| Mahon | Bryan Thomas | | Captain | MAHON, BRYAN THOMAS, Captain, was born 2 April 1862, son of Henry Blake Mahon, of Belleville, County Galway, and Matilda, daughter of Colonel Seymour, of Ballymore Castle, County Galway. He was educated privately, and gazetted to the 21st Hussars 27 January 1883, and transferred to the 8th Hussars 14 February 1883, serving continuously in this regiment, until he joined the Egyptian Army. He served in India until 1889; became Captain 19 April 1888, and was Adjutant, 8th Hussars, 31 May 1890 to 19 January 1893. He was employed with the Egyptian Army 20 January 1893 to 24 January 1900; served in the Expedition to Dongola in 1896, as Staff Officer, Cavalry Brigade, taking part in the operations of 7 June and 19 September. He was mentioned in Despatches 3 November 1895; received the Egyptian Medal with two clasps, and was created a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order [London Gazette, 17 November 1896]: "Bryan Thomas Mahon, Captain, 8th Hussars. In recognition of services in the recent operations in Egypt and the Sudan". (Insignia presented 25 January 1897.) He served in the Nile Expedition in 1897 (clasp to Egyptian Medal, 4th Class Osmanieh), and in the Nile Expedition in 1898, being present, at the battles of the Atbara and Khartoum; was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 30 September 1898]; received the Brevet of Lieutenant Colonel 14 November 1898; two clasps to the Egyptian Medal; Relief of Gedaref; clasp to the Egyptian Medal; served in the Nile Expedition, 1899; operations resulting in the final defeat of the Khalifa. As AAG, Flying Column, and in charge of the Intelligence Department; actions at Abu Aadel and Om Dubreikat (Despatches [London Gazette, 30 January 1900]; Brevet of Colonel 14 March 1900; two clasps to Egyptian Medal). He served in the South African War 1899-1900, as Special Service Officer, afterwards on the Staff (including services as Brigadier General, Cavalry Brigade). He commanded the Mafeking Relief Force in May 1900. After describing the state of affairs in Mafeking. Sir A Conan Doyle says, on pages 315-317 of ‘The Great Boer War': "So in a small blaze of glory ended the historic siege of Mafeking, for Eloff's attack was the last, though by no means the worst, of the trials which the garrison had to face. Six killed and ten wounded were the British losses in this admirably managed affair. On 17 May five days after the fight, the relieving force arrived, the besiegers were scattered, and the long-imprisoned garrison were free men once more. Many who had looked at their maps and saw this post, isolated in the very heart of Africa had despaired of ever reaching their heroic fellow-countrymen; and now one universal outbreak of joybells and bonfires from Toronto to Melbourne proclaimed that there is no spot so inaccessible that the long arm of the Empire cannot reach it when her children are in peril. Colonel Mahon, a young Irish officer who had made his reputation as a cavalry leader in Egypt, had started early in May from Kimberley with a small but mobile force consisting of the Imperial Light Horse (brought round from Natal for the purpose), the Kimberley Mounted Corps, the Diamond Fields Horse, some Imperial Yeomanry, a detachment of the Cape Police, and 100 volunteers from the Fusilier Brigade, with M Battery, RHA, and pom-poms —twelve hundred men in all. Whilst Hunter was fighting his action at Rooidam on 4 May Mahon with his men struck round the western flank of the Boers and moved rapidly to the northward. On 11 May they had left Vryburg, the halfway house, behind them, having done one hundred and twenty miles in five days. They pushed on, encountering no opposition save that of nature, though they knew that they were being closely watched by the enemy. At Koodoosrand it was found that a Boer force was in position in front, but Mahon avoided them by turning somewhat to the westward. His detour took him, however, into a bushy country, and here the enemy headed him off, opening fire at short range upon the ubiquitous Imperial Light Horse, who led the column. A short engagement ensued, in which the casualties amounted to thirty killed and wounded, but which ended in the defeat and dispersal of the Boers, whose force was certainly very much weaker than the British. On 15 May the relieving column arrived without further opposition at Masibi Stadt, twenty miles to the west of Mafeking. In the meantime Plumer's force upon the north had been strengthened by the addition of C Battery of four 12-pounder guns of the Canadian Artillery under Major Eudon and a body of Queenslanders. These forces had been part of the small army which had come with General Carrington through Beira, and after a detour of thousands of miles, through their own wonderful energy they had arrived in time to form portion of the relieving column. Foreign military critics, whose experience of warfare is to move troops across a frontier, should think of what the Empire has to do before her men go into battle. These contingents had been assembled by long railway journeys, conveyed across thousands of miles of ocean to Cape Town, brought round another two thousand or so to Beira, transferred by a narrow-gauge railway to Bamboo Creek, changed to a broader gauge to Marandellas, sent on in coaches for hundreds of miles to Bulawayo, transferred to trains for another four or five hundred miles to Ootsi, and had finally a forced inarch of a hundred miles, which brought them up a few hours before their presence was urgently needed upon the field. Their advance, which averaged twenty-five miles a day on foot for four consecutive days over deplorable roads, was one of the finest performances of the war. With these high-spirited reinforcements and with his own hardy Rhodesians Plumer pushed on, and the two columns reached the hamlet of Masibi Stadt within an hour of each other. Their united strength was far superior to anything which Snyman's force could place against them. But the gallant and tenacious Boers would not abandon their prey without a last effort. As the little army advanced upon Mafeking they found the enemy waiting in a strong position. For some hours the Boers gallantly held their ground, and their artillery fire was, as usual, most accurate. But our own guns were more numerous and equally well served, and the position was soon made untenable. The Boers retired past Mafeking and took refuge in the trenches upon the eastern side: but Baden-Powell with his war-hardened garrison sallied out, and, supported by the artillery fire of the relieving column, drove them from their shelter. With their usual admirable tactics their larger guns had been removed, but one small cannon was secured as a souvenir by the townsfolk, together with a number of wagons and a considerable quantity of supplies. A long rolling trail of dust upon the eastern horizon told that the famous siege of Mafeking had at last come to an end". Colonel Mahon was mentioned in Despatches [London Gazette, 9 February and 16 April 1901], received the Queen's Medal with three clasps, and was created a CB. He was Military Governor, Kordofan from 1901 to 1904; became Colonel 12 April 1904; commanded a 2nd Class District in India 12 April 1904 to 11 April 1908; became Major General 1 December 1908, commanded a Division in India 16 August 1909 to 15 August 1913; was created a KCVO in 1911, and promoted to Lieutenant General 4 September 1912. He served in the European War from 1914; was GOC, 10th (Irish) Division, New Armies, and 10th Division, Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, 24 August 1914 to 27 October 1915. He was Commander-in-Chief, Salonika Army, 28 October 1915 to 9 May 1916, and Commander-in-Chief in Ireland 15 November 1916 to June 1918. Sir Bryan Mahon served in the BEF, France, from September 1918 to April 1919. He was appointed Colonel, 8th Hussars, 7 March 1910; was a KCB, and was made a Privy Councillor, Ireland, in 1917. His favourite recreations were shooting, hunting, polo and pig-sticking and steeple-chase riding.
Source: DSO recipients (VC and DSO Book) | 8th (The King's Royal Irish) Hussars |
