TOPIC:

Indian Pack Mule Train

Sailed aboard the Sirdhana (2720 tons) on the 25th September 1899 and aboard the Nerbudda (3025 tons) on the 27th September from Calcutta and arrived at the Port of Durban on the 16th and 18th October 1899 respectively. Transported 500 mules with them.
The Indian Pack Mule Train served at the Defence and Relief of Ladysmith, Laing’s Nek, Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Colony. Some served also at Belfast.


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Jan 1919 IAL Supply & Transport Corps ,Transport Veterinary Assistants, 1st Grade (ranking as Jemedars)

Muhammad Ally Date entering service:7 Dec 1886. Date of permanent rank, 30 April 1913. Serving with No.2 Mule Depot in 1919



Remarks

India General Service 1854-95, 1 clasp, Lushai 1889-92 (645 Salu..y(?) Mahammed Ali, Comt. Transpt. Dept.) officially re-engraved
Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 5 clasps, Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Belfast, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (M.170 Vet. Asst. Mahomed Ali, Ind. M.P. Train)
Tibet 1903-04, no clasp (545 Vety. Dufdr. Mohomedali, 10th Mule Corps)
British War Medal 1914-20 (V-Jemdr. Mohd. Ali, 3 Mule Cps.)
Indian Army Meritorious Service Medals, G.V.R., 1st issue (27/123 Vet’ry. Dufadar Mohamed Ali, 27th Mule Corps)

There is no entitlement to the "South Africa 1902 Clasp " I am looking for a 1914/1914-15 Star and Victory Medals to this man

M88 Daffadar Turrabar Khan
Bronze Queen’s South Africa Medal 88 Duffadar Turrabar Khan S. &T. Corps

Ex Spinks Oct. 1999
Ex Liverpool Dec 2000


Present for the Defence of Ladysmith and operations in the Transvaal. Returned to India prior to the roll being compiled on 17th September 1901. (P.R.O. WO 100/297 p.319) Roll marked “Returned to India” Casualty or sickness(?)
2,470 natives of India present at Ladysmith. (The Times History of The War in South Africa. Vol. iv p.522)

In order to supply the deficiency of hay, a corps of grass-cutters was formed and placed under the charge of Major W.J.R.Wickham, Assistant Commissary-General, Indian Commissariat Transport Department. This corps, which consisted of Indian refugees and Kaffirs, did excellent work, and collected grass under conditions of considerable difficulty.(Despatch 23rd March 1900, Lieut.-General Sir George White, V.C.,G.C.B.,G.C.S.I.,G.C.I.E., late Commanding the Ladysmith Garrison, to the Chief of the Staff to the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief in South Africa).

(T)hese men make excursions by day and night to the confines of the perimeter to cut grass for the animals. (The Times History of The War in South Africa. Vol. IV p.516)

M 34 Duffadar Amir Khan
Bronze Queen’s South Africa Medal 34 Duffadar Amir Khan S. &T. Corps

Ex Philip Burman Jan 2005

Present for the Relief of Ladysmith, Tugela Heights, Laing’s Nek, Transvaal and Orange Free State. (P.R.O. WO 100/297 p.308)

Jemadar Sher ZamanCommissariate and Transport Department, Indian Pack Mule Train

IGS '95Bronze issue: Punjab Frontier; Samana 1897, Tirah 1897-98 8394 Mulr Duffdr Sher Zaman, Comst Transpt Deppt.
Queen's South Africa Medal, bronze issue ; Cape Colony, M39 Jemadar Sher Zaman S&TC
Orange Free State, Transvaal, Tugella Heights, Relief of Ladysmith,

ex DNW 2006



Served in the operations in the Punjab Frontier, Samana and Tirah as Muleteer Daffadar . Sher Zaman was promoted before the South African War to Jemadar.(?)
Served in the operations around Ladysmith from October 1899 and in the Cape Colony, Transvaal and Orange Free State. WO 100/297 p319

Spion Kop
Vera Stent, who served in the British forces there, described the work of the Indians in the Illustrated Star of Johannesburg, July 1911, as follows:

“ The previous afternoon I saw the Indian mule-train moved up the slopes of the Kop carrying water to the distressed soldiers who had lain powerless on the plateau. The mules carried the water in immense bags, one on each side, led by Indians at their heads. The galling rifle-fire, which heralded their arrival on the top, did not deter the strangely-looking cavalcade which moved slowly forward, and as an Indian fell, another quietly stepped forward to fill the vacant place."

Vaal Krantz
“From Mount Alice to the river was a big drop of a thousand feet, easy enough to go down, but at the bottom of the road used as a track was a dry watercourse, full of stones, rocks, and boulders, carried along like pebbles in the stream which poured down the hill side during the rains. Along the track, not a foot of which was level going, the transport dragged its weary way, and at night was parked under a big hill in possession of the enemy and known to contain a powerful gun. At sunrise next morning 84lb. Shells fell among the mass of wagons; the transport was at a blind end of a road, and nothing was left but to retrace its steps unless it wished to be destroyed. Every yard of that wretched road, negotiated with such pain and misery the previous day, had to be re-traversed. A mile of it was equal to a fifteen-mile march.”Sir Frederick Smith p26

Casualties
Killed in action 7th February 1900
M 162 Driver Abbas Ali
Returned to India with only clasp entitlements Relief of Ladysmith and Tugela Heights. Presumed wounded on the morning of the 7th February 1900.
M65A Jemadar Abla Ditta
M133 Driver Manharhat Thapa
M146 Driver Mir Gul
M118 Driver Rulla
M 28 Driver Rupan


Reference
The Times History of The War in South Africa.
Despatch 23rd March 1900, Lieut. -General Sir George White, V.C., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., late Commanding the Ladysmith Garrison, to the Chief of the Staff to the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief in South Africa
P.R.O. WO 100/297
Smith Sir Frederick A Veterinary History of the Boer War 1899-1902

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The Indian transport corps recruited from Rawal Pindi, Peshawar, Cawnpore and P (?). The Indian Transport Corps left Bombay on 28th January 1900 aboard the Upada (5257 Tons) bound for Durban with 57 native soldiers and 396 followers under Captain Holland Prior, 13th Bengal Lancers. Arrived in South Africa February 1900. Saw service in Cape Colony, The Transvaal and The Orange Free State. Many saw service at the Remount Depot at Stellenbosch and Green Point until November 1902 when the Indian Troops returned to India
The Stellenbosch Remount Depot was the “only existing Remount Depot of South Africa” “before the war, and this with additions, and improvements has been maintained ever since.
“The site is inconvenient, as regards the Port of Cape Town, necessitating a second landing depot at Green point, and consequently, a double establishment – however, when after nearly two years of disuse, Cape Town again became an important Remount Port, Lord Downe, after due consideration, decided to retain the existing site at Stellenbosch, and the depot there was reconstructed” PRO WO 32/18761Report of the Remount Department. 18th Nov 1902 Indian Soldiers returning to India.




Photograph of the Indian Transport Corps Jemadars J8368

Jemadars of the Indian Transport Corps:

R.P.255 Ali Marden, R.P.111 Boota Shah, R.P.243 Gulam Mohamed,
R.P.1 Gunda Singh, I.T.C.1Haidar Shah, I.T.C.1 Hasham Ali, R.P.13 Hukum Chand, I.T.C.67 Jandoo Ram,
R.P.245 Mohamed Islam, R.P.246 Muktar, P.25 Nawab, P.46 Nawab Khan, I.T.C. 31 Noor Deen,
Pesh.8 Radha Kishen, I.T.C.100 Sirdaroo, R.P.55 Sukh Ram Singh.

This Photo is described in Abraham Esau’s War Bill Nasson Cambridge University Press 1991 as “Indian cavalry at Green Point Military Camp, Cape Town” but in the Cape Archives J8368 as “Indian Transport Regiment” Possibly the Jemadars and Veterinary Assistants of the “Indian Transport Corps”
.

Rissaldar Ali Mardan Khan 16th/27th Mule Corps

I include Ali Marden since I have a Malakand Medal to a Duffadar Ali Marden. His biography states that he was at Malakand and it is the right Corps and appropriate rank. In addition the medal has a replacement suspender rod that would indicate that the Chitral Clasp was removed, to be placed at the top of the clasps ( because it has no lugs. I can not definitively say this is his medal but is a work in progress.

His Group

OBI 2nd Class
Indian General Service Medal 1854-95 Clasp Hazara 1891 ( bronze)
Indian General Service Medal 1895-1901 Clasp Relief of Chitral, Punjab Frontier, Malakand (bronze)
17400 Duffdr. Ali Mardan, C.T. Deptt.
Queen's South Africa Medal (bronze) RP 255 Jemadar Ali Marden S&TC
Indian General Service Medal 1908
BWM
Victory Medal mid

What is extraordinary is that his medal group has three bronze medals, a silver medal and then a mid and an OBI. In addition the photo above shows one member with a medal bar with two India Medals




Rissaldar Ali Marden Khan served in the Black Mountain expedition under Major-General W.K.Elles,CB, 1891: with the Chitral Relief Force and in the Malakand; in South Africa 1900-02 (Clasps Cape Colony ;Orange Free State ;Transvaal )and in the Mohmand 1908. Promoted Rissaldar 27th August 1916 with the 27th Mule Corps Served in Mesopotamia, and mid ( Government of India Gazette, April 19 1919 Part I page 870 Marshall’s despatch for Mesopotamia and Gazette of India February 21, 1920, another of Marshall's despatches dated 7 February 1919 for Mesopotamia Part 1 page 398 Supply & Transport Corps Ressaidar Ali Mardan Khan, 27th Mule Corps) Order of British India second class 25th September 1920. Retired by 1924 IAL.


Veterinary Assistant Neaz Ali Khan
Indian Transport Corps

Queen’s South Africa Medal, Clasp “Cape Colony” Vet.Asst. Neaz Ali Khan I.T.C.
King's South Africa Medal, Clasps “South Africa 1901& South Africa 1902” Vet.Asst. Neaz Ali Khan I.T.C.

Ex Ken Gibbons
City Coins 2004




Silver medal issued off the roll of “The Indian Transport Corps” WO 100/297 p.26 dated 29th September 1901

Recruited from Rawal Pindi and a graduate of the Veterinary College at Lahore. (?)





155 Muleteer Mosadu Indian Transport Corps

Bronze Queen’s South Africa Medal 155 Muleteer Mosadu S. & T. Corps.
Bronze King's South Africa Medal R.P. 155 Muleteer Mosadu

Bronze medal issued off the roll of “The Indian Transport Corps” WO 100/297 p.42 dated 29th September 1901.
Entitled to clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free State and The Transvaal.
Mosadu is on the roll for a bronze KSA "if authorised"





References
Frontier and Overseas Expeditions from India Vol. 6
London Times 29th January 1900
Indian Contingent for Operations in South Africa WO 108/404
Abraham Esau’s War Bill Nasson Cambridge University Press 1991
Cape Archives AG 1253
Cape Archives NA 496
“The Indian Transport Corps” WO 100/297

Fazil Elahi and Pinnoo two muleteers of the Indian Transport Corps were convicted at the Paarl Circuit Court on the 28th September 1900 for the crime of assault with intent to murder another muleteer Khan Zaman, alias Blola. They were held at the Tokai Convict station. Fazil Elhai to 2 years 6 months and Pinnoo to 2 years hard labour. They were released to the Adjunct General, The Cape Town Castle for their free passage back to India. Cape Archive NA 496

David,

A view of the tongas used at Elandslaagte. I can't recall ever seeing the two wheeled varieties in any other pictures. Do you think the terrain made them unsuitable or were they just not photographed?



Regards
David

A picture from Rietfontein.

Hi David, The only picture I have found of a Tonga is the one from China as posted already. They saw quite some service at Diamond Hill Johannesburg, Wittenbergen and Belfast so unless they functioned as "dismounted orderlies" I am sure the Tonga was an appropriate vehicle for the terrain. They had previously been used in The Tirah which I imagine can not be less difficult terrain than in South Africa. Your pictures are of Dholies rather than Tongas of which there are far more photographs.
ATB
David

David,

I might be able to redeem myself slightly with this picture I came across this evening. It is entitled 'Drift at Kroonstad Indian Ambulance"


This vehicle looks identical to the ones in India?

Best wishes
David