John James Clements

Shot through the lungs, he forced his opponents to surrender

John James Clements was born at Middelburg in the Cape Colony on 19 June 1872. He came from a farming family and enlisted in Rimington's Guides in October 1899. The mounted unit operated during the Second Boer War and later became known as Damant's Horse.

On 24 February 1901, near Strydenburg, Clements was dangerously wounded through the lungs during an encounter with Boer fighters. When called upon to surrender, he instead attacked the group confronting him. He shot three men with his revolver and forced the party of five to surrender to him and two unwounded comrades.

His Victoria Cross recognised his determination at a point when his wound might reasonably have ended his resistance. He survived and subsequently became a sergeant. His extensive campaign service was recorded by the Queen's South Africa Medal with eight clasps and the King's South Africa Medal.

In 1902 he travelled to Britain with the colonial contingent for the coronation of Edward VII. The Prince of Wales presented his Victoria Cross at Horse Guards Parade that July. After his discharge he returned to farming in Natal.

During the First World War Clements enlisted in Botha's Scouts and took part in the campaign in German South-West Africa. He then resumed civilian farming near Newcastle. His first wife, Florence, died in 1916; he married Edith Turner in 1922 and raised a family across the two marriages.

He died at Newcastle on 18 June 1937, the day before his sixty-fifth birthday, and was buried in the town cemetery. His later campaign medals show that the action of 1901 formed one episode in a longer record of military and civilian life.

Official Victoria Cross citation

On the 24th February, 1900, near Strijdenburg, when dangerously wounded through the lungs and called upon to surrender, Corporal Clements, threw himself into the midst of a party of five Boers, shooting three of them with his revolver, and thereby causing the whole party to surrender to himself and two unwounded men of Rimington's Guides.

The London Gazette, 4 June 1901, issue27320, page3769.