| Webb | Clement Davies | | | He is son of Frederick C Webb, a farmer who settled in SA in 1820. He was educated at the Diocesan College, Rondebosch, and served in the native wars of 1879 and 1880. Clem Webb, as he is popularly called, has resided most of his life in Queenstown, Cape Colony, where he was known as an athlete, gymnast, and boxer. Between the years 1880-1885 he won a number of trophies for these sports, and was captain of the Swifts Football Club (Queenstown) for two years—a club which won every match in 1885 and 1887. He was one of the original committee of the long-famous Wanderers' Sporting Club in Johannesburg, and for two years he won the heavyweight amateur boxing competition, and was never once beaten. Short sight, however, compelled him to give up this form of sport. Mr Webb was sent by the Cape Govt, as one of the representatives of the Cape Court to the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in 1886 (held in London). The discovery of goldfields at Johannesburg so attracted him that he returned to SA, and shortly afterwards took up his residence in Johannesburg. After the Jameson Raid, and during the imprisonment of the Reformers, Mr Webb and a few others formed a secret society, which afterwards developed itself into a branch of the SA League. Mr Webb was the first President, and became a marked man in the Transvaal. He was arrested by the Boers early in 1899, with Major Tom Dodd, for having organised a meeting for the purpose of presenting a petition to the British Vice-Consul on the subject of the murder of Edgar by a Boer policeman; and was tried for high treason against the SAR. Up to the time of the Boer War he took a keen interest in political affairs; spoke at most of the League meetings, and proved himself a good organiser. On the outbreak of the Boer War he joined the ILH as Lieutenant, in F squad, and was amongst the besieged in Ladysmith. He was then promoted to the command of B squad, and went with the regiment to the relief of Mafeking; was taken ill with typhoid and pneumonia, and afterwards detached by Lord Roberts for special duty in Johannesburg, where he was for some time senior officer of the mounted battalion of the Rand Rifles. Mr Webb has now retired from taking any active part in politics or public affairs. He has started a weekly paper, called South African Alines, which is a resurrection of the old South African Mining Journal, and devotes himself entirely to the interests of this paper and the practice of his profession of solicitor and Notary public. He married a Colonial lady in May, 1890. | Imperial Light Horse |
