ROYSTON, JOHN ROBINSON

ROYSTON, JOHN ROBINSON (1860-1942), soldier and farmer, was born on 29 April 1860 at Durban, South Africa, son of William Royston, civil engineer. He was educated at Durban High School where his chunky build and fierce patriotism won him the nickname 'John Bull'. He fought in the Zulu War in 1879 and by 1884 was a sergeant in the newly formed Natal Mounted Rifles. Trading in the Ixopo division of Natal from his farm, St Faith, he employed many Bantu, spoke their language and treated them with firmness and respect.

When the South African War broke out in 1899 Royston was a squadron sergeant major in the Natal Border Rifles. Commissioned lieutenant within a week, he was at the siege of Ladysmith, was prominent in the capture of a Boer field-piece on Gun Hill, and was twice mentioned in dispatches.

What Royston called 'the principal thread of my military career', his leadership of Australian troops, began in April 1901 when, as captain, he took command of the 5th and 6th contingents of the Western Australian Mounted Infantry. Over the next year they saw action in the Eastern Transvaal, Natal and Orange Free State. For the capture of Boer laagers in the Ermelo district Royston was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on 28 January 1902 and later that year was appointed C.M.G., honours which he attributed to the 'courage and soldierly qualities' of his troops.

He led the South African contingent to the coronation of Edward VII in 1902 and on 15 April 1903 married Lilian Earle Heugh; they had a son and a daughter. In 1904 he was made brevet lieutenant colonel of the Border Mounted Rifles, most of his men being Australians who had stayed in South Africa after the war. By 1906 Royston had settled at Kingston, a cliff-top mansion near Port Shepstone, Natal. In the Zulu rebellion of that year he raised Royston's Horse, again composed mostly of Australians, and was mentioned in dispatches. At the coronation in 1911 of George V, Royston was special aide-de-camp to Lord Kitchener.

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914 Royston recruited the predominantly Australian Natal Light Horse and led them successfully against pro-German rebels and German troops invading South Africa, before pursuing the campaign in German South-West Africa. After the surrender of the German forces there, he recruited a new regiment of Royston's Horse and took it to England. He was persuaded to relinquish command and, on Lord Kitchener's orders, travelled to Egypt where Lieutenant-General Sir William Birdwood was to give him 'the first available Australian command'.

Appointed colonel of the 12th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force, on 22 February 1916, Royston won the immediate affection and respect of his men, becoming a light horse legend at the battle of Romani on 4-5 August. In temporary command of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade, the 'massively built' 56-year-old Royston galloped around the battlefield with astounding energy and courage, reputedly riding fourteen horses to a standstill.

His nickname, 'Galloping Jack', would stick. Late in the first day's battle a bullet lodged in Royston's calf. Ordered by Major General (Sir) Harry Chauvel to have the wound treated, he galloped off before the dressing was completed, trailing strips of bandage. On the second day of battle Chauvel ordered him to hospital. Royston left within a few hours and the bullet stayed in his leg until his death. Next day the 1st L.H. Brigade was also put under his command for the Bir el Abd operation and on 9 August he took command of the 3rd L.H. Brigade. At the battle of Magdhaba in December he created another legend. Confronting several Turkish soldiers, he flourished his riding cane and ordered 'Hands up' in Bantu. The startled Turks dropped their rifles and surrendered.

During the battle he placed a 22-year-old, Major H. C. H. Robertson, in command of the 10th L.H.R., then galloped off to organize elements of the regiment in an elaborate bluff which climaxed with him personally leading a charge of 'the pack leaders and odds and ends of men who were supposed to be holding the led horses'. Royston emerged as the perfect foil to Chauvel: his high-profile leadership complemented Chauvel's less showy command-style. His love for forlorn-hope attack and the utilization of every man and horse balanced Chauvel's more cautious generalship and his shepherding of reserves. Remarkably, the only decoration received by Royston during his light horse service was the Russian Order of St Stanislaus, 3rd class, with swords.

After leading the 3rd L.H. Brigade in the 1st and 2nd battles of Gaza, Brigadier General Royston abruptly left the light horse in October 1917 on the eve of the Beersheba operations. According to the official history, his departure was 'for urgent personal business'. Royston told his biographer simply that he was ordered back to London. However, Major A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson claimed that Royston had deliberately inhaled poison gas so that he could be sure of recognizing its presence in battle. 'The result was that I found him in a hospital, a badly shaken man, passing green urine, and ordered away for a long leave'. Other sources confirm this unlikely story. Royston was persuaded to return to South Africa from London, 'a very sick man and broken-hearted at having to leave his command'.

After the war he continued raising horses, sheep and cattle and cropping on his many Natal properties. In 1934, when the 8th L.H.R. invited him to Australia for the Victorian centenary and the dedication of Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance, he received a hero's welcome in four States. In 1937 he led the South African contingent to the coronation of George VI and married Mildred Standly with Anglican rites.

Royston died at Durban on 25 April 1942, survived by his two children and his second wife who wrote that 'he loved his Australians to the last'. And the Light Horse loved him, as they loved no Australian-born officer. Writing of him, the men who knew him best produced strings of adulatory and sometimes contradictory adjectives. Perhaps Paterson came closest with his summing-up that Royston was 'by instinct a bandit chief and by temperament a hero'. As well, the man was vivid, generous, warm, impatient of protocol, careless of detail, single-minded, impetuous and stubborn. He was the stuff that military triumphs and disasters are made of. Fate, and perhaps his beloved Australians, spared him the disasters.

Source: Australian Dictionary Of Biography

Author: Ian Jones

Print Publication Details: Ian Jones, 'Royston, John Robinson (1860 - 1942)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 11, Melbourne University Press, 1988, pp 472-473.

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Depicts a portrait of Brigadier General John Robinson Royston, CGM, DSO, a South African who had served against the Zulus and in the South African War, where he was closely associated with Australian contingents. Attached to the A.I.F in 1916 he commanded the 12th Light Horse Regiment and later the 2nd and 3rd Light Horse Brigades in operations at Romani, Magdhaba, Rafa and Gaza.

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book covers in some detail the remarkable military history of John Royston who was known as "Galloping Jack" because of his valour on horseback which included riding six horses to their death (through being shot by the enemy) while encouraging his troops at the battle of Romani during the Palestinian Campaign during the first world war. "Galloping Jack" would mount a horse then ride out into the battlefield in full view of the enemy and in range of their guns while encouraging his troops to fight on.

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General Royston with the walking stick.

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Is this the father of Brigadier General JOHN ROBINSON ROYSTON, Or another Royston ?

"Col William Royston (c 1871)
Officer Commanding: Natal Carbineers, Officer Commanding: Royston's Horse, Officer Commanding: Natal Volunteer Forces

William Royston was born in Manchester, England, on 10 March 1854.

He arrived in Natal with his family in 1861 and, after the completion of his schooling at College, joined the Natal Carbineers as a teenager in 1872, serving in the Langalibalele Rebellion of 1873. During the Anglo-Zulu War of 1979, Royston commanded a corps near Isandlwana, and a year later he was appointed OC of the Natal Carbineers.

In 1898, Colonel Royston commanded the Natal Volunteers, and, upon the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, he raised 2 000 volunteers within 24 hours. During the Siege of Ladysmith he led the attack on Gun Hill, and was mentioned in despatches several times.

Colonel Royston contracted fever during the siege and died in Pietermaritzburg on 6 April 1900."

This J R Royston is probably the same man (Lt Royston) who was involved in the feint attack on the Zulu position late afternoon recorded by Stalker on p91 of hiss book Natal Carbineers.

Insp Mansel, NMP records the event in the first person and almost being captured.

Mansel, makes an interesting point, that the Zulu never fired, though if they had "I think they must have shot us".

In the context of the Mangene expedition, this may have confirmed to those present that the Zulus they faced were not part of the Ulundi army, but the local followers of Matyana, and therefore attempting to avoid a confrontation, they probably knew that unsupported by the Ulundi army they would lose.

Correction, The Lt Royston must refer to W Royston the Carbineers adjutant, no other Royston as noted above, noted present.

Lieut. William Royston NC is no relation to John Robinson Royston.

John Robinson “Galloping Jack” Royston initially served as a Trooper in the Isipingo Mounted Rifles in Pearson’s No. 1 Column. He subsequently served in the Natal Volunteer Guides during the relief of Eshowe, and the subsequent operations of Percy Barrow’s mounted forces attached to H.H. Crealock’s 1st Division.

JY

I wonder if either John or Julian may be able to answer this.

At one time many (if not all), regiments had flank companies, a light company on the left and a grenadier company on the right.

I was wondering when this practice ended, ie; did it come to an end when light infantry regiments and rifle regiments came into existance?

If I remember correctly, I seem to recall some of the blokes I met that still refered to themselves as light or grenadier companies back in the 70's, but that could well have been a throw back refering to an earlier time that had stuck with the lads of different companies.

Makes me wonder which companies would have been the light and grenadier companies of the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) regiment back in the day. Maybe the big, tall, well built lads would have been in the grenadier company, whilst the more agile, shorter and slimmer ones would have been in the light company.

I know that a number of former line regiments became light infantry regiments (ie; 43rd), and that the experimental corps of riflemen that used the brilliant Baker rifle became the 95th (Rifles), and that most of these regiments now form what has become know as 'The Rifles', but what became of the former grenadier companies that fought on the right of the line?

Don't say they became the Grenadier Guards???? LOL!

I believe it was in the mid-1860s that the practice ended in British line regiments.

Thank you Julian.

So that would be well after the great man himself, ie; Wellington, The Iron Duke, but before the AZW.

Maybe men from some of the various regiments with light companies transferred to the light infantry and rifle regiments, whilst the rest of the men (including the men from the former grenadier companies), lined up with the rest of the men of the battalion company (or centre company as it was sometimes called) of the regiment.

I think it was more the case that that as all soldiers received training in assault and skirmishing the purpose behind the flank and grenadier companies, and their training, were no longer relevant so all the battalion's soldiers simply multi-tasked and turned their hand to whatever their orders were.

Hi Martin,
Flank companies were dropped at the same time as battalions changed from 10 Companies (which from the right were normally named Grenadier Coy, 1 to 8 Centre Coys and Light Coyj to 8 Companies I believe (at which time most regiments moved to naming them simply A to H Coys). However I think that many regiments continued to unofficially refer to A Coy as the Grenadier Coy and perhaps less often to H Coy as the Light Coy for some time.

I’m sure I’ve seen mention of C/Sgt Bourne being originally posted to A Coy which he himself thought was a joke by the recruiting Sgt as he was so short so I think the practice may still have lingered on into the AZW.

Regards
Phil

It is certainly the case that the names lingered on unofficially, almost as nicknames, as I've come across instances of this myself.

I believe it was in the transcript of Frank Bourne's BBC radio interview "I was there" ?? where he mentioned he was posted to A Company which was the Grenadier Company. So the tradition, if it was that, was still around in late 1872.

I think he said he was posted there by the Sgt Major (RSM) who must have had a sense of humour because A Company consisted of the tallest men and he was 5' 6" and painfully thin.

I believe open order tactics became the norm (my opinion) after the advent of the rifled musket, percussion cap and later breech loaders, which made standing shoulder to shoulder against a peer to peer adversary almost suicidal. (Although against lesser trained enemies and native spear armed infantry this was still the tactic).

I have read (not sure where, perhaps the Historical Records of the 24th?) that Col. Glyn if not a supporter used such open tactics, (as in the Frontier War), but some Regimental Colonels were deeply opposed to abandoning shoulder to shoulder fighting.

Just my thoughts,

Bill

Julian, Herbie, Bill, many thanks for the information.

Yes, I seem to recall reading about C/Sgt Bourne being posted to what would have been a Grenadier coy when he was only a small man. It's just like how silly it was to portray him with such a big bloke like Nigel Green, great actor though he was, he was wrongly casted to play C/Sgt Bourne in the almost fictional film back in 1964.

Well, the names must have lingered on for quite some years, as I recall chatting with blokes back in the 70's who refered to themselves as light or grenadier company.