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Erickson of the B.S.A.P. & Natal Carbineers 4 years 10 months ago #63771

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Johan Erickson

Sergeant, British South Africa Police – Anglo Boer War
Quarter Master Sergeant Farrier – WWI


- Queens South Africa Medal with clasp Rhodesia to 902 Serjt. J. Erickson, B.S.A. Police
- 1914/15 Star to Pte. J. Erickson, 2nd M.R. (Natal Carbineers)
- British War Medal to S.Q.M.S. J. Erickson, 2nd M.R.
- Victory Medal to S.Q.M.S. J. Erickson, 2nd M.R.


Johan Erickson was born in Sweden in about 1874. At some point in time he decided to move south from his native land, settling in South Africa where, in early 1896, he was in the Port Elizabeth area of the Eastern Cape. Moving north to the fledging territory of Rhodesia, Erickson was in the Selukwe district where he was employed by the Moonie Creek Development Company, whilst the Matabele Rebellion was in full swing. He did not, however, take any part in this, remaining a civilian throughout the conflict.

On the 15th August 1896 he completed a Compensation Claim (Zimbabwe Archival ref. T 8/4/2/35, no. 905) for property looted or destroyed by the Ndebele. The claim was for £50 and was "for the loss of tools and clothing sustained by him by reason of the recent Matabele outbreak."

A Mr. Hart Saxby was called on to certify that the box of carpenter's tools and clothing were lost to the claimant at his camp in Moonie Creek, Selukwe. Additionally, in an accompanying schedule, Erickson confirmed that he had bought the carpenter tools in Port Elizabeth for £30 but that they had cost £10 to transport them from Port Elizabeth to Selukwe. The balance, £10, was in respect of the clothing that was stolen. The Commissioners', satisfied that his claim was valid, paid out £36.14.4. on 21 December 1896 in full and final settlement and Erickson, one presumes, set about rebuilding his life once the dust had settled in Rhodesia.

On 18 July 1898 he enlisted with “A” Troop of the Mashonaland Division of the British South Africa Police for service on with the rank of Trooper and no. 902.

The B.S.A.P. were tasked with the policing of the territory, an important task so soon after the recent Matabele Rebellion of 1896 and the ill-fated Jameson Raid which had drained the country of its Police Force exposing the settlers to danger. Erickson and his compatriots weren’t to know that, just over a year later, on 11 October 1899, the Anglo Boer War would break out, pitting the two Dutch-speaking Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal against the might of Imperial Britain.

Situated as they were, to the north of the Z.A.R., they were not under immediate threat with the Boers focusing their attentions on laying siege to the towns of Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith.

In the earlier stages of the war this fine force did particularly valuable work - when war was declared their strength was 1,106 of all ranks,—a most useful body of trained horsemen, good shots, and wily to the last degree. The bulk of the regiment was employed on the Rhodesian border, used on patrol work.

When Colonel Plumer with the Rhodesian Regiment reached Tuli, near the northern border of the Transvaal, on 11th October, 100 men of the BSA Police were already there with 3 guns and 2 .450 maxims; another detachment being on the railway north of Gaberones under Colonel Nicholson, the Commandant of the Police. Both these bodies took part in endless skirmishes and had to keep watch over a very extended front. He also referred to the work of the Police, and said their shooting was better than that of any other troops he had commanded.

In 1901 and 1902, down to the close of the war, the BSA Police did good work on the Rhodesian border and in the western and northern districts of the Transvaal, and their services were of great value when some native chiefs took their followers into the field. Erickson would have missed out on the later actions, taking his discharge on 22 July 1901 with the rank of Sergeant.

His active participation in the war over, he was awarded the Queens Medal issued off the roll dated at Salisbury on 22 August 1901. Because he was not involved in either the siege or relief of Mafeking he earned the Rhodesia clasp to his medal. This was later supplemented by the award of the South Africa 1901 clasp.

The Boer War over, Erickson, at some juncture, betook himself to the Dundee area of Natal which is where he, most likely, was residing when the Great War broke out in early August 1914 – 12 years after the last shot of the Boer War had been fired in anger. Enlisting for service with the 2nd Mounted Rifles (Natal Carbineers) on 26 October 1914, he was assigned the number SA 34 and the rank of Private. The 2nd M.R., as opposed to their 1st M.R. cousins, were based and raised in the northern interior of Natal. Their first order of business, along with a number of other regular outfits, was to help suppress the internal rebellion which sprang up the moment Prime Minister Botha had announced his intentions of siding with Britain against the Germans.

Pockets of disaffected Boers in the Orange Free State and Western Transvaal, whose memory of the Boer War hadn’t dimmed, rose up in opposition to the government and, before a serious attempt to invade German South West Africa could be made, had to be dealt with summarily. Botha took to the field against men who not too long ago had been his brothers in arms and Erickson and his Carbineers comrades were called up for action to guard portions of the main railway line, in the main, and as reserve troops at Harrismith in the Orange Free State.

By late November 1914 the threat had diminished and men and material began to be shipped from Cape Town to either Walvis Bay, Luderitzbucht or Swakopmund in German South West Africa. The 2nd M.R were part of Military District No.4 and entered the territory as part of the Central Force on 28 November 1914 docking at Luderitz Bay under their Officer Commanding, Col. J.P.S. Woods.

Erickson, who had supplied his next of kin as C. Erickson, Sweden, had been promoted to Farrier Sergeant on 1 November. This was followed, literally the next day, with promotion to Quartermaster Sergeant Farrier – the rank he was to end the war with.

But what role did the Natal Carbineers play in what was a dirty, dusty and hot campaign? The answer was, partially, provided in a letter a fellow trooper wrote home and which appeared in The Express and Advertiser of 12 June 1915. It read, edited in parts, under the heading “West African Fighting – Burnley man’s interesting letter home” as follows:

‘… We have a letter from Private George Carter of Church Street, Burnley who is serving with a cavalry regiment in British (sic) South West Africa. The letter which is dated May 7th, and from an address in Cape Town contains the following:

Here we are in Gibeon after a nine day trek of 230 miles. We have been on quarter rations of food each since we started, except for meat of which we procured plenty, this having been left behind in the flight of the Germans, and we have had as much of that as we wanted. The horses – poor beggars – are looking very poor. They have had to live on the country and what “country” – nearly bare – so they have had to pick whenever they get the chance, which is not very often.

Our Flying Column is composed of the Natal Carbineers, Natal Light Horse, Natal Mounted Rifles and two squadrons of the Imperial Light Horse – altogether about 3000 men. We did not get too much sleep on the way, had to snatch an hour or two whenever we could, and I got quite used to dosing in the saddle. Forty-five miles were covered without a drop of water. All along we had to go long stretches without water until we got there and then lo and behold – what nearly blinded us – a river, and didn’t we make the most of it.

On the ninth day of our trek, it was morning about 3 o’ clock, we were called to go into action at daybreak, as the mounted infantry had ben scraping all night. Up we galloped, saw the Germans in the distance with their armoured train fighting away with our mounted infantry, got our guns into position and let them have it.”

The 2nd Mounted Rifles, as part of Mackenzie’s 7th Brigade, had not been in the advance party which attacked the Germans at Gibeon station as they were trying to get their men away to the north by rail. They were, however, called upon to help extricate the Natal Light Horse and others who had got into difficulty through having launched a premature attack on the enemy position which was almost indefensible and which led to many prisoners initially being taken.

Erickson was admitted to the Hospital at Keetmanshoop on 25 May 1915 suffering with Malaria, a strange complaint given his surroundings and one more prevalent in German East Africa where the climate was tropical. After 3 days he was discharged to duty and re-joined his regiment. On 25 June, having been sent down to Cape Town, he was admitted to the Hospital at Wynberg with Bronchial Catarrh - inflammation of the mucous membranes in one of the airways or cavities of the body, usually with reference to the throat and paranasal sinuses.

He took his discharge on 6 July 1915, a few days before the war in German South West Africa came to an official end. For his efforts he was awarded the three medals for World War One.

Nothing more was heard in connection with Erickson until his death on 1 April 1951, at the age of 77. A married man, he had succumbed to pulmonary carcinoma, dying at his residence, 4 George Street, Mayfair, Johannesburg. He had been an underground Shaft Timberman on the mines prior to his retirement. He is buried in the West Park Cemetery, Johannesburg.












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Erickson of the B.S.A.P. & Natal Carbineers 1 year 1 month ago #88480

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Thanks to Ian Johnstone, who has access to the National Archives of Zimbabwe, new information iro Erickson has come to light. I have woven the new material into Erickson's account above.

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Rory
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Erickson of the B.S.A.P. & Natal Carbineers 1 year 1 month ago #88491

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Ian is an excellent researcher. It is wonderful that he still has access that that mine of information.
Dr David Biggins

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Erickson of the B.S.A.P. & Natal Carbineers 1 year 1 month ago #88494

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Rory
It would interest those Forum members who wish to research BSACMs to learn of the contact details of Ian Johnstone.
Regards
IL.
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Erickson of the B.S.A.P. & Natal Carbineers 1 year 1 month ago #88495

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As per your request IL - a word of caution - Ian is UK-based and ventures in the direction of Zimbabwe probably no more than once per annum. Requests can and do take time and he has such volumes to work with that some requests "stand over".

[email protected]

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Rory
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Erickson of the B.S.A.P. & Natal Carbineers 1 year 1 month ago #88497

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Many thanks Rory for making us aware of Ian Johnstone's ability to access records in Zimbabwe.
Would he be able to get at records to the Bulawayo Field Force I wonder?
I guess a direct email may be my best initial approach.
Very interesting!

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