Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The Unique and Impressive ‘Southern Nigeria’ D.C.M. group of nine awarded to Trenchard protégé Captain F. W. Angus, Seaforth Highlanders, South Nigeria Regiment and Royal Flying Corps; after fighting in major battles in the Sudan against Dervishes at Atbara and Omdurman, Angus was seconded to Nigeria, where he won his D.C.M. for ‘Special Gallantry in the Field and Resource in Commanding Men in Difficult Situations’ during Major Hugh Trenchard’s Expedition to punish Igbo tribesmen who had killed and eaten a British Medical Officer.

Commissioned from the ranks during the Great War, Angus subsequently followed the now Major-General Trenchard, the ‘Father of the R.A.F.’, into the Royal Flying Corps in France

Distinguished Conduct Medal, E.VII.R. (Serjt. F. W. Angus. Seaforth Highrs.); Queen’s Sudan 1896-98 (4795 Lce. Corpl. F. Angus 1/Sea. Hrs.); Africa General Service 1902-56, 5 clasps, Aro 1901-1902, S. Nigeria 1902-03, S. Nigeria 1903, S. Nigeria 1904, S. Nigeria 1905-06 (Clr. Serjt. F. W. Angus S.N. Regt.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt. F. W. Angus R.A.F.); Territorial Force War Medal (Capt. F. W. Angus R.F.C.); Defence Medal (Capt. F. W. Angus 1st Stirling H.G.) privately impressed naming; Army L.S. & G.C., E.VII.R. (4795 Sjt: F. W. Angus Seaforth Hdrs.); Khedive’s Sudan 1896-1908, 2 clasps, The Atbara, Khartoum (4795 Lce. Corpl. F. Angus 1st Sea. Highrs.) Regimentally engraved naming, light contact marks, generally very fine and better, the TFWM extremely rare to an Officer in the R.F.C. (9) £8,000-£12,000

D.C.M. London Gazette 18 September 1906:
‘In recognition of his gallant conduct during the operations in the Bende-Onitsha Hinterland, Southern Nigeria.’

Angus is Mentioned in the Despatch of Lt. Col. H. C. Moorhouse, Commanding S. N. Regt., published in the same Gazette:
‘Sergeant Angus, Seaforth Highlanders, deserves special mention for special gallantry in the field, and his resource in commanding men in difficult situations.’

Frederick William Angus was born 4 March 1875. In his army attestation papers he claimed to have been born in Ayton, Yorkshire, but his birth certificate states Bermondsey, London. He attended North End School, Fulham. He enlisted on 2 January 1894 as 4795 1st Battalion Seaforth Highlanders, giving a slightly younger age of 18 years 7 months. He gave his trade as Waiter and was stated to be 5’ 8” high, with black hair, brown eyes and a scar on his right eyebrow. At the time, his regiment was stationed at Tipperary.

Active Service in Crete and the Sudan
Angus was soon awarded Good Conduct pay and was appointed Lance-Corporal on 28 November 1896. In 1897 he was first posted abroad, initially to Malta and then to the British Occupation Force in Crete. He then spent nearly five years in Egypt and the Sudan, where he participated in the Nile Expedition and the great battles of Atbara and Omdurman, finding time to gain a second-class certificate of education in May 1899. Angus was promoted to Corporal on 5 July 1899, Lance-Sergeant on 11 May 1901 (soon after finishing a Mounted Infantry course), and full Sergeant on 23 December 1901. In 1902 he extended his engagement from 7 years to 12 years (and extended it again to 21 years in 1906).

In Southern Nigeria with the future ‘Father of the RAF’
On 6 December 1902 Angus was attached as a Sergeant to the Southern Nigerian Regiment, for service with the West African Frontier Force, whose mission was to quell inter-tribal violence and bring the Nigerian hinterland under settled British rule. Angus served in a total of five significant campaigns that established the foundation for British colonial rule and the establishment of a centrally administered Nigeria. He became one of about 30 British Officers and non-commissioned Officers who participated in the Anglo-Aro war and its immediate aftermath. The Aro Confederacy’s territory was due east of Britain’s Lagos Protectorate and formed the hinterland of the coastal settlements in the Bight of Biafra that supplied the bulk of the ethnic Igbos who fell victim to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade during the 17th, 18th, and much of the 19th centuries - Old Calabar, Bonny and Brass. Even as the transatlantic trade died away due to international pressure and abolition throughout the Americas, slavery was still rife across the inland Aro territories.

The British High Commissioner for the Nigerian Coastal Protectorate summarised the British war aims: ‘To put a stop to slave dealing and the slave trade generally with a view to the Slave Dealing Proclamation No. 5 of 1901 being enforced throughout the entire territories as from first of January next; to abolish the Juju hierarchy of the Aro tribe, which by superstition and fraud causes much injustice among the coast tribes generally and is opposed to the establishment of Government. The power of the priesthood is also employed in obtaining natives for sale as slaves and it is essential to finally break it; to open up the country of the entire Aro to civilization; to induce the natives to engage in legitimate trade; to introduce a currency in lieu of slaves, brass rods, and other forms of native currency and to facilitate trade transactions; to eventually establish a labour market as a substitute to the present system of slavery.’

British forces won the Anglo-Aro war, with Angus arriving at its tail-end. Although the major battles were over by March 1902, the Aro fought an enduring guerilla campaign against British control. After Aro, Angus fought in Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Montanaro’s smaller expedition in Southern Nigeria until June 1903 (Montanaro was Commandant of the Southern Nigeria Regiment).

In December 1903, Angus’s future was greatly impacted by the arrival of Brevet Major Hugh Trenchard (later Marshal of the Royal Air Force ‘Boom’ Trenchard), newly appointed as Deputy Commandant of Angus’s regiment. In London, the Acting Brigadier Commanding the West Africa Frontier Force had promised Trenchard the right to lead all Southern Nigeria Regiment expeditions. Trenchard disembarked at the port of Bonny and travelled by coastal steamer to Calabar, where he reported to the Commandant of the Southern Nigeria Regiment. Lieutenant-Colonel Montanaro was preparing yet another expedition to quell inter-tribal violence in the interior, with Angus as one of its 12 N.C.O.s. On the day before the expedition was due to depart, Montanaro told Trenchard that he would not be accompanying it, as he believed that Trenchard, who was not yet acclimatised, would become a liability.

After a few days, Trenchard succeeded in getting the Governor of Southern Nigeria to issue instructions to replace Montanaro by Trenchard as leader of the expedition. Trenchard caught up with the expedition several days' march from Itu. After a brief exchange, Trenchard handed Montanaro the text of the Governor's telegram, which he accepted. After dealing with discontent from some of the Southern Nigeria Regiment's officers, Trenchard led the expedition to the disturbed area. Several days later, the expedition saw evidence of ritual killings and was ambushed by Igbo tribesmen. After defeating their attackers, Trenchard's men occupied the local village overnight. Next morning, the local tribal chief and his warriors handed in their arms. Trenchard then set about bringing those responsible for the ritual killings to justice and fighting bellicose Igbo tribesmen. By December 1903, six more chiefs with a little under 10,000 men surrendered their arms to Trenchard's expedition of around 250 men, and Trenchard had come to recognise and appreciate the merits of Sergeant Angus.

Angus served in a series of expeditions in the same region between January and June 1904. In March 1904, Trenchard headed to the upper Cross River as the tribal revolt in the neighbouring German Cameroons colony was spilling over into Nigerian territory. Trenchard put down the revolt in Aparabong and thousands of men surrendered firearms to his troops.

Trenchard was then involved in bringing all Igboland under British control. Initially many of the inhabitants refused to surrender weaponry to the British. Trenchard's political advisor, R. M. Heron, arranged for the destruction of the houses of tribesmen who retained their weapons. Many guns and other arms were surrendered to Trenchard's soldiers at Nkwo Nnewi, where they were destroyed. During this time the Igbo nicknamed Trenchard ‘Nwangwele’, meaning young lizard in Igbo, on account of his slim figure.

From mid-1904 to late summer 1905, Trenchard was Acting Commandant of the Southern Nigeria Regiment. During his time in command, Trenchard set about bringing firm discipline to what he considered to be an unruly locally recruited auxiliary unit. Gambling was banned, drunkenness and laziness were punished, and action was taken against any soldiers caught with local women. Angus fully supported and enforced Trenchard’s rules.

Recovering the Bones of Dr Stewart
Lieutenant-Colonel H. C. Moorhouse was appointed Commandant of the Southern Nigeria Regiment in mid-1905. Trenchard presented his plans for bringing the uncharted region 200 miles north-west of Calabar under British control. This region between the Cross and Niger Rivers was around 1,200 square miles in area from Bende in the south to Onitsha to the west. It was effectively unknown, unmapped and closed country, in which slave trading and human sacrifices were prevalent. Trenchard led the main column of 13 officers, three British N.C.O.s, 325 other ranks with three Maxim machine-guns and two light field guns. Captain Mair led a sub-column of seven officers, two British N.C.O.s, 200 other ranks and two Maxims. The total force was the largest British expedition in Nigeria since the Aro Expedition in 1901-02.

During the early stages of the Bende-Onitsha Hinterland Expedition, Trenchard had to adapt his plan because of the murder of Dr. Stewart, a Government Medical Officer. Stewart was new to Nigeria and on 16 November 1905 he was travelling on his bicycle alone through the bush when he lost his way. Accounts vary as to what happened. Some say Stewart was murdered as he slept, others that he was captured, trussed up naked and carried alive from village to village with parts of his body being cut off as ‘juju’, until he was finally decapitated and eaten. All agree that his body was cut up into small pieces and distributed for consumption, with those locals who ate a piece of Dr. Stewart apparently being henceforth released from the domination of white men, and protected from the harm inflicted by Europeans.

The South Nigeria Government announced punitive sanctions, reprisals and enforcement action. The whole Owerri district rose in armed revolt. The two Southern Nigeria Regiment columns (Trenchard and Mair’s) joined forces on 30 November 1905 and a base camp to support punitive measures was established on the Imo River. Trenchard again split up his force (which was now 800 strong) and worked the country with three and sometimes four small columns. The southern area, at or adjacent to the scene of Dr Stewart’s murder, was the first to be dealt with.

They met with severe resistance, trenches and stockades being found everywhere. Heavy fighting ensued with the Igbo tribesmen, and several pitched battles ended with Trenchard’s Maxim guns mowing down the attackers. Many villages were pacified, the submission of their chiefs obtained, and all the important people who took part in the murder of Dr Stewart were either killed in action, handed over or captured, summarily tried and hanged. Nonetheless, it was necessary to keep troops in the district until the close of the operation on 15 April 1906. Dr. Stewart’s skull and bones, except for the hands and left leg, were eventually surrendered and sent to Calabar for burial. 571 Snider rifles and 2,187 other guns were seized and the sacred Igbo Awka Oracle was destroyed. Thousands of Igbo men were pressed into service as labourers, constructing roads through the jungle. Trenchard and Mair were both awarded the D.S.O. for this expedition, whilst Angus, now 31, received the only D.C.M., one of a mere handful conferred for the multiple Southern Nigeria campaigns, for his special gallantry in the field and his command skills.

Trenchard contracted blackwater fever and was sent back to England on sick leave. On his return to Nigeria, he completely redeveloped the Southern Nigeria Regiment’s barracks and depot in Lagos. From November 1907 to spring 1908 he led his last expedition, consisting of only 4 officers, an interpreter, 25 men and 3 machine guns. During the expedition, Trenchard made contact with the Munshi tribe, sending gifts to their chiefs. Subsequently, roads were built and trade links established with the tribe. In 1908 he was made Commandant of the Southern Nigeria Regiment, with the local rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Angus was promoted to Colour Sergeant on 8 June 1908 and was awarded the L.S. & G.C. He accumulated hardship qualifications to enhance his pension by continuing in Nigeria, and finally left his Nigeria posting in July 1909. After 16 years of army service, at the age of 35, on 27 May 1910, he was discharged to pension with a Character of ‘Exemplary’. He settled in Stirling, Scotland, and worked as a Clerk, eventually marrying. His mother relocated from London and moved to Stirling. Trenchard also finally left Nigeria in mid-1910, having been seriously ill for months. He had developed a liver abscess, which was treated in England.

Commissioned in the Territorial Army
On 25 June 1913, aged 38, Angus joined the Territorial Army as a Sergeant in the 7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Territorial Force). His unit was embodied for service on 5 August 1914. Angus was promoted Colour Sergeant on 3 December 1914. Initially he was employed as Orderly Room Colour Sergeant, and then as Brigade Clerk. His diligence must have made an impression, as he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 9th (The Dumbartonshire) Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, on 29 June 1915. Within ten weeks Angus was appointed Adjutant and Temporary Captain and promoted substantive Lieutenant on 1 June 1916.

Transfer to the Royal Flying Corps
On 16 October 1917 Angus transferred to France as Temporary Captain, Royal Flying Corps, and was posted to H.Q. R.F.C. France, where he was appointed Camp Commandant. Hugh Trenchard, his old commanding officer in Nigeria, had learned to fly in 1912 and in 1917 was a Major-General and the Officer Commanding the Royal Flying Corps in France. The two men may have had some limited contact that led to Angus’s transfer to the R.F.C. On 18 January 1918 Trenchard started work at the Air Ministry in London as the first Chief of the Air Staff. By the time the R.A.F. was established in April 1918, Angus was also serving in England, as a Staff Officer (3rd Class) in Area Headquarters.

Post-War Service
Angus was discharged from full time R.A.F. service on 11 January 1920. He became a Secretary and Confidential Clerk and found his way back to the Territorial Army, where he served as a Captain in the 8th Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Defence Force) from 9 April 1921 to 13 July 1921. Angus was finally retired due to age limit (he was 46), retaining the rank of Captain, in May 1921.

The indomitable Angus re-engaged for service as a Captain in the 1st Stirling Home Guard during the Second World War, at which time he would have been in his late sixties. He died on 17 April 1955, aged 80, and was buried in Stirlingshire. His gravestone lists his rank, service in the Seaforth Highlanders and the Royal Flying Corps, and his D.C.M.