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James Hood

Lieutenant, “C” Company, Durban Light Infantry – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Relief of Ladysmith and Transvaal to Lieut. J. Hood, Durban L.I.

James Hood’s early years are shrouded in mystery. It would appear that he was born somewhere in England in about 1874. At some point he betook himself to the sunny climes of South Africa where, on 17 March 1896 and initially assigned no. 31, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant into the famous Durban Light Infantry.

Setting himself up in business as a Contractor, Hood, whose address in the 1896 Natal Almanac was Cato Road, Durban, appears to have had a run-in with the Durban Harbour Board in 1897, a year after he was commissioned, the matter ending up in the courts.

Like most regiments in Colonial Natal in late Victorian times, the D.L.I. busied itself with annual camps and shoot meetings, designed to keep the officers and men in readiness for any eventuality as well as to hone their marksmanship. Those attending camps, along with their brother regiments, in the Midlands of Natal would have been unaware of the impending fight that was heading their way.


D.L.I. Easter Camp 1898

The last year of the 19th century was a volatile one on the tip of the African continent. The two Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, the former long at loggerheads with the authorities in Whitehall, served an ultimatum to the British Government demanding that Imperial troops should be removed from the borders of their territories. This was, of course, ignored and, on 11 October 1899 war was declared.

Wasting no time, the Boers, who had anticipated this response, moved over the Natal border via Vryheid and over the Drakensberg mountain range. The initial battles of Talana and Elandslaagte didn’t feature any men from the D.L.I. at the outbreak of war the regiment had a strength of 433. Having been mobilized at the end of September 1899 the D.L.I. were ordered to Colenso with the brief to keep open the Tugela Bridge in the event of war.

For some weeks their energies were devoted to entrenching and building forts, among them Fort Wylie which was garrisoned by “C” Company – the Company in which Hood was commissioned. This fort was built on a small rocky kopje overlooking the railway bridge on the other side of the Tugela River. On 1 November a Boer patrol appeared on nearby Grobler’s Kloof and, with two long-range guns, opened fire on the D.L.I. camps and forts, causing a certain amount of consternation but the Boers didn’t seem to pursue the matter.

On the next day it was reported that the Boers were closing in on Colenso and shelling of the little town commenced that morning. Fort Wylie and the railway bridge were the obvious targets but the shells fell short. “A” Company of the Dublin Fusiliers under Captain Hensley, and half of “B” Company under Lieutenant Hood, sallied out in extended order on the left of the railway line in order to relieve the pressure on “A” Company at Fort Molyneux. Some volleys were fired, which had the effect of clearing the left flank.

The Shetland Times of 11 November 1899 carried a more detailed article which read thus: -

‘Estcourt, November 4th

The Company of Durban Light Infantry which was holding Fort Molyneux when Colenso was evacuated on Thursday night, narrowly escaped annihilation. That they did was largely due to the timely arrival of a detachment of Dublin Fusiliers, who promptly went to their assistance, when it was seen the Boers were attacking the fort in great force, with the evident intention of cutting off the outpost.

The Fusiliers who consisted of a company under Captain Hammersley, a company under Lieutenant Hood, and half a company under Sergeant Sheridan, opened fire at long range and effectually held the enemy in check, while the small garrison made good their escape.’ The correspondent, quite clearly, regarded Hood as an Officer with the Dublin Fusiliers!

That same day orders were received to evacuate their position and retire on Estcourt. Two trains without lights came out from Estcourt at night to convey the troops and their equipment to the town. The famous Colenso Armoured Train incident followed on 15 November with a good number of Hood’s men taking part in it. He was, however, not involved in the action which saw Churchill taken Prisoner of War.

Hood, meanwhile, had succumbed to the ravages of Dysentery and was evacuated to Durban where he was appointed to Recruiting duties for a short while, rejoining his Company in the field on 29 November 1899

The D.L.I. soldiered on, assigned to stiff outpost duties on the hills around Estcourt. They marched out of the town on 22 November on a reconnaissance in force. The next day the battle of Willow Grange took place and the D.L.I. were under arms for 27 hours without respite. Despite being the last to leave the battlefield, they did not lose a man. Although this battle is regarded by many as insignificant, it served the purpose of checking the Boers progress in their march to the sea.


On service in 1899

From then on orders were received for the regiment to garrison lines of communication. This upset the officers and men, who petitioned to be allowed to stay in the front-line and join the fight. This was to no avail and the D.L.I. moved south, encamping at Nottingham Road in the Natal Midlands. From there they moved to Mooi River where they were put to work to help establish the hospital there, before going back to Estcourt to do the same there.

The men were champing at the bit to see some action and, at last, they were informed that would be joining the Natal Field Force at Elandslaagte. This was a hollow gesture however, as the Boers were, by this time, being driven inexorably out of Natal and over the Drakensberg northwards.

At Dundee they halted on Talana, the scene of so much strife a few months earlier. Here they remained furnishing guards for prisoners, doing police patrols and nightly picquet. In mid-September 1900 the battalion marched out to the river and entered the Transvaal, joining General Hildyard’s column which was moving on Vryheid. After heavy marching and ten days bivouacking at De Jager’s Drift, the regiment returned.

On October 7th, the regiment entrained, receiving on their arrival in Durban, a rapturous reception from the local populace. A hard twelve months had passed since they left their homes and loved ones. For his efforts Hood was awarded the Queens Medal with Relief of Ladysmith and Transvaal clasps – this was issued off the roll dated at Durban, 25 June 1901.

Although Hood played no further part in the war, he remained a serving officer with the D.L.I. and was on hand, five years later when the “troubles” in Natal broke out. Natal in 1906 was not a happy place to be – money was in short supply with the Colonial Government’s coffers virtually empty. The Boer War had proved to be a costly undertaking and the authorities were desperate to find alternate and additional sources of revenue to bolster the fiscus.

One of the ways hit upon was the introduction of a Poll Tax – this was to be levied against the head of every male in the Colony aged 18 years and older. This didn’t go down well with the Zulu population who perceived this as yet another tax to pay. Many Chiefs gave a surly and resigned acceptance to the Magistrates who were sent round to collect this tax but others were not as forthcoming.

Enter then Bambatha, a young and unimportant Chief of the Zondo clan in the Kranskop/Greytown area of Natal. This worthy was a born troublemaker and he went about Natal and Zululand fomenting strife and urging civil disobedience among the Zulus. Initially, in February 1906 the first signs of resistance were quelled when the Militia was called out but a far more serious and sinister rebellion took place around April 1906 and the Militia were called out again.

Things came to a head when it was thought that the Zulu King, Dinizulu, had given tacit support to Bambatha – the scene was set for war. The Natal Ministry mobilized the Militia and sent out a call for men and assistance to the Cape and Transvaal, should it be required. On 17 April the Volunteer Force was warned to be ready for service, this included elements of the Durban Light Infantry, who were sent to Eshowe in Zululand on 19 April, in readiness for what was to come.

On the 29th April “A” Company of the D.L.I. left Durban for Dundee in Northern Natal under Captain Burne and Lieutenant Hood. The plan of campaign was to concentrate on the main enemy force in the Nkandla area with columns from several locations converging on the forest where Bambatha and his followers were said to be in hiding. The roll “A” Company played is unclear but, suffice it to say, they were involved in the action which led to the beheading of Bambatha and the routing of the force that supported him. With their leader dead, most tribesmen headed back to their kraals and the Rebellion was a thing of the past with a few flare-ups still to be negotiated.

For his efforts Hood was awarded the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp – the whereabouts of which are unknown.

Hood’s movements, post-1906, are somewhat vague – he appears to have headed north to the Transvaal where he suffered with mental health issues. On 22 November 1923 he was discharged from the Pretoria Mental Hospital after the Doctors found him “capable of managing his own affairs”. This state of affairs was clearly not a lasting one – on 18 January 1937 a Reception Order was granted by the courts for him to be detained, once more, in the same institution as previous. His diagnosis was “Manic/Repressive Psychosis.”

James Hood never married – he passed away in the Edenvale Hospital in the District of Germiston (Johannesburg) on 15 April 1951 from a Cerebral Thrombosis. Aged 77 he was a Tailor (for his own account) living at St. Louis Court, 213 Jeppe Street, Johannesburg.

Thank You Rory..... Another great story.....

Mike

Rory.

Here is another photograph of Hood, while in command of "C" Company, Durban Light Infantry. Taken by George W. Linfoot, Estcourt, Natal.





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Simply wonderful Neville. No other words to describe it!

Two birds with one stone! As an aside, I used to have the QSA/Bambatha to G. Law as well. I foolishly parted with them in a swap with a well known Kloof, Durban dealer.

A big thank you.

Regards

Rory