TOPIC:

What a phenomenal group. Thank you for posting it.

I forgot to add pictures of Mayne the soldier and the civilian. He started his latter career on a farm in the New Hanover district, and made a name for himself by being both innovative and successful at growing wattle, citrus and tung oil trees. He also founded and managed a business in Durban that exported agricultural produce and imported farming requisites.




Brett

Another UMR group - to Landsberg - my gggguncle and family legend has it he extricated my ggrandmother from the Middleburg Concentration Camp. Was sold in Kaplan B71 auction April 2015 - I was outbid

SAGS (1) 1879 (QR. MR. Sgt LANDSBERG Natal Hussars)
QSA (2) Nat Tr (Capt M. Landsberg Umvoti Mounted Rifles) engraved.
KSA (2) (Captain)
Natal (1) 1906 (Captain) engraved
Colonial Auxiliary Forces Decoration EVII (Captain)
Victoria Volunteer Force Long Service Medal (Captain J.H.M. Landsberg U.M.R.)

"Landsberg was an early member of the Natal Hussars and had a long association with the Umvoti Mounted Rlfels. He appears in an early photo of the NCO's of the Natal Hussars taken in 1875, (front row 1st left hand side as you look at the photo), (photo whith caption held in the SA National War Museum Photo Archives) The caption on the photo states "CpI Jno Landsberg SQMS during Zulu War" The caption presumably means John, the English for Johan. This photo (without caption) is reproduced in A.J. Du Plessis. "The Umvoti Mounted Rifles 1864 - 1975, on page 54. in 1887 the Natal Hussars amalgamated with the Natal Carbineer's, while in 1893 the Left Wing became the Umvoti Mounted Rifles.

Landsberg saw action at Inyezane (22 January 1879) during the Zulu War. During the Zulu Rebellion 1906, Landsberg again appears to have performed a special duty. "The Intelligence Officer at this important post (Krantzkop) was Capt. M. Lansberg, U.M.R. whose information from the date of his assumption of duty to the conclusion of the Rebellion was remarkably full and accurate" A document dated 1908, provides an intriguing insight into Landsberg's activities during the Zulu Rebellion. In terms of the document Landsberg lodges a claim regarding the payment of detectives he appointed to gather intelligence at the reguest of the Prime Minister of Natal. In 1907 he was appointed Justice of the peace for the Kranskop area of the Umvoti and Magistrate of the Umvoti Division at Greytown in 1911. In 1908 he claimed prize money for activities relating to the Basuto War of 1880/81, presumably for the recovery of cattle.

NOTE: Landsberg's Volunteer Long Service Medal was gazette in the Natal Government Gazette on 7 January 1902 (Capt H.M. Landsberg UMR) He was inadvertently gazette in the Natal Government Gazette on 18 September 1906 for the Colonial Auxiliary Forces medal ( Capt J.H.M. Landsberg UMR). His Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers Decoration was gazette in the Natal Government Gazette on 24 May 1910 (Capt. M. Landsberg UMR), being the last of the 25 decorations awarded to Natal Officers.

What a beauty Jon. Such a pity you weren't able to acquire them, especially with the family connection.

They are almost worth taking a second mortgage out in order to ensure they find a place in your collection.

Regards

Rory

Jon
That is as good a Natal Victorian/Edwardian medal group as it is possible to get, and I am sorry that you were outbid. Hopefully, it will come on the market again and you will have better luck.

Captain Landsberg commanded the Ixopo contingent throughout its 11 month stay in southern Natal. Those men rejoined the regiment in September 1900. This explains the clasps on Landsberg's QSA.

Regards
Brett

The early days of the UMR are closely tied to their Commanding Officer during the Boer War, Lieutenant-Colonel George Leuchars DSO, who also represented Greytown in Natal's Legislative Assembly. He still commanded the regiment in 1906 in the early days of the Natal (Bambata) Rebellion, although he relinquished that command to become OC Troops in Natal, for which he was rewarded with a CMG. His political career also bloomed, and he went on to become Sir George Leuchars KCMG.

His achievements in representing the interests of the Colonists of Natal did, however, have a darker side. In his account of the UMR in the Natal Rebellion, and the Colonist's 'scorched earth policy', Mark Coghlan quoted from the Zulu newspaper, 'Ilanga Lase Natal' as follows:
"The country would be better if whitemen such as Leuchars, a wizard of the worst type, were removed."

A few years ago on this forum, I wrote about the non-award of the QSA to the black soldiers and policemen of Natal, which resulted from the opposition of some white colonists, most notably George Leuchars. This is the relevant extract from that thread:

The situation was summed up in the book 'Long,long ago' by R C Samuelson (Durban: Knox [1929]), and the relevant section of the book is copied below. Samuelson was a lawyer in Pietermaritzburg, who became a champion for causes involving the Zulus. His advocacy for justice for the Zulus strained his relationship with white Natalians, even though he was instrumental in founding and raising the Natal Native Horse, which gave valuable assistance to the Colonists against Zulu rebels during the Natal Rebellion of 1906.

Brett

“At the close of the Boer War, I spoke to the late Honourable Robert Jameson about these Scouts’ medals and, when the Natal Parliament was sitting, he then asked the then Prime Minister if the Scouts would get their medal, and the answer was that they would. When Joseph Chamberlain came to Natal, the Leaders of the Scouts interviewed him at Government House, and they referred to their medal which they hoped to get, and he thanked them for their valuable services and told them he would see that they got their medals. The Volunteer Department of Natal appointed me to get a correct list of all Scouts that had worked during the war, and also appointed ….. Simeon Kambule and Jabers Molife to assist me. The list was prepared, checked, and passed to Colonel Wales, who also strongly recommended that these medals should be given to those men.
Then, unfortunately, the late Sir George Leuchars, having been appointed Secretary for Native Affairs, thought it his duty to prevent the giving of these medals to those Scouts. I waited on him, as he and I had been school boys together, to find out his grounds for his action, and he said he objected because these men would parade their medals before the Boers and irritate them. I told him that the Natives valued the medal more than the white people, and would not dangle them about, or wear them for the purpose of annoying the Boers. At any rate, the medal was their right as loyal soldiers of their Sovereign, which should not be withheld from them in any circumstances. I told him also that even coloured drivers had received the silver medal. I have that list to this day, as a record against the foolish and weak acts of the officers of that day which has done so much harm to the prestige of the Home Government, and the White race out here. The medals were never given these men, and most of the leaders have died, leaving their children with the feeling that the White man cannot be trusted.”

No doubt because the enemies in 1906 were rebellious Zulus and not white Boers, Leuchars' attitude changed. All the men of colour on the side of the Colonial government were awarded the Rebellion Medal. Ironically, those rewarded included the Zululand Police. most of whom had done more for longer during the Boer War for no medal. One such man may well have been Private Veba of the Zululand Po;lice, whose Rebellion Medal is shown below.

Brett