TOPIC:

George Lawson

Trooper, Border Mounted Rifles
Trooper, Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment - Anglo Boer War
Trooper, Border Mounted Rifles - Bambatha Rebellion

- Coronation Medal 1902 (unnamed as issued)
- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps defence of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Laings Nek and Orange Free State to 250 TPR: G. LAWSON. BORDER M.R.
- Kings South Africa Medal with clasps South Africa 1901 & 1902 to 178 TPR: G. LAWSON. NATAL V.C.R.
- Natal Medal with 1906 clasp to TPR: G. LAWSON. BORDER MTD. RIFLES

George Lawson was born at Dumisa in the district of Umzinto on the South Coast of Natal on 23 June 1877, the son of James Easton Lawson, a Storekeeper, and his wife Frances, nee Fayers. James had emigrated to South Africa where on 5 August 1861 and of Lower Umkomaas, he took out a licence to wed the 19 year old Frances Fayers.

Early Years

At about the end of 1865 James, known as “an old sailor chap”, asked one of the prominent local settlers, Charles Knox, for employment. At the time he was working for a Captain Grantham making lime on the beach; Knox gave him the job of managing his Dumisa store. Lawson and his wife both worked well in the store – the number of their children increased very fast, as well as the business, till there were ten.
Knox, at his own expense, sent tutors for the children, but none of them stayed any length of time because of the wife’s interference, so he eventually abandoned the idea.

Mrs Lawson, a bit of a tyrant by the sound of things, would not let her husband leave the place except in the company of Knox. Later James Lawson had to have a cancer cut from his lip. When farms were sold under the 20 years’ system they bought one of 2 000 acres in the district and built a house on it. In the following year they decided to buy another, despite Knox’s plea that a good education for their children would be better. When they both died the elder boys educated the younger ones.

In 1876, a year before George was born, the Rev. Thomas Jenkinson and his wife, on their return journey from Durban to Springvale Mission, went along the coast road and then inland from Umzinto. In her diary Mrs Jenkinson records, “…reached Lawson’s 22 miles [from Umzinto] at sunset. We had not bad quarters, but it was rather odd for host and hostess, very rough people, to hob nob with us. I believe they do not profess to keep an accommodation house but only a store.”


George Lawson

As has been alluded to, the family was a large one and George did not lack for playmates while growing up under the regime of the many tutors employed - as previously mentioned. The first born was Frances Maria, born on 18 February 1862. Next came James Fraser, born on 1 November 1863; Thomas William, born on 17 June 1865; William Frederick, born on 10 April 1867; Charlotte Ellen, born on 21 October 1868; Benjamin Henry, born on 15 June 1870 (he was killed in action at Wagon Hill on 6 January 1900); Robert Charles, born on 28 June 1872; Emma Jane, born on 31 July 1873; Charles, born on 2 November 1875; George, the subject of this work; Henry Richard, born on 23 April 1879 and Alfred Ernest, born on 8 October 1881.

Living in a rural setting, George and his brothers would have been well schooled in the pursuits of riding, hunting, and shooting – all skills which would have stood him in good stead for what was to come. On 11 October 1899, the world woke up to the news that Great Britain was at war with the two Dutch-speaking Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. One of the stated intentions of the Boers was to invade the colony of Natal and drive the English into the sea, taking control of the capital, Pietermaritzburg, and the valuable seaport of Durban in the process.

With this in mind, the Transvaal Boers poured over the border in Northern Natal, overwhelming the small number of Imperial and Colonial defenders at Newcastle and Dundee (after fighting at both Talana and Elandslaagte), and, together with their comrades in arms – the Free State Boer Commandos who had come over the Drakensberg Mountains – they surrounded and invested Ladysmith with its small civilian population and approximately 12 000 men in unform under General Sir George White.

But I get ahead of myself – Natal, in the weeks prior to the actual commencement of hostilities had been busy mustering the various established militia regiments scattered throughout the colony for service alongside their Imperial counterparts. One such outfit was the Border Mounted Rifles – this regiment was headquartered at Ixopo and organised in troops, each taking the name of the district in which it recruited. In 1898 the troops were formed into three squadrons, each of two troops, each squadron commanded by a Captain.


The Umzinto Troop of the B.M.R. - 30 members of whom Lawson was one.

The recruiting area of the Border Mounted Rifles was the coast of Natal south of Isipingo, the western border marching with Pondoland, East Griqualand and Pietermaritzburg County.

It was into the Umzinto Troop of the B.M.R. that Lawson attested as a Trooper in March 1898 with no. 250, along with his brother Benjamin, who had attested the previous year. Members provided their own horse, saddlery, clothing, and articles of personal use at their own expense, receiving an annual grant for the upkeep of the horse.

From its formation to the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War the life of the B.M.R. was uneventful enough, the only events of real interest being the ten days' annual training encampment, quarterly musters for drill and musketry and periodical dances and sports meetings. The regiment attained an outstanding standard in military sports and skill-at-arms, tent pegging and field firing being excelled in for years.

Anglo Boer War

On 29th September, 1899, the Border Mounted Rifles were called up for active service against the Boers and, although many lived in remote parts of their districts, the bulk of the personnel had, within two days, arrived at Ladysmith as a unit of the Natal Volunteer Brigade under their breezy, bluff, and resourceful Commander, Major J. F. Rethman, of Harding, assembled there and were operating thence during the following five months. The regiment, numbering 286 men, immediately got down to the serious duties of patrolling far afield, feeling for and getting contact with the Boer forces who were soon across the Natal borders and pushing on to Ladysmith and further down country.

Fighting soon occurred and the regiment was in the thick of it and took an active share in the general engagements at Tinta Nyoni where, on the 17th, No. 1 squadron of the Border M.R., under Captain Royston, was fired on at the foot of the Tintwa Pass , Bester's Farm and Lombard's Kop, besides several minor and local affairs of outposts and patrols leading up to the final surrounding and complete investment of Ladysmith on 3 November 1899. They took a leading part in the night attack upon and destruction of the Boer big guns on Gun Hill on 9th November, 1899, suffering casualties in all the fighting. Then on 6th January, 1900, came the attack by the Boers on the British posts on Wagon Hill and Caesar's Camp in the defence of which the B.M.R. took a strenuous role, suffering a number of casualties in killed and wounded (including Lawson’s brother, Benjamin.)


Battle of Wagon Hill

In the repulse of the great attack of 6th January 1900 the volunteers took a prominent part. The following is the report furnished by Colonel Royston to the Chief of the Staff : "I have to report that on Saturday, 6th inst., at about 4.15 am, I received information by telephone from headquarters that the enemy were making an attack on Wagon Hill. I at once despatched 80 men of the Natal MR, under Major Evans, to strengthen the outposts on the Flats, then held by 1 officer and 40 men Natal Police, attached to Volunteers, and 1 officer and 20 men Natal Carbineers. The Town Guard was also directed to stand fast at its post on the left bank of the Klip River. As it had been intimated that a battery of artillery would be placed at my disposal, I directed two squadrons Border MR, with one maxim, to accompany the guns. Major Abadie, at about 5.40 am, reported his guns in position near the point where the road to Caesar's Camp crosses the town rifle-range. On my arrival at the outpost line, at 5 am, the enemy were occupying the extreme south-eastern point of Caesar's Hill, well under cover amongst the rocks and bushes. About 50 men were visible from the Flats, but more appeared to be pushing on from the west in small parties. These men were being fired on from the thorn trees and from sangars below by my men as soon as they appeared in sight.

A few minutes after my arrival the enemy advanced north along the top of the hill, firing at a party of 'Gordons' near a sangar about 500 yards to their front. I requested the officer commanding the battery to open fire, which he did with good effect, stopping the enemy's advance, and driving them into the rocks. As there appeared to be only a small party of the 'Gordons' opposed to the enemy at this spot, as far as I could see from below, I directed a squadron of Border MR, under Lieutenant Royston, to climb the hill and go to their assistance dismounted. This would be about 6 am. On my men joining the Gordons the party advanced towards the enemy in the rocks, but were at first driven back by their heavy fire, and the enemy again advanced. The battery again opened fire, and the 'Gordons' and the Border MR again advancing, drove the enemy over the point of the hill, and they never again mounted to the crest.

At mid-day the enemy had retired about halfway down the southern slope of the hill, but still kept up a heavy fire. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get at these with artillery fire from where the battery was limbered, owing to the danger of hitting our own people on the crest of the hill, and the officer commanding the battery did not consider it advisable, owing to the rough ground to cross, and to exposure to Bulwana, to advance any of his guns as far as our outpost line, from which point the enemy could be reached. Rifle-fire was kept up until the enemy finally got into the bed of the Fourie Spruit, where he could only be reached from the top of Caesar's Hill. A heavy fire was kept up until dark, when it gradually ceased, and the enemy appeared to be retiring up the Fourie Spruit. My casualties were 4 men killed and 2 officers and 10 men wounded.

Another version of the Wagon Hill skirmish of 6th January 1900 was that of Lt. R.G. Archibald who won a competition guinea with his account published in the Illustrated London News. Archibald was the Squadron Commander of the Umzinto Troop of whom Lawson was one of the 31 members. It is useful in that he places “his men” i.e. Lawson and the Umzinto troop, in the thick of the action. The article read as follows: -

“On January 6th the Boers attacked the town (Ladysmith) in two different places. The attack began at 02.30 in the morning and by daylight very serious news was hurriedly bought in that had gained Wagon Hill, and were also in possession of a portion of Caesar’s Hill Camp, overlooking the town.

All volunteers were immediately called to arms and sent to reinforce the picquets. Four small squadrons of the Border Mounted Rifles were ordered to support the 53rd Battery, Royal Artillery.

While the battery was working into position our squad was ordered to dismount and climb the hill to reinforce a company of Gordon Highlanders who were hard pressed on top. Here they met the Captain of the Gordons, who said as far as he knew the Manchesters still held the point of the hill, and he was awaiting a call from them if they required reinforcing. He then ordered our squad to move forward to find out the true state of affairs.

The squad had crept halfway across the flat on the top of the hill, when suddenly from behind a lot stones, about fifty yards in front, jumped a body of men who threw up their hands crying “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot. We are the Town Guard.” This for a moment put our men off but they did not take long to see the mistake. The Boers took up their guns and blazed away straight into our men, who immediately lay flat, returned the fire, and slowly retired to cover close by.

Before gaining this however, two men were shot dead. Our men dared not advance, as the enemy were only 150 yards in front and the Boers, for the same reason, dare not retire, as they would expose themselves to our fire. Whenever a shell shifted any of them and they got up to run they were immediately shot down by our men.

Gradually as they had enough of it, they were forced over the end of the hill and got behind rocks. The Gordons having reinforced us, an advance made to the end of the hill, where our side remained all day, blazing away at the enemy. At three in the afternoon the Boers were reinforced and, to make matters worse, a terrific thunderstorm burst over the whole place, lasting until 5 p.m. Those two hours I shall never forget. However all things come to an end, and right glad were our squad to return to the town drenched to the skin.”

During the historic siege the regiment was reduced to half its strength by disease, privation, hardship from bad weather and the effect of continuous and arduous duties. A large number of their horses were slaughtered and eaten, these being mostly the mounts of non-effectives which could not be looked after and kept alive by any means or attention at all. During the siege their Adjutant, Captain William Arnott, was severely wounded and their Q.M. Lieut. W. D. Smith, died of disease.

After the Relief of Ladysmith on 1 March 1900, and following a six weeks' period of rest, feeding and recuperation down country and the recruitment of the unit up to normal strength, the B.M.R. formed a unit of the reconstituted Natal Volunteer Brigade under Major General John G. Dartnell, which was attached to the Imperial forces which advanced north and finally drove the Boers out of Natal.

On reaching Volksrust the Brigade was sent back to Dundee district charged with the duty of defending the upper part of Natal from the inroads of raiding parties of the enemy which were of frequent though largely ineffective occurrence. At the end of October, 1900, the Brigade was temporarily demobilised and returned home, leaving a composite regiment to which the B.M.R. contributed about fifty officers and men, who volunteered to serve on for the duration of the war. This unit was the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment which saw a good deal of fighting till peace came on 31st May, 1902, and in which the B.M.R. personnel suffered a number of casualties.

George Lawson was one of the “50” who volunteered to continue taking the fight to the Boers – he attested with the N.C.V.R. and was assigned No. 178.

The Composite Regiment

This unit was formed from volunteers from all the Natal regiments, and was called the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment. It came into being in October, 1900, the units furnishing the volunteer personnel being the Natal Carbineers, Natal Mounted Rifles, Umvoti Mounted Rifles, Border Mounted Rifles, Durban Light Infantry, Natal Royal Rifles and Natal Field Artillery, with necessary detachments from the Natal Volunteer Staff, Medical, Veterinary, Transport and Supply Departments. The strength was 505, in four squadrons. Lieut-Colonel Robert Winter Evans, of the Natal Mounted Rifles, was appointed to the command, and the new regiment at once settled down to its work, forming a unit of the Dundee-Ladysmith-Newcastle sub-district Imperial Command.

During its 21 months of existence, the unit, or portions of it, at various times formed part of many different field commands in the southern and eastern Transvaal, Orange River Colony, and Zululand, as well as in northern Natal, and took part in much fighting. Other activities were patrolling the Natal borders, holding isolated key points, escorting convoys, patrolling block-house lines, cleaning up the districts of rebels, chasing raiding parties and the like. The work of the regiment was never monotonous, and at times was exciting.

The unit gained an enviable reputation for its work and many were the encomiums received from high Imperial Army commanders, under whom the regiment or detachments served. Scouting was highly developed, and soon the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment was famed for this type of work. Amongst its personnel were many men hailing from the districts in which it operated, and consequently they possessed valuable local knowledge and many were linguists in Dutch and Zulu, Men and horses were hardened by a year of previous service and training.

The N.V.C.R. was disbanded on 31st July, 1902, two months after peace was signed, having been employed during the two months from 31st May in repatriation work and military policing duties pending the taking over of these activities by the Natal Police Field Force. The members thereafter returned to their own original units, after 21 months of field service well done.

After a long and arduous war, Lawson was able to return home. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens medal and clasps to the Border Mounted Rifles whilst, for his extended service with the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment, he was awarded the Kings medal with date clasps. He was also selected as a member of the 1902 Coronation Contingent – several Colonial units were selected to send a representative grouping of their men to attend King Edward VII’s coronation in London. Owing to illness on the King’s part, the event was postponed to later in the year with the overseas men required to stay on.

Back on home soil, there was now time for romance and, on 3 February 1904 at the Presbyterian Church in Glencoe, near Dundee; Lawson, aged 26, wed 22 year old Ethel Louisa Seager. Interestingly, Lawson was recorded as being a Carpenter by occupation living in Harrismith – just over the border from Ladysmith and, up until a mere 2 years ago, a hot-bed of Boer activity as part of the Orange Free State.

Bambatha Rebellion

He had, all the while, kept up his contact with the Border Mounted Rifles. This proved to be fortuitous as the events of 1906 were to show. Post the Anglo Boer conflict, Natal was counting the cost of an expensive war and the colonial fiscus was battling to make ends meet. Able minds were being applied to ways of generating additional revenue and one of the measures adopted was to impose a hut tax on every male of 18 years and older in the Colony. This was to be levied and collected by the Regional Magistrates accompanied by a Natal Police escort in case of trouble. This didn’t sit well with the young Chief Bambatha Zondi who lived in the Kranskop/Greytown area and who made his feelings very clear by fomenting an uprising amongst his fellow Zulus refusing to pay the tax and embarking on a campaign of civil disobedience which soon degenerated into armed rebellion – known as the Bambatha Rebellion.

The Government proclaimed martial law throughout Natal and the B.M.R. and other volunteer corps were called up for “mopping up” operations. It was this not until a week after the ambush at Mome Gorge on the 10thJune 1906, where Bambatha was caught and beheaded, that the Umzinto Troop entrained for Dundee. Whilst at Dundee disturbing news of trouble at Stanger, Mapumulo and Thring’s Post was received.

We know turn to Lt. Archibald who, once again, commanded the Umzinto Troop of the B.M.R. He kept meticulous notes and a diary of events as they unfolded.

Dundee, 20 June 1906 – We are still here but are moving off today as soon as we can get away to Helpmekaar. We are 160 strong and 80 Carbineers from Helpmekaar. It’s most awfully cold here and starting to blow great guns from the Drakensberg. We heard of the looting of Thring’s Post store and our loss of a convoy. We hope it will not turn out to be anything serious.

The B.M.R. moved about a great deal at this time and Archibald kept his wife appraised of their movements in a series of letters –
Stanger, 22 June 1906 – We have got orders to leave for Otomati wherever that is, some 18 miles from here. We arrived here safely last night at 7 p.m. after a long and tiring journey of 25 hours. So far there are 270 of us and 2 guns of C Battery (Natal Field Artillery).
Otomati via Thring’s Post, 26 June 1906 – we left Stanger at 1.30 p.m. with 170 B.M.R. and others totalling 400 – we are called Col. Arnot’s Column. We slept on this side of the Kearsney Tea Estate. Things are not as bad as first thought to be.

All kaffirs round here are in fear of their lives that raiding parties will come up for food and raid their kraals. They sleep in the bush at night and return in the daytime. We have been patrolling towards the Tugela (River) but have seen no kaffirs although we know they are in the Mati Valley.

Otomati, 28 June 1906 – Yesterday we had a fight and the kaffirs lost heavily, no casualties on our side except Tpr. Forder wounded in the leg by a spent bullet from our own side. The papers say the kaffirs lost 60 but 80 is nearer the mark. The B.M.R. got 37, they came on well at first but a few shells soon made them turn and then it was a case of hunt them out. They were about 6 to 700 strong. The fight took place opposite Thring’s Post.

Otomati, 1st July 1906 -We are still doing patrols and every day we see the enemy but they keep their distance. The Chief Meseni is in the Glendale Valley with about 3000 men made up of his own and men from other tribes. This was the lot the fight was against last week, bot only about 1000 of them took part. About 300 of them charged a squad of the N.M.R. They let them come on until about 100 yards and then opened fire on them, but flesh and blood can’t stand against dum-dum magazine fire and they broke and fled in all directions. The B.M.R. then opened out and hunted them out from the bush killing 37, two of them up trees.

They tried to come on again but a few shells soon them to the right about. The effect of the fight on them has been good. Meseni’s impi is to our south and Ndlovu’s impi of 500 on our north, but they keep well-hidden and don’t show up.


Chiefs Meseni and Ndlovu

Thring’s Post – 6th July 1906 – We had a very hard three days in the Glendale Valley. Yesterday we surrounded Umshwile’s impi and practically wiped it out – 547 killed. It was a clean sweep. We had a hard day driving them out from the bush and the caves. My squadron killed 47. I can tell you in am sick of it but it must be done.

Mapumulo, 15th July 1906 – Most of the rebels here have surrendered and we have been given three days rest – this is to give others time to surrender too.

As can be seen, despite Bambatha’s death, the rebellion continued on for some time, with many casualties, until most of the Chiefs had surrendered. The B.M.R., their grisly task completed, were stood down and the men, including Lawson, returned home. For his efforts he was awarded the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp, awarded by the Natal Government.

George Lawson returned to the Free State where he began farming “The Willows” on the townlands just outside Harrismith. Tragedy struck on 27 June 1911 when his three year old daughter, Myrtle Annie, passed away from trauma to the vertebra – suggesting that she had been in an accident of some sort. Although nothing softens the blow the loss of a child brings, Lawson and his could find some consolation in the other ten children they brought into the world.

Lawson passed away in Addington Hospital Durban on 26 August 1959 with Parkinson’s Disease and Cardiac Failure, aged 82. He was a retired Overseer on a Sugar Estate when he died, resident at 527 Manning Road Extension, Durban.

SOURCES
Books, Periodicals and Directories
Gordon. R.E. Dear Louisa: history of a pioneer family in Natal 1850-1888. Ellen McLeod’s letters to her sister in England from the Byrne valley. Cape Town: Balkema, 1970.
Knox, Charles. An old sailor-boy’s log book… Privately printed, 1909.
Spencer, Shelagh O’Byrne. British settlers in Natal 1824-1857: a biographical register. Vol. 6. Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 1992.
Honour Without Riches – The Story of an Archibald Family: Ruth E. Gordon: T.W. Griggs, 1978
Manuscripts and Online resources
Jenkinson, Mary Emily. Diaries 1873-1877 (Natal Archives Repository, Pietermaritzburg)
Short History Of The Volunteer Regiments Of Natal And East Griqualand, Past and Present. Compiled by Colonel Godfrey T Hurst, DSO OBE VD, Honorary Colonel of the Natal Mounted Rifles.
Ancestry for medal rolls
Familysearch.org for Baptismal and death notices