Frederick
Hitch was born a shoemaker’s son
In
Southgate, a hamlet to the north of London
It
was eighteen fifty-six on a November day
Born
to a large Victorian family as was the way
Fred
didn’t wish to follow in his father’s trade
So
as a builders laborer his way was made
But
when he was barely twenty years of age
He
was finding it tough to earn a decent wage
So
to petty crime as extra income he sought
But
he soon found himself up before the court
To
the judge he pleaded guilty for his crime
His
sentence, join the army or serve prison time
A
Victorian prison was the harshest punishment
So
as hobsons choice he chose to join a regiment
Two
days later private Frederick Hitch was put
In
the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Regiment of Foot
Very
soon they were on their way to South Africa
And
they all set sail on the Troopship Himalaya
Reaching
Simon's Bay and East London town
They
were sent on trains to King William's Town
This
was known locally as “White Man's Grave”.
The
regiment marched from here for several days
To
find the Galekas and the rebellion crush
Soon
they skirmished in the dense Petrie Brush
There
were further battles on that day before
Chief
Sandili was defeated in the last, Kaffir War.
For
several months stationed at Mount Kempt
There
were few things, for a young man to temp
It
was a tough way of life to earn a penny a day
But
Fred still sent some home to mother anyway
By
this time the Zulu nation had reached its peak
No
other African tribes had any strength to speak
Only
the “red soldiers” could ever be a threat
And
soon the 24th foot would their orders get
Lord
Chelmsford led the army to the other side
To
wage a war across the buffalo river wide
Defeat
at Isandhlwana and Chelmsfords shame
Then
too Rorkes Drift the victorious Zulu’s came
At
the drift a hospital and Swedish mission stood
To
be defended by only a few if they could
Less
than one hundred and fifty made the stand
To
fight the Zulu impi of more than four thousand
Young
private Frederick Hitch was one such man
Who
with his comrades stood fast and never ran
Fred
was ordered to the roof to act as a lookout
Firing
the first three shots at the enemy without
During
the fray comrade’s fell to left and right
As
wave upon wave of warriors came to fight
Private
hitch was shot through his shoulder blade
And
a comrade helped him as his dressing made
Doing
his best to help his soldier brothers
He
then began serving ammunition to the others
Then
exhaustion washed over him like a flood
And
finally, he collapsed from loss of blood
He
awoke confused finding himself in a stable
With
victory won and awaiting the surgeon table
After
Durban hospital care neath the southern star,
He
was finally sent home aboard the ship Tamar
He
was at Netley Hospital on his return to England
His
Victoria Cross was given by Victoria’s own hand
But
yesterday’s hero was tomorrows unemployed
A
medical boards decision Fred could not avoid
Unfit
for duty and discharged from his regiment
With
his medal and a pension, he had to be content
In
July of eighteen eighty-one he married Emily
They
move to Portchester Square to raise a family
Working
at the Imperial Institute as Commissionaire
His
V.C. was stolen while his tunic hung on a chair
After
twenty years and just as many occupations
Fred
with his family growing changed vocations
He
invested in a hackney carriage and horse
Then
a little later he owned a motor car of course
Fred
finally received his replacement Victoria Cross
Three
pounds, seven shillings and sixpence the cost
Only
the second person ever to receive a duplicate
But
the first to be charged a fee even to this date
On
January 5th 1913 Fred Hitch died in his sleep
Leaving
behind eight children and a wife to weep
At
his funeral, his coffin on gun carriage borne
With
dignity and reverence the people mourn
Thousands
came despite the cold and the biting rain
To
say goodbye to the hero and remember him again
The
gun carriage was flanked by Army outriders
Fred's
cab came next manually pulled by taxi drivers
A
boy scouts’ troop and the Chiswick firefighters
And
a firing party from the South Wales Borderers
Two
thousand cab drivers bringing up the rear
Respects
and Tributes to pay from far and near
A
memorial was erected to mark Fred’s Grave
At
Chiswick cemetery befitting a soldier brave
On
top of granite block some seven-foot in height
The
Union Jack carved with a sun helmet in site
The
helmet bears the badge of Hitch's old regiment
Finally
in bronze the cross and palm leaf represent
After
more than eighty-five years of standing sentinel
The
magnificent monument fell victim to a criminal
The
memorial found vandalized when visitors went
Even
the sun helmet stolen that adorned the monument
Also,
years had left stonework lacklustre on the edifice
And
the once bright bronze work tainted by Verdigris
Thanks
to Chiswick Council and the British Legion
The
monument restored and fit for rededication
In
Nineteen ninety-nine on Rorke’s Drifts day of glory
The
gathered crowd remembers the Fred Hitch story
