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August, 2013:

William George Hawtry Bankes V.C.

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour in the face of the enemy. The second Dorset man to be awarded the medal was William George Hawtry Bankes of Kingston Lacy, who was born here on the 11th of September 1836. He was the fifth child born to George Bankes M.P. and Georgina Charlotte Nugent. Educated at Temple Grove, a preparatory school established in 1810 but still in existence today, Bankes later went on to Westminster School.

According to regimental sources his joining the military probably had more to do with keeping in touch with his friends; it seems he displayed little enthusiasm for a career as an officer. Nevertheless, on the 3rd of March 1857 William Bankes was commissioned as a Cornet in the 7th Queen’s Own Regiment of Light Dragoons (Hussars). The regiment left for India aboard the clipper Lightning on the 27th August 1857 and arrived at Calcutta on the 25th of November after an 88 day voyage;  the regiment disembarked on the 1st of December and moved to Fort William.

From Fort William the 7th Hussars moved to Rannegaige, arriving in mid-December. In a letter home William commented that the terrain looked very similar to that of Studland Heath in Dorset. From here they moved on foot some seventy miles to Allhabad, the officers being carried in palaquins.   Here horses had been acquired by an advance party who had travelled to India earlier. William Bankes reported that it took only two weeks to break in the horses, a remarkably short time. The Regiment set off on horseback to Cownpore and then on to Lucknow.

Regimental records show the 7th Hussars were in active service, escorting convoys from Cownpore to Lucknow between the 4th and 24th of February. The regiment was present and actively involved throughout the operation involving the siege and relief of Lucknow.

The record of these events says : ”On the 19th (March) in a skirmish near Moosa-Bagh, Capt. Slade and Lieut. Wilkin were severely wounded. Cornet W.G. Bankes mortally and two men mounded. The latter officer (Bankes) particularly distinguished himself when Capt Slade was wounded, by gallantly leading the troop and thrice charging a body of infuriated fanatics, who had rushed on the guns employed on shelling a small mud fort, killing three of the enemy with his own hand, and receiving 11 wounds of which he afterwards died, He was awarded the V.C. for his gallantry on this occasion”.

Cornet  Bankes was seriously wounded during the attack on Moose-Abagh. He was moved to the military hospital where he had his right arm and right leg amputated by the Surgeon, General Sir Colin Campbell. His Commanding Officer, Colonel Hagart, and Sir Colin Campbell, both wrote letters to his parents informing them of his condition from which he was expected to recover but on the 6th of April 1858 he died from an infection to his wounds. There is an account of his condition at the field hospital. It reads (giving the condition of William Bankes): “… one leg is lopped off above the knee; the other is nearly severed; one arm is cleft to the bone; the other has gone entirely, and about the body are many slashes. When Dr. Russell went to see him afterwards, the brave youngster was quite cheerful and is reputed to have said ‘they tell me, if I get over this I can go yachting…” We believe the Dr Russell referred to is the war correspondent William Howard Russell; he certainly covered the Indian Mutiny for The Times.

As life deserted William Bankes, Queen Victoria wrote of him in a letter to the Princess Royal: “There is a poor young man, of the name Bankes, who has been cut almost to pieces, he fell and was surrounded by a set of fanatics who cut at him, his thigh was nearly severed from his body, and so was his arm! Besides six other desperate wounds! He has had his right leg and his right arm amputated, and yet they hope he will live. This is, they say, the pattern of patience and fortitude”. Later Queen Victoria presented the award to his mother at Kingston Lacy; it is now on display at The Queen’s Own Hussars Museum.

His fellow officers placed a memorial plaque in Wimborne Minster commemorating their fallen comrade. In St. Nicholas Church at Studland there is a stained glass window to his memory and in Westminster Abbey, at the west end of the North Transept, there is a memorial window dedicated to him.

Compton Abbas

There has been a settlement here since the time of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex (871-899), when it was known as Cumb-Tun, Saxon for a village in a long valley. In the 13th century it was known as Cumton Abbatisse, a reference to the Abbey at Shaftesbury founded by King Alfred, who installed his daughter as Abbess there.

A Charter of King Edwy (955-958) granted to the Abbey ten hides of land at Compton. The estate was recorded in Domesday Book with the estates of Melbury Abbas, Fontmell Abbas and Iwerne Minster, all being held by the Abbey. At the dissolution the Abbey was granted to Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton, who was for a while Chancellor. He sold the estate to Sir Thomas Arundel. In 1812 the manor of Compton was included in a sale of land to Sir R.R. Glynn in whose family it remained for about a 100 years.

The Parish Church of St. Mary is at the centre of West Compton. It was built in 1866 to replace an ancient church at East Compton which had fallen into decay. Today we can still see among the old houses and orchards the 15th century tower and a part of the west wall of the nave; the tower is a Grade 1 Listed Building. An old preaching cross has survived minus its head, probably removed during the Civil War by Cromwell’s supporters. Fittings from the former church have been removed and installed in the Victorian replacement. A survey made under an Act of Parliament in 1547 recorded that the old church had “..in money…VIIIs..8s..” in respect of a chantry.

The new church tower houses five bells, one dating from 1616, another from 1624, while yet another is reckoned to be from the late 15th or early 16th century, with two other bells from the late 19th century. The 12th century font was probably re-worked in 1866.

There is a list of incumbents of the parish from AD 1300 that includes Thomas Bravell who was rector of Compton and one of the leaders of the Dorset Clubmen during their stand-off with the Parliamentarians.  Bravell threatened to pistol anyone who gave in (See our article “Poor Silly Creatures” 10th July 2011 in the Iwerne Courtney category).

The village is about three miles south of Shaftesbury on the road from Blandford and amounts to about 1,450 acres set in a small tranquil coombe.

A Royal Visit to Sherborne

On the morning of the 1st of June 1950 the boys of Sherborne School settled down to two periods of study before assembling in bright sunshine to await the arrival of the King and Queen, whose visit would mark the four hundredth anniversary of the granting of a royal charter.  The Abbey bells informed the entire town that the royal train had arrived at the station. Their Majesties were met by the Lord Lieutenant who presented the school Governors; they then drove to the school through the crowded and flag decked streets of the town.

With perfect timing the cars carrying the royal party pulled up at the Main Gates at exactly 12.45 p.m. A guard of honour made up of representatives of the navy and army sections of the Combined Cadet Force gave the royal salute and the school band played the National Anthem. The Headmaster, Canon A.R Wallace, was then presented to Their Majesties who inspected the guard and commented on its excellent turn-out.
 
The Royal Standard was broken on the flag-staff as the King and Queen entered the Courts of the school. The boys were lined up on one side and on the other were gathered the masters, their wives and other guests; for a brief moment there was silence but this was followed by cheers while Their Majesties made their way to the Headmaster’s House. After a brief rest they were escorted to the big schoolroom, where they had lunch with the Headmaster and his wife and some eighty senior boys.

Their Majesties then began a tour of the school passing through the Undercroft and Cloisters, where they posed for amateur photographers before entering the Chapel, then on to the Library where they both signed the King’s Book. At the bottom of the Chapel steps the masters and their wives were presented, after which the school dispersed while the King and Queen continued their tour. They visited the Carpenter’s Shop, the Swimming Baths, the Art School, and the Biology Laboratory and stopped to speak to the boys who were carrying on their usual school activities. The tour took in a visit to Westcott House, where they were welcomed by the house master, Mr R. S. Thompson and his wife.

Later in the afternoon the royal party drove down to the Games Fields; leaving their car at the Memorial Gates they went across to watch some of the boys playing cricket and had tea in the Pavilion. They walked back to their car through a line of children from other Sherborne schools. Back in their car they drove slowly to the gates and received the cheers of the school as they left.

The following day a letter was received from Buckingham Palace, thanking the school for their very friendly welcome and saying how greatly the King and Queen had enjoyed their visit.