TOPIC:

I am doing some work on the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles. This regiment and Beatson had a nasty falling out which resulted in three Victorians being charged with mutiny and the whole regiment unwilling to serve under Beatson's command. Beatson has been charged with saying some injudicious statements in the heat of the moment about the courage (or lack of it) of the Victorians at Wilmansrust on 12 June 1901 when their camp was overrun by General Chris Muller. Beatson has been forever damned in the eyes of most Australians but I haven't been able to put my hands on any article about him or by him which might explain, give the truth of, or present his point of view of circumstances which led to his addressing Australian volunteers in such a manner. Anyone know of any correspondence of his which might allow me to present some balance in any critical appraisal? He wrote a book in 1903 on The History of the Imperial service troops of native states, but that deals with his knowledge acquired while with the Indian Army from 1873-1897. The belief is that he was relieved of his command as a column commander in 1901 as a result of his attitude towards Australians but I can find nothing but hearsay and innuendo. He was made Inspector General of Imperial Service Troops so that may well have been his stellenbosching but he was made a Colonel in 1902 and Major General in 1903, so it doesn't look as if he was being too severely punished (if at all). Certainly the Australian politicians were pretty peeved with what was reported about Beatson's language and it became a political issue as much as a military one and it was resolved in those upper echelons of Australian and Imperial ministers, leading to the release of the Victorians charged with mutiny and a free passage home before the end of 1901.
Surely there must be something in defence of Beatson?

Rob,

A famous incident. Asides the Court of Enquiry papers in TNA it would be worth checking Ian Hamilton's letter book as KItchener's Chief of Staff in WO 108 - if there's any correspondence that's where it's likely to be.

Best wishes,

Justin






OVERSEAS: South Africa (Code 0(AU): Boer War: Proceedings of Court of Enquiry concerning Boer attack ...
War Office and successors: Registered Files (General Series). OVERSEAS: South Africa (Code 0(AU): Boer War: Proceedings of Court of Enquiry concerning Boer attack on detachment of Major General Beatsons force at Wilmansrust, Transvaal.
Collection:Records created or inherited by the War Office, Armed Forces, Judge Advocate General, and related bodiesDate range: 01 January 1901 - 31 December 1901 Reference:WO 32/8007

Thanks Justin. I shall have a go at accessing that. I had a search in "Happy Warrior" (the Life of Ian Hamilton) but there was no reference to Wilmansrust there. Bindon Blood is evasive in his autobiography, Four Score Years and Ten, making sure no fault is placed with him. He hints that his column commander kept him totally in the dark and did things without his knowledge. Strangely enough neither Blood nor Beatson was asked to give evidence before the Royal Commission into the war held in 1903.