Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry
The entry into Ladysmith, with its enthusiasm and meeting of old friends, formed a fitting end to the battalion’s Natal campaign. Hardly any other unit in the army had suffered such casualties. Only five company officers marched through Ladysmith with it. The others had been killed, wounded or disabled.’ (Ibid)
In June 1900, while serving during operations in Orange River Colony, Venour was admitted to hospital and eventually invalided home. He was employed by the West African Frontier Force from 1 May 1901 to 15 May 1904, serving in 1901-02 in Southern Nigeria, with the Aro Expedition, in command of a column; was slightly wounded and mentioned in despatches (clasp). A report on the operations of the Aro Field Force is given in the despatch of Commissioner R. Moor, published in the London Gazette of 12 September 1902, starting with with its goals:
‘The objects of the expedition were: a) To abolish the slave trade which was actively carried on throughout the entire territories belonging to, and dominated by the Aro tribe. b) To abolish the fetish of the Aros known as “Long Juju,” which, by superstition and fraud caused many evils amongst the Ibo tribes generally, and to all the outlying tribes of the entire protectorate, who continually appealed to it. While this Juju existed it was impossible to establish effective government in the territories. c) To open up the whole of the Ibo country lying between the Cross River and the Niger to civilisation and trade of collecting the natural products of their country and developing it to the best advantage. d) To introduce a currency in lieu of slaves, brass rods, and other forms of native currency that existed in the territories, and which from their nature and cumbersomenes were opposed to advance in any direction. e) Finally, to establish throughout the territories a labour market to take the place of slavery.
A few days before the operations commenced a most deplorable massacre of some 400 men, women and children, mostly women and children, was carried out in the hinterland of the Opobo district, at a town called Obegu. The Aros had long threatened to attack the tribes friendly to the government, and though the people of Obegu had been warned to keep careful watch, they were unfortunately caught napping by a conglomerate force of the various sections of the Aro tribe, together with other Ibos unfriendly to them, and their town was destroyed with the slaughter of the people above mentioned. This gave another object and duty to the Field Force, viz., that of capturing and bringing to justice the natives responsible for this bloodthirsty massacre, in the carrying out of which one section of the Aro tribe alone, the Abams, who were great head hunters, are reported to have obtained 200 heads...’
And later continuing:
‘I am able to state with certainty that the objects of the expedition detailed in paragraph 2 of this despatch have been effectively carried out in so far as could be done by military operations. The slave trade has been abolished, the evil fetish of the Aro tribe has been broken, the entire colony has been opened up, and the natives are already beginning to engage in legitimate trade in place of the traffic in human beings, and a currency of British coinage has been introduced which the natives are now gladly accepting in lieu of slaves, brass rods, manillas etc.’
An enclosure within the same despatch, given by Lieutenant-Colonel A. F. Montanaro, providing more of the military particulars of the expedition, brings to notice Captain Vernour:
‘The country becoming now fairly open, the enemy was slowly driven back on his final position. Here he made a determined stand, and our fire appeared to make no impression, Major Heneker decided to outflank him simultaneously on both flanks. This movement was carried out by Captain Venour, D.S.O., who, working his men round through the scrub thereby exposed a long line of deep trenches to enfilade fire. The ‘Cease Fire’ was then sounded and the whole line advancing, charged into the trenches and turned the enemy out at the point of the bayonet...
Captain W. J. Vernour, D.S.O., Royal Dublin Fusiliers. A hard working, reliable officer. He commanded the Advance Guard at the taking of Aro-Chuku, when he handled his men with such skill that that I selected him to command a column which did very good work.’
He received the Brevet of Major on 17 April 1902, and served later the same year in command of operations in the Nsit Country (clasp).
Completing his tour in Southern Nigeria, he served at the Regimental Depot, Naas, Ireland from 31 December 1904 and as Adjutant, Militia and Adjutant, Special Reserve from 13 January 1906, becoming Major on 17 August 1908 and was with the 1st Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers in the Madras Presidency from 9 February 1913, in command of detachments.
He died on 6 April 1914. Sadly, too, his older brother, Lieutenant-Colonel W. E. Venour, 58th Vaughan’s Rifles, was killed in action at Givenchy-les-Labasse in October 1914, shot by Germans dressed in Gurkha uniforms taken from the dead.
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