Hero was a driving force

Jun 24 2009

ONE of the events in this year's Older Peoples' Festival is a heritage walk to Old Chiswick and the large graveyard of St Nicholas Church.

Among the notables that are buried there are William Kent, the renowned designer of furniture and fittings of great houses in the country, including much of Chiswick House.

Also buried there are James Whistler, the noted painter, Henry Joy, who sounded the 'Charge' trumpet call at the infamous Charge of the Light Brigade; and Frederick Hitch, Chiswick's own holder of the Victoria Cross, which was won at the defence of Rorke's Drift in the Zulu War of 1879, 130 years ago this year.

Frederick Hitch was born in 1856 and, it would appear, always wanted to be a soldier. As soon as he was old enough, he joined the 2nd Battalion of the 14th Regiment, later to become the South Wales Borderers.

The company was under the command of Lt Gonville Bromhead and was stationed on the Buffalo River. Just before the attack, Hitch was ordered on to the straw roof of the little hospital.

He was making tea at the time for his comrades, and on reaching his vantage point, reported that a surprise attack was being mounted.

In his own words written afterwards, he said: "As soon as I got to the top I could see that the Zulus had got as near as thay [sic] could without us seeing them."

He reported that there could have been up to 6,000 advancing, as the numbers were so great. Soon the attack came, so he slipped down from the roof, and joined in with the defence using both gun and bayonet.

During the epic struggle, which lasted 12 hours with attack after attack, 22-year-old Private Hitch was shot in the right shoulder, which splintered the bone. He continued to fight with a revolver in his left hand, with his disabled arm tucked into his belt.

As the ammunition was running low he undertook the task of issuing it from

the ammunition boxes, with Lt Bromhead entreating the men not to waste a single shot. Suffering from a loss of blood from his wound, Hitch collapsed. When he came round he found the little garrison had been relieved by Lord Chelmsford and a force of men.

His deeds were reported to His Lordship who commended him while his wounds were still being dressed by a doctor who had arrived with the relieving force.

Frederick Hitch was one of 11 men who won the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery in the field at this engagement, and received his award from Queen Victoria.

On leaving the Army, he retired to Cranbrook Road, Chiswick, and joined the General Motor Cab Company and worked as a cabbie in the surrounding area. Few of his colleagues knew of the honour he held and of his exploits in the Zulu War. He died suddenly on January 7, 1913, and was buried with full military honours.

The funeral procession was some quarter of a mile long, and many turned out to pay their respects to a hero. His cab was driven in the procession, decked with wreaths. The granite stone over his grave has been vandalised from time to time, and a helmet and a wreath of laurels in copper were wrenched from the monument.

A public subscription was set up to replace these items and the stone and grave were re-dedicated.

From time to time the regiment and local Royal British Legion gather at the grave to honour the memory of Private Frederick Hitch VC, a national hero, and one of the bravest of the brave.