TOPIC:

Although I had intended the following account for another occasion, I am posting it now because the companion piece on Trooper Symons of the Natal Carbineers has prompted a discussion on the politics of promotions in the Natal Police, and there are relevant observations made in this account.







INSPECTOR A G ABRAHAM, NATAL POLICE


Queen’s South Africa Medal with five clasps (Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Laing’s Nek, Orange Free State, Belfast);
King’s South Africa Medal with two clasps (South Africa 1901 & 1902).

During the Anglo-Boer War, Abraham was one of only seven members of the Natal Police to be Mentioned in Despatches, one of only 11 to be awarded the KSA, and one of only 26 to be awarded the QSA with Belfast clasp.


Albert George Abraham was born in about 1860 in Bristol, England, the son of Joseph and Jane Abraham. He had six sisters and three brothers. One of the latter, Frederick Moses Abraham, also served in the Natal Mounted Police/Natal Police (NMP/NP).

The 1881 Census records Albert as a visitor to another brother, John, a lodger at 4 Park Place, Clifton, Gloucestershire. His occupation was given as “Ship Broker”.

Frederick Abraham joined the NMP on 15/8/1877 (No. 213), and was a Sergeant serving at Ixopo when Albert enlisted on 9/3/1886 (No. 908). Interestingly, the latter recorded his religion as Presbyterian, while his older brother was Jewish. Judging by his names, their father was Jewish while their mother may have been a Christian, with their children being allowed to choose the faith they followed. On enlistment, Frederick was recorded as Albert’s ‘Next of Kin’ and he provided a letter of introduction for his brother. Albert was then 25 years of age and without a trade or profession. He spoke a little French, was 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a dark complexion, dark hair, brown eyes and he had no distinguishing marks.

All that is known of Abraham’s early service is that he was a Constable serving at Tongaat on the Natal North Coast in 1892. ‘Constables’ were evidently not mounted policemen and served as court orderlies and foot police in urban areas. Their rank was equivalent to that of a 1st Class Sergeant in the mounted police.

In 1894, the NMP was reconstituted as the Natal Police, which then incorporated most of the law enforcement personnel in Natal. By this time Abraham had clearly made a good impression on his superiors, since only two years later on 1/7/1896 he was promoted to Sub-Inspector. Promotion to commissioned rank in the NP was difficult to achieve, since it was a relatively small force with only five Inspectors at the time of the 1894 re-organisation. Most of the officers were either Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors, while the Gaols Department and Water Police had Superintendents. Only four men reached Commissioner rank in the 40 years history of the force.

At that time in the history of the British Empire, officers in the uniformed services were almost invariably well-born and well-off. There is nothing to suggest that Abraham was either, while there is evidence that a significant proportion of NP recruits were of the “English Public School class” (Mardall, 1938). This is borne out by the following observation made by Colonel Sir Percival Marling VC (1931: 33):
“We got to Mooi River [on 5th January 1881] …. There was a court-martial sitting on a trooper of the Natal Mounted Police. I forget what his offence was, but the sergeant of the escort was an Old Harrovian, one of the witnesses had been at Eton, the President of the court-martial had been at Charterhouse, and the prisoner had been, I think, at Westminster, and the orderly to the court at Winchester.”

It is worth recording that being well-connected did not necessarily ensure promotion in the NP and, judging from the unfortunate Sergeant E G Blundell in 1911, it could be counter-productive. Although the force had grown considerably by this time and there were many more officer posts, Blundell mistakenly tried to hasten his promotion. He made “an attempt to secure promotion to Sub-Inspector through family influence. Interviewed Ministers to urge his claim, ignoring the [Chief Commissioner] and the 42 Sergeants who are senior to him. Was ordered to move from the [Pietermaritzburg] City to Umlazi Court & to revert to 2nd Cl. Sergeant.”

Given the ethos that prevailed in the NMP/NP throughout its short history, it is safe to conclude that Abraham’s promotion to Sub-Inspector was merited. His subsequent record bears this out.

The next recorded reference to Abraham came in 1898. Headquarters staff of the Zululand Police kept diaries from 1889 to 1897, when Zululand was incorporated in Natal. A history of the ZP (Anon. 1910/11) includes the following:
“The first mention of the Natal Police found in the diaries is the last entry in the book under heading of 28th February, 1898, it reads ‘Natal Police under Sub-Inspector Abrahams [sic] arrived at 5.30 p.m., 25 Troopers accommodated in Z.P. Stables.’ Such was the hospitable welcome to the capital of Zululand.” Abraham thus has the distinction of leading the first contingent of NP into Zululand. The NP were to remain there until its disbandment in 1913.

In September 1899, with the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War both inevitable and imminent, the Natal Police Field Force (NP FF) was formed to undertake the active service that was expected of the NP, which was the only full-time colonial armed force in Natal. Men of the Natal volunteer regiments and rifle associations were soon called to arms to add to the Colony’s contribution to the war effort. These forces supported the Imperial troops already in Natal and others that were to arrive in increasing numbers as the War progressed. The NP numbered only about 310 men in the early months of the War and they were scattered throughout Natal.

After the War started on 12/10/1899, 60 men and a Maxim Detachment of the NP FF under the command of Sub-Inspector Abraham were posted to the Zululand border at Tugela Ferry, where they joined a detachment of 40 NP under Sub-Inspector Maxwell, and another of the Umvoti Mounted Rifles. The UMR and the NP with their Maxim skirmished with the Boers on 20/11/1899 and again a few days later, but with no damage inflicted by either side (Holt 1913). It is likely that Abraham would have remained in this area for much or all of the Natal campaign but for the intervention of one of his colleagues, Inspector W F Fairlie, who was in command of the NP FF at Frere on the Ladysmith front.

Following the arrival in Natal of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in South Africa, General Sir Redvers Buller VC, a detachment of 40 men from the NP FF at Frere under Inspector Fairlie was appointed as his bodyguard. The remainder of this section of the Field Force, which evidently numbered about 30 to 40 men, the equivalent of one cavalry troop, formed part of the Composite Regiment of Colonial cavalry under Major (later General Sir Hubert) Gough, which in turn was part of the Mounted Brigade under the command of Colonel the Earl of Dundonald. In addition to the NP detachment, the Composite Regiment comprised one squadron each of the Natal Carbineers (No. 5, Estcourt/Weenen Squadron), and the Imperial Light Horse (A Squadron), as well as a company of Imperial mounted infantry, which was made up of men from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and King’s Royal Rifle Corps.

On 8/12/1899, Inspector Fairlie sent a letter to the Staff Officer of the Mounted Brigade at the Frere Camp asking that Sub-Inspector Abraham “be sent for duty with the Police Field Force” at Frere, evidently to head that section in the Mounted Brigade. It is clear from this letter that Fairlie chose Abraham in preference to two other NP Sub-Inspectors (Petley and Maxwell). The transfer of Abraham from Tugela Ferry to Frere was not a simple matter and required the approval successively of the Earl of Dundonald, Colonel B Hamilton, the Officer Commanding Umvoti Mounted Rifles, and, finally, the Prime Minister of Natal. After arriving at Frere, Abraham was assigned to the NP unit in the Mounted Brigade and took charge of the NP Maxim gun detachment (Mardall 1911).

Both Buller’s Bodyguard and the NP FF in the Mounted Brigade, including Abraham, served throughout the operations to relieve the Siege of Ladysmith. During the Battle of Colenso on 15/12/1899, the NP FF took part in the attack on Hlangwane Hill. Inspector Mardall, who was the District Police Officer at Estcourt, described the action, and Abraham’s part in it, as follows (1911: 727):
“At 4 a.m. the cavalry brigade, to which the Police were attached, moved out of camp to the east, accompanied by a battery of Field guns, took up a position opposite Hlangweni [sic] Hill, and formed the right of the British attack.
Sub-Inspector Abraham being in charge of the Maxim gun, Sergeant Gordon and Trooper Hobson, who were well acquainted with the district, were detailed as orderlies to Lord Dundonald, and Trooper Sullivan orderly to General Hildyard during the day.
Prior to the attack commencing [Inspector Mardall] was sent forward to find a crossing place over the donga at the foot of the hill to be stormed. …..
…..
The Police Maxim detachment occupied the donga at the foot of Hlangweni, and, as might be expected, in trying to keep down the Boer fire and clear the way for the attacking party, drew on themselves a heavy fire from the Boers whenever they heard the rattle of our gun in action.
Sub-Inspector Abraham’s horse breaking away during the fight, it was caught and taken back to the donga by Trooper Black at a time when our attack on the hill having failed, the Boers were raining bullets on our retiring men and a nasty cross fire was coming from our right flank.
The Brigade was withdrawn to the cover of a ridge …. And no other serious attempt [at attack] was made by the Composite Regiment.
The whole action lasted about eight hours, during which time men and horses suffered severely from heat and want of water.”

According to Holt (1913: 146), “The police had considerable difficulty in bringing away the Maxim gun, which had been hotly engaged.” In addition, “Several of the police had narrow escapes during the day. A shell went between the legs of one of General Buller’s escort while he was resting on an anthill.”

Although the Mounted Brigade had not prevailed in the assault on Hlangwane, it was the disasters that overtook the Irish Brigade and guns of the Royal Field Artillery that forced Buller to call off the attack on the Boers.

In the weeks leading up to the Relief of Ladysmith, the Mounted Brigade was employed mainly in patrolling the front, while the Bodyguard remained attached to Buller’s headquarters. An account of their involvement in the Relief operations is given by Clarke (1909/10: 551-552). Amongst the incidents Clarke records is that in the build-up to the Battle of Spioenkop in January 1900, Tpr G Roddy of the NP was involved in the unsuccessful rescue of a 14th Hussars private, who had been swept away in the flooded Tugela River, a deed for which he was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Royal Humane Society. Roddy went on to be awarded the Military Cross during World War I.

The Mounted Brigade took no direct part in the Battles of Spioenkop and Vaalkrantz, but were again involved in Buller’s final effort to relieve Ladysmith. The Brigade temporarily seized Hussar Hill on 12/2/1900 and retook and held this hill on 14/2/1900. On 16-17/2/1900, the Brigade took Cingolo Hill, with the NP reaching the summit first (Clark 1909/10). On 19/2/1900, the Brigade took Monte Christo and the last of the Boers evacuated the south bank of the Tugela River.

The Tugela Heights were finally taken by infantry attacks that began on 27/2/1900. Late on 28/2/1900 elements of the Mounted Brigade rode into Ladysmith bringing to an end the siege that had lasted 118 days. According to Clarke (1909/10), the mounted troops involved in the final gallop into Ladysmith were from the Composite Regiment and were made up of elements of the Imperial Light Horse, Natal Carbineers and Natal Police. Clarke (1909/10: 618) wrote:
“On the last day of February we could see the Boers trekking in a northerly direction in small bodies, and at about 6 p.m. some cheering in the direction of Caesar’s Camp announced the arrival of the advance party of the relief column, Sub-Inspector Abraham and 15 men of the Police being amongst the number, riding sleek, fat horses. Our troubles were now at an end, but they brought no food with them.”

Much has been written about the Composite Regiment’s ride into Ladysmith that day, it is sometimes contradictory and mention of the Natal Police participation is often omitted. A detailed account of this event was given by Gibson (1937: 161), who credits Major Gough leading squadrons of the ILH and NC, which were formed up “in half sections, so that each section would be composed of two troopers of Natal Carbineers and two troopers of the I.L.H., and in this formation they proceeded in a headlong but orderly gallop.” Stirling (1907: 40) recorded the event as follows: “When Dundonald rode into Ladysmith on the evening of 28th February, he was accompanied by some Carbineers, Natal Mounted Rifles, Border Mounted Rifles and Natal Police, the officers being Major D M’Kenzie, Lieutenants Silburn, M’Kay, Verney, Richards, Ashburnham, and Abraham.” The last mentioned must have been Sub-Inspector Abraham of the NP, since he was the only officer with that surname in the Composite Regiment. Stirling is clearly mistaken in crediting Dundonald with leading the ride, while the omission of the ILH is also an error. There were only a few detached individuals of the Natal and Border Mounted Rifles serving in the Composite Regiment and, like the Natal Police, their presence is seldom mentioned. An entry on 20th February in a diary of the siege kept by Sergeant Seed of the Natal Police reads “Colonel [Dartnell] received a message from Mr Abrams [sic] who is with column that he hopes to be with us in a few days.” (Seed, no date). Indeed he was and, what is more, he was probably amongst it leaders, because Davis (1900) records that, “All the officers were placed in front [of the column], and with a cheer they started to race across the plain.” Another of the Siege diarists, Bella Craw (1970: 52), who witnessed the latter stages of this climactic event, recorded it as follows:
“They told us the flying column was to be seen coming past Indombi Camp, so we immediately turned down the street in the direction of the cheering. …. We only got as far as Mrs Hayden’s when we were met by a squadron of Imperial Light Horse headed by Major Karri Davis, 80 so I believe there were. Then came a small number of Natal Police, twenty or thirty, then Natal Carbineers headed by Major Duncan McKenzie ….”

Participation in this historic event must have been one of the high points of Abraham’s life. Stirling (1907: 40) wrote, “None of those present will ever forget this ride, probably the most memorable occasion in the lives of any of them.”

After the Relief of Ladysmith, the NP FF remained on active service. Many of the men in the volunteer regiments were released from duty, while the remainder went to make up the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment, which served until the end of the War. Abraham replaced Fairlie as head of Buller’s Bodyguard and this small detachment of men took part in all the subsequent actions in Natal and the Transvaal until Buller’s departure in October 1900. These included Alleman’s Nek, Amersfort, Geluk, Bergendal, Machadadorp, Witcliffe, Lydenberg, Mauchberg, Devil’s Knuckles and Kruger’s Post. In addition to heading the Bodyguard, Abraham acted as Aide-de-Camp to Buller during the Battle of Bergendal on 27/8/1900, the last major setpiece battle of the war (Holt, 1913).

Both Fairlie and Abraham were Mentioned in Despatches “For gallant or meritorious services” by Buller (30/3/1900). Their unit was incorrectly given as “Natal Mounted Police” instead of “Natal Police”. Probably the intention was to refer to the NP Field Force, as distinct from the District Police and other elements of the NP.

Lieutenant-Colonel Allan Chichester, Provost Marshal of Buller’s Natal Army, wrote to Inspector (later Assistant Commissioner) G S Mardall at Estcourt to record “the excellent services rendered by yourself and members of the Natal Police” during the operations to relieve Ladysmith (Mardall 1911: 728). He went on to write:
“At Ladysmith …. I had the pleasure of working with the Natal Police, and was ably assisted by Inspectors Dorehill and Abraham.”

In January 1901 one of the columns formed for operations in the eastern Transvaal was commanded by Brigadier-General (later Major-General Sir John) Dartnell, commandant of the Natal Police. Abraham served as Aide-de-Camp and Assistant Provost Marshal to Dartnell.

On 27 August 1901 Dartnell and his staff left for Harrismith, where he took command of the Imperial Light Horse Brigade, which was made up of the 1st and the newly-formed 2nd Battalion of the Imperial Light Horse. Abraham relinquished his duties as ADC to Dartnell and was appointed Provost Marshal instead. He then held the military rank of Captain. The ILH Brigade was heavily engaged in operations against he Boers in the eastern Orange Free State in the months that followed (Gibson 1937).

In September Dartnell and the 2nd ILH were ordered back to Natal to counter a threatened invasion by the Boers. The invasion failed to materialize and Dartnell returned to Harrismith in November.

The ILH Brigade continued operations against the elusive Boer General Christiaan de Wet during December. One such operation was recorded as follows (Anon. No date):
“After leaving Bethlehem on the morning of 18th December [General Dartnell] found himself opposed by a large force of Boers under De Wet, who, occupying a position along the Tyger Kloof Spruit, disputed his further advance, whilst he vigorously assailed General Dartnell’s flanks and rearguard; sharp fighting was maintained throughout the day. Every successive attack was gallantly repulsed by the two regiments of the ILH until the approach from Bethlehem of the column under Major-General B. Campbell, who had established signaling communication with General Dartnell during the progress of the fight, finally compelled the enemy, about 3pm, to beat a hurried retreat.” It was for his bravery during this engagement that Surgeon-Captain Thomas Crean of the 1st ILH was awarded the Victoria Cross. Dartnell wrote the recommendation for this VC during the evening of 18 December (Uys 2000).

After this engagement, Dartnell asked the Commander-in-Chief, Lord Kitchener, for reinforcements. On being refused, he resigned his command. Before Dartnell could return to Natal, de Wet achieved a significant victory on Christmas Eve when his forces attacked the Imperial Yeomanry at Tweefontein, inflicting heavy casualties. Some of the NP serving with Dartnell were sent to help in burying the dead. After Dartnell’s departure, the 1st and 2nd ILH acted independently (Gibson 1937).

Abraham returned to Natal with Dartnell at the end of 1901. Although he was not on active service during 1902, he was nevertheless awarded the King’s South Africa Medal. This medal was awarded to Dartnell and members of his staff, including Abraham, although they clearly did not qualify for it. By contrast, one of Abraham’s colleagues, Sub-Inspector James Hamilton, did qualify for the KSA, since he spent the entire qualifying period serving in the Transvaal along the Zululand border, north of the Tugela River. He was particularly aggrieved at being overlooked for this medal and kept up his demand for it and finally received it in 1927, 25 years after the War had ended (Drooglever 1993). He was the eleventh and last member of the NP to be awarded the KSA.

Members of the NP had to receive special permission from the Natal Government to serve outside the Colony. Those policemen who had been prisoners of war held in Pretoria and who had subsequently served briefly in the Transvaal Provisional Constabulary, and those who had served in the Utrecht-Vryheid district of the Transvaal, received the QSA with Transvaal clasp. However, only the 26 men, including Abraham, who had served with Buller’s Bodyguard at the required time and place were awarded the Belfast clasp. The Orange Free State clasp is also rare to the NP, with only about 50 awarded. It went to men of the Bodyguard who entered the OFS via Botha’s Pass on 10/6/1900, and to the men who accompanied Dartnell when he commanded the ILH Brigade in the eastern OFS during the latter half of 1901.

With the exception of Dartnell, Abraham was probably the most prominent figure in the NP during the Anglo-Boer War.

After the War, and having reverted to Sub-Inspector, Abraham was based at Ladysmith as District Police Officer. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Klip River County in July 1902.

By 1904, Abraham was an Inspector and in charge of a NP unit in Durban that oversaw the disembarkation of Chinese labourers destined for the gold mines in the Transvaal. He was in charge of “53 European” and “108 Native Police”, who occupied an “area in front of the Lighthouse, where the [Natal] Naval Corps encamp”. The camp was in place from 18/6/1904 until 23/7/1904.

Inspector Abraham retired on 9/3/1906 after 20 years service. This was one month after the proclamation of martial law that signalled the start of the Natal Rebellion. Abraham was not awarded the Natal Rebellion Medal, although it is evident that he was entitled to it, without the 1906 clasp. The Medal was awarded “to all Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and men of the Forces”, as well a variety of civilians, “who served in Natal and Zululand during the operations between the 11th February 1906, and 3rd August 1906”. Those who served for a continuous period of “not less than twenty days” received the Medal without the 1906 clasp, while those who served for a period “not less than fifty days” received the Medal with clasp. Abraham’s 26 days of service between 11/2/1906 and 9/3/1906 clearly exceeds the minimum requirement for the award of the Medal without clasp. Abraham presumably did not submit a claim for this Medal, although he was residing in Durban when it was issued in 1907. The NP and NP Gaolers were awarded a total of 1 164 Rebellion Medals with clasp and only 32 without the clasp.

Abraham evidently did not qualify for a long service medal or decoration. The period of his non-commissioned service (1886 – 1896) counted for only half (5 years) towards the award of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers’ Decoration. When combined with his commissioned service (1896 – 1906) it made up only 15 years, five less than the requirement for this Decoration. General Dartnell appears to have been the only member of the NMP/NP to have been awarded this Decoration, although there were other men who had completed the required 20 years of commissioned service (e.g. Inspectors W F Fairlie and F H S Sewell). It is possible that Dartnell’s award was based on his service with Natal Volunteer Department, which controlled the “auxiliary” forces in the Colony, and not his service with the Police, which was a “permanent” force. Abraham also did not qualify for the Colonial Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (Natal), which was awarded only to non-commissioned men in the Natal Police, as was the later Permanent Forces of the Empire Beyond the Seas Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.

Abraham retired with a pension of £211-10-0 per annum. He left Natal and settled in London, where his address was given as “c/o H. A. Chetwynd Esq.,
2, Stirling Mansions, Canfield Gardens, N.W.” His sister, Amy, was married to Chetwynd. He did not remain in London for long and in a letter dated 4/1/1907 the Agent General for Natal informed the Colonial Treasurer in Pietermaritzburg that Abraham would be drawing his pension in Natal from 1/1/1907.

In 1904, Abraham had supervised the disembarkation of Chinese labourers to be employed in the Transvaal, and in 1907 he evidently used contacts made with the Chamber of Mines Labour Importation Agency Ltd, Johannesburg, to secure employment with this Agency. He was appointed Local Manager at the Jacobs Depot in Durban. His duties once again required that he be appointed Justice of the Peace and this was done on 10/5/1907. At that time he was residing at the Durban Club on the Victoria Embankment.

Records of the Durban Club show that at a meeting of the Club Committee dated 9/12/1908, the Chairman, S G Campbell, proposed that Abraham be appointed Honorary Secretary of the Club to replace the incumbent who would be resigning. It was unanimously agreed that Abraham be offered the appointment.

The Durban Club was formed in 1854 by a group of prominent gentlemen in the town. Its purpose was to provide a venue for meetings and for the playing of billiards and chess. Although it had a small beginning, the present imposing Club building on the Victoria Embankment was erected in 1882 to include dining and meeting rooms, a library and residential accommodation. It was modelled on the gentlemen’s clubs of England and it was, therefore, exclusive in its membership. Although Albert Abraham, a Presbyterian, was clearly acceptable, his older brother, Frederick, could not have become a member, since he was Jewish.

Abraham’s resignation as Club Secretary was recorded at the Committee meeting on 16/1/1918. “The Chairman [Mr D Calder] moved that the resignation be accepted with regret & that a vote of appreciation of Mr Abraham’s unremitting efforts in the interests of the Club during his long tenure of office be placed upon the Minutes.”

Abraham never married and although he purchased a five-roomed brick house at 465 Ridge Road, Durban, on 15/9/1911, his place of residence was recorded as the Durban Club when his will was drawn up (23/1/1918), and when he died (12/10/1922) in the Entabeni Nursing Home in Essenwood Road, Durban. Abraham’s grave has not been located.

His will (522/1922) recorded the following bequests:
• His medals to his sister, Mrs H A Chetwynd of 97 Clarence Gate Gardens, London. [These medals were purchased in England at a sale on 5/11/2004 and returned to Durban, where Abraham had spent the last 15 years of his life.]
• £25 to his god-daughter Marjorie Lyttle of Greytown. [Miss Lyttle was the daughter of the late Inspector W E Lyttle of the Natal Police, who had died in Estcourt in 1910.]
• The remainder of his estate was left in trust, with the income paid to his sister-in-law, Edith Jane Abraham, widow of his late brother Frederick Abraham. [Edith Abraham was born at Shoreham, Kent, on 4/5/1856.]
• After the death of Edith Abraham, the income was to go to his niece, Frances Isabel D’Aintree of Delagoa Bay [Port Elizabeth], wife of Arthur C D’Aintree, and after her death equally to their children.

His estate amounted to £2 444, an appreciable sum for that time, perhaps reflecting the life of a single man with simple tastes, who was dedicated to his career as a Colonial policeman.

Abraham’s career in the NMP/NP was one of this force’s success stories. Most of the men who enlisted stayed for relatively short periods and, while many reached non-commissioned rank, very few were commissioned. Holt (1913) records the names of only 69 officers, which was out of a total of at least 4 622 men who enlisted in the NMP/NP between 1874 and 1913 (i.e. 1.5% of the total enlistment). Abraham’s association with the exclusive Durban Club is an indication that he was held in high regard, not only in the police force, but also in Durban’s society at large. Although he had no wife and children of his own, he clearly was not a misogynist, since only women featured in his will: a sister, goddaughter, sister-in-law and niece.

More than 80 years have passed since he died, but he can perhaps still be judged to have been an admirable man, who served the Colony of Natal well.



REFERENCES

Anon. 1910/11. The Zululand Police. The Nongqai : 518.

Anon. No date. Imperial Light Horse.
www.angloboerwar.com/units/imperial_light_horse.htm

Census Records. National Archives, London.

Clark, W J. 1909/1910. A History of the Natal Police. The Nongqai: 551-552.

Craw, B. 1970. A Diary of the Siege of Ladysmith. Ladysmith: Ladysmith
Historical Society.

Davis, R H. 1900. With Both Armies in South Africa. New York.

Drooglever, R W F. 1993. The Q.S.A. and K.S.A. to the Natal Police: some facts
and figures. Journal of the Orders and Medals Research Society. Spring
1993: 22-23.

Durban Club. Minutes of Committee Meetings in 1908 and 1918.

Gibson, G F. 1937. The Story of the Imperial Light Horse in the South African
War 1899 – 1902. G D & Co.

Holt, H P. 1913. The Mounted Police of Natal. London, John Murray.

Mardall, G S. 1911. Extracts from a Record made eleven Years ago of some
Police Services in Weenen County during the War. The Nongqai,
September 1911.

Mardall, G S. 1938. Looking Back. The Nongqai April 1938.

Marling, P. 1931. Rifleman and Hussar. London: John Murray.

Medal Rolls under WO 100 for the QSA and KSA to the Natal Police. National
Archives, London.

Natal Medal Roll 1906, The Naval & Military Press, Uckfield, England.

Pietermaritzburg Archives Repository of the National Archives of South Africa -
Various papers indexed under ‘Natal Mounted Police’, ‘Natal Police’ and
‘Abraham’.

Seed, R. No date. The Diary of the Siege of Ladysmith kept by Sgt. Dick Seed of
the Natal Police.” Pietermaritzburg, University of Natal Photo-Duplication
Department.

Stirling, J. 1907. The Colonials in South Africa 1899 – 1902. Edinburgh,
Blackwood.

Uys, I. 2000. Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War. Knysna, Fortress.


28/02/2012

A very interesting and well-researched account of Insp. Albert Abraham. He seemed a very capable and deserving officer. He doesn't fit either the public schoolboy or the well connected colonial image. His joining the force in 1886 excludes him from the pre Zulu War locals that supposedly used influence to secure position so one can only assume that Dartnell was in agreement with all his promotions.

Abraham's Boer War service wasn't typical of a Natal Policeman. Possibly it could be said that as one in apparent favour with Dartnell he got to where the action was and didn't have to serve the war doing what most other Natal Policemen were doing.

While Dartnell and his circle followed the action and contributed to the fighting effort, was it really any greater than the effort of those that were left behind? What was the NP assigned to do? What was needed of them? Were those that ran off to follow the action seen by their comrades who remained behind to do their jobs as policemen as shirking their duty and responsibility?

While Dartnell and co were chasing Boers across the country what was the regular Natal Policeman doing? Routine police work, guarding strategic locations, helping to protect towns and villages across the colony and gathering intelligence. They did a lot of that and those local boys with the local knowledge and linguistic ability were very valuable there.

There was also the stuff that seems to have been brushed under the carpet. The stuff that it would seem people didn't want to remember. The arresting of alleged Boer sympathises and spies. The confiscation of property of rebels and those considered unBritish. The evicting of families, often women and children from farms and their homes. The transporting of so-called prisoners and undesirables to concentration camps.

The Natal Policeman's 'war' didn't end with the so-called end of the Natal campaign. It went on to the end of hostilities in 1902. There was no Mentioned in Despatches, KSAs, CMGs or honours for these lads. In those heady days in 1899 and early 1900 much of the intelligence gathered was by one of those pre Zulu War local officers with apparent connections. Dartnell had said he had "wanted to send home for men, but this the [Natal] Government would not sanction." "Home" is obviously Britain (Dartnell was born in Canada). Would one of those "men from home" been able to speak Dutch and Zulu? Would he have understood the people like a local and got the same results? Perhaps the Government were right in ensuring some of their own needed to be near the top.

When both locals and Imperials were seeing Boer agents behind every tree, Campbell's reports were more often than not spot on and the voice of reason. Was it a Natal Policeman's job to chase Boers all over the Transvaal and Free State? Or was his job at home amongst the people?

Abraham didn't fit either mold. He clearly seemed very capable and deserving of his promotions. He was likely a good example of how all promotions should have been made. His war service though wasn't typical of the NP. Did his apparent favour with Dartnell enable him to go where the action was after the need for the NP in the field had passed? How did his comrades that remained behind view him? We can't really answer these questions but they are worth asking I guess.

Cheers,

Mark

From the days preceding the Boer invasion of Natal, there was a clear distinction made in the NP between those men who were expected to continue their normal policing duties and those who were to be on active service under the command of the British-led Natal Field Force. The latter were the men of the Natal Police Field Force, of which Abraham was a member. However, even the mounted District Police were expected to perform a military function if the need arose. This is what happened with patrols in Zululand and adjacent parts of the Transvaal right up to the end of the war. One such patrol was involved in the Mahlabatini incident in April 1901, when a Boer attack resulted in fatal casualties and DCM's for both District Police and Field Force members.

I think that the reason Natal Policemen were, and still are often omitted from reports about the Boer War is that they were relatively few in number, far less than one army battalion at their most numerous, they were widely scattered throughout the Colony, and their duties, although essential, were often unglamorous.

One of the oddities about the Abraham brothers was that the older one, Frederick Moses, a Jew, never rose above the rank of Sergeant, whereas the younger Albert George, a Presbyterian, became a Sub-Inspector, and later an Inspector, in a relatively short period of time. Of course, this could simply be a reflection of their respective abilities, but the possibilty of anti-Semitism in the NP command is possible. It was certainly anti-Semitism that would have kept Frederick out of the Durban Club had he been inclined to apply for membership.

Regards
Brett

I don't think the the men that served in the NP FF during the Natal campaign are really the issue. It's more about who got to go chasing Boers across the countryside beyond the borders of Natal after the Natal campaign. When the NP were returned to so-called 'normal duties' some members of the NP FF got to follow the action serving in other units beyond the borders of Natal and others not. Special permission had to be granted for these men individually. If I recall they had to specifically apply. Obviously some did and others didn't. But one can't help but note that Dartnell's circle was very well represented amongst those that went. Were they the only ones that wanted to go? Or did Dartnell give his lads preference.

It is of interest to note that some of his most 'combat' experienced officers were left in Natal. Most of these men weren't youngsters and that may have been a reason. Then again, most, if not all, were younger than Dartnell. Perhaps it was felt that experienced officers would be needed in Natal if things went wrong. Perhaps the government refused to let these men go. Who knows?

The old sub-inspectors/inspectors and senior NCOs that had been through the Zulu War, the Basuto Gun War and the Transvaal Rebellion would have witnessed Dartnell's past triumphs and his mistakes. Perhaps Dartnell didn't want these men around. Some of those old timers were well connected to Natal's leaders. Again, who knows?

I brought the Mahlabatini incident up in the earlier NC Trooper thread. Charles Apthorp Wheelwright, later Chief Native Commissioner of Natal was Resident Magistrate of Mahlabatini at the time. He was with the NP during the incident. It was his QSA that took him until 1911 to get approval for. Wheelwright was made CMG in 1901 largely for his efforts organising the defence of Mahlabatini I believe. I've not been able to locate the announcement in the Gazette so haven't read it but I'm sure it's there somewhere. I've seen the order for his CMG badge and letter of congratulations from the Prime Minister of Natal in the PMB Archives so I'm sure he did the CMG.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Frederick Abraham did face anti-Semitism. Even with Albert being Presbyterian one wonders if there were any whisperings about his Jewish ancestry behind the scenes.

Cheers,

Mark