarded a VC when it was introduced 6 years later???
25th August 2001	John Young Lyn, Just to let you know the Anglo-Zulu War Research Society are publishing Wood's eye-witness account of Campbell's death, next week in the Journal of the Anglo-Zulu Research Society. John Young