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Thompson of the Steytlerville D.M.T. and the S.A.M.C. 6 years 3 months ago #57206

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Gordon Cary Thompson

Private, Steytlerville District Mounted Troops – Anglo Boer War
Private, South African Medical Corps – WWI

- Queens South Africa Medal to 9 Tpr. G. Thompson. Steytlerville D.M.T.
- British War Medal to Pte. G.C. Thompson, S.A.M.C.

Gordon Thompson was another of those hardy settler types who populated the far-flung rural hinterland of the Eastern Cape in the latter part of the 19th century. Born in the sleepy hamlet of Steytlerville on 18 December 1873 he was the son of William Thompson and his wife Eleanor Susannah Thompson and was of farming stock.

It is to be supposed that a young Thompson enjoyed a reasonably care-free existence with little other than his farm chores to consume his days but this was about to change when the Anglo Boer War burst onto the scene. Initially confined to the areas north, east and west of the Eastern Cape this conflict between Boer and Brit spilled over into the territory near to Thompson in 1901 when the highly mobile Boer Commandos headed south from the Orange Free State in search of supplies and any sympathetic Cape Boers who would join their cause.

This led to the creation of Town Guards in many of the small settlements dotted around the region – with the objective of protecting the lives and property of the townspeople in the advent of a Boer incursion. Allied to the Town Guards, and created almost in tandem with them, were the District Mounted Troops – a body of local men whose primary function was to patrol the surrounding areas and farmlands and to ward off any attack before it reached the towns themselves.

It was to the latter that a 27 year old Thompson applied being rewarded with the rank of Trooper and no. 9. Those that thought that the backwater of Steytlerville would see no action were soon to be disappointed as it proved to be hot-bed of Boer activity with De Wet frequently to be seen in the district and the Boers even occupying the town at one point before being driven out. The Dundee Evening Post of 5 September 1901 gave an inkling of what was happening in the vicinity.

In an article headed “Would not Rebel – Scheepers Disappointed – An Unsuccessful Raid” they reported as follows:

“Scheepers daring raid into the south of the Cape Colony appears to have reached its limit, for the Commandant, being hard pressed by Colonel Alexander, and finding garrisoned towns on every side, has turned northward again.

Though he secured some recruits and horses during the raid, he found the country in a far different state from what it was on former raids. On this occasion the country has been better defended, and the population have been much less openly sympathetic. Scheepers recruits are mostly thoughtless youths of the black sheep class, who have been led away mainly by love of excitement and change.

Though he refrained from attacking even the smallest villages, Scheepers raided and burnt several farms. Two hundred and fifty District Mounted Troops from Steytlerville, Willowmore, Jansenville and Humansdorp, splendidly mounted, have shown exemplary spirit by leaving their own districts to attack Theron from whom they captured two prisoners and mounted two others. They were led by Lieutenant Ferreira, himself an Afrikander.

The London Daily News of April 26, 1902 reported, under the banner “Farm Burning By Boers – Official Return” that:

“At many places the damage done was trifling, consisting of the cutting of wire fences. The worst case seems to have been at Steytlerville which is reported on as follows:

Second visit of Boers August last under Scheepers. Farms damaged and destroyed: Vaalpadskloof fences cut, took and destroyed stock (slaughtered), gardens etc. destroyed. H. O. Bosman (Lieutenant, D.M.T.), Meidenpoort, homestead with outbuildings, furniture, clothing, cart and waggons.”
Nobody it seemed was safe from the attentions, mostly unwelcome, of the marauding Boers.

The hostilities came to an end on 31 May 1902 and peace returned to the land. Thompson for his services was awarded the Queens Medal. He returned to his farm and settled down marrying a local girl, Hermione Johanna Sophia Wurdeman at nearby Cradock on 17 January 1907.

The Great War which broke out on 4 August of that year probably came as a welcome distraction to Thompson, although he must have considered long and hard as to what course of action to follow before enlisting with the South African Medical Corps for Union service only on 22 January 1917. Assigned the rank of Private with number 792 he provided his next of kin as his wife of Roodeklip, P.O. Steytlerville, Cape Province and his occupation as Farmer.

Having mustered at Potchefstroom he was despatched to Wynberg in the Cape Colony on 4 February 1917 for duty at the No. 1 General Hospital, the Military Hospital there. Thompson’s war was, by definition, an uneventful one. He was admitted to hospital with Influenza on 4 October 1918 being discharged to Light Duty on the 22nd of that month. He was also awarded a Nursing Allowance indicating that he was serving in that capacity. On 25 October 1919, almost a year after the war was over, he was demobilised and discharged at the Dispersal Camp, Maitland leaving on 8 November.

For his efforts he was awarded the British War Medal despatched on 17 January 1923.

Little is known of his movements after the war save for the fact that he was widowed. He moved to Pietermaritzburg in Natal and, at the ripe old age of 80, a 64 year old widow, Hilda Phoebe Collins Gray (born Warwick) on 12 May 1954. At the time he was living at 347 Boom Street, Pietermaritzburg with his wife-to-be living at 11 Ackerman Street, Pietermaritzburg.

Gordon Cary Thompson passed away in 1959.