While living in South Africa, I was a regular visitor to the Cape Archives where I was fortunate enough to locate the Cape Police service papers relating to Alfred Shout who had been awarded both the Victoria and Military Crosses for gallantry at Gallipoli in 1915. That initial find led me to further archival records relating to his militia service in South Africa, while I found an interesting lead that indicated that he had served in the British South Africa Police in Rhodesia, however, this is not mentioned in any published biographies relating to his life. There was nothing for it, my curiosity was unquenchable, so in 2022, I flew to Harare and with a three-day research permit at the Zimbabwe National Archives, not only was his service with the BSAP confirmed, but his service papers included valuable civil and military testimonials as well as previously unknown military service during the Bambatha Rebellion in 1906. I hope my readers enjoy this article that was the culmination of years of tedious, but thoroughly enjoyable research. It was only possible because of the fabulous staff of the Cape Archives and the Zimbabwe National Archives who granted me permission to access their valuable collections.
Captain Alfred John Shout VC MC of the 1st Battalion, Australian Imperial Force (AIF) emerged as Australia’s most highly decorated soldier at Gallipoli, only to be surpassed by such AIF legends as Captain Albert Jacka VC MC and Bar and Lieutenant Colonel ‘Harry’ Murray VC CMG DSO DCM. Shout’s front-line fighting career lasted only 108-days at Gallipoli, from the landing on 25 April 1915 until 11 August when he died from serious wounds sustained in the ferocious battle of Lone Pine on 9 August. In this time, he had been awarded the Military Cross, Mentioned-in-Despatches, promoted to captain, wounded twice and was to receive the Victoria Cross posthumously. His name was a byword at Anzac Cove and his exploits, leadership style and personality remain to this day a focal point of national pride. Yet, of everything we know about his military service in Australia and with the 1st Battalion at Gallipoli, very little is known about his early years spent in Southern Africa from 1900 to 1907. At his own expense, he left his native New Zealand to serve in the Second Anglo-Boer War and having fought with distinction, like many of his kind at the time, he decided to remain in South Africa to see what opportunities the post-war years could offer him. Surely, something must be going for a young energetic New Zealander fresh out of the saddle and what kept him there until 1907? Newly discovered records located in the South African and Zimbabwe Archives now enable us to piece together the fragmented facts and understand how the young ‘Alf’ Shout grew into the soldier of 1915 that we know so much about.
Shout was born in Bolton Street, Wellington, New Zealand on 7 August 1881, although in 1914 he claimed that he was born on 8 August 1882. He was the son of an English born cook, John Richard Shout and an Irish widow, Agnes Mary McGovern who married John Shout in 1887. Alf Shout’s maternal grandfather, Charles Kelly had served as a gunner with the Royal Artillery and in 1868 he was among a group soldier-settlers in Wanganui. Shout was educated at Newman School and at some stage he picked-up carpentry, whilst in 1906 a testimonial that he presented from Mr Leonard Stowe, the long-standing clerk of parliament revealed that he had worked for two years in the New Zealand Parliamentary Buildings. This was most probably between the years of 1898 – 1900, but in what capacity was he employed, as a junior clerk or as a messenger boy?
In 1914, we are provided with a glimpse of Shout’s previous military service in South Africa in the very limited space that the AIF ‘Application for a Commission’ form provides. In three lines, he recorded that he had served previously with the ‘Border Horse 1900 – 2 (Sgt). Cape Field Artillery 1903/7 (Sgt)’ as well as citing his service with the 29th Infantry in NSW from 1907 and also referring to his recent commission in that regiment. There was, however, missing service with the Stellenbosch District Mounted Troops, the Cape Police, 2nd Royston’s Horse and British South Africa Police.
In October 1899, the New Zealand Government had committed to sending military contingents to support the British Army in South Africa as war erupted with the South African Republic and the Orange Free State. The First New Zealand Mounted Rifles was primarily recruited from men already serving with the volunteers and they embarked on 21 October 1899, whilst the Second New Zealand Mounted Rifles accepted men from the permanent forces or from recruits who were good marksman and riders. It is not known if Alf Shout attempted to join the Second contingent, but we do know that he was in South Africa by 17 February 1900 and following a six week voyage, his departure about the second week in January coincided with the 2nd NZMR embarking from Wellington on 20 January and disembarking at Cape Town on 25 February.
Some sources state that both Alf and his half-brother William John Shout sailed to South Africa together, however, William only enlisted in Durban on 25 January 1902 with Bethune’s Mounted Infantry and recorded no previous military service. Alf, on the other hand had arrived in Durban where recruiting for the South African Irregular Forces had been underway since September 1899, and thus an Australian or New Zealand recruit was not out of place here - hundreds were arriving every month having paid their own passage to South Africa.
Alf Shout attested as a trooper in the newly raised Border Horse on 17 February 1900and being allocated the regimental number of ‘9216’ he was posted as an original member to No. 1 Company. The Border Horse was specially recruited for the war and was classified as being a Cape colonial regiment. Commanding the Border Horse was the experienced and charismatic, Major Charles Crewe a veteran South African campaigner who had first served as a private during the Ninth Frontier War of 1877-78. The second-in-command was Captain ‘Mat’ Robertson, who at forty-years of age had soldiered like Crewe in Africa since 1879 and his name was well known in the Eastern Cape. Crewe’s adjutant was a Victorian and former British South Africa Company man, Captain Alfred Wilson who had spent seven years in Matabeleland and was the manager of the Caledonian Hotel in Bulawayo. Crewe, Robertson and Wilson were all outstanding personalities and leaders; they were also the ideal military roll-models for a young Shout to emulate. The entire regiment and indeed No. 1 Company, was riddled with former soldiers and sailors that had served as far back as the Zulu War of 1879 to the recent rebellions of 1896/97 in Rhodesia and in the Langberg campaign in 1897. The regiment was very much a multinational unit, with men hailing from all corners of the empire and the world. Arguably, this diverse mixture of nationalities and the varied previous military service being represented had never been seen before outside of South Africa and Shout was now part of it.
The Border Horse, under Crewe took to the field in the Cape Colony as part of Brigadier General Edward Brabant’s Colonial Division, some 3,000 men strong that first saw action against the Cape rebels at Labuschagne’s Nek on 5 March where they charged a Boer position and drove them from their defences. Following a brief period at Aliwal North, the Border Horse under Brabant took part in the relief of a large portion of the Division that was besieged by Generaal Christiaan de Wet’s commandos at Jammersburg Drift, some 4-miles west of Wepener between 6 - 25 April 1900. The men that were hemmed in here suffered greatly, yet they doggedly held their positions under extreme conditions. Interestingly, the 2nd NZMR also fought under Brabant during the relief of Jammersburg Drift and the Border Horse were several times in the firing line alongside the New Zealanders - one wonders if Shout knew any of them from Wellington? They operated against Generaal Marthinus Prinsloo in the Brandwater Basin and ultimately, they played their part in his surrender on 30 July 1900. Like most irregular regiments, the Border Horse were constantly in the saddle and one patrol simply rolled into another with frequent contact with the highly mobile and aggressive Boer commandos; this was a highly active and intense war with little rest bite for Shout and his comrades who needed great personal stamina to stand up to the pace of the operations.
Shout remained with the Border Horse and re-attested every three months. On 26 August 1900, the Border Horse were in a sharp action at Doornhoek in the Western Transvaal where they suffered some twenty casualties. Shout was promoted to lance corporal and notwithstanding the old campaigners in the regiment, this is the first sign of Shout evolving as a leader. Only a few months earlier, another Australian and Alf’s future brother-in-law joined the Border Horse. This was the twenty-three-year-old Sydneysider, Arthur Howe. It’s not known if they knew each other in the regiment and if their meeting had led to Alf marrying Howe’s sister who was then residing in Wale Street, Cape Town, but being too much of a coincidence and serving in such a small regiment, they probably did know each other.
The Border Horse were very active during the third De Wet Hunt in the Orange Free State between January and March 1901. The Colonial Division was reorganized about this time and Crewe, now a lieutenant colonel commanded a wing of the division numbering 721-men and including his own Border Horse. De Wet was mustering his commando at the Doornberg, north-east of Winburg which the British knew about and mobile columns were coordinated to surround him, however, the wily De Wet had already moved south towards the flat-topped, Tabaksberg mountain. Crewe’s Column was rapidly approaching the Tabaksberg on 29 January when they could hear firing ahead. This was the columns of General Charles Knox and Colonel Thomas Pilcher with 1,800 men who were an action with De Wet’s commandos numbering some 2,500 Burghers. Pilcher was in the process of being flanked and Crewe brought his guns into action to support him whilst the Border Horse, Kaffrarian Rifles and the Queenstown Volunteers took some ground. The Boers then coordinated an attack against Crewe’s column, and in a bold rush the Boers captured a Pom-Pom Gun. Crewe withdrew his men from the firing-line as they became outnumbered and were being subjected to a heavy weight of rifle-fire. It was at this point that Lance Corporal Alf Shout formally had his leadership and courage recognized by being Mentioned-in-Despatches and promoted to sergeant by the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Kitchener. Army Orders issued in Pretoria on 23 February 1901 recorded that ‘At Thabaksberg (sic), on 29th January, 1901 – Displayed great courage and assisted greatly in keeping men together. Under a heavy fire he brought out of the firing-line a wounded man of the 17th Battery, R.F.A., and took him to a place of safety.’ This award was quite an achievement as only eleven men in the Border Horse were formally recognized with awards or mentions from a regiment that numbered approximately just 200-men at any one time. It could also be said that his actions were worthy of the Distinguished Conduct Medal – he was just twenty years of age.
It has been often written that Alf Shout was wounded twice during the Boer War and on one of these occasions he had received a gunshot wound to the chest. Whilst the South African Field Force Casualty List and the more detailed casualty lists held by the Cape Archives do not record him as being a casualty, in 1906, it was recorded by a medical officer that he had a ‘scar on left chest’. So possibly his wound was not severe, and he remained on duty, which was known to have occurred frequently. Another interesting point to note is that when a soldier was attested and they had gunshot-wound scars, these were usually recorded for the purpose of establishing a description in the event of the soldier deserting. In this case, the medical officer does not state if it was a gunshot wound or not. Sergeant Alf Shout was discharged at Aliwal North on 23 May 1901 upon the completion of his service. He was now a ‘Time expired’ man and Lieutenant Colonel Crewe rated his character as being ‘exemplary’ meaning that he had never had his name entered in the defaulter’s book. The Border Horse was disbanded on 30 June 1901 having played an important part in the operations in the Cape Colony, Orange Free State and the Transvaal. For this period of service, Shout was entitled to the Queen’s South Africa Medal with clasps ‘Wittebergen’, ‘Orange Free State’, ‘Transvaal’ and ‘South Africa 1901’. The clasp for ‘Wepener’ on the medal roll was crossed-out as the Border Horse served in the relief of Jammersburg Drift and not its defence. The clasp ‘Wittebergen ‘was for the operations against Prinsloo in the Orange Free State.
Almost as soon as Shout was discharged, he began his voyage home, and he arrived in Melbourne aboard the SS Damascus on 2 July 1901 along with many other Australian and New Zealand veterans who had served with the South African Mounted Irregular Forces. Shout was bound for Wellington, and aboard the Damascus there was one other Border Horse man, the twenty-five-year-old Trooper A. Gray from Sydney. By the time Shout arrived in Wellington, his exploits at Tabaksberg were already well-known as the New Zealand papers published the extract of Army Orders. Wasting no time, it appears that he had, or was planning to enlist in the New Zealand Permanent Artillery as on 26 July 1901, the Speaker of the House, Sir Maurice O’Rorke wrote a letter of reference for Shout that read:
‘Sir Maurice O’Rorke has every confidence in recommending that Alfred John Shout who has just returned from South Africa with an excellent character for military service be enrolled as a member of the Permanent Artillery. Sir M. O’Rorke is quite satisfied this young man will prove a credit to the body he desires to join.’
It seems that Shout either dropped this idea or he was not accepted for service as he sailed from Wellington to Sydney aboard the Monowai on 28 August 1901 and then back to Cape Town at some point soon after. Only a short distance out of Cape Town is the beautiful district of Stellenbosch that furnished a Town Guard and what was known as the District Mounted Troops that were a permanent standing force. It is not known what drew Alf to Stellenbosch, however, on 21 December 1901 he attested into the Stellenbosch District Mounted Troops as a trooper. The Stellenbosch DMT was raised and commanded by Lieutenant, later Captain Archibald MacDonald. Shout was promoted to sergeant in the DMT that was also referred to as ‘MacDonald’s Squadron’ of the Cape Colonial Forces. MacDonald’s Squadron saw little action that would have been a welcomed break to Shout compared with hectic life he was living with the Border Horse in 1900-01. Interesting, Frederick Dimick, an Englishman and former Royal Navy man also served with MacDonald’s Squadron and soon after the war he moved to New Zealand which makes you wonder if this move was through Shout’s influence. Dimick was killed on 8 August 1915 at Chunuk Bair whilst serving as a lance corporal in the Auckland Mounted Rifles, just three days before Shout died from his wounds received at Lone Pine. The war concluded on 31 May 1902 and Shout was discharged with a ‘Very Good’ character on 4 July when MacDonald’s Squadron was disbanded.
Eleven days after being discharged at Stellenbosch, on 15 July 1902 at Cape Town, Alf Shout attested into the Cape Police with police number ‘543’. He recorded his previous service with both the Border Horse and the District Mounted Troops and presented two discharge certificates and three letters of recommendation. He further stated that he was a farmer and had been in South Africa a little over two-years and had been born in Wellington on 7 April 1882. On a salary of £110 per-Annum he was allocated to District No. 3 which was Cape Town itself. Constable A.J. Shout of ‘A’ Division (Dismounted), District No. 3, Cape Police was destined for a short career with the police as on 12 February 1903, he was medically discharged with no further information being made available. Immediately after the war, the Cape Police and Cape Mounted Rifles were inundated with recruits who had served in the Boer War with the British Army, Yeomanry and Colonial Forces, even surrendered Boers were being attested.
From 23 June 1903, he was employed as a carpenter with the Public Works Department in Cape Town, however, due to a ‘Reduction of work’ he was laid-off with a good character. He was then employed as a carpenter with ‘Rochelle and Smith’ of Cape Town between 5 January 1905 to 12 April 1906 and once more he was laid-off as ‘No work for Carpenter’ of which a Mr George Over recorded that ‘we found him a capable tradesman very trustworthy and have every confidence in recommending him to those who may require his services.’ About 1904, he married the Sydney born, Miss Rose Alice Howe, the sister of a former Border Horsman. Her family was residing at 19 Wale Street when they were married and the following year on 11 June 1905 their daughter, Florence Agnes Maud Shout was born.
Whilst working as a carpenter and like many tradesmen in Cape Town, they took to part time volunteering that was extremely popular at the time, with many men from the same factory, office or business joining the very same regiment and company. Shout enlisted in the Prince Alfred’s Own Volunteer Cape Field Artillery as a gunner on 5 May 1904 only to be discharged on 14 October of the same year. The PAOVCFA was more commonly referred to as just the Cape Field Artillery and was a popular volunteer regiment along with the Cape Town Highlanders and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Volunteer Rifles. He re-attested on 2 February 1905, once more as a gunner in Cape Field Artillery and was allocated with the regimental number ‘756’. He was promoted to bombardier on 1 April 1905 and to corporal on 1 August of the same year. He was discharged on 4 July 1906 with a ‘Very Good’ character from his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Inglesby VD who was another veteran South African campaigner and former colonial division man.
In 1906, the Colony of Natal was fighting the Bambatha Rebellion that had been sparked by the imposing of a harsh hut-tax upon the mostly native Zulus in the colony. Natal mobilized its own volunteer regiments along with the police whilst they additionally raised two special service regiments, namely the Natal Rangers and Royston’s Horse. Both these regiments had their fair share of Australians and New Zealanders serving in their ranks with Royston’s Horse being commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Royston CMG, DSO who had commanded the 5th and 6th Western Australian Mounted Infantry during the Boer War. In the First World War, Royston commanded the 3rd Australian Light Horse Brigade and was known as ‘Galloping Jack’. Royston’s regiment was a success in the field and in about May, several months into the rebellion, the Cape Government gave permission for a 2nd Royston’s Horse to be recruited from the many Cape volunteer regiments. Shout, still serving with the CFA volunteered on 13 June 1906 at the Cape Town Drill Hall for 2nd Royston’s Horse as part of a ‘Special Detachment’ being raised by Lieutenant J. Ord, an officer of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Volunteer Rifles. In Natal, the battle of Mome George was fought on 10 June, whilst the men of the ‘Special Detachment’ sailed to East London where they were attested on 17 June. The Mome Gorge battle had proven to be the last action of the campaign and Shout, no longer required was returned to Cape Town and paid-off on 21 June 1906. Lieutenant Ord wrote of Shout, ‘His conduct whilst under my command was exemplary. Shout was appointed a Provisional Sergeant by me.’ Only a small group of 2nd Royston’s Horse qualified for the Natal Rebellion Medal 1906 of which Alf Shout did not qualify for as he had only got as far as East London.
With less than a months’ pay in his pocket from 2nd Royston’s Horse, Alf now looking for another job ventured back to the police. On 4 July 1906, at the Police and Casualty Hospital in Cape Town, he appeared before Lieutenant Colonel J. Cox of the Cape Medical Staff Corps who conducted his medical examination for the well-known British South Africa Police in Rhodesia. Cox declared Shout as having a scar on his left chest and described him as having blue eyes, black hair, a sallow complexion, appearing to be 23-years of age and being a carpenter; his address was 249 Long Street, Cape Town that was only a short distance from his mother-in-law’s residence in Wale Street. For a recruit to be attested into the BSAP he was required to be unmarried and aged between 18 and 25 years. Alf declared himself as being single, which, as we know he was not. He presented eight testimonials but not his Cape Police discharge, presumably because he thought the medical discharge could thwart his application. He was duly attested on 11 July 1906 and appointed a constable with police number ‘803’. His new career with the BSAP in Rhodesia appears to have initially progressed well as he was quickly promoted to corporal. With no disciplinary entries against his name in the defaulters’ book, his service papers housed at the National Archives of Zimbabwe simply record with no further comment or explanation ‘Deserted’ on 16 May 1907. This possibly could have occurred while he was on leave, and presumably, being away from his family had proven too much for him and he decided to call it a day and made his way back to them.
As Shout could have easily been apprehended in Cape Town, he sailed with his family to Sydney and almost straight away he returned to volunteering and joined the 29th (Australian Rifles) Infantry (Militia) in 1907. He was prominent in many regional Rifle Shooting Competition’s including the ‘The Frank Stevens’ match in 1912. In March 1914 as a sergeant, he won the Rockdale competition at the Metropolitan District Rifle Club’s shoot and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 29th Infantry on 16 June 1914; once more his leadership abilities were recognised by his commission.
Alf Shout’s time in Southern Africa provided the foundation of his military training and leadership style and he was undoubtedly hardened by his experiences whilst serving with the Border Horse. To name just a few, it was such men as Colonel Crewe and Captain A.E. Wilson, who later, as Lieutenant Colonel Wilson was a successful anti-commando column commander were Shout’s first military role-models. His service in the Border Horse was undoubtably an amazing opportunity for a young man as the men that he served alongside in the colonial division were a veritable who’s who of South African military legends, with its commander, Brigadier General Brabant being the leader of the pack. Many of the men that Shout fought alongside during the Boer War served again in the Great War with a handful of his old Border Horse mates joining the AIF; these were Private Richard Copeland who joined the 10th Battalion, Private, John Drew the 12th Battalion, Lieutenant Thomas ‘Bomb proof’ Kidd, 10th Light Horse, Driver Sam New, 4th Field Artillery Brigade and Gunner Alf Stanborough with the 1st Field Artillery Brigade. We probably won’t know how many of these men or more that Shout ran into and the conversations that they had during his time in the AIF, but their common bond was, that in their youth, they had all served with Crewe’s Border Horse on the South African veldt. Furthermore, when Shout’s name made world news with the awarded of the Victoria Cross many of his old comrades would have recalled the young Alf Shout, the youngster that had made a name for himself at Tabaksberg in January 1901.
Extract of Cape Police service dossier for Constable A.J. Shout (No. 543)
Extract of British South Africa Police service dossier for Corporal A.J. Shout (No. 803). The referenced provide an insight into the high regards that he was held
References: Cape Archives Repository., CMP 122. Police records of service. Cape Archives Repository., CMP 52. Attestation papers of A.J. Shout. Cape Archives Repository., DD 7-156. Attendance registers Cape Volunteers. Evening Post., 23 May 1901 [NZ Paper] London Gazette., 2 April 1901. National Archives of Zimbabwe., S241 / 803. BSAP Attestation papers of A.J. Shout. Stirling, J., The Colonials in South Africa. The Sydney Morning Herald., 17 October 1912.
What extraordinary service Cam. I understand now that he was as much a born soldier as a highly trained and experienced soldier too. Gallipoli was not so much an unmasking of a genius but synergy of potential, circumstance and necessity. Thanks for the post.