PAST EVENTS
Fellow-member Carol Smale provided an object lesson on how just a little family research Can open up new historical vistas when she addressed our March gathering on the subject of TROOPER S.B. JONES. She and her husband, Graham, had accepted the invitation to attend the Talana memorial week-end and enquired from the curator of the Talana Museum, Miss Pam McFadden, whether she knew anything about Samuel Ben-jamin Jones, Carol's grandfather, who had been awarded a medal as he was a member of the town guard of Dundee, which took part in the battle of Talana. It then transpired that Carol and Pam were related by virtue of the fact that Carol's grandfather and Pam's great-grandfather were brothers.
Carol's own great-grandfather, also Samuel Benjamin Jones, had signed on in Canterbury with the Cape Mounted Riflemen (Imperial) and in 1842 marched with a detachment of his regiment and the 27th Regiment under Captain Smith from its garrison-town of Kingwilliamstown to Port Natal to secure Natal as a British colony. In 1847 Cape Mounted Riflemen (Imperial) established the first defensive post, Van Vuuren's, against the Bushman raiders of the Drakensberg. That same year they galloped at the heels of energetic and dramatic Sir Harry Smith as he declared the Sovereignity of the O.F.S. - Then they rode back to fight the victorious battle of Boomplaats against Andries Pretorius. In 1851 a detachment of the regiment was sent up to establish the first military post at Ladysmith on the Klip River. In 1832 Samuel married Mary Anne Jacobs and over the next twenty years reared a family of five sons and three daughters. He eventually took his discharge from the Cape Mounted Riflemen (Imperial) and settled in the small village of Ladysmith.
The Natal Government was not much concerned about defending this area and only started to think about strengthening the laagers at Ladysmith and Newcastle the year before war was declared on the Zulus. In 1873 a few volunteers formed themselves into the Buffalo Border Guard and in October 1875 the Newcastle Mounted Rifles were formed from volunteers mostly drawn from the town of Newcastle.
They provided their own horses and uniforms and the government provided the arms and ammunition. They were under the command of Charles Bradstreet and Charles, the eldest Jones boy, was second in command. They were about 40 strong. In October 1878 young Samuel Benjamin, Carol's gradfather, joined the Newcastle Mounted Rifles as a trooper and was promptly attached to the transport column operating from Col Wood's base at Utrecht.
Carol then presented a fascinating account, based on the reminiscences of Trooper S.B. Jones which are now preserved in the Killie Campbell Africana Library. His unit was part of No 3 Column which invaded Zululand from Rorke's Drift. He took part in the attack on the day of the battle of Isandlwana, witnessed the state of the camp after the battle and returned with the main body to Rorke's Drift on the morning after the defence.
Additional interest in the subject of Carol's talk was created by a display of old photographs, newspaper cuttings and memorabilia. Among the latter two items were particularly noteworthy; one was a military pass in the name of S.B. Jones signed by Captain Percy Scott (of Boer War gun-carriage fame) and the other a letter from Lady Symons, thanking Trooper Jones for a letter of condolence he had written to her on the death of General Sir William Penn Symons.
This talk was highly successful as it stimulated a great amount of questioning and discussion involving even some of our professional historians. Ken Gillings moved a well-deserved vote of thanks.
COLONEL EVELYN WOOD
Some questions were asked about Colonel Wood whom Trooper Jones described as "a dear old man". These are the facts: At the commencement of the Zulu War this "dear old man" was only FORTY-ONE years old! Henry Evelyn Wood was born in England on 9.2.1838 and died there on 2.12.1919. He became a midshipman in 1854; served in the Crimea in 1855. He became an officer in the 13th Light Dragoons and won the V.C. during the Indian Mutiny in 1858. He fought in the Ashanti Campaign and in the suppression of the Ngqika rebellion (9th Kaffir War); 1879 Zulu War; 1880-81 First Boer War; 2iC to General Colley, and after Colley's death became administrator of Natal and High Commissioner of S.E. Africa. 1882 commanded 4th Brigade in Egypt, Arabi Pasha rebellion. 1893 War Office, Quartermaster-General, 1897 Adjutant-General, 1895 General, 1903 Field-marshal. K.C.B. (1879), G.C.M.G. (1882), G.C.B. (1891).
FUTURE EVENTS
CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF NATAL AND ZULULAND
On the occasion of its 75th Anniversary the University of Natal is holding a Conference on the History of Natal and Zululand from 2nd to 4th July, 1985. For further particulars please contact The Secretary, Department of History, University of Natal, King George V Ave, Durban, 4001.
PROGRAMME OF MONTHLY GET-TOGETHERS
APRIL 11TH COLONEL FREDDIE HODGSON will present a slide talk entitled "MONS AND LE CATEAU - 70 YEARS LATER".
May 9th Midge Carter will talk on "Gaudalcanal - Stalingrad of the Pacific".
June 13th George Ponsford will talk about his WWII experiences with the 1st Canadian Division in Italy 1943/44.
July 11th Commandant Justin Hulme JCD will talk on "The Irregular Soldiers of the 8th Kaffir War.
August 15th Our National Chairman Major Darrell Hall will address us on "The Secret War 1939-1945".
September 5th Fellow-member from Cape Town, Dr. Frank Mitchell, will present a slide talk on Andrew Beauchamp Proctor, V.C., DSO, MC bar, DFC, 8th Sqn R.F.C., South Africa's most decorated hero.
WELCOME
A warm welcome is extended to new members Mr and Mrs. L.R. Baker, Mr. and Mrs. K. Dixon and Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Nixon.
(Mrs) Tania van der Watt,
Secretary, Durban Branch,
S.A. Military History Society,
Box 870, HILLCREST, 3650.
Tel. (031) vvvvvv