Wheeling into line........2nd September 1898

"............I then heard the joggle of troops wheeling and looking back saw the Regiment wheeled into line and immediately conformed. I heard no order or trumpet to wheel into line or charge. We galloped over the snipers and then discovered a crowd of Dervishes in the wadi behind them....The Regiment presented a wonderful sight with lances down and with a better line than you could obtain in a practice charge nine times out of ten. I was lucky that my troop on the extreme left of the line hit the wadi on the straight where the water had not scooped out any steep banks....An instant before I glanced to my right and saw some brave little men on foot draw swords from their armpits and rush to certain deaths on the oncoming lances......I snatched out my .450 Webley and cleared a way for my Arab pony through the crowd....When I pulled up on the far bank of the wadi, there was my dear old Troop Serjeant at my elbow........"

Officers, 21st Lancers, Cairo August 1898

This was the last photo taken before the Regiment went south to join Lord Kitchener's Army in the Anglo-Egyptian campaign to retake the Sudan. The photo shows John Vaughan and other attached officers from other Cavalry Regiments who were troop commanders on that day. Churchill, not pictured here, who was among their number barely made it 24 hours before the Regiment left Cairo.

John Vaughan 1871-1956

As subaltern in the 7th Hussars c. 1893 shown with the sword here before re-hilting in 1896.

Major, c.1910

                             Major General J. Vaughan's Complete Medal Group, courtesy of DNW February 2016



"The Cavalry Officer’s Sword carried by Major-General J. Vaughan, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., late 7th Hussars: ordered by him from Wilkinson’s in 1891, and re-hilted with the change to the universal 1821 Heavy Cavalry Officer’s hilt in 1896, This was the sword he used in the famous charge at Omdurman in 1898 A 1896 Pattern Cavalry Sword, in field service leather scabbard, Wilkinson No. 30719, the blade etched on the obverse side with the V.R. cypher, number and title of the 7th Hussars and the monogram ‘J.V.’, the reverse etched with the K/C badge and number of the 10th Royal Hussars and the dates ‘1891-1920’, blade in good overall condition, handguard with some rust patches, scabbard repaired six inches from the shoe"
Ex Worrall collection, Wallis & Wallis, 29 April 1998; sold with Wilkinson register verification for sword no. 30719, which was purchased by 2nd Lieutenant J. Vaughan, 7th Hussars, on 18 March 1891.

                                                       As Commanding Officer 10th (PWO) Hussars c.1911

                                                          As head of the 10th Hussars Polo Team, India c.1912

John Vaughan was born in July 1871 and was educated at Eton and Sandhurst. Commissioned into the 7th Hussars in March 1891, he served as a Troop Commander in the Matabeleland and Mashonaland operations of 1896-97 (Medal and clasp), and in the Nile Expedition of 1898, when he was present at the famous charge at Omdurman (Queen’s Medal and Khedive’s Medal, with clasp). Vaughan’s description of that memorable event appears in his Cavalry and Sporting Memories, which was published in 1955. 

Advanced to Captain in October 1899, Vaughan served throughout the Boer War, onetime as A.D.C. to the G.O.C. Cavalry Division and as D.A.A.G., Intelligence, Cavalry Division. He witnessed extensive action, had command of a column in the relief of Kimberley operations, and was awarded the Queen’s Medal with 6 clasps and the King’s Medal with 2 clasps, in addition to a D.S.O. for a memorable encounter with the enemy at Boschman’s Kop during the “Guerilla War”. The recommendation stated: ‘On 1 April 1902, near Springs, South Africa, when acting as Intelligence Officer to a column, he led the Queen’s Bays to capture some Boers in a deserted farm. After capturing some prisoners, this regiment was attacked at dawn by superior numbers, and fought a rear-guard action until the 7th Hussars came up and counter-attacked the enemy. Major Vaughan commanded one wing of the Bays during the retirement, after having been wounded before daylight, and subsequently advanced with a squadron of the 7th Hussars to assist them by his knowledge of the country. He continued fighting until he fainted.’

By the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, Vaughan was serving as a Colonel Commandant of the Cavalry School at Netheravon, but quickly went to France as G.S.O. 1, 1st Cavalry Division, B.E.F. In the following year he was appointed G.O.C. 3rd Cavalry Division, in which role he served until early 1918 when he was appointed Inspector of Q.M.G’s Services, British Armies, France. Vaughan, who retired as a Major-General in 1920, was created C.B. and C.M.G., in addition to being awarded the French Legion of Honour (Commander’s grade).

In the Second World War, he commanded the Home Guard of Merioneth and Montgomeryshire - ‘Woe betide the Germans if they had thought of landing on our back door by the shores of Harlech.’ Indeed the General was a forthright character, imbued with a strong sense of duty, assets best described by his regimental obituarist:

‘He was hard as nails. Spartan in his disregard of luxury, danger or death. The flesh-pots could never tempt him any more than wild horses, black fences or German bullets could daunt him. He was a man absolutely without fear and he accepted that state of mind as a matter of course. He was completely honest in his outlook on life, punctilious in his code of ethics and scrupulous in his sense of honour. It would have been impossible, unthinkable for him to lie. From his boyhood, he had exercised a self-control which made him utterly indifferent to pleasure, hardship or danger.’

The General died in his 85th year in January 1956, following a riding accident - ‘It was the end he would have chosen. He was carried home, shaken, bleeding, and put to bed, conscious but in no pain. Within a week he died peacefully.’

(Taken from the DNW catalogue 7th December 2005)

Wilkinson 1821 Pattern Light Cavalry Officer's Solid Patent Sword 30719 Proved 18th March 1891