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Best knowledge is he was John Hugh Walter Makin the first son of Colonel Frank and Louisa Makin of Gawler Sth Aust born on 11/3/1874. Most likely he attended Sandhurst in England and at the cessation of Boer war he was a Captain in charge of a detachment of Kaffir Kop according to a report in the Ballarat paper following his passing in 1921. The article also claimed that the famous Boer General Christiaan de Wet chose to surrender his person to Makin only and not to the higher ranked battalion commander who was also present at the site near Lindley in the Orange Free State when the General handed over his sword.
A brother, Frank Humphrey Makin, fought with an Australian Mounted Rifles unit, and another, Ernest Llewellyn who was full time British Army and became a Colonel in charge of a Regiment quelling the Irish Uprising may also have been at the Boer conflict. Capt. John was a reserve of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and in WW1 spent time on the French Front. The other 2 also participated in WW1.

Hello Lexa.....

I have just gone through the book "Boer War Services of Military Officers of the British and Colonial Armies, etc. and I am sorry but I have not been able to find anyone with the name Makin..... It lists 2 Officers that have the name Makins.....
I have even checked the Colonial ie. Australian and South African raised units and again I am sorry no Makin......


Mike

lexa wrote: Best knowledge is he was John Hugh Walter Makin the first son of Colonel Frank and Louisa Makin of Gawler Sth Aust born on 11/3/1874. Most likely he attended Sandhurst in England and at the cessation of Boer war he was a Captain in charge of a detachment of Kaffir Kop according to a report in the Ballarat paper following his passing in 1921. The article also claimed that the famous Boer General Christiaan de Wet chose to surrender his person to Makin only and not to the higher ranked battalion commander who was also present at the site near Lindley in the Orange Free State when the General handed over his sword.
A brother, Frank Humphrey Makin, fought with an Australian Mounted Rifles unit, and another, Ernest Llewellyn who was full time British Army and became a Colonel in charge of a Regiment quelling the Irish Uprising may also have been at the Boer conflict. Capt. John was a reserve of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and in WW1 spent time on the French Front. The other 2 also participated in WW1.

Hello Luxa and welcome to the forum.

I can see a Corporal F H Makin of the South Aus Mounted Rifles medal roll.

For JHW Makin, I can see an entry in the London Gazette:

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, John Hugh Walter Makin, Gent, recommended
by the Governor of South Australia, to be Second Lieutenant, in succession to
Lieutenant J. A. Byrne, promoted. Dated 18th July, 1900.

I cannot find J H W Makin on the medal rolls for the Boer War.

I also checked the 1903 Army List for the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and he is not listed.

According to BillionGraves, JHW Makin was born 26 February 1874 and died 29 December 1987. If this is the same man (the dobs differ) that would make him 113 when he died?

Re the story about De Wet, I am not aware that he surrendered to anyone.

Sorry not to be more help
David

Hi, thank you very much to QSAMIKE & djb for your posts.The mystery seems to deepen
John HW Makin is buried in Ballarat and dd is actually 29/12/21 after a short illness according to the local paper of 30/12/21. It said he also served in the 2nd Matabele Uprising-I have copies of the article and the death notices. His wife Ada a daughter of Lt.Col Sleep of Stowe House Ballarat survived him.Billion graves is right on the dob. Sorry 'bout that.
Does the term Kaffir Kop or the locality of Lindley mean anything? I've seen reference to him having passed Art exams dated 2/1/1903 so perhaps he came back to Sth Aust with brother Cpl Frank H Makin and the SA mtd rifle lads.
His attendance at WW1 is most likely but how he'd get to be on Royal Warwickshire Reserves if he'd been with Inniskilling Fusiliers eludes me, unless that was the team his brother Ernest Llewellyn Makin was with. E.L wound up as a Col with DSO, but my tracking skills are wanting when it comes to British Army.
Best wishes lexa/Paddy

Lexa
I have the printed medal roll for the British South Africa Company's medal and there is no J.H.W. MAKIN listed for any of the campaigns for which their medal was issued. Kaffir Kop is shown in Meurig's excellent Gazetteer as being a hill with farm in the OFS and there was Boer activity there July 1900. A variation shown as Kaffir Kopje and further Boer activity December 00 and December 01. The location seems to have been within riding distance from Lindley.
Not much help, I am afraid.
IL.

Hi Lexa,

The July 1902 Army List has John Hugh Walter Makin:

2nd Lieutenant Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 18th July 1900

Lieutenant Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers 9th April 1902

The War Services at the back of the Army List confirm that he served in the Boer War 1899-1900 but do not give any further details.

He was serving in the 1st Battalion in July 1902 which were in South Africa.

The medal roll of the Inniskilling's should give further details. Certain commissions were granted to colonials in recognition of services during the early parts of the war in the colonial contingents.

Best wishes,

Justin