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John James Meder

Private, Beaconsfield (Kimberley) Town Guard
Trooper, Damant’s Horse – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal (DoK) to PTE J. MEDER. KIMBERLEY TOWN GD:

John Meder went on after the relief of Kimberley to serve in Damant’s Horse. He earned the Paardeberg clasp, one of only 155 men who were in the Defence of Kimberley to do so. The recipient of a double issue QSA, the whereabouts of the one to Damant’s Horse, along with his KSA and 1902 Coronation medal, are unknown. They were sold at DNW, as part of the A.A. Upfill Brown Collection, on 4 December 1991.

Meder was born in Cape Town in 1868 the son of John Meder and his wife Eva (born Cutting). At some point after he had been baptised in Stellenbosch in 1872 the family moved to Kimberley in what was to become known as the Diamond Fields. A rough and ready prospectors town which developed into the international hub of the diamond industry. At the time the Meder family arrived it would have been a shanty town with an almost daily influx of people, most down on their luck, who had come to seek and make their fortune.

The great Imperialist, Cecil John Rhodes, was the driving force behind the excavation of diamonds as the 19th century wound down to a close. He was hated by the Boers for the role he had played in the abortive Jameson Raid of 1896, one of the major contributors to the outbreak of the Anglo Boer War between the Transvaal and the Orange Free State and the might of the British Empire and was known to be in Kimberley when war broke out on 11 October 1899. Commandos from the Free State crossed the border in to the Cape Colony and invested Kimberley on 14 October, hoping to lay their hands on him and this jewel in the Imperial crown, in what was to be an exhausting siege which lasted until 15 February 1900.



Meder had, in the meanwhile, made a home for himself in Beaconsfield on the outskirts of Kimberley. Although technically a suburb of the town it had its own Town Council and Mayor. On 27 January 1891 he had tied the marital knot with 19 year old Ellen Johanna Newton at St. Cyprian’s in Kimberley. At the age of 22 he was a Mechanic by trade. The business of raising a family followed, sometimes with an undesired outcome – his son, John Dixon Meder (the name ran in the family), died on 19 September 1895 from bronchial pneumonia at the age of 4 years 9 months whilst Meder and his family were living in Rectory Street, Beaconsfield.

In the run-up to Kimberley being besieged the call had gone out for the raising of a Town Guard to augment the almost paltry Imperial forces deployed. These consisted of about 600 men of whom 450 were several companies of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Not enough, by any stretch of the imagination, to counter a determined Boer attack should there by one. Instead the Boers contented themselves with encircling the town and lobbing shells into its midst. Men flocked to the Kimberley and Beaconsfield Town Guard – although separate entities the attestation forms used applied to both. Almost every able-bodied civilian rallied to the call. Meder was one of these being assigned to the Mounted Section of B Company, Beaconsfield Town Guard.



One of the more active Town Guards, especially the mounted component, they were in action on the 17th November when the enemy fired a few shells at irregular intervals, all of which fell harmlessly just outside Beaconsfield. According to the St. James Gazette of 23 November 1899, “A reconnaissance in force was made this afternoon in the direction of Alexandersfontein, below Beaconsfield. Detachments of our mounted forces, with two Maxims and two field guns, under Major Scott-Turner and Captain May respectively, together with the Beaconsfield Town Guard, which helped to support the guns, found the enemy, numbering some 250, in a kloof on Alexandersfontein farm. The Boers took great pains to keep themselves invisible. They blazed away enormous quantities of ammunition, shooting wildly at our men from the edge of a declivity and from several cunningly disguised rifle pits. Our field guns opened on them from a position on the lower debris heaps. The guns which they had posted at Brandheidsfontein replied on our right flank but were silenced by two shells fired from the Premier Mines. The enemy also fired their Maxim which jammed after the 25th round.”

The Brighton Argus of 23 November carried a small insert in respect of the same engagement – “While our main force was thus engaged a part of the Beaconsfield Town Guard, which had taken up a position at 4 a.m. on the debris heaps facing Alexandersfontein, had been engaged with the enemy.

At half past four we heard heavy firing in the direction from above the race course. Shortly afterwards 200 mounted Boers were observed coming from the Alexandersfontein direction, and making towards the Rifle Butts, presumably with the intention of taking the mounted force in the left flank, which was then engaged on the high ground above the race course.

Directly this force crossed the right front of the Beaconsfield Guard the latter opened a fire at about 2500 yards range, and the Boers precipitately retired. They galloped back and disappeared behind the ridge. About 10 minutes past five about 300 Boers, probably the same lot reinforced, advanced in extended order over the ridge. They stretched in a long line from Alexandersfontein to Spitzkop. Riding rapidly for about 600 yards and dismounting, they opened fire against the Town Guard, who replied with volleys.

After the sixth volley the Boers, again, retired rapidly and remained out of range behind the ridge. Our Beaconsfield men were also fired apparently concealed in rifle pits. At 6.30 a.m. firing ceased and the men returned to their trenches.”

They were also active at Cater’s Ridge a few days later when, under Captain Fraser, three half companies supported the armoured train in that engagement.

The Eastern Daily Press of 7 December, under the heading “Another Sortie From Kimberley,” reported that: -

“A further strong reconnaissance was made at dawn today by Colonel Chamier, commanding the battery, mounted men of the Beaconsfield Town Guard. From a redoubt which had been built to protect the cattle guard we fired with shells at the Lazarette Redoubt. The Boers replied but without doing any damage with rifle fire at long range.”

On 15 February the liberators rode into Kimberley – the siege was lifted. What followed next was, for some, quite an adventure. Allusion has already been made to Meder earning the Paardeberg clasp. What follows is quite a tale of how that came to pass. An article which appeared in a June 1977 South African Military History Society newsletter is relied on for the details. To quote from the article: -

“…..Old Mr Glover related an interesting article to me, when I one day asked him how he came to have the Defence of Kimberley/Paardeberg combination of bars on his Queens South Africa medal. It appears that immediately after the raising of the Siege a message was sent from General Kitchener’s H.Q. in the Paardeberg area to Colonel Kekewich (Garrison Commander) calling for urgent supplies of bread. De Beers ovens immediately set to work and in due course a convoy of wagons, loaded with bread, set off from Kimberley to Paardeberg. Mr Glover recalls how appalled he was when they discovered the plight, for the lack of food, of the Imperial forces at Paardeberg.”

Meder, it would appear, as a mounted member of the Beaconsfield Town Guard, was one of the 155 Defenders who went out to escort the wagons containing bread and, I daresay, other necessities, to the men who were engaged in the Paardeberg battle. They would seem to have spent only one day and night there before returning to Kimberley, the battle-proper having passed them by.

Meder hadn’t quite done with the war yet – on 19 November 1900 he attested for service with Damants’ Horse (still known then as Rimington’s Scouts) with no. 9 and the rank of Sergeant. With them he was active in the Orange Free State doing hard work under Generals Hunter and Bruce Hamilton, and other leaders. During November their daring and skill were constantly referred to by correspondents.

On 16th January 1901 Major Rimington left the Guides to take another command. Rimington's Guides seem to have been paid off in January 1901, but they were resuscitated as Damant's Horse under one of their old leaders, Major Frederick Damant. In February 1901 the corps, still called officially Rimington's Guides, were along with General Bruce Hamilton's 21st Brigade in Cape Colony, helping to drive out De Wet. On 24th February they had several casualties at Strydenburg. Soon after this Major Damant was put in command of a small column, including his own corps, which took part in the operations of Charles Knox and Bruce Hamilton between April and September 1901. In the despatch of 8th October Major Damant of Rimington's Guides' was mentioned "for very able command of a column in south of Orange River Colony, a most gallant and exceptionally good officer".

In September the column was taken to Heilbron. On the 13th October Major Damant engaged 300 Boers near Naude's Drift, on the Wilge River, and two days later encountered a commando 500 strong, under Commandants Ross and Hattingh, which he drove towards the Bothasberg. On the 25th Major Damant returned to Frankfort, bringing in with him 19 prisoners and much stock. At another place Lord Kitchener said, "Some minor night raids by Major Damant's corps have resulted in the capture of 12 other prisoners". In these affairs they escaped with comparatively few casualties because their work was most skilfully carried through.

The despatch of 8th December 1901 contains the following passage, very flattering to the work of both the leaders mentioned: "Since the fifteenth of November successful operations have been carried out by Colonel Rimington and Major Damant, operating from Frankfort, along the valley of the Vaal. Frequent captures have been made by these officers, who have exhibited marked ability in adapting themselves to the peculiar methods of Boer warfare. It would be tedious, indeed, to give in detail the many minor successes which have rewarded their energy and ingenuity.

In the despatch of 8th January 1902, after referring to De Wet's successful rushing of the camp of a Yeomanry battalion at Tweefontein, in the Harrismith district, in the early morning of 25th December 1901, Lord Kitchener said: "Another very determined attack was also made upon Lieutenant Colonel Damant's column in the vicinity of Tafel Kop, between Frankfort and Vrede. On the evening of the 19th December, this column, together with Colonel Rimington's troops, who had also moved from Heilbron to Frankfort, marched from the latter town towards Tafel Kop to cover the extension of the blockhouse line in that direction. They moved throughout the night by two parallel roads, some three miles apart, and to the north of the proposed line of blockhouses, and, after circling round Tafel Kop, were at daybreak in the vicinity of Bacchante Farm. Here a resolute attack was suddenly made by some 800 Boers, under General Wessels, upon Colonel Damant's advanced guard, who were deceived by the khaki disguise of the enemy, and their clever imitation of the formation usual with regular mounted troops.

To complete the deception the enemy even fired volleys, as they approached Colonel Damant's men, in the general direction of some Boers who were escaping across the front of the two forces.

This clever ruse enabled them to get sufficiently close to Colonel Damant's troops to anticipate them by a few yards in the occupation of the crest of a kopje which commanded the whole field, including the guns and the main body of our troops. Lieutenant Colonel Damant's men displayed the utmost gallantry, holding on to their inferior position so as to save the two guns which accompanied the advanced guard, and every officer and man, except four, of the leading troops was shot down before reinforcements, which were pushed forward from the main body and from Colonel Rimington's column directly firing commenced, could arrive upon the scene. The appearance of these reinforcements compelled the Boers to relinquish their attack, and they fled over the Wilge River, pursued for some miles by Colonel Rimington's troops.

Since the date of this affair the troops of Colonels Rimington and Damant have continued to operate in the neighbourhood of Tafel Kop, where I am reinforcing them by two of the newly formed battalions of Royal Artillery Mounted Rifles, and by the Canadian Scouts under Major Ross".

In his telegram of the 21st December Lord Kitchener said that the losses of the column were 2 officers and 20 men killed, and 3 officers and 17 men wounded. These turned out to be rather greater; the 39th Battery—one section—had 6 killed and 8 wounded. The losses of Damant's Horse were severe, but nothing like those of the 91st Company Imperial Yeomanry, which had 32 hit out of 40, and, in the words of Lord Kitchener, "sacrificed itself almost to a man to save Damant's guns".

In the despatch of 8th February 1902 it was stated that "in the north of the Orange River Colony columns under Lieutenant Colonels Keir and Wilson, together with Damant's Horse, have acted vigorously wherever opportunity offered against the enemy's bands". The corps took part in many driving operations in this district, and when it was seen, after Lord Methuen's defeat, that the Western Transvaal was insufficiently supplied with troops, the columns of Keir, Wilson, and Damant marched through Vrede to Volksrust to entrain for Klerksdorp. They were at once again put into the field, and took part in the last big operations under General Ian Hamilton, which destroyed the power of Delarey in the Western Transvaal. In the drive of 23rd and 24th March 80 miles were covered in twenty-four hours. In this operation the corps had 2 killed.

On the 31st March the Boers made a most determined attack on the column of Colonel Cookson near Boschbult, and a fight as fierce as, and on a bigger scale than, that at Tafel Kop took place.

Meder took his discharge from Damant’s Horse on 15 October 1902, several months after the cessation of hostilities. With them he earned the Kings South Africa Medal. He was also selected as one of their representatives at the 1902 Coronation of King Edward VII.

Returning to South Africa he resumed his civilian pursuits in and around Kimberley. His wife, Ellen, passed away at the Kimberley Hospital on 31 May 1909 at the age of 38 leaving him to look after their two surviving children – Ethel and Frank. It was to be several years before he decided to tie the knot again – on this occasion on 15 October 1914 when he wed 28 year old Martha Johana Geldenhuys. He was 45 years old and a Saddler by occupation. Both gave their address as 12 Free State Road, Beaconsfield. Meder was dogged by bad luck with his marriages – Martha passed away in September 1917, less than three years into their marriage. She was only 30 years old.

John Meder passed away at the age of 58 years and 10 months on 20 June 1926. He was an Overseer with De Beers Diamonds at the time of his death from cancer of the oesophagus, living at 9 Free State Road, Beaconsfield.

As a caveat to this story, I was childhood friends with Meder’s great grandson. Great was my surprise when I saw this medal in a dealer’s stock. I snapped it up as a sentimental purchase, my friend and the remainder of his family being long dead. The search is now on for the group sold in 1991.

Acknowledgements where not mentioned in the body of the work:
- David Biggins book on Kimberley for the photos of the Beaconsfield TG and the map of Kimberley
- Jon Tombs for the article on the Paardeberg/DoK clasp combination
- Ancestry for medal rolls
- Familysearch for marriage and death details iro Meder and spouses/child

Rory, great, informative post!, thank you. Let's ignore for a minute that the Rednecks nicked the Kimberley diamond fields from the Free State Boers and without that there wouldn't have been a siege. Anyway, herewith a picture of where John Meder might have been hiding from the Boer shells during the siege as well as a soup ticket, probably issued by the root of all evil, Cecil Rhodes, in order to make a few extra bob while he was locked up in the town.