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William James Randall

Trooper, Peddie D.M.T. (District Mounted Troops) - Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal to 23 Tpr. W.J. Randall, Peddie D.M.T.

William Randall was born on 13 May 1867 in the Eastern Cape of South Africa to Jeremiah Randall, a Bathurst farmer and his wife Adelaide Ann (born Hayward). At the time of his marriage to Frances Maud Hayward (the same surname as his mother) in 1895 William was 28 years old whilst his wife was considerably older having been born in 1853 – making her 14 years William’s senior.

The Randall family were farming in the Peddie district when William was growing up. Geographically speaking Peddie is a small hamlet far from most towns of any substance and far removed from any amenities. Life would have been hard with farming the only source of income for most of the settlers who elected to live in this remote spot. There wasn’t much to relieve the monotony of their existence but this was about to change with the advent of the Anglo Boer War in October 1899.

Initially this conflict between Boer and Brit was confined to the northern parts of South Africa. It was, after all, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State who invaded Natal and parts of the Cape Colony around Kimberley and Mafeking. The good citizens of Peddie and surrounds would have felt that the war was very far removed from their neck of the woods but, with the advent of the guerrilla-phase where highly mobile Commandos harassed British lines of communication and attacked and disrupted Imperial troops in isolated areas, Smuts and others decided to launch an offensive in the eastern part of the Cape Colony and suddenly small towns like Peddie scrambled into action to face the impending threat.

Peddie District Mounted Troops (D.M.T.) came into being as part of the South Eastern Local Defence Force for service specifically in their town and surrounds. Randall joined “A” Squadron, Troop No. 1 on 5 March 1901 at the age of 34. The Conditions of Service were interesting,

“Members undertake, in the event of the enemy approaching or entering their District or in the event of a local hostile rising, to muster, armed and mounted at the rallying point or points to be notified to them, and place themselves under the orders of their own Officers and those over them, to oppose the enemy and protect life and property in the District.”

Furthermore “Members will muster once a month, when called upon, for the inspection of Rifles. Uniforms and Equipment will be issued to members on their taking the field and a Rifle and 300 rounds of Ball Cartridge will be issued to each member as soon as possible after joining.”

For his efforts Randall was awarded the Queens Medal – the medal roll, dated 24 May 1904, confirmed that those recipients were “Called out and did active service against the enemy in the District of Peddie in the year 1901.”

The war over Randall turned his attention to farming and raising a family. On 18 July 1904 he entered into a Mortgage Bond with one Joseph Louis Markowitz in the sum of £72 being the balance of the purchase price of a property in the “German village of Peddie, Lot no. 15, measuring 112 square roods”.

Randall’s wife passed away on 25 September 1920 and it is unclear as to when he followed suit. There was only one child of the marriage, Willoughby Jeremiah, born on 21 June 1896.

Thank you for this, Rory. Your photography is excellent.

It is not often you see the measurement roods these days!

Thanks David

I don't have a camera (that's more my wife's department) so make use of the Samsung S7 Edge for all my photographic (and telephonic) needs.

I find, these days, that cell phones have better camera attachments than do camera's themselves.

Rory

Just read this, because i have just got a medal to the Peddie D.M.T. I am trying to find out about the area and D.M.T. certainly helpful. Thank you Rory. Also enjoy your write ups on other forums.