TOPIC:

Henry George Bernardine Miller

Trooper, Warren’s Scouts
Guide, Field Intelligence Department
Corporal, Herbert Mounted Rifles - Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal (Cape Colony) to 14 TPR. H.G.B. MILLER. WARREN’S SCOUTS.

Henry Miller was born in the small Karoo enclave of Richmond on 17 December 1847 and was baptised in the district of Graaff Reinet on 19 July 1848. He was the son of John Miller, a Merchant, and his wife Cornelia. The witness to his baptism was the Colonial Chaplain, William Long.

His baptism in Graaff Reinet provided the clue that the family had moved to what was then the thriving centre of the Karoo. The pace of life when Miller was growing up was a far cry from what it is today and his days would have been spent helping out on the family farm “Klipdrift” just outside the town in the Camdeboo East Cornetcy. This was also his address when the 1878 Voter’s Roll of the Eastern Cape was compiled.

As the end of the 19th century drew near the storm clouds which had been gathering over the north of South Africa burst into a declaration of war between the Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and the might of Imperial Britain. With the dawn of 12 October Commandos, already massing at the borders with the Crown Colonies of Natal and the Cape, streamed over and, despite initial resistance from the hopelessly outnumbered Regular Army troops on the ground, quickly encircled and laid siege to the important towns of Kimberley and Mafeking in the Cape and Ladysmith in Natal.

The news for the people at home in England got progressively worse with a series of military disasters known as Black Week in December 1899. But all this was a far cry from where Miller found himself although one of the disasters, that of Stormberg in the East Cape, was too close to home to be of comfort.

No longer a young man at the age of 53 he was, no doubt, motivated by a sense of patriotic duty when he attested for service with Sir Charles Warren’s Scouts (Warren’s Scouts for short) on 14 May 1900. Warren’s Scouts was a small body of men, never numbering more than 30, whose job it was (as their name suggested) to provide intelligence on enemy movements in and around the district in which they operated. They were part of Methuen’s force as he made his way inland to take the fight to the Cape Rebels - Boer Commandos who, despite being British subjects, had treasonously thrown their lot in the Boer cause and were sowing havoc in the small and sparsely areas of the far Northern Cape and elsewhere.



Not long after Miller enlisted took place one of the seminal engagements of the war in which they were present – that of the fight at Faber’s Put. Here, late on the night of May 29, 1900, a force of Boers under the command of General Villers bypassed British sentries and surrounded the encampment at Faber's Put. The Boers opened fire on a section of mounted infantry under the command of the Earl of Erroll which included Paget's Horse and the 23rd and 24th Companies of Imperial Yeomanry, scattering their horses and resulting in high casualties. The firefight woke the rest of the British camp and soon the Canadian Artillery tended to their 12-pounder guns. It was too dark for the guns to be aimed properly, and the Canadians had to hold their fire until daybreak. As the sun began to rise, two companies of the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles charged the Boers on the eastern side of the encampment, driving them back with assistance from a maxim machine gun section.



At this time, Sam Hughes rallied a mixed body of Yeomanry and Warren's Scouts, leading them in a spirited charge against the Boer positions.

Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle in his book “The Great Boer War” described the action thus:-

“…..One of these was the action at Faber's Put, by which Sir Charles Warren crushed the rebellion in Griqualand. In that sparsely inhabited country of vast distances it was a most difficult task to bring the revolt to a decisive ending. This Sir Charles Warren, with his special local knowledge and interest, was able to do, and the success is doubly welcome as bringing additional honour to a man who, whatever view one may take of his action at Spion Kop, has grown grey in the service of the Empire.

With a column consisting mainly of Colonials and of Yeomanry he had followed the rebels up to a point within twelve miles of Douglas. Here at the end of May they turned upon him and delivered a fierce night attack, so sudden and so strongly pressed that much credit is due both to General and to troops for having repelled it. The camp was attacked on all sides in the early dawn. The greater part of the horses were stampeded by the firing, and the enemy's riflemen were found to be at very close quarters.

For an hour the action was warm, but at the end of that time the Boers fled, leaving a number of dead behind them. The troops engaged in this very creditable action, which might have tried the steadiness of veterans, were four hundred of the Duke of Edinburgh's volunteers, some of Paget's horse and of the 8th Regiment Imperial Yeomanry, four Canadian guns, and twenty-five of Warren's Scouts. Their losses were eighteen killed and thirty wounded. Colonel Spence, of the volunteers, died at the head of his regiment. A few days before, on May 27th, Colonel Adye had won a small engagement at Kheis, some distance to the westward, and the effect of the two actions was to put an end to open resistance. On June 20th De Villiers, the Boer leader, finally surrendered to Sir Charles Warren, handing over two hundred and twenty men with stores, rifles, and ammunition. The last sparks had for the time been stamped out in the colony.”



Subsequent to the above, the East Anglian Daily Times of 9 June 1900 reported as follows under the heading “The Cape Rebellion”:-

“General Warren’s March – Campbell, Griqualand West, Tuesday. The following force, under Sir Charles Warren marched from Faber’s Spruit in the direction of Campbell yesterday: - Four guns of the Canadian Artillery, Mounted Infantry, Cape Police, two squadrons of Paget’s Horse, two squadrons Imperial Yeomanry, four companies of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Volunteers, and Warren’s Scouts.

The column marched nine miles to Tweefontein without meeting the enemy and bivouacked for the night. It left Tweefontein at 9 o’ clock this morning. The column then marched into Campbell without opposition and camped. Several rebels have handed in their arms. Since I last telegraphed I have ascertained the enemy’s loss at Faber’s Put was far greater than at first estimated.”

Warren’s Scouts were never destined to have a long life and were disbanded as a unit after Sir Charles Warren had moved on. Miller, with time on his hands after being discharged on 25 July 1900 and with a very specialised skill set offered his service to the Field Intelligence Department – a logical step given his previous war service. Nothing is, however, known of his movements with them. Having disappeared momentarily from the scene Miller reappeared as a Corporal with the little-known Herbert Mounted Rifles. A body with whom he served from 12 December 1901 until their disbandment on 30 June 1902 – a month after the cessation of hostilities. It can be fairly accurately speculated that the H.M.R. came into being as a sort of District Mounted Troop – entrusted with patrolling the district of Herbert and acting as a buffer, should the need arise, if any Boers were spotted on the horizon.

That this step was necessary, certainly in the very early stages of the war, was evidenced by this extract which appeared in the Magistrate’s Report for the district of Herbert and which showed that the area Miller knew so well was a seething hotbed of Boer sympathisers and rebels:

‘Question I—What proportion of people of this district either joined the enemy, refused to join, or left the district.

I base my estimate on a population of 900 European adults (males)—558 of these are registered voters. 90 per cent, joined the enemy, 6 per cent, left the district, and 4 per cent, remained.

Question II —To what extend did the enemy commandeer?

The enemy commandeered indiscriminately—where old age prevented personal service, money or kind was demanded. The method adopted was of a somewhat drastic nature. Some official in the service of the Free State Government would repair to an inhabitant's residence and present what is known as a commandeer list. This was generally an order commandeering person or property, or both. Should such person disobey the terms of the commandeer list, he was summoned before the Landdrost of his district there to be dealt with according to the provisions of Krijgswet or Martial Law, which meant that the offender had either to join the enemy, pay a heavy penalty, or betake himself to territory other than that under hostile sway.’

The war over and his role therein at an end, Miller chose to remain in the Herbert District as a Stock Farmer. He passed away on his farm, Monaciefontein, on 7 January 1918. He had never married.

Acknowledgments:

- The Great Boer War by Conan-Doyle
- Magisterial Report for Herbert District – Anglo Boer War Forum
- Various newspapers accredited in the text above.

For more on the action at Faber’s Put see here:
www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...s-in-the-field#99265