Names of the men who died with Allan Wilson
All the young men who died with Allan Wilson.
Trooper William Abbott
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born at Thornthwaite, Cumberland.
Son of Joseph Abbott of High Hill,
Keswick. Emigrated to S.A 1889. Came to Mashonaland about 1892. Before
the war he had been mining at Mazoe
Trooper William Bath
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born 1856 in Middlesex.
Son of J Bath. Educated in Commercial Schools, Clapham.
Emigrated to S.A 1876. Came to Mashonaland June 1893. Fought with Allan
Wilson in the Basutoland Campaign 1879 in the storming of Morosi’s
mountain.
Sergeant William Henry Birkley.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born 1862 in London.
Educated at Reading Grammer School.
Emigrated to S.A 1884.
Captain Henry John Borrow.
Born 17th March 1865.
Eldest son of Rev H.J Borrow, formerly Rector of Lanier, Cornwall.
He was educated at Tavistock Grammer School where he, Captain Greenfield
and Sherborne we’re contemporaries.
He emigrated to S.A with his father in 1882.
After quiet start with Ostrich farming he joined Carrington’s Horse and
had an exciting career as a soldier and explorer.
As Adjutant to the Pioneer Column in 1890 he became very prominent in
Mashonaland and was in business in Salisbury when war broke out.
As a side...Borrow was engaged to Lucy Drake who had arrived from S.A in
January 1892. After Borrow’s death she returned to England in 1895. As
Mrs Lucy Beatrice Jackson she celebrated her 100th birthday in 1968 in a
nursing home in Britain. She wrote to Queen Elizabeth’s secretary
refusing the customary Royal congratulatory telegram citing her reason
was because in a speech the queen referred to the Rhodesians as “rebels”
She told a local British newspaper that she had advised the queen’s
secretary that she was ‘’half South aAfrican and the rest of me is
rebel’ therefore she was not entitled to a telegram “although” she said
“it’s not much good being a rebel at my age, l can’t really do anything
about it but, l can still think rebellious thoughts”
Sergeant Clifford Bradburn,
Victoria Rangers. Born 17th December 1868 at Moseley, Birmingham. Son of
Mr Alfred Braeburn.
Educated at Queen’s College, Birmingham. Emigrated to S.A 1890. Came to
Mashonaland 1893. Had been prior in the Cape mounted Rifles.
Trooper William Henry Britton.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born 1870 at Halstead, Essex where he was educated. Emigrated to S.A
1889 or 1890
Trooper Edward Brock.
‘B’ Troop Salisbury Horse
(no further information on him)
Sergeant Harold Alexander Brown.
Victoria Rangers. Educated at Harrow and Exeter College, Oxford.
Travelled to Albania, Asia Minor, Egypt and Morocco. Member of Pioneer
Column. (Sorry no dates)
Corporal Frederick Crossley Colquhoun.
Victoria Rangers. Born 1867 in Edinburgh. Son of F.C Colquhoun,
Assistant Commissary-General who served in the Crimea.
Educated at Bedford Modern School. Emigrated to S.A 1887. Member of the
Pioneer Column
1890.
Trooper Philip Wouter De Vos.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
(no further information on him)
Trooper L. Dewis.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
(no further information on him)
Trooper Dennis Michael Cronly-Dillon.
Signaller, Victoria Rangers. Born 1868 at Burdwan, India. Son of J.C
Cronly-Dillon, Postmaster-General of the Punjab. Educated St Edmunds
College, Herefordshire and Stonyhurst College. Emigrated to S.A 1888.
Member of the Pioneer Column 1890. A good scholar and athlete, Dennis
was the youngest soldier with Allan Willson.
Captain Frederick Fitzgerald.
Commanded No 1 Troop, Victoria Rangers. Previously Sub-Inspector BSAP
Company’s Police at Victoria. Born in Ireland.
(no dates)
Captain Harry Moxon Greenfield,
Quartermaster, Victoria Rangers.
Born 1861 at Tavistock, Devon. Son of T.W Greenfield. Educated Tavistock
Grammar school and the IndependentCollege, Taunton. Emigrated to S.A.
Came to Mashonaland 1891. Was married with two children.
Troop Sergeant-Major Sidney Charles Harding. Victoria Rangers. Born 1861
in Kensington London....
Son of Colonel Charles Harding. Hon. Colonel of the 4th V.B Queen’s
Royal West Regiment. West Surrey. England
Educated at Felsted School and St Johns College, Cambridge. Emigrated to
S.A. Came to Mashonaland 1893.
Trooper Harold John Hellet. Victoria Rangers.
(no other information on him)
Lieutenant Arend Hermanus Hofmeyr. No 4 Troop. Victoria Rangers. Son of
a clergyman of the Dutch Reformed Church in Cape Colony. (no dates)
Lieutenant George
Hughes. No 1 Troop. Victoria Rangers. Son of an Irish Methodist
Minister. Educated at the Methodist College, Belfast and the Royal
University of Ireland. Emigrated, first to America and later to S.A.
Member of the Pioneer Column 1890.
Captain William Joseph Judd.
Commanded No 4 Troop, Victoria Rangers. Originally from Cape Colony.
Member of the Pioneer Column. Had a transport business who’s
Headquarters was at Victoria. Was elected Commandant of local Burghers.
Corporal Harry Graham Kinlock.
‘B’ Troop Salisbury Horse. Born 1863 at Norwood, Surrey, England.
Educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. Came to Mashonaland
about 1891. Was a successful Solicitor in Salisbury and had been a good
athlete, cricketer and ex-amateur champion lightweight boxer.
Captain Argent Blundell Kirton. Born at Portsmouth Hants., England 6th
February 1857. Educated at St Paul’s Grammer School, Cosham. Kirsten
arrived in S.A in 1873 and farmed in the Bush-veld near Zeerust. He knew
Mashonaland and Matabeleland well in pre-Company days and “was on terms
of intimacy with Lobengula”. At the outbreak of the Matabele war he was
Officer-in-Charge of Transport. Victoria Range. On arrival at Bulawayo
in November 1893 he volunteered to join the Pursuit Column.
Trooper George Sawers Mackenzie
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse,
Born in Murree, Punjab in 1860. Emigrated to S.A 1889. Came to
Mashonaland with the Pioneer Column. Was an assault with the Zambesia
Exploration Company.
Trooper Mathew Meiklejohn.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse, Originally from Cape Town.
(no additional information)
Trooper Harold Dalton Watson Moore Money
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born 1872 at Tulpigori Bengal.
Son of Major-General R.C Money. Educated at Wellington College.
Emigrated to S.A (as protege of Captain Borrow) in May 1893. Came of a
military family but failed Sandhurst. He was one of seven who made up a
Public Schools Mess in Borrow’s Troop.
Trooper Percy Crampton Nunn.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse, Born 1855 at Bury St Edmunds. Son of R Nunn.
Professor of Music. Emigrated to S.A about 1881.
Trooper Alexander Hay Robertson.
Victoria Rangers.
(no other information on him)
Trooper John (Jack) Robertson. Victoria Rangers.
Born 1867 at Auchnayle Pitlochry. Son of John Robertson. Emigrated to
S.A about 1887.
Trooper William Alexander Thomson.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born in 1871 in Aberdeen. Educated at Elgin Academy. Emigrated to S.A
1889. Came to Mashonaland 1891.
Trooper Henry St John Tuck.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born 1868. Son of W.H Tuck, M.A. Educated at lancing College and in
Germany. Emigrated to S.A 1889. Member of the Pioneer Column 1890.
Trooper Frank Leon Vogel.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Born 21st October 1870 in Auckland New Zealand. Second son of Hon. Sir
Julius Vogel, K.C.M.G. Educated at Charterhouse. Came to Mashonaland
1891. Had been in the London Office of the Chartered Company then, in
the Survey Dept in Salisbury and finally as Acting Assistant-Secretary
to the Administrator Dr. Jameson.
Trooper Henry George Watson.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
(no further information on him)
Trooper Thomas Colclough Watson.
‘B’ Troop, Salisbury Horse.
Son of Colonel T.J. Watson.
Educated at Wellington College. Emigrated to Mashonaland 1891 after
residence in Tasmania and India.
Trooper Edward Earle Welby.
Victoria Rangers.
(no additional information on him)
33 REAL men listed. Men who who were adventurous and with a zest for
life.
May they be remembered as “brave amongst all men"
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ALLAN WILSON (1856-1893)
Allan Wilson was born at Glen Urquhart, Rosshire, Scotland in 1956. He
was one of a large family whose father, Robert Wilson was a road,
railway and bridge contractor. Allan was educated mainly at the Grammar
School Kirkwall, Orkney and the Mines Institute, Fochabers.
Wilson was average in class, he emigrated to S.A in 1878 after he had
completed his apprenticeship in a local bank. He was engaged to Mary M.
Thomson of neighbouring Balnacoal. Though not a great games player he
was always a leader on the field and was very keen on athletes, cricket
and highland gathering.
Smit refers to an incident in his school days when he and his friends
were surrounded by hostile schoolboys from another school. He was
advised to “run for it” but replied “Na, we winna rin “ Fochabers
memorial to him is a drinking fountain opposite the entrance to Gordon
Castle which he knew well. The castle is the seat of the Duke of
Richmond and Gordon who chose the design of the memorial.
John Meikle (1868-1949) said that Wilson (in those days of hard
drinking) at Fort Victoria was always “the noisiest of lot” yet...never
drunk anything stronger than Ginger Ale.
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AND NOW FOR THE MEN IN BACKGROUND
Lobengula.
Succeeded his father (Mzilikazi) as king of the Matabele in 1870.
Dr Leander Starr Jameson was the Administrator for the BSAC in
Mashonaland and organiser of the invasion. He was jailed for a year in
1895 after the fiasco of the Jameson Raid on Johannesburg. He later
became Prime Minister in Cape Parliament from 1904-1908. In 1910 he
became President of the BSAC. He died in London in 1917.
Major Patrick Forbes (1861-1922) was the leader of the invasion of
Matabeleland and took a lot of criticism after it’s failure. He held
several posts after 1893 but eventually returned to England in 1903.
Captain Charles Lenny. (1863-1894) was in charge of the artillery
Victoria Column. He was a fitness fanatic and one of his favourite past
times was in putting the shot. Shortly after the SHANGANI campaign at an
impromptu sports meeting he strained his intestine while “putting the
shot” and died shortly after from peritonitis.
Major Sir John Willoughby. Arrived with the Pioneers attached to the
police contingent and was very active in developing the country. He was
Military advisor to Forbes. Many thought he should have drawn more
attention to the many risks in the campaign or.....maybe he did.
Commandant Pieter Raaf. Served with bravery and distinction in numerous
South African wars. He led the contingent from Fort Tuli and played a
leading part in the retreat from the SHANGANI disaster.
Captain Maurice Heany (1856-1927) was an American who, as an original
Pioneer helped much in the early days of the settlement. He was the
senior officer in the Army Troop from Salisbury.
Captain John Spreckley (1865-1900) was a very popular Pioneer who was in
command of ‘B’ Troop from Salisbury. He was killed in action near
Pretoria.
Lt-Col. Goold-Adams was the overall commander of the Southern Column and
although not needed this force was always available.
Sir Henry Lock (1827-1900) was the High Commissioner in the South Africa
and a staunch IMPERIALIST and NO lover of the BSAC.
Frederick R. Burnham (1861-1947)
was an American with great experience as a scout. It was he whom Allan
Wilson sent back to report to Forbes of his position before the
slaughter took place. He lived for 54 more years after the SHANGANI
incedent and wrote several books on his life.
AND LASTLY
James Dawson (852-1921) James was a trader and advisor to Lobengula. He
was the one who buried the remains of the Wilson part and persuaded many
of Lobengula’s Indunas to come in for talks. It was he, at the sight of
Wilson’s last stand, who carved in a tree “To brave men”. He eventually
married Allan Wilson’s fiancée.
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Acknowledgemet: Liam Cronly-Dillon