Private Albert Curtis VC

Alfred Edward Curtis was born on 6 Jan 1866 and came from Guildford. The 2nd Battalion East Surreys fought many actions in the Boer War but the most tragic of these battles was on Wynne’s Hills situated between Monte Cristo and Mount Hlangwana near the town of Colenso in Natal. Private Curtis earned the Victoria Cross when he rescued his commanding officer who had lain on the ground with nine bullet wounds from dawn until late afternoon, all the time under fire from an entrenched Boer position. Curtis’s bravery and modesty were revealed months after the battle and although the brave deed occurred on 23 Feb 1899 it wasn’t until October that the recommendation was sent in. The CO who was rescued was Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Harris, but because of the severity of his injuries he had to relinquish command to Major Hugh Pearse. Pearse’s report is as follows:
‘In accordance with instructions from Lieut. Colonel R H Harris, I have the honour to make the following report:
Lt. Col. Harris was very severely wounded on Feb. 23rd 1900 and was afterwards taken to hospital in Maritzburg. While there he wrote a report, mentioning among other matters the conduct of two men who carried him away from under fire on Feb. 23rd.
Lt. Col. Harris could not remember the names of the men and asked me to find them out and insert them in his report. I had great difficulty in finding out who the men were as the Battalion was moved shortly after Col. Harris was wounded and no officer or N.C.O. of the Battn. actually saw him carried away. Eventually I found out that Ptes. Diamond and Connor, 2nd East Surrey Regt. carried Col. Harris to the dressing station. I put their names in the report, which I handed to Major Gen. Hildyard, then Comdg. the 2nd Brigade, on or about March 19th.
It subsequently came to my knowledge that although the above named men actually carried Colonel Harris down from the hill where he was wounded, and thereby did good service, the circumstances under which Colonel Harris’ life was saved were as follows.
Colonel Harris was wounded shortly after dawn and lay all day in a perfectly open space under close fire of a Boer breastwork. The Boers in this fired all day at any man who moved. In this way many of the wounded were killed and others received numerous wounds. Colonel Harris was wounded 8 or 9 times. No. 4675 Pte. (now Corporal) A.E. Curtis, after several attempts, succeeded in reaching the Colonel, bound his wounded arm to his body, and got out his flask and gave it to him — all under heavy fire. He then tried to carry the Colonel away but was unable, Col. Harris being considerably taller than himself. Pte. Curtis then called to the three nearest men to help him carry the Colonel away, but only one of them, an old soldier No. 3392 Pte. T.W. Morton could face the fire. He went at once.
Fearing that the men would be killed Colonel Harris told them to leave him, but they persisted, and after trying to carry the Colonel on their rifles they made a chair with their hands and so carried him out of fire. Had Colonel Harris not been carried away he could not have survived. Having got out of the fire Ptes. Curtis and Morton laid the Colonel down and went away for a stretcher, but while looking for one the stretcher bearers came to the place where the Colonel lay and Ptes. Diamond and Connor carried him off.
The circumstances dod not come to my knowledge until about three months ago, as Ptes. Curtis and Morton said nothing of what they had done.
I have since been in correspondence with Col. Harris, who is satisfied that Curtis and Morton are the men who saved his life as described. He is of the opinion that both men deserve the Victoria Cross, and has desired me to recommend them officially for it, which I now do.’
In a written statement by Curtis himself another attempt to help the Colonel was made by Lieut Hinton but he was shot and killed. What is puzzling about the story is that the wounded men lying out in the open received wounds from Boer rifle fire, but these two men, Curtis and Morton, were able to sit the Colonel up, form a seat with their hands and walk away with him without being wounded themselves. In Colonel Pearse’s history of the East Surreys there is a list of men killed and wounded from 18 to 27 Feb 1900 and their names are not on it. Curtis’s account also says that these two men returned to where they had been pinned down to collect their rifles and equipment, and to the place where Col Harris had lain, to pick up his belongings. All presumably while the area was still a Boer killing field.
The award of the VC was announced in the London Gazette 15 Jan 1901. At Pietermaritzburg, on 14 Aug 1901 Alfred Curtis was presented with his medal. Private Morton received the DCM. By the end of the Boer War Curtis was promoted to sergeant and on coming home he left the East Surreys, in 1910 became a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. He retired in 1931 and lived in Barnet, Herts. He died on 28 Mar 1940. His medals were auctioned at Spink in a special Boer War Centenary in Oct 1999. As well as the VC he had the Queen’s medal with 5 clasps, the King’s medal with two clasps, and Coronation medals for 1911 and 1937. The estimated price was 35,000 to 45,000 pounds.

Regimental Details | Soldiers