TOPIC:

Cockcroft was what was known in the vernacular as a "well-travelled man" - having served in no fewer than 3 Colonial units during the Boer War.

Harold Mortimer Cockcroft

Private, Dordrecht District Volunteer Guard
Trooper, Johannesburg Mounted Rifles
Trooper, 1st Imperial Light Horse

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Orange Free State and Transvaal to 2894 Tpr. H.M. Cockeroft (sic), Imp. Lt. Horse.

Harold Cockcroft was born in Molteno in the Eastern Cape on 30 September 1875 the son of George Harrison Cockcroft and his wife Mary Maria (born Knight). The Cockcroft family were farmers, a common occupation for those resident in the rural hinterland of the Cape. At the time of his birth, settlers in the region would have been embroiled in one of the interminable wars against the marauding black tribes to the east who were hell-bent on making life difficult for those living on what was called the Frontier.

The Anglo Boer War broke out on 11 October 1899 and, with the focus of the Boers resting on the investment of the towns of Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith to the north, the nether regions of the Cape Colony were, initially, excluded from their attentions. As the war progressed Boer Commandos, on the hunt for supplies and sympathetic Cape Boers to swell their numbers, infiltrated the Colony and, in many cases, singled out the Eastern Cape as a source for their requirements.


Cockcroft as a young boy with his father

Cockcroft and others of his age and disposition either joined one of the locally raised units to assist on the British side or affiliated themselves to the Town Guards and District Mounted Troops in their immediate vicinity.

Joining the ranks of the Dordrecht District Volunteer Guard, he was initially “area bound” but would have been in action at the end of February 1900 when, together with Brabant’s Horse, the Boers were driven out of Jamestown with heavy loss. Possibly thirsting for action further afield, he set his sights on a larger outfit, attesting for service with a unit that was “in the fighting line” – in Cockcroft’s case he attested for service with the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles at Queenstown on 15 January 1901.

Assigned no. 551 and the rank of Trooper he was a Farmer by occupation, was 5 feet 8 ½ inches in height. He weighed 10 stone 10 ounces and had blue eyes, fair hair and no marks on his body. His present address he provided as “P.O. Durban” and his next of kin Mr. G.H. Cockcroft, Dordrecht, Cape Colony.

He took to the field in January 1901 under General Stewart, at which time the greater portion of the corps were stationed in the Springs district, just to the east of Johannesburg (it must be remembered that Johannesburg and Pretoria had fallen to the British by this point), where they always had the enemy near them and used worthily the opportunities they got.

A letter to the Burnley Express on 19 January 1901 by a fellow recruit made for interesting reading: -

‘I will just give you an idea of how our corps got into shape in the above time. We enlisted on Monday and went straight up to Maritzburg and got equipped etc. etc. left Maritzburg on Thursday, left Glencoe on Friday, left Volksrust on Saturday; made Heidelberg, and on to Rietvlei; arrived there just as it got dark; and all was done in coal trucks. Well after we had had bully beef and biscuits we were ordered to the trenches along with the Essex Regiment, to be prepared for a Boer attack.

But Johnny Boer never came that night and we got out of the tenches at daybreak, looking like navvies. We all thought this was pretty strong for a beginning but we again took to our “saloon carriages” and arrived at Johannesburg at 12 o’ clock on Monday, and we are now in camp near the fort at the show ground. On our way up we passed hundreds of farms burnt to the ground’.

In March and April two companies of the J.M.R. in Colonel Colville's column, based on the Standerton line, and were said to have done good work particularly in an affair at Roberts' Drift. Both battalions afterwards did much column work. Early in 1901 part of the corps was sent to the Zululand border, a district in which they saw much arduous service.

Towards the end of April 600 were with Colonel Stewart in a column working from about Volksrust. Colonel Stewart had also under him Gough's Mounted Infantry, 600; the Commander-in-Chief's Bodyguard, 1000; the 74th Battery Royal Field Artillery, and a pom-pom. In July 1901 the two battalions were put together, and under Colonel Stewart operated as a column, which did much trekking and skirmishing generally in the east of the Transvaal and about the Zululand border. A Standerton telegram of 5th August mentioned that by a night raid on Amersfoort the J.M.R. had captured a laager and 20 prisoners.

In September 1901 Colonel Stewart, with his own corps and Gough's Mounted Infantry, was operating to the north of the Natal Border. Gough, who, as stated in Lord Kitchener's despatch of 8th October 1901, was in advance, decided on 17th September to push on towards the Blood River in order to gain touch with the enemy about Scheeper's Nek. Gough, thinking he had about 300 of the enemy in front of him, galloped his force to seize a commanding ridge, but the enemy were at least 1000 strong, and the three companies of Mounted Infantry and two guns of the 69th Battery Royal Field Artillery were surrounded, and after a fierce fight, in which Gough's force suffered very severe casualties, were forced to surrender.

Colonel Stewart, having to protect the baggage of both bodies, fell back on De Jager's Drift, thus at same time covering Dundee. In his despatch Lord Kitchener said: "Lieutenant Colonel Stewart, in falling back when he did, showed great judgment and a sound appreciation of the situation in a position of considerable difficulty". The Boers had collected in the Vryheid district in great strength to attempt a re-invasion of Natal, and on 26th September made most determined attacks on Forts Itala and Prospect, which were repulsed. Major Gough had on many occasions proved himself a fine soldier and most capable leader of mounted infantry.

Towards the close of 1901 the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles were chiefly employed in the Ermelo district of the Transvaal. It was at this point, on 5 December 1901 that Cockcroft took his discharge from the unit, time expired. His Character was rated as Good and he was credited with 325 days service. His address after discharge was given as “Exident Hotel, Queenstown, Cape Colony”.

Cockcroft’s war was from over – four days later, on 9 December 1901 at Green Point in Cape Town – he completed the attestation papers for service with the 1st Imperial Light Horse. Confirming that “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” his physical description differed vastly from his previous one – on this occasion he was deemed to be single, 157 pounds in weight with a dark complexion, hazel eyes and brown hair – perhaps the exposure to the sun and other elements had given him a permanent tan!

By the time Cockcroft joined their ranks, the 1st I.L.H., one of the war’s premier and most highly thought of regiments, had put the glory days of Elandslaagte, Ladysmith and the Relief of Mafeking behind them. They were, nevertheless, still a formidable fighting force. Assigned no. 2854 and the rank of Trooper. His next of kin was again his father, care of P.O. Dordrecht.

Three months prior to this, Lord Kitchener raised what he called a ‘third mobile column’ at Harrismith, working from Bethlehem (Orange River Colony) as its centre and under the command of Brigadier-General Sir John Dartnell, it consisted of the two regiments of I.L.H. specially equipped with a view to securing increased mobility. After operations in the Brandwater Basin, the 1st I.L.H. had remained to act independently from Bethlehem. In his despatch of 8th January 1902 (by which time Cockcroft was in the field) Roberts detailed further operations in the same district, which took place about the end of January, in which substantial loss was inflicted on the enemy. During these some great marching was done; the 2nd Battalion Mounted Infantry (Regulars) covered 82 miles in thirty-four hours, the ILH and other troops performing similar feats of endurance. Between 25th and 29th January 1902 there were some casualties about Newmarket, 3 men being killed and Lieutenant Bamford and several men wounded.

The despatches of 8th March and 8th April describe the great combined drives in the north east of the Orange River Colony, in which a large number of prisoners, over 1500, were captured. The work of the I.L.H. was specially singled out in the account of the Press Association correspondent. “They stopped one very determined rush, when the enemy tried, in the darkness, to break through the line at their part”.

The 1st I.L.H. lost 4 killed. In the drive from the Vaal to Harrismith about 520 prisoners and 1400 horses fell into the hands of the 1st I.L.H.
In the despatch of 1st June 1902 Lord Kitchener details the operations undertaken in the Western Transvaal to clear that district after the disasters suffered by Lord Methuen. Troops were taken from "other districts, and the I.L.H. recrossed the Vaal River. On 11th April Colonel Kekewich had heavy fighting. Soon after starting in the morning the advance guard under Von Donop was attacked: the enemy "advanced rapidly to close quarters in very compact formation, the Boers riding knee to knee, and in many places in two ranks, whilst their attack was supported by a heavy fire from skirmishers on both flanks.

Many of the men of our advanced screen in forward positions were ridden over by the enemy, who pressed on rapidly to within 700 yards of the main body and convoys, keeping up an incessant magazine-rifle fire from their horses as they approached. Here, however, they were checked by Lieutenant Colonel Greenfell's troops which were at the head of the main body, the Scottish Horse, 5th IY, and South African Constabulary dismounting and moving forward steadily on foot to meet the coming charge.

This was the crisis of the fight, and it was one which terminated quickly with the complete repulse of the Boers and the death of their Commandant, Potgieter, who was conspicuous in leading the attack until he fell, only 90 yards in front of our troops. So far, however, it was only a repulse, but the arrival of Lieutenant Colonel Briggs with the ILH, detached upon the enemy's right flank from Sir H. Rawlinson's force, turned the repulse into a rout". Colonel Briggs, hearing the heavy firing, of his own initiative took the ILH to the scene of the action. Fifty-one dead and 40 wounded Boers were found on the ground, and in the subsequent pursuit by the 1st I.L.H. and troops of Colonel Kekewich two 15-pounder guns, one pom-pom, some vehicles, ammunition, and 36 unwounded prisoners were captured.

Cockcroft saw out the end of the war with the I.L.H. – he took his discharge, time expired, on 23 June 1902 – a month after the cessation of hostilities. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens Medal with Orange Free State and Transvaal clasps. Despite his initial service with the Dordrecht D.V.G. in 1900, he doesn’t appear to have been awarded the Cape Colony clasp which is a little unusual.

Harold Cockcroft never married, according to family sources he worked as a blaster on the mines in Boksburg where he retired, attended by his widowed sister, Amy. He passed away at the age of 65 from Cardiac Failure following Chronic Alcoholism on 10 October 1940 whilst resident at 38 Fourth Street, Boksburg North. A sad end to man who had served with many different units.

Thank You Rory.... It amazes me how you can find pictures..... Mike