PAST EVENTS

Fellow-member, Codt Justin Hulme, used his recently published "Provisional List of Officers of the Irregular Forces of the Cape of Good Hope", who served in THE EIGHTH KAFFIR WAR, 1850-1853, as the background to his talk on this particular war. It distinguished itself from the other frontier wars (there were nine altogether) by having been the longest and by having been fought over an area larger than all others. The War began on the 24th December 1850 and lasted until early 1853. To begin with the only military forces available to the Colonial Government were the regular troops of the British Army stationed in the Cape Colony and the Kaffir Police.

The latter soon proved unreliable and was disbanded. The British garrison was far too small in number to fight the war on its own and, as had happened in all the previous conflicts on the Eastern Cape Frontier, local forces had to be recruited. After their experiences in the 7th Kaffir War, the response of the burgher commandos of the Western Cape was negative and the Colonial Government was obliged to extemporise a very heterogeneous military force to supplement the British regular garrison. The troops raised locally were of all colours and came from diverse social groups: white Burgher commandos from the Eastern Cape, white Volunteer units and levies of Fingoes, Hottentots (Coloureds), loyal Africans, Whites and even Bushmen.

Sir Harry Smith thus had at his disposal some 6 000 regular imperial troops, 1 000 Cape Mounted Riflemen (C.M.R.) and close on 7 000 burgher and other levies; but more than half of this strength was required for garrison duties, safeguarding all the towns and settlements, leaving him with a field force of not more than 5 000 men in an operational area at least one and a half times the size of the British Isles.

Our speaker dealt in some detail with the service conditions, pay and rations. Soldiers were paid one shilling per day out of which five pence were deducted for rations, which very often were quite irregularly received. Burgher levies had to supply their own horses, saddles and bridles, but received some compensation for the use thereof. By comparison, the Hottentot Levies were enrolled on quite liberal terms, which provided for a bounty of £2 for six month's service, in addition to the payment of sixpence per day, plus the usual rations, free clothing, arms and accoutrements. They were also offered a liberal allowance of cattle at the conclusion of the campaign, if their services had been satisfactory. Cattle raiding has always been an essential feature in the wars between whites and blacks. All families were to receive rations during the absence of the family heads.

Of interest also were references to individuals whose names, for some reason or another, have been remembered in the country's history, such as John Montagu, Thomas Baines, John Blades Currie, Maj Blakeway, Stubbs, Loxton and Thomas Bowker. The latter was mentioned particularly in connection with the battles of Whittlesea, and the attack on the nearby Moravian mission station, Shiloh, where the missionaries caused the thatched roof of their fortified church to be covered with a layer of clay, which successfully saved the building from being put to the torch.

This talk made it obvious that the history of the Frontier Wars presents a wealth of interesting facts and merits much closer attention by us, as we Natalians tend to become too parochial as a result of our own Zulu and Anglo-Boer war heritage.

Following question time recently deserted fellow-member M.C. (Midge) Carter, who paid us a surprise visit from Australia, conveyed the appreciation of the audience to our speaker, and at the same time enlightened us on his military history activities in his new home country.

FUTURE EVENTS

Members are reminded of the proposed outing by the Ladysmith Historical Society to Sirayo's Kraal on Sunday, May 22nd 1988. As an affiliated body our members and their friends are welcome to attend. Our own planned outing to DUNDEE over the weekend 11/12 June will be covered in detail in the May news sheet. Basic information supplied at this stage is that the RV will be in Dundee about midday on Saturday, 11th; that partlclpants must make their own bookings of accommodation (the Royal Hotel - Tel 0341-22... - has offered us a special weekend Concessional rate); that a "bring and braai" function will be held in the Talana Museum grounds on Saturday night.

Programme of Monthly Meetings:

Next Meeting         The date of the next meeting is 19 May 1988, which is the THIRD THURSDAY and will take the form of a conducted visit to the Natal Field Artillery HQ. Rendezvous is at 19h30 at the Drill Hall in Old Fort Road. Please bring some personal ID document to gain admission into the security area. The visit will feature a talk on the history of the Drill Hall, a tour of the 25-pdr gun park, the NFA officers mess (mess silver), and the Warrant Officer and Senior Sergeants' Mess containing a magnificent collection of badges and where the bar will be opened.

June 9th         Lt Col Eric Evans, former Commander of the Rhodesian Artillery will deliver an illustrated slide talk on "The History of the Rhodesian Artillery" (including the raids into Moçambique.)

July 21st          Please note that this is the third Thursday.
Major Darrell Hall - A series of 4 slide shows dealing with visits to Duxford RAF Station, HMS Belfast and the 25th Anniversary of the Commando Gunners. The 4th item comprises the story of WWI in songs and pictures.

August 11th         Fellow-member Dr. Gerry Brereton-Stiles will give an illustrated slide talk on Battles of the Middle Ages in Britain.

September 8th nbsp;        Fellow-member Ken Gillings will give an illustrated talk on "The Battle of Mome Gorge" (Bambata Rebellion).

October 13th nbsp;        Fellow-member Ian Sutherland will give a talk, entitIed "The Escape of HMS Amythest" (Yangtse River, China).

The venue for all meetings is the Lecture Room, lower ground floor, 'SB' Bourquin Building, (NPA Community Services Building), on the corner of Jan Smuts Highway and Buro Crescent, Mayville, commencing at 19h30.

(Mrs) Tania van der Watt,
Secretary, Durban Branch,
S.A. Military History Society,
Box 870, HILLCREST, 3650.
Tel. (031) vvvvvv