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I have the following medal:

Single – QSA no bar Cpl. W.O. Hagan, Xalanga M.R.

William O’Neill Hagan was born in Cala on 16 August 1879. He married Wilhelmina “Min” Gertrude Stokes at Tsolo on 13 February 1905. I expect that William’s father was James O’Hagan who swam ashore in Table Bay after being shipwrecked on 8th August 1842.
William's children were born in Qumbu, Transkei.
Qumbu was founded in 1876. This was where Chief Mhlontlo murdered the magistrate Hamilton Hope. Mhlontlo was later arrested in King Williams Town.

RobM

Researching the Xalanga Mounted Rifles is another difficult task with little written about them or their work.



Creswicke (Volume II, Chapter 5) suggests they were called out in December 1899 and that they should more accurately have been called the Xalanga Border Mounted Rifle Club as per Adrian's nominal roll above and in the same way as Tsomo MRC.

The glorious work done by Cape Colony in aid of the Empire may be appreciated in viewing the following figures, which show that nearly 6000 South African volunteers were called out for service during the month of December : —

Prince Alfred's Own Artillery, Cape Town, 120; Cape Garrison Artillery, Cape Town, 450; Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles, Cape Town, 1000; Cape Town Highlanders, Cape Town, 500; Prince Alfred's Guard, Port Elizabeth, 600; Uitenhage Rifles, Uitenhage, 200; Kaffrarian Rifles, East London, 400; 1st City Volunteers, Grahamstown, 500; Queenstown Rifle Volunteers, Queenstown, 300 ; Kimberley Regiment, Kimberley, 650 ; Diamond Fields Artillery, Kimberley, 120; Frontier Mounted Rifles, Cathcart, 200; Komgha Mounted Rifles, Komgha, 100; Transkei Mounted Rifles, Butterworth, 125; Xalanga Border Mounted Rifle Club, 72; Tembuland Mounted Rifle Club, 52; Engcobo Mounted Rifle Club, 47; Cape Medical Staff Corps, 200:—total, 5636.

QSA named to the Xalanga Mounted Rifles

Hi
Capt S J Hyde (Samuel John) was my great-grandfather. He died in Cala on 23 February 1931. I only recently.learnt about his involvement in the XMR through his grandson (my dad's cousin). He was an attorney and well-known in the Cala area. After jumping ship an route from India to the UK he spent.some time as as a driver of the Cape Town - Kimberley post cart.