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Bowles of the Kokstad Town Guard 4 years 8 months ago #69983
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George Zachariah Bowles
Private, Kokstad Town Guard – Anglo Boer War Trooper, Zululand Mounted Rifles – Post-Bambatha (Peacetime Service) - Queens South Africa Medal to 89 Pte. G.Z. Bowles, Kokstad, T.G. George Bowles came from an old East Griqualand family. His father, Zachariah George Bowles was a pioneer in the Eastern Cape/Transkei area and, in 1877, he and his partner, a Mr Owen, established a trading store on the site of present-day Flagstaff. The town owes its name to their practice of running a white flag up a flagstaff every Sunday as a signal to prospective customers that on this day the shop was closed. At its outset, the postal business of Flagstaff was carried on in a temporary hut, a square plan building with a small thatched roof. The walls were built in sun-dried clay, without external plastering. It was in these rustic surroundings that George first saw the light of day – born on 14 June 1881, he was a baby when things were still at their most primitive in this remote corner of Africa. As was their wont in Victorian times, the family was, of necessity, a large one and a young George didn’t want for playmates, being joined in the house by siblings Lillian Gertrude, Edward William. Harriet Mary, Ethel Louisa, Selina Mildred and many others as the years rolled by. Thoughts of war would have been the last thing on the residents of East Griqualand’s minds but they were soon to be jolted out of their complacency – on 11 October 1899 the southern tip of Africa was thrust into a conflict not of their making. The might of the British Empire was pitted against the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal in a conflict that many thought would be over by Christmas of that year. It was not to be – the Boers had other ideas – and the war, which was initially confined to the northern reaches of South Africa, gradually began to make its presence felt elsewhere. Boer Commandos, in search of supplies and fresh recruits among the Cape Dutch, made many incursions into the Eastern Cape. The small towns and settlements that dotted the countryside were called upon to raise Town Guards – a body of local men, tradespeople in the main – who would band together and be on call-out should any Boer patrol make an appearance on the horizon. Kokstad, the nearest “civilised” settlement closest to Flagstaff of any substance, was no exception, a Town Guard was raised with a view to protecting the lives and property of the townspeople. George Bowles and many of his friends joined their ranks and served throughout, until the dawn of peace on 31 May 1902. For his efforts Bowles was awarded the Queens Medal. No clasps were approved for the Town Guard members who served in the Eastern Cape and, of the 154 medals issued of their roll, only 64 were left in the hands of recipients, the remainder being returned to the Mint, unclaimed. In late 1902 Bowles betook himself to Inyoni, deep into Zululand, where he applied for the position of Stock Inspector for the Vryheid and Utrecht districts. His application met with success and he settled down to life in that role. The work wasn’t without incident and he had many a recalcitrant farmer and Zulu Chieftain to deal with in the execution of his duties. The Natal Archives are littered with correspondence relating to a number of incidents in which he played a pivotal role – one such required a declaration from him, in his role as Innoculator for the Natal Government, about the refusal of one Madidedide to allow Bowles to inoculate his beast. . But Bowles had more to worry about than that – Charles Tyler, the District Veterinary Surgeon at Vryheid, wrote a memorandum to the authorities, recommending Bowles’ dismissal. Part of the memorandum, dated 12 May 1904, was directed at the Minister of Agriculture and read thus, “This is the man (Bowles) who was implicated in the Crole case. I propose to discharge him.” In a separate memorandum he wrote, “I recommend the dismissal of G.Z. Bowles as I do not regard him as a competent man.” The Deputy Minister, on 18 May 1904 replied to Tyler, stating, “I enclose a cheque for £20 for Bowles’ salary up to the end of the month (31 May 1904), after which date his services will no longer be required. Give him at once notice and hand him his cheque on the 31st instant.” The matter seemingly still not laid to rest, John Nottman, a Vryheid-based Solicitor, wrote to the Attorney General in Pietermaritzburg on 1 November 1904 as follows: “Sir I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of memorandum from your office suggesting that I should keep entirely neutral in the matter of the proposed action by Mr D. Crole against G.Z. Bowles on the charge of perjury and have to inform you that it is my intention in the event of the case going forward to have nothing whatsoever to do with the matter in any shape or form. I have the honour etc.” Out of work, Bowles took up the pursuit of farming for his own account. He was next heard from on 14 December 1907 when he completed the Form of Voluntary Enrolment with the Natal Militia Force at Emtonjaneni in Zululand. Confirming that he was farming at Denny Dalton, he claimed to have had three years service with the East Griqualand Mounted Rifles and that he was a Wesleyan by religious persuasion. Physically he was 6 feet in height with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair. At the age of 25 he was married to Elizabeth Ann Bowles, whom he had wed at Idutywa in the Transkei on 6 September 1905. Having taken the oath, he was sworn in as a member of the Zululand Mounted Rifles with no. 253 and the rank of Trooper. The Bambatha Rebellion of the previous year was now a thing of the past but the Natal Militia, determined to prevent another outbreak, were wisely still accepting recruits into the local regiments. After a long and active life Bowles passed away at the age of 80 years 7 months at the Musgrave Nursing Home on the Berea in Durban on 14 January 1963. He was survived by his wife and two daughters – Ada Louise Lowe and Elizabeth Harriet Hurley. 
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Bowles of the Kokstad Town Guard 4 years 8 months ago #69985
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