TOPIC:

Was Englishman Fred Brandon an innocent dupe who, married to a Dutch girl, found himself on the wrong side of history or was he a naive but willing participant with the Natal Boers against his countrymen. You be the judge.

Frederick James Thomas Brandon

Natal Rebel – Anglo Boer War
Trooper, Natal Carbineers – Bambatha Rebellion

- Natal Medal with clasp 1906 to Tpr. F.J.T. Brandon, Natal Carbineers

Frederick Brandon was born in the West Brompton area of Kensington, Middlesex on 7 September 1866 the son of Thomas Cook Brandon and his wife Amelia born Lacy. Thomas was a successful businessman and a Dealer in Fancy Goods.

The 1871 England census reveals that the family were living at 22 The Groves Bolton’s in Kensington. Thomas, now 4 was joined in the house by his parents and 1 year old sister Eva Lucy. There was also a multitude of servants with Elizabeth Smaler, the Cook and Domestic Servant, Elizabeth Noake, the Housemaid, Elizabeth Raper, the Nurse and Mary Franklin, the Under Nurse all bearing testimony to Mr Brandon’s prosperity. If that wasn’t enough he was also the employer of 10 women and 9 men in his thriving business.

In December 1879 when 12 years of age Frederick became a Scholar aboard H.M.S. “Conway” an old Royal Navy ship under Captain Edward Franklin given to training Cadets for the Merchant Navy. He was to spend time there until November 1882. This period included the 1881 England where Frederick now 14 years old was a Scholar aboard the ship whilst stationed in the Mersey, Liverpool. He would have been one of the Cadets who on 8 September 1881 provided a guard of honour for HRH the Prince of Wales, his wife Princess Alexandra and their children on their visit to Liverpool to open the new Alexandra Dock.

According to both his Naval and School report his ratings on Ability, Application and Conduct varied from Satisfactory to Very Good and he was granted his Certificate on leaving the ship. A nautical life seemed to be to Brandon’s liking and he persevered with it gaining his Certificate of Competency as a Second Mate on 7 April 1887 at the tender age of 21.

What happened to deter him from his chosen path is unclear but Brandon seems to have tired of a life at sea and, still imbued with a spirit of adventure, he decided on a more pastoral environment in the sunny climes of South Africa where he took up farming in the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains in the Colony of Natal near Ladysmith. On 16 January 1893 he married Annie Elizabeth Brandon (born Colling of Colling Pass fame)

The reader would be forgiven for thinking that, with the Anglo Boer War that started in October 1899, a man cut from the bedrock of old England would be among the first to enlist with the Colonial outfits that were being raised with a view to assist the Imperial troops in countering the Boer threat making its way from the Orange Free State over the very mountains close by Brandon’s farm. Not so Frederick Brandon – he found himself on the wrong side of the divide.

A deposition taken by the Assistant Regional Magistrate of Ladysmith, H. Colenbrander, on 13 July 1900 provided a full account, in Brandon’s own words, as to the role (or otherwise) he played in the Boer War. This rather lengthy account is quoted in full below and offers us more than just Brandon’s version of events but also provides the reader with context for the war from the Boer side:

Brandon’s Statement:

“I am a farmer and reside on and own the farm Jackals Spruit, Klip River Division. I remained on my farm with my wife and family when the Boers invaded Natal in October 1899.

In the middle of November a native came to my house with a note signed by one Thomas Dannhauser. I was asked in the letter to come down the Berg to the farm Zuurfontein, as the writer wanted to see me. I saddled up my horse at once and rode down to Zuurfontein, and entered the house of the owner Mr. W. Colling. Dannhauser was at the garden gate to meet me when I arrived. We walked into the house together and sat down in the sitting room. He first asked me if I knew that smallpox was spreading in the district. I replied in the affirmative. He then told me that he had been sent by Ludovic De Jager, at the request of General Schalk Burger, to summon all the Natal farmers who had remained on their farms, to attend a meeting that was to be held at the house of Joseph Jurgens Muller, on the farm Doornkraal, not far from Elandslaagte, for the purpose of taking measures to prevent the spread of the small pox, and also for the purpose of policing the district, to put an end to the constant thefts of stock.

He also told me that the Boer General had said that these were matters for the remaining farmers to attend to, as the Boers could not do the work; besides it was for the benefit of the farmers themselves. I realised that the outbreak of small pox was serious, and consequently told him that I would attend the meeting. He said that everybody would be there, and that the meeting was to take place on, I believe, the 16th November. After this I returned home. I retained the letter that Dannhauser sent me, and still have it in my possession. On the date in question I left my house at daybreak and rode straight to Doornkraal. When I arrived at the house I off-saddled and went into the house. There were quite 50 or 60 people there already, standing talking in and about the house. Amongst them I recognised Hermanus Cronje, C.O. Carbutt, J.L. Marais, Adrian Marais, Lucas Meyer, W. Boshoff, T.G. Colling, Joseph Colling, John Colling, J. Truscott and his son, B.G. Zietsman, Lucas Potgieter, L.J. Muller, T. Dannhauser, Isaac Buijs, one Brown from the Free State, and probably one or two others whose names I forget. Immediately I entered the house Hermanus Cronje came to me and asked me to sign a paper. I said “let me see the paper”. He showed it to me. It was written in High Dutch. I read it. it was a petition addressed to the Boer General, informing him that stock thefts were becoming very numerous, and asking him to allow the local farmers to form a police corps for the purpose of putting a stop to these thefts.

It was well signed. I also signed it. I was told that a Mr Krogh, the Under Secretary for State in the Transvaal would shortly arrive, so in common with the remainder of those present I got into conversation with some of them whilst waiting for him. A lot of small talk was indulged in. Mr Krogh arrived an hour late. He came in a trap. Two others were also in the trap. Otto Krogman, a Natal Dutchman, and another, whose name I do not know. Some half dozen outriders followed, amongst whom were two Z.A.R.P.’s. The trap was outspanned. The party, accompanied by all those present, then proceeded to an open shed near the house. One table and four or five chairs had been placed in the shed for the accommodation of Krogh and his staff. Krogh seemed to assume the duties of chairman as a matter of course. The men gathered round him. He opened the proceedings in High Dutch. I couldn’t understand much of what he said, but I gleaned that he had been deputed by the Boer General to attend the meeting for the purpose of electing a fieldcornet. I understood him to ask the men to give him the names of two men, one of whom was to be elected fieldcornet. The name of Lucas Meyer was first given by Adrian Marais. He shouted the name out. Hermanus Cronje was then proposed. And then another man, Fred Colling, I believe, proposed Otto Krogman. Strips of paper were then torn, and each man went to the table, wrote the name of the man he favoured, folded the paper up, and placed it in Krogh’s hat. I voted for Otto Krogman. When everyone had voted, Krogh took the papers out of the hat, unfolded them, called out the names, and placed them in three heaps in front of him. The voting resulted, after the stranger who came in the trap had counted the votes, as follows: Krogman, 27 votes, Meyer, 24 votes and Cronje, 8 votes. Krogh then declared that Otto Krogman had been elected Fieldcornet. He then called Krogman, shook hands with him very politely, and congratulated him on his success. Krogh then made a long speech. I couldn’t understand much of what he said, but I believe he said that the English Government couldn’t help the farmers now, and that they would have to help themselves.

He spoke a lot and I came to the conclusion that we had been deceived as to the object of the election, as some of the men glancing at each other, and seemed surprised. Krogh then went into the house to dinner. J.J. Muller who was at home supplied it; meanwhile Krogman made out a list of the men he wanted to do this work. We were then all called together and the names were read out. My name was amongst them. We were told to be at Elandslaagte within 24 hours. Some of the men said it was impossible, as they had to fetch clothes, so we were told to be there the following Monday morning, the 20th November, I believe. I then had dinner, and then rode home.

I saddled up my horse on the following Sunday afternoon, and proceeded down the Berg (my farm lies on top of the Drakensberg) taking a change of clothing with me. I called at the farm Waterval, Adrian Marias’, and found him in the house, and then rode down to Joseph Muller’s house, where I slept that night. I found Geo Colling, a young Muller, and Muller’s family at the house. The following morning after breakfast I rode with Joseph Muller to Elandslaagte Station. Geo Colling and two other Muller’s went in front. We rode past J. Truscott’s farm, Elandspruit, where a lot of Dutchmen joined us, about 10 in number. They were armed. We shortly arrived at Elandslaagte Station and off-saddled there. For some reason or other, which I forget, we were detained at Elandslaagte. I rode over to Tijs Krogman’s house with my brother-in-law Fred Colling, and slept there. The next morning we rode back to Elandslaagte, and found that arrangements for our disposal had not been completed. A Krijgs Commisaris was the head Boer there. Otto Krogman told me in the evening that the men would leave the following morning, so I decided to ride over to Fred Collings’ as there was no accommodation at Elandslaagte , all the houses there having been already looted. I accordingly rode over to Collings’ house with him, and slept there. We rode to Rietkuil the next morning, off-saddled at the house of one of the younger Buijs’, and waited for the remainder of the men. They came in about two hours time, when we saddle up again and rode with them, in charge of Otto Krogman to the Hoofdlager. Amongst the number were J.L Marias, Adrian Marias, a Truscott, two young Buijs, Geo Colling, Fred Colling, Smidt (a school master at Lucas Meyer’s, M.B. Walsh, and others whose names I forget or did not know. I ought to mention that we were handed a Mauser Rifle each on the Tuesday afternoon at Elandslaagte. Someone asked for a bandolier, and a man who called himself the Magazine Meester, probably a kind of an Ordnance Officer, replied that bandoliers were not necessary as we were not going to fight.

Having arrived at the Hoodlager we off-saddled on one side of it, and Otto Krogman and some others went to see the Boer General. They came back saying that no arrangements had been made for our disposal, and that we should have to await further instructions. We slept there. I slept in Prideaux Twyman’s wagon, which had been commandeered. The next day Thursday, 23rd November, Krogman and some others went again to interview the Boer General, and came back as far as I recollect saying that two men had been sent out to locate the infected areas and that we should have to wait till they returned. We slept that night at the same place. We stayed there the next day. On Saturday, 25th November Krogman sent me to Elandslaagte to get more food. I offered to go when the idea of sending the wagon was mooted, as I was tired of the inactivity, and also had a presentiment that something out of the common was going to happen, and so wanted to be out of the way. Krogman gave me Willem Meyer’s wagon, with two Kafirs. I arrived at Elandslaagte alright, handed Krogman’s requisition to the Krijg’s Commissaris, obtained the food from the railway shed, loaded up the wagon, and arrived at the Hoofdlager with the same at about nine o’ clock that same night. I passed through a very heavy storm of rain on the way.
I outspanned the wagon, and went to report my return to Krogman. I found to my surprise that nearly all the supposed smallpox guards had left during the day. Smidt aforesaid was the only man I knew by name who had remained. There were not more than 3 or 4. Smidt told me that the Boer General had sent a Boer patrol down to the Mhlumayo and had ordered the smallpox guards to go with them, as they knew the road better than his men. I then went to bed. I waited the next day at the Hoofdlager as Smidt told me that Krogman had told him that I must await his return. I knew that it was no good protesting as being an Englishman I should only be spoken to as a dog. I stayed at the wagon all day. The patrol returned late on Monday night. They woke me up. Geo Colling told me they had lost their way, and that was why they had been away so long.

Tuesday, 28th November, being worn out, they slept all day. I stayed at the wagon. The next day I told Hermanus Cronje that it was about time we commenced our smallpox work. He assented, grumbling about the way they were being treated. He went with some others to see the Boer General, and came back saying, “It’s alright now, now we’re going”. We inspanned and saddled up at once and proceeded to the farm Schaapplaats (Carl Hattingh’s) and slept there. Thursday the 30th November we went to Hattingh’s house offsaddled and found Hattingh at home. A kind of informal meeting was held in the house. It was ascertained that there were four infected areas. It was decided that Krogman should look after two, and Lucas Meyer should also look after a couple. The infected spots were on Doornhoek, Matawan’s Kop, or near thereto, on Hermanus Cronje’s farm, and on Schaapplaats. A lot of discussion ensued, and it was arranged that we should be arranged into four parties, after the Police had been selected. A young Truscott, Lucas Potgieter, and another whom I did not know were made policemen. I should also state that the Boer General had caused F.M. Colling, Adrian Marais, a young Hattingh (son of Carl) a Van Der Westhuizen, and Isaac Buijs to remain at the Hoofdlager for the purpose of searching the kraals of kafirs, as it had been reported that the natives were getting hold of firearms. They also had to do other work. We were then arranged into 4 parties, each person being allowed to be placed in the smallpox camp nearest his own home.

We then proceeded to Elandslaagte, gave up our Mauser rifles, and were armed with Steyr rifles, and then separated, each party going to their respective camps. My party consisting of Geo Colling, J.L. Marais, M.B. Walsh, and myself went to Doornhoek. We slept not far from F.J. Quested’s house on the way. We arrived at Doornhoek the following morning, and found Jurie Swart and Jaco Le Roux already there, they having been placed there a day or two before by Lucas Meyer. This was Friday, 1st December. We instituted proper precautions and formed a quarantine camp. I was elected Corporal, or a kind of Quartermaster Sergeant to attend to the food supply, by my fellow guards. We stayed there until the middle of February. A few changes were made in the personnel of the guards during this period of 2 ½ months. Between 6 and 8 Kafirs died in my camp alone, during this time. They were buried by their fellow patients. We stayed outside the yellow flags, and prevented anyone entering or leaving the infected area. Lucas Meyer gave us our orders. The members of the Boer Irish Brigade gave us a lot of trouble, as they were constantly wandering about the country in search of kafir beer. We had sometimes to shoot at them to keep outside the quarantine lines. The natives were very good and gave us no trouble at all. In the end we stamped out the disease, and after all the inmates of the infected areas were dead or cured, I thoroughly fumigated the survivors, washed their clothes with sheep dip, as well as their huts, and then broke up the camp by order of Krogman. We then all went home after 2 ½ months of this work. The Boers supplied us with food but not with pay. By request of the sick kafirs I frequently applied for the services of a Doctor to attned them. I rode over to Lucas Meyer’s house, and to Krogman at Elandslaagte for this purpose some three or four times, but without result. Krogman told me he had tried to get a Doctor, but couldn’t get one. I used to obtain food supplies from Elandslaagte.

On arrival at my farm I found that my fences had been cut, and that some stock was missing, whilst food supplies were almost nil. I rode down to Lucas Meyer’s and asked him for a pass to go to Newcastle to buy foodstuffs. He gave me a note to General Joubert, and told me to take it to the Hoofdlager, which I did. I met Wessel Rensburg, a Natal farmer there, and he directed me to the General’s tent. I saw Joubert and told him what I wanted. I told him I had been 2 ½ months on the smallpox business. He told me he would give me a pass to take my wagon to Newcastle to purchase food, but that I should have to pay for everything, I took the pass, rode to Elandslaagte, got into the train there and went to Newcastle, sending my wagon as far as Elandslaagte. I purchased provisions at the store of Messrs. Kidd and Dunton, put them into the train and brought them to Elandslaagte where I put them on the wagon. I despatched the wagon home then and also rode home myself, arriving I believe on the 26th February. Everything was quiet at Elandslaagte when I left, no signs of retreat being visible. A couple of days afterwards I heard that Ladysmith had been relieved. The following two days the Natal Boers streamed past my house, fleeing to the Free State. They were all armed, some of the women even having bandoliers across their shoulders. After this the Free State Boers were constantly coming to me to order me to leave the farm. The Transvalers also did so.

I steadfastly refused to do so telling them that my farm was in Natal territory, and that they had no authority to send me away. This continued till the beginning of June. On the 3rd of that month, Sunday, Fieldcornet Rensburg, of the Vrede district and some 15 armed Burgers came to the house and arrested me, telling me to fetch my horse, saddle up and go with them. I protested against this treatment, and asked on what charge was I arrested. They told me I should be told later on. They then took me to a laager on the farm Montreal, and put me in a tent with two other prisoners. The next morning we three were taken to Van Reenen’s in charge of six men. We stopped at De Beer’s Pass on the way. At Van Reenen’s we were placed in a room on the railway station platform, and guarded there all night. The following morning, the 5th of June we proceeded to Harrismith with three new guards and placed in the gaol. About 5 p.m. we were removed to Mrs. Milne’s store where other prisoners of war were confined. A few days after some soldiers were brought to Harrismith from Senekal, when we were all taken to the government school buildings. We were allowed 1 lb of meat and bread daily, the meat was so bad that at last we obtained our food from the hotels, for which we had to pay. On the 5th July Sergt. Nicholl of the Middlesex Yeomanry, C. Barrass, a scout attached to the Hants Yeomanry, and I arranged to try and escape. I told them I would guide them to Ladysmith, as I knew the bye paths in the Drakensberg well. We managed to elude the guards, jumped over the wall at 6.10 p.m., walked away quickly, got out of the town, and made straight for the Berg., avoiding all roads. We crossed the Boer lines one mile north of Van Reenen’s Pass at 4 a.m. the following morning, were challenged by a sentry, fired at within a distance of 30 yards, but not hit. It was bitterly cold. We scrambled through a fence, rushed down the Berg over boulders, through bushes and dongas, and reached the bottom at 6.10 a.m. exactly, having been 12 hours on the move. We now lay in some long grass, and kept a lookout to see if we were followed. Not seeing anyone we walked to the Portsmouth’s. She kindly gave us something to eat, and told us not to lose any time, as the Boers had been twice to her house during the preceding week. So we pushed on, walked down Sandspruit till it crossed the road, and then took the road for the first time. About two miles from the farm Arcadia we met two English guides who brought us to Arcadia where we slept that night, having walked some 55 miles in 25 hours. The military provided us with a scotch cart the following morning, the 7th July, and brought us to Ladysmith.”

As a postscript to this it must be remembered that roughly 10% of the 409 convicted rebels were not Afrikaners. An estimated 19 of these were English, 14 African, six German and two Irish. The English who were convicted of treason fell into four broad categories; those like John Craig and JG Wiggill who had resided in the Republics for long periods; men like FJT Brandon and JP Burns who were married to Afrikaner women; traders such as John Torpey and JW Gowthorpe who did business with the Boers and Afrikaners; and those who were commandeered and forced into duty including T and MC Collyer, GH Shorter and JC Donovan.

Thus it can be seen that Brandon, willingly or unwillingly as it was put, was a combatant on the side of the Boers. In Dr. Johan Wasserman’s thesis entitled “CAUGHT BETWEEN THE BOERS AND THE BRITISH” – NORTHERN NATAL AFRIKANERS AND THE BOER OCCUPATION OF KLIP RIVER COUNTY 1 (OCTOBER 1899-JUNE 1900) there is a section headed:

“The lingering war and Martial Law” which takes what happened to Brandon further with more detail provided:

“The war in Natal did not end when the Boers were driven from the Colony in June 1900. Small scale guerrilla style incursions continued up to the end of the war and were mostly conducted from the cover provided by the Drakensberg and the Vryheid district of the Transvaal.

On 13 August 1900, and again on 21 August 1900, the railway line to the south of Newcastle was destroyed preventing the transfer of rebel prisoners to Pietermaritzburg. One of the most successful of these raids took place, in October 1900, under the Russian, Captain Pokrovsky, who led a group of 50 Natal rebels and members of the Swaziland Police. The posse crossed into Natal via Vants Drift and after cutting the telegraph line between Dundee and Helpmekaar, and taking some horses from Africans and Afrikaners in the area, they proceeded to Wasbank Station. On 26 October 1900 the station was attacked and burnt down, the railway line damaged, and 11 horses belonging to the remount department, taken.

A month later two small commandos invaded Natal from the OFS. On 29 November 1900 one of these commandos, consisting of 50 men, visited Fred Brandons farm Jackals Spruit at the top of Collings Pass. Mrs AW Brandon was alone on the farm at the time because Fred was in prison awaiting trial for high treason. The Boers looted the house and shop and in the process allegedly assaulted Mrs Brandon who did not want to allow them into the house. After threatening that they would come back to burn the farm down, the men returned to the Free State.

What had thus become of Brandon? The actual case that was proven by the Crown found that he had joined the Boers on 15 December 1900 and was guilty of High Treason and sentenced to 1 year imprisonment and a fine of, £100 or a further 3 months in prison. He had taken part in operations at Wasbank, Doornkraal, Elandslaagte, Mhlumayo and around Ladysmith. Appointed as a smallpox guard and he had removed property from the farm Millican.

So there it was – Frederick Brandon had fought for the other side in the Boer War. One could again be forgiven for thinking that, with this as a sword hanging over his head, Brandon would have disappeared into the ether never to be heard from again. After all he was tantamount to being a traitor in the midst of his peers. But Brandon was made of sterner stuff and memories, especially in times of need, are conveniently short.

A mere five months after the conclusion of the Boer War on 18 November 1902 Brandon enlisted with “L” Squadron and with no. 1086 as a Trooper with the Natal Carbineers. Now at the age of 36 he was 5’ 7’’ in height with a 37’’ chest and was recorded as being a Farmer from Jackals Spruit (a fact of which we are well aware).

Five years later Natal was still not a happy place in which to find oneself. Expenses related to the Boer war had drained the Colonial fiscus and the powers-that-be happened upon a Poll Tax to increase revenue. In short this would be a tax levied against all black males over the age of 18 and would be payable to the various Magistrates when they called on their rounds. Quite naturally this didn’t go down too well in some quarters but, for the most part, the Zulu chiefs were quiescent and offered no resistance. This was not true however, of a hot-headed young chieftain called Bambatha – he rose in open revolt and incited many to follow him.

The Militia was called out in February 1906 to suppress the uprising and quieten things down after several Natal Policemen were murdered whilst assisting a Magistrate to collect the tax. The Natal Carbineers were one of these outfits called out at a few hours’ notice on 9 February. The men were on service from that date until they stood down on 31 March of the same year but the rebellion was far from over – it flared up again on a far larger scale in the Umvoti area around Greytown on 17 April and continued until Bambatha’s head had been severed after his capture in the Mome Gorge area of Zululand whence he had fled.

For his services Brandon was awarded the Natal (Rebellion) Medal with the 1906 clasp. He carried on serving with the Natal Carbineers in an Active Citizen Force capacity until taking his discharge on 1 January 1910 when he was 43 years old. Brandon continued to farm in the Ladysmith area. His wife passed away on 8 January 1948 and he was to follow on 13 November 1955. By this time he had moved into Ladysmith and was living at 106 Francis Road. At the age of 89 years and 2 months when he died he was survived by his only surviving child, Sidney Percy Verulam Brandon and his three grandchildren, Edgar Augustus Thomas Brandon, Anna Isabel Retief and Dudley Sidney Percy Brandon. Another son, Edgar Thomas Colin Brandon, had served in German South West Africa in 1915 as a Private, no. 1274 with the Carbineers. He then joined 11th Sqn, Royal Flying Corps as a pilot and was Missing in action on 3 April 1917 at the age of 22.

A wealthy man Brandon left an estate of £16 489. Old wounds had been healed and the past would seem to have been forgotten.

Another fascinating story. Thanks, Rory

It is a great story, Rory! Thank you for recording it here.
Regards
Brett

Thanks Rory another great piece of research.....

Mike

THANK YOU RORY,
I FARM IN THE ELANDSLAAGTE DISTRICT AND FOUND YOUR STORY MOST INTERESTING.I KNOW ALL THOSE FARMS MENTIONED AND MANY OF THOSE NAMES OF THOSE FARMERS, SOME OF WHOSE RELATIVES STILL LIVE IN THIS DISTRICT. ANDRIES KROGMAN FA
THER OF OTTO KROGMAN MENTIONED IN THAT ARTICLE WAS MY GREATGRANDFATHER HE ARRIVED IN DURBAN IN 1840 AND SIGHNED ALLEGIANCE TO THE BRITISH CROWN IN 1843 AND THE BATTLE OF ELANDSLAAGTE TOOK PLACE ON HIS FARM .
WAS YOUR RESEARCH FROM DR JOHAN WASSERMANS.
REGARDS GEORGE MITCHELL-INNES

Hi George

Good to hear from someone who lives in that vicinity. I pass by Elandslaagte almost monthly when en route to Dundee on business.

Please would you provide me with your contact details - this you can do by sending me a Personal Message under your Profile.

I did have a chat to Johann Wasserman who pointed me in the direction of the depositions made by the Natal Rebels in the Archives in Pitermaritzburg where I live.

Regards

Rory