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Any forum member interested
Things have been very quiet here on the medal front IL did not do any good at the recent DNW extravaganza, either. In time of drought, etc etc. Anyway, IL was trawling through the medal roll of Kitchener's Horse (WO 100/256) and observed a most unusual marginal note on page 12 - to wit "49?? Tpr. Bell H.L." and No Medal - "Deserted. Joined the Boers". Never seen anything like that before; a reverse "hensupper". Suppose that on active service, anything can happen.
IL.

IL
The nearest I have encountered to this situation is that of a man whom a descendant claimed was a supporter of the Boers, but who was 'commandeered' by the British and forced into transporting goods between Durban and Johannesburg for the duration of the war. According to a granddaughter, the only good result of the transport-riding was the meeting of his future wife in the south-eastern Transvaal.

The facts of the case are that the man was a volunteer in Natal's militia, probably having joined the Umzimkulu Mounted Rifles in 1883,. He later continued to serve in its descendant regiment, the Border Mounted Rifles up to and including the Boer War. He was with the regiment throughout the Siege of Ladysmith, and subsequently he accompanied it on its advance through northern Natal. After the regiment was demobilised in October 1900, he was one of the 51 members of the BMR who joined the Volunteer Composite Regiment. He did indeed spend time in the south-eastern Transvaal where he met his future wife, but it was as an armed trooper chasing after Boers, not an unwilling non-combatant transport rider.

This man was a German settler, and the relations between the local Germans and the majority of British Natalians soured after the Boer War and the period up to and including World War I. Then when this man's children and grandchildren asked him what he had done during the Boer War, the transport riding fib was more palatable than the truth, especially the part about joining of the VCR, which was an 'optional extra' to his service on the British side.

He did meet his future wife that way , so his granddaughter should be grateful for that.

Regards
Brett

How interesting. I don't ever recall seeing that before.

No. 4124 Trp. Henry Lewis Bell - nominal roll states "Court of Enquiry states deserted to Boers" - 28/5/1900

Interesting.....

Regards

Rory

For those interested enough (IL?) the trial features here:

DEPOT TAB
SR/SN 000/00
SOURCE PMO
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 21
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE PM1510/01
PART 1
DESCRIPTION RE: CHARGES AGAINST HL BELL, AN AUSTRALIAN SUBJECT.
STARTING 1901
ENDING 1901

I note that he was an Australian subject?

Regards

Rory

Or (the plot thickens) a German fellow using an alias - perhaps he was a "plant" to gather information?

DEPOT TAB
SR/SN 000/00
SOURCE PMO
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 21
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE PM1529/01
PART 1
DESCRIPTION CORRESPONDENCE RE HL BELL (VAN SCHWIETEN) A GERMAN SUBJECT.
STARTING 1901
ENDING 1901