TOPIC:

Henry Charles Stacey Lloyd

Private, Ladysmith Town Guard – Anglo Boer War
Trooper, Natal Carbineers, - Bambatha Rebellion

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasp Defence of Ladysmith to Pte. H.C. Lloyd, Ladysmith Town Gd.
- Natal Medal with 1906 clasp to Tpr. H.C. Lloyd, Natal Carbineers

Henry Lloyd had an undeniably good pedigree. His grandfather was none other than Major General Banastre Pryse Lloyd who passed away in Pietermaritzburg on 22 November 1882. Lloyd’s obituary (in the Homeward Mail of January, 10th, 1883) indicated that “the General had determined upon the serious step of moving from Natal for New Zealand” and that “his death occurred on the very day that his intention to leave the Colony, and to sell his property here, appeared in our advertising columns.”

General Lloyd had arrived in Natal with his family in 1869, having retired from the Indian service. The obituary continued as follows and proves to be a perfect backdrop for when Henry enters the stage in our narrative,

“The presence here of his cousin, the late venerable Archdeacon of Durban, no doubt attracted his attention to Natal. Shortly after his arrival he was offered and accepted the post of Protector of Immigrants. In 1873 he filled an important official capacity in Weenen County during the Langalibalele Rebellion there, and in 1874 took office on Governor General Pine’s solicitation as Acting Colonial Secretary. Soon after his arrival the General purchased an estate, Brynbella, near Estcourt, and there his family resided. The death of his gallant eldest son, Llewellyn, in the attack on Hlobane was a great blow to his father. We may add that General Banastre Lloyd was only 62 years of age.”

The gallant eldest son Llewellyn referred to was Henry’s uncle who, according to The Standard of June 9, 1879, was Killed in Action in the attack on Hlobane Mountain in Zululand. “Llewellyn Henry Lloyd, aged 28, was Political Assistant to Colonel Evelyn Wood, V.C., Commanding No. 4 Column.”

So Henry had a reputation to try and live up to considering the exploits of his grandfather and uncle. Born in Hidcote, Weenen County, Natal on 5 August 1880 he was the son of Charles Banastre Lloyd, a Farmer by occupation and his wife Ellen. He would have been a mere two years old when his grandfather passed away and would not have met the uncle after whom he was named. When he was in his teenage years his father was appointed as Commissioner for Agriculture in Natal. Charles Lloyd was a confidant of Dr Watkins-Pitchford, the famous Veterinary Surgeon who wrote about his experiences later in the Siege of Ladysmith.



Indeed it is in this very Siege that we encounter Henry as a member of the Ladysmith Town Guard. Members of the Town Guard were enrolled from 19 September 1899, all taking the Oath of Allegiance to the Crown. Although the war between the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal against the might of the British Empire only commenced, officially, on 11 October 1899; the warning signs had been there for quite some time and the Colony was beginning to hold itself in readiness for the expected invasion from the north and west. Ladysmith was a frontier town and the only one in those parts with a reasonably strong (although events were to prove this number inadequate) military presence under Sir George White.

Including the members of the Klip River Rifle Association who were affiliated for the defence of the borough, the aggregate number of men who enlisted was 233. Mr T R Bennett was appointed commandant of the combined town defence, acting under the orders of Colonel W G Know CB, commanding the defences and daily drills were at once inaugurated, whilst the members were allowed to practice at the rifle ranges of the Klip River Rifle Association.

Nightly patrols were instituted in the town and guards posted on Convent Hill to give the alarm of the approach of the enemy and on and after the 18th of October the Guard took duty at the Railway Bridge Defences freeing up Imperial troops who might have been used for that purpose. On the night of 12th October the men were ordered to guard all the roads leading into the Borough, to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the town. This was quite a responsible task as the Boers were known to move quite freely about the place dressed, as they were, in civilian clothes as opposed to any form of uniform. This too was the case with the Town Guard who, although issued with rifles and ammunition, had no uniform of their own.

Regulations concerning the duties and conduct of the men were drawn up and approved of by Lieutenant General Sir George White VC, commanding the Forces in Natal, on the 16th of October. On the 28th the entire guard mustered in the defences at 4.30 am and remained under arms till 7 am – they were also on duty at the Bridge Head and adjacent defences during the engagement of Lombard's Kop on the 30th of October. From 5 November until 12 December the services of the Guard were not made use of however, on the latter date the men were again called out, and with the members of the Natal Government Rifle Association, placed under the command of Captain Young RE, Railway Staff Officer. At this point their strength was now 157 men, exclusive of those on the sick list. They were assigned the duty of guarding the river's bank on the South side of the town nightly – a potential scene of Boer infiltration.

Captain Molyneux, of the Natal Volunteer Staff, assumed command of the Town Guard on the 23rd of December, a system being arranged that each man should be one night on and two nights off and free rations were issued on the 29th of December and each succeeding day throughout the remainder of the siege. The term “rations” is used loosely for, as was well known, the town and its inhabitants were soon reduced to stale maize and tough horseflesh as a staple diet.

During the Boer attack on Wagon Hill on the 6th of January 1900 the whole of the Guard lined the defences from daybreak till 10 am, being under fire early in the morning. This was the Boer forces surrounding the town’s most effective attempt to break through the defences and, on several subsequent occasions the men were roused in the night to help to repel an expected attack. With the lifting of the Siege on 1 March 1900 the Guard was disbanded for all Defence purposes with the men allowed to go home.

Lloyd, at the age of 19 when the Siege commenced, had been assigned to Ward 1 under Ward Leader W.G. Hiscock. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens Medal with Defence of Ladysmith clasp. Where Lloyd went after that is not known as he does not appear in the Burger’s Roll for Ladysmith of 1904. He could, it must be assumed, have returned to his family farm near Estcourt which is equidistant between Ladysmith and Pietermaritzburg. What is known is that he became a member of the Natal Carbineers and was to see active service in what became known as the Bambatha Rebellion.

Five years after the cessation of hostilities between Boer and Brit Natal was not a happy place in which to find oneself. Expenses related to the Boer war had drained the Colonial fiscus and the powers-that-be happened upon a Poll Tax to increase revenue. In short this would be a tax levied against all black males over the age of 18 and would be payable to the various Magistrates when they called on their rounds. Quite naturally this didn’t go down too well in some quarters but, for the most part, the Zulu chiefs were quiescent and offered no resistance. This was not true however, of a hot-headed young chieftain called Bambatha – he rose in open revolt and incited many to follow him.

The Militia was called out in February 1906 to suppress the uprising and quieten things down after several Natal Policemen were murdered whilst assisting a Magistrate to collect the tax. The Natal Carbineers were one of these outfits called out at a few hours’ notice on 9 February. The men were on service from that date until they stood down on 31 March of the same year but the rebellion was far from over – it flared up again on a far larger scale in the Umvoti area around Greytown on 17 April and continued until Bambatha’s head had been severed after his capture in the Mome Gorge area of Zululand whence he had fled. After this the Carbineers were allowed to return to their normal pastimes. For his contribution Lloyd was awarded the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp.

Post-war he returned to the Midlands of Natal continuing to pursue his farming activities. On 16 April 1918 whilst the Great War was still in full swing and at the age of 37, he undertook a voyage to England aboard the “Gaika” disembarking at London on 15 April of that year. It was not immediately apparent why he undertook the trip.

Back in South Africa he seems to have given up the country lifestyle at some point. Perhaps it was too lonely an existence? Whatever the case, on 23 June 1930 at St. Peter’s Church in Pietermaritzburg, he tied the marital knot with Ruth Meanwell, a 34 year old Secretary living at 513 Burger Street, Pietermaritzburg. Lloyd was a 48 year old Civil Servant at the time of his marriage and many of his acquaintance must have thought that this day would never come.

Henry Lloyd was to live until a ripe old age passing away at Hillcrest Hospital on 5 October 1962 at the age of 82. He had been suffering with diabetes and a heart condition before that. His wife had predeceased him eight months previously and there had been no issue of the marriage. He asked that his remains be cremated in Pietermaritzburg and his only beneficiary was Marion Catherine Hill of Sheltered Vale, Blackridge, Pietermaritzburg.

Very nice Rory, I like to see any medal to the Ladysmith Town Guard, I do think it's members played a significant part, given their small number, in the defence of their Town during the awful siege, of course, this particular medal is rather better, because of the recipients entitlement to the 1906 medal, a handsome, scarce pair, I like them very much.

There is always a downside (And often an upside, for that matter!) but, the former does need to be taken into consideration, so perhaps one should ask, were they terribly expensive, Rory?
Either way, does not matter, a lovely pair!

They were part of a swap with an esteemed local collector Frank so difficult to determine value.

Okay, so "old" money then, well that is often the way these days, it certainly does, on occasion, make life an awful lot easier for a collector, everything is so expensive now.
So you clearly still like all things Natal, yet, you are leaving the last outpost?
Is there still an impressive PAG monument in you know where?

Rory
I am pleased that Lloyd turned out well, and that you were able to do your usual thorough research on the man.
Regards
Brett