South African Military History Society

Albany Anglo-Boer War Memorial


Photo: Pat Irwin

Location
Situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

The Albany Anglo-Boer War Memorial is at the intersection of High Street and Bathurst Street in Grahamstown

GPS 33 deg 18 min 33.49 sec S, 26 deg 31 min 42.58 sec E

Significance
The Memorial has statue of a Winged figure of Peace holding a wreath over a dead soldier


Photo: Pat Irwin

The Memorial is dedicated:
TO THE BRAVE MEN 
OF 
ALBANY
WHO DIED FOR THE EMPIRE 
DURING THE ANGLO-BOER WAR
1899-1902


The south face has a bronze casting of a First City Volunteers Grahamstown
coat of arms, a large bunch of flowers and a wreath
Photo: Pat Irwin


Photo: Pat Irwin

The North face records the Roll of Honour of the Men of the Albany district who died serving in the following units:

Albany District Mounted Troops
Imperial Light Horse
Cape Police
Plumer's Column
Rimington's Guides
Intelligence Department
French's Scouts
Protectorate Regiment
Gorringe's Flying Column
Alexandria District Mounted Troops
Queenstown Rifle Volunteers
Kitchener's Fighting Scouts
Bechuanaland Rifles
Thorneycroft's Horse


View of the Memorial from the north
Photo: William Martinson


The West face records the Roll of Honour of the Men of the Albany district
who died serving in Nesbitt's Horse and the Midland Mounted Rifles
Photo: Pat Irwin


The East face records the Roll of Honour of the Men of the Albany district
who died serving in the First City Volunteers and Marshall's Horse
Photo: Pat Irwin


Photo: Pat Irwin

Rudyard Kipling specially composed the inscription on the south face of the pedestal for this memorial

THEY CAME OF THAT SAME STUBBORN STOCK THAT STOOD
AT RUNNIMEDE FOR FREEDOM WITHOUT FEAR;
WHEREFORE THEY GAVE THE TREASURE OF THEIR BLOOD 
TO STABLISH FREEDOM HERE


Photo: Pat Irwin

The inscription on the east side of the pedestal commemorates:
CHARLES HERBERT MULLINS VC, CMG
MAJOR IMPERIAL LIGHT HORSE
DIED MAY 24 1916 FROM THE EFFECTS OF A WOUND
RECEIVED AT MARITSANE MAY 16 1900

Charles Mullins (1868-1916) was an Old Andrean from Saint Andrew's College, Grahamstown. He won the Victoria Cross during the Anglo-Boer War at the Battle of Elandslaagte on 21 October 1899, where he was wounded. He was seriously wounded at Maritsane south of the besieged Mafeking on the day before the siege was lifted.


The panel on the north face of the plinth depicts a mounted man
taking leave of his farm, staff and animals
Photo: Pat Irwin


The panel on the south face depicts men in action in a mounted attack on a Boer defensive position.
Photo: Pat Irwin

The memorial was unveiled by the Governor, Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson and paid for by "money provided by free will offerings of the citizens and of the members of the various Corps, to the honour of whose dead comrades the Memorial is erected."

The sculptor of the bronze art works was Stanley Nicholson Babb (1874-1957) of England.

South African Military History Society / scribe@samilitaryhistory.org