Alfred Ernest Ind VC


Alfred Ernest Ind was born on 16 Sep 1872 at Highfield Tetbury in Gloucestershire. He enlisted in 1891 and became a shoeing smith in the Royal Horse Artillery. In the Boer War he was a member of 11th Section in a Troop armed with pom-poms. On 20 Dec 1901, in an action near Tafelkop in Orange River Colony, the gun team on the pom-pom were either killed or badly wunded. Alfred Ind stuck to the gun and carried on firing at the advancing Boers until the last moment. He was observed by a mortally wounded officer, Captain Jeffcoat, who recommended him for the VC for this and every other action in which he was involved.

After this battle he was promoted to corporal and mentioned in despatches on three other occasions. His award was gazetted on 15 Aug 1902 and he received his medal from the King at Buckingham Palace on 20 Nov 1902. He was later a member of the famous Chestnut Troop and reached the rank of Farrier Sergeant. He settled in Eccleston, Cheshire where he died at the age of 44 on 29 Nov 1916. He was buried in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Eccleston. His medals were sold at Spink in Sep 1986 for 10,046 pounds.


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