Robert James Thomas Digby-Jones (27 September 1876 – 6 January 1900) was a Scottish recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

,Royal Engineers Museum
Sappers VCs the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and Commonwealth forces.

Details

He was born at Chester Street in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

the son of Charles Digby Jones (1826–1911) and his wife, Aimee Susanna Christie. He was educated at

Alnmouth Alnmouth () is a coastal village in Northumberland, England, situated east-south-east of Alnwick. The population of the civil parish at the 2001 Census was 562, reducing to 445 at the 2011 Census. Located at the mouth of the River Aln, the vill ...

and then

Sedbergh School Sedbergh School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, in North West England. It comprises a junior school for children aged 4 to 13 and the main school for 13 to 18 year olds. I ...

. In 1894 he was sent to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and trained as an officer in the Royal Engineers. He is recorded as a keen and popular sportsman, both in golf and rugby. When he was 23 years old, and a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

Corps of Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 6 January 1900 during the attack on Wagon Hill (

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, Lieutenant Digby-Jones and a trooper (

Herman Albrecht Herman Albrecht VC (1876 – 6 January 1900) was a Cape Colony recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Details Al ...

) of the

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led the force which re-occupied the top of the hill at a critical moment, but both were killed in the ensuing

mêlée A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...

. For their actions they cited jointly: Digby-Jones is buried in Ladysmith Cemetery. He is also memorialised on his parents grave in Dean Cemetery in

Memorials and the medal

*Digby-Jones's Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Engineers Museum ''(Chatham, England)''. *A memorial to Digby-Jones stands in his old school,

Sedbergh Sedbergh ( or ) is a town and civil parish in Cumbria, England. The 2001 census gave the parish a population of 2,705, increasing at the 2011 census to 2,765. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies about east of Kendal, nor ...

, commemorating his brave deeds. *A brass plaque to Digby-Jones lies on the south aisle of St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in

. The plaque states that it was erected by his parents and brothers. *A cairn was erected at Waggon Hill at the spot where he died *A memorial plaque to his memory also stands in Alnmouth Parish Church

Family

He came from a long line of military personnel and another cousin, Robert Hope Moncrieff Aitken had already won a

References

*''

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...

'' (David Harvey, 1999) *''

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...

'' (This England, 1997) *''

The Sapper VCs The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

'' (Gerald Napier, 1998) *''

Scotland's Forgotten Valour ''Scotland's Forgotten Valour'' is a 1995 book by Graham Ross, published by MacLean Press under . (The typography of the title on the book uses capitalisation to contrast emphasis ("SCOTLAND'S FORgotten VALOUR"), to communicate additional meanin ...

'' (Graham Ross, 1995) *''

Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War The Victoria Cross (VC) is a British military honour awarded to 78 members of the British Armed Forces for action during the Second Boer War. The Victoria Cross is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to me ...

'' (Ian Uys, 2000)

Notes

External links

Photo of memorial in Ladysmith cemetery
listing Robert James Thomas Digby-Jones, from

Genealogical Society of South Africa The Genealogical Society of South Africa is a family history society. The society consists of 11 regional branches as well as an electronic branch accessible online. The society maintains a large archive of Genealogical material related to South ...

online library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Digby-Jones, Robert James Thomas 1876 births 1900 deaths British military personnel killed in the Second Boer War Second Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross British recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of the Second Boer War People educated at Sedbergh School Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Royal Engineers A.F.C. players Military personnel from Edinburgh British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Scottish footballers Men's association football players not categorized by position