TOPIC:

David Paton was British-born but he made a life for himself in South Africa at the close of the Boer War. He was a distinguished public personage in Pietermaritzburg.

David Paton

Squadron Sergeant Major, Natal Carbineers – Bambatha Rebellion
Captain, Natal Carbineers – WWI

- Natal Medal with clasp 1906 to S.S.M. D. Paton, Natal Carbineers
- British War Medal to Capt. D. Paton

David Paton was an interesting man who was to rise to a position of prominence and influence in Pietermaritzburg, the city in which he chose to settle, in the early 20th Century.


Paton is in the extreme right of the top row of this 1911 Officers photo

Born on 17 February 1875 in Carlisle in the county of Cumberland he was the son of William Paton, a Letter Carrier with the Post Office and his wife Bridget, born Campbell. At the time of his birth the family lived at 68 Union Street, Carlisle.

Six years later at the time of the 1881 England census the family had moved to 78 Botchergate in Carlisle. Tragedy had visited the small family with William widowed at the age of 28. To help look after a 6 year old David and his sister Mary (4) William had called on his 64 year old mother Rebecca who had moved in with them.

Ten years on at the time of the 1891 England census a 16 year old David was living with his family at 3 Adelphi Terrace in Carlisle. Having completed his rudimentary schooling he was employed as a Corn Merchant’s Clerk. His father, now a Post Office Sorting Clerk had remarried a much older woman (Mary aged 52) and she had born him a daughter Winifred aged 2. David’s sister Mary was now 14 and still at school.

At some stage between then and the early 1900’s David Paton took the huge step to emigrate to South Africa. I refer to his obituary published in the Natal Witness to provide context to his movements immediately after his arrival:

“Mr. Paton came to South Africa towards the close of the Anglo-Boer War. On his arrival he joined the firm of J.W. Tainton, the solicitor, as bookkeeper and clerk. After serving his articles with this firm he was admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court on 1 November 1905. He practised on his own account for a time and then entered into a partnership with Mr. G.E. Robinson, forming the firm of Robinson and Paton.

Mr. Paton commenced his military service in Natal, when he joined the Natal Royal Rifles on 22 July 1902 (three months after the end of the Boer War). He was transferred to the Natal Carbineers on 29 May 1903 and was promoted to Staff Sergeant on 10 April 1905”
1905 was a momentous year in Paton’s life for other reasons as well. As Honorary Secretary of the Juridical Society of Pietermaritzburg he wrote to the Registrar of the Supreme Court on 21 May 1903 stating that;

“I have been instructed by the Pietermaritzburg Juridical Society to ask if you would be good enough to approach the Judges or the Chief Justice, with a view to their granting the use of the Supreme Court to the Society for their meetings. Owing to the difficulty experienced in obtaining a suitable room, it has been impossible to arrange regular meetings. And this has very seriously hampered the Society.

The room will not be required more than twice monthly, and in all probability not more than once a month, and then only in the evenings.” Red tape being the order of the day in Victorian times this letter wound its way to the Colonial Secretary himself who acquiesced to the use of the room “subject to a satisfactory arrangement being come to for the due safety of the buildings and of their agreeing to pay any expenses that may be incurred including the cost of lighting” – it seems personal safety considerations were secondary to that of the building!

Having safely negotiated the thorny issue of where to meet Paton’s next request was of a more personal nature – on 19 December 1905 he wrote from his office with J Warwick Tainton Solicitors to the Principal Under Secretary applying for the appointment of himself as Commissioner of Oaths.

“Mr Tainton” he stated, “has been appointed as such and I hold the position of Managing Clerk in his office. I am a duly admitted Attorney of the Supreme Court as from 1 November last. I am taking out my licence to practice as such from the beginning of 1906. Mr Tainton is very frequently engaged in court and as persons are continually calling on him for the purpose of swearing to affadavits etc. it would be a very great convenience to such persons if I were in the position to act as Commissioner.”

As with the previous case, permission was slow in coming and not automatically granted. The reply came on 22 December to the effect that “you should ask those in whose interests the appointment would be made to petition the Government that a Commission be granted to you” – thereby putting young Paton firmly in his place.

But Paton had weightier matters on his mind at that point – six days later in the Wesleyan Church, Pietermaritzburg, he wed Edith Maud Mary Tomlinson, the sister of his future partner. This wedding took place a few months ahead of an event that was to shake the very foundations of the Colony. Natal, post-Boer War was in financial distress. The demands that had been made on the fiscus had been many and the authorities were hard-pressed to make end meet. To this end they happened upon a Poll Tax which would be levied against all Black Males of 18 and older.

This was met with sullen acceptance by most Chiefs and Indunas but there was one hot-headed young Chieftain by the name of Bambatha who was violently opposed to this further mark of oppression and who actively incited revolt against the imposition and collection of the tax. 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.

Paton had, as we have seen, been part of the Natal Carbineers since May 1903 and had participated fully in its structures during peace-time and the rebuilding phase which followed immediately after the Boer War. Entering the Bambatha Rebellion (as it became known) as one of only eight Squadron Sergeant Majors he took an active role in all the engagements in which they were involved earning for himself the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp.

The turmoil a thing of the past Paton continued with the Carbineers – in 1908 he was further promoted being appointed Quartermaster with the rank of Honorary Lieutenant. In October of that year he was appointed to act as Prosecutor of the Native High Court at a salary of £20 per mensem.

On the community front he prospered standing for the City Council to which he was duly elected in 1911, a position he was to hold until resigning to take up the post of Town Clerk but more about that later. In uniform his career was moving apace – on 1 June 1912 he was appointed as Acting Adjutant of the Natal Carbineers continuing in that capacity till the end of that year.

August 1914 saw the outbreak of the Great War and with it South Africa’s reentry into conflict, this time on the side of the British Empire. Paton, now 39 years old, was engaged in operations within the Union from 20 August 1914 until 23 July 1915 whereafter he was appointed temporary Captain and was made the Recruiting Officer for Natal from 16 November until 15 December of the same year.

What had occasioned the break in service? Simply put Paton’s civic responsibilities were on the increase – in August 1915 he was elected Deputy Mayor of Pietermaritzburg. A position he retained until his official retirement on 8 May 1917. Thereafter, as was mentioned previously, he was appointed the Town Clerk on 1 July 1917 – a position he held until his death. For his services in the Union he was awarded the British War Medal in the rank of Captain – an unusual single issue medal.

David Paton was to die in office, unexpectedly, on 27 October 1927 at the age of 52 years and 8 months. The eulogies were many and varied for a man who had lived a very public life. The Natal Witness carried many of them one of which stated that,

“He was esteemed throughout the municipal service and took a thorough and keen interest in the workings of the various departments and, despite the burden of ill-health under which he labored in recent years, he was always courteous and considerate to his subordinates.”

In another article entitled: “Councillors Eulogise the Late David Paton” it was said that,

“He was a man of forceful personality, and would have gone far in any walk of life, but he had laboured under a burden of physical weakness in recent years. Mr. Paton possessed a splendid business training, as well as a sound legal training, and had a quick grip on complicated and vital matters.

Mr. P.H. Taylor who was Mayor when Mr. Paton was appointed Town Clerk, also eulogized the memory of a fine character, and stated that in all subjects which came before the Council Mr. Paton could be relied upon to get at the essentials in a flash. His judgement was valued in all affairs that came before the Council.

The Mayor, Cr. Dick, expressed his feelings as follows: “I deeply regret the loss of our Town Clerk both for personal and official reasons. David Paton was an esteemed friend of mine, he was a zealous and conservative official, and as the senior man on the staff he was a tower of strength, both to the staff and the Council. His knowledge of Municipal affairs and his legal mind were unique and of the greatest assistance to the Council”

Paton was buried with full civic honours with the cortege passing the City Hall with a long procession of mourners in its wake. According to the newspaper report,

“The funeral was attended by over 300 people, among whom were representatives of every department of the Municipality. The cortege left Mr. Paton’s residence at Mountain Rise at two o’ clock and proceeded up Church Street, past the City Hall. Here squads of European and Native police were drawn up on either side of the Commercial Road portico and saluted as the cortege filed past. As the procession reached the City Hall the bell commenced tolling at minute intervals. A large number of townspeople joined the procession at this point and followed it to the Wesleyan Cemetery, where it was met by the Revd. Andrew graham, who conducted a short but impromptu service.




So ended the life of a well-liked man. Letters in Paton’s estate file point to the fact that he was almost bankrupt at the time of his death.

Good Afternoon Rory.......

Great group and fantastic write up...... Always look forward to them......

There is another forum that is having a bit of an argument as to whether the War Medal can be awarded alone and not be combined with a Victory......

Mike

Nice Group Rory,

Look forward to seeing them at the next meeting.

Mike, yes you can get the single BWM. I have a side line collecting area to the C.P.G Regt (Cape Peninsula Garrison Regiment) This Regiment which was always an emergency Battalion formed part of the Peninsula Defences. They never, as a Regiment left the borders of SA. I have 32 such single medals out of a possible 1100 awarded to the Regiment !!!

The Regiment was previously known as the Peninsula Citiizens Training Association and changed it's name to the C.P.G Regt in 1917.

Regards
Adrian

Rory
A very interesting group and another biography well told. Thank you for sharing.

To add to Adrian's comments on 'only entitlement War Medals' ........ A local collector now deceased had a special interest in such medals and he had many in his collection, one of which is shown below.

Brett

What a lovely pair.

Rory wrote: David Paton was British-born but he made a life for himself in South Africa at the close of the Boer War. He was a distinguished public personage in Pietermaritzburg.

David Paton

Squadron Sergeant Major, Natal Carbineers – Bambatha Rebellion
Captain, Natal Carbineers – WWI

- Natal Medal with clasp 1906 to S.S.M. D. Paton, Natal Carbineers
- British War Medal to Capt. D. Paton

David Paton was an interesting man who was to rise to a position of prominence and influence in Pietermaritzburg, the city in which he chose to settle, in the early 20th Century.

Paton is in the extreme right of the top row of this 1911 Officers photo

Born on 17 February 1875 in Carlisle in the county of Cumberland he was the son of William Paton, a Letter Carrier with the Post Office and his wife Bridget, born Campbell. At the time of his birth the family lived at 68 Union Street, Carlisle.

Six years later at the time of the 1881 England census the family had moved to 78 Botchergate in Carlisle. Tragedy had visited the small family with William widowed at the age of 28. To help look after a 6 year old David and his sister Mary (4) William had called on his 64 year old mother Rebecca who had moved in with them.

Ten years on at the time of the 1891 England census a 16 year old David was living with his family at 3 Adelphi Terrace in Carlisle. Having completed his rudimentary schooling he was employed as a Corn Merchant’s Clerk. His father, now a Post Office Sorting Clerk had remarried a much older woman (Mary aged 52) and she had born him a daughter Winifred aged 2. David’s sister Mary was now 14 and still at school.

At some stage between then and the early 1900’s David Paton took the huge step to emigrate to South Africa. I refer to his obituary published in the Natal Witness to provide context to his movements immediately after his arrival:

“Mr. Paton came to South Africa towards the close of the Anglo-Boer War. On his arrival he joined the firm of J.W. Tainton, the solicitor, as bookkeeper and clerk. After serving his articles with this firm he was admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court on 1 November 1905. He practised on his own account for a time and then entered into a partnership with Mr. G.E. Robinson, forming the firm of Robinson and Paton.

Mr. Paton commenced his military service in Natal, when he joined the Natal Royal Rifles on 22 July 1902 (three months after the end of the Boer War). He was transferred to the Natal Carbineers on 29 May 1903 and was promoted to Staff Sergeant on 10 April 1905”
1905 was a momentous year in Paton’s life for other reasons as well. As Honorary Secretary of the Juridical Society of Pietermaritzburg he wrote to the Registrar of the Supreme Court on 21 May 1903 stating that;

“I have been instructed by the Pietermaritzburg Juridical Society to ask if you would be good enough to approach the Judges or the Chief Justice, with a view to their granting the use of the Supreme Court to the Society for their meetings. Owing to the difficulty experienced in obtaining a suitable room, it has been impossible to arrange regular meetings. And this has very seriously hampered the Society.

The room will not be required more than twice monthly, and in all probability not more than once a month, and then only in the evenings.” Red tape being the order of the day in Victorian times this letter wound its way to the Colonial Secretary himself who acquiesced to the use of the room “subject to a satisfactory arrangement being come to for the due safety of the buildings and of their agreeing to pay any expenses that may be incurred including the cost of lighting” – it seems personal safety considerations were secondary to that of the building!

Having safely negotiated the thorny issue of where to meet Paton’s next request was of a more personal nature – on 19 December 1905 he wrote from his office with J Warwick Tainton Solicitors to the Principal Under Secretary applying for the appointment of himself as Commissioner of Oaths.

“Mr Tainton” he stated, “has been appointed as such and I hold the position of Managing Clerk in his office. I am a duly admitted Attorney of the Supreme Court as from 1 November last. I am taking out my licence to practice as such from the beginning of 1906. Mr Tainton is very frequently engaged in court and as persons are continually calling on him for the purpose of swearing to affadavits etc. it would be a very great convenience to such persons if I were in the position to act as Commissioner.”

As with the previous case, permission was slow in coming and not automatically granted. The reply came on 22 December to the effect that “you should ask those in whose interests the appointment would be made to petition the Government that a Commission be granted to you” – thereby putting young Paton firmly in his place.

But Paton had weightier matters on his mind at that point – six days later in the Wesleyan Church, Pietermaritzburg, he wed Edith Maud Mary Tomlinson, the sister of his future partner. This wedding took place a few months ahead of an event that was to shake the very foundations of the Colony. Natal, post-Boer War was in financial distress. The demands that had been made on the fiscus had been many and the authorities were hard-pressed to make end meet. To this end they happened upon a Poll Tax which would be levied against all Black Males of 18 and older.

This was met with sullen acceptance by most Chiefs and Indunas but there was one hot-headed young Chieftain by the name of Bambatha who was violently opposed to this further mark of oppression and who actively incited revolt against the imposition and collection of the tax. 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.

Paton had, as we have seen, been part of the Natal Carbineers since May 1903 and had participated fully in its structures during peace-time and the rebuilding phase which followed immediately after the Boer War. Entering the Bambatha Rebellion (as it became known) as one of only eight Squadron Sergeant Majors he took an active role in all the engagements in which they were involved earning for himself the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp.

The turmoil a thing of the past Paton continued with the Carbineers – in 1908 he was further promoted being appointed Quartermaster with the rank of Honorary Lieutenant. In October of that year he was appointed to act as Prosecutor of the Native High Court at a salary of £20 per mensem.

On the community front he prospered standing for the City Council to which he was duly elected in 1911, a position he was to hold until resigning to take up the post of Town Clerk but more about that later. In uniform his career was moving apace – on 1 June 1912 he was appointed as Acting Adjutant of the Natal Carbineers continuing in that capacity till the end of that year.

August 1914 saw the outbreak of the Great War and with it South Africa’s reentry into conflict, this time on the side of the British Empire. Paton, now 39 years old, was engaged in operations within the Union from 20 August 1914 until 23 July 1915 whereafter he was appointed temporary Captain and was made the Recruiting Officer for Natal from 16 November until 15 December of the same year.

What had occasioned the break in service? Simply put Paton’s civic responsibilities were on the increase – in August 1915 he was elected Deputy Mayor of Pietermaritzburg. A position he retained until his official retirement on 8 May 1917. Thereafter, as was mentioned previously, he was appointed the Town Clerk on 1 July 1917 – a position he held until his death. For his services in the Union he was awarded the British War Medal in the rank of Captain – an unusual single issue medal.

David Paton was to die in office, unexpectedly, on 27 October 1927 at the age of 52 years and 8 months. The eulogies were many and varied for a man who had lived a very public life. The Natal Witness carried many of them one of which stated that,

“He was esteemed throughout the municipal service and took a thorough and keen interest in the workings of the various departments and, despite the burden of ill-health under which he labored in recent years, he was always courteous and considerate to his subordinates.”

In another article entitled: “Councillors Eulogise the Late David Paton” it was said that,

“He was a man of forceful personality, and would have gone far in any walk of life, but he had laboured under a burden of physical weakness in recent years. Mr. Paton possessed a splendid business training, as well as a sound legal training, and had a quick grip on complicated and vital matters.

Mr. P.H. Taylor who was Mayor when Mr. Paton was appointed Town Clerk, also eulogized the memory of a fine character, and stated that in all subjects which came before the Council Mr. Paton could be relied upon to get at the essentials in a flash. His judgement was valued in all affairs that came before the Council.

The Mayor, Cr. Dick, expressed his feelings as follows: “I deeply regret the loss of our Town Clerk both for personal and official reasons. David Paton was an esteemed friend of mine, he was a zealous and conservative official, and as the senior man on the staff he was a tower of strength, both to the staff and the Council. His knowledge of Municipal affairs and his legal mind were unique and of the greatest assistance to the Council”

Paton was buried with full civic honours with the cortege passing the City Hall with a long procession of mourners in its wake. According to the newspaper report,

“The funeral was attended by over 300 people, among whom were representatives of every department of the Municipality. The cortege left Mr. Paton’s residence at Mountain Rise at two o’ clock and proceeded up Church Street, past the City Hall. Here squads of European and Native police were drawn up on either side of the Commercial Road portico and saluted as the cortege filed past. As the procession reached the City Hall the bell commenced tolling at minute intervals. A large number of townspeople joined the procession at this point and followed it to the Wesleyan Cemetery, where it was met by the Revd. Andrew graham, who conducted a short but impromptu service.

So ended the life of a well-liked man. Letters in Paton’s estate file point to the fact that he was almost bankrupt at the time of his death.

Thirty two, Adrian?

capepolice wrote: Nice Group Rory,

Look forward to seeing them at the next meeting.

Mike, yes you can get the single BWM. I have a side line collecting area to the C.P.G Regt (Cape Peninsula Garrison Regiment) This Regiment which was always an emergency Battalion formed part of the Peninsula Defences. They never, as a Regiment left the borders of SA. I have 32 such single medals out of a possible 1100 awarded to the Regiment !!!

The Regiment was previously known as the Peninsula Citiizens Training Association and changed it's name to the C.P.G Regt in 1917.

Regards
Adrian