TOPIC:

William Gazley Mack

Trooper, Border Mounted Rifles – Anglo Boer War
Sergeant, Border Mounted Rifles – Bambatha Rebellion

- Queens South Africa Medal (Defence of Ladysmith) to 270 TPR: W. MACK. BORDER M.R.
- Natal Medal (Bambatha) with 1906 clasp to SGT: W.G. MACK, BORDER MTD. RIFLES

William Mack was born in the Harding district of Alfred County in southern Natal on 15 April 1881 the son of Robert Gazley Mack, a Farmer and his wife Caroline Bertha, born Rethman.

Growing up as the eldest child, he was surrounded by a number of younger siblings – Albert Richard; Cecil Ainslie; Victoria Bertha; Iris Barbara and Mary Louisa. The southern part of Natal was the recruiting ground for Harding Troop of the Border Mounted Rifles and it was to this Troop under the command of Lieutenant Trenor that Mack and some of his relatives gravitated when news of the impending war between the two Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State erupted on 11 October 1899. Most of the Troop were already enrolled in a Militia capacity. Regular camps and drill routines were a social as well as military event for the young fellows in the area and they would have been almost ready and waiting when the Regiment received orders to mobilise and muster in Pietermaritzburg for entraining to Ladysmith on 28 September 1899.

The Harding Troop numbering 41, left Harding on the Saturday morning, 30 September, and were escorted some distance out of the town by the Resident Magistrate, P.W. Shepstone, and several ladies and other friends, all on horseback. The bulk of the personnel from all over southern Natal, including Umzinto, Polela and Highflats had, within two days, arrived at Ladysmith as a unit of the Natal Volunteer Brigade under their breezy, bluff, and resourceful Commander, Major J. F. Rethman, of Harding. ,The regiment, numbering 286 men, immediately got down to the serious duties of patrolling far afield, feeling for and getting contact with the Boer forces who were soon across the Natal borders and pushing on to Ladysmith and further down country.


Map positioning BMR in Ladysmith in Sector C on the road to Colenso

Fighting soon occurred and the regiment was in the thick of it and took an active share in the general engagements at Tinta Nyoni where, on the 17th, No. 1 squadron of the Border M.R., under Captain Royston, was fired on at the foot of the Tintwa Pass , Bester's Farm and Lombard's Kop, besides several minor and local affairs of outposts and patrols leading up to the final surrounding and complete investment of Ladysmith on 3 November 1899. They took a leading part in the night attack upon and destruction of the Boer big guns on Gun Hill on 9th November, 1899, suffering casualties in all the fighting. Then on 6th January, 1900, came the attack by the Boers on the British posts on Wagon Hill and Caesar's Camp in the defence of which the B.M.R. took a strenuous role, suffering a number of casualties in killed and wounded.

In the repulse of the great attack of 6th January 1900 the volunteers took a prominent part. The following is the report furnished by Colonel Royston to the Chief of the Staff : "I have to report that on Saturday, 6th inst., at about 4.15 am, I received information by telephone from headquarters that the enemy were making an attack on Wagon Hill. I at once despatched 80 men of the Natal MR, under Major Evans, to strengthen the outposts on the Flats, then held by 1 officer and 40 men Natal Police, attached to Volunteers, and 1 officer and 20 men Natal Carbineers. The Town Guard was also directed to stand fast at its post on the left bank of the Klip River. As it had been intimated that a battery of artillery would be placed at my disposal, I directed two squadrons Border MR, with one maxim, to accompany the guns. Major Abadie, at about 5.40 am, reported his guns in position near the point where the road to Caesar's Camp crosses the town rifle-range. On my arrival at the outpost line, at 5 am, the enemy were occupying the extreme south-eastern point of Caesar's Hill, well under cover amongst the rocks and bushes. About 50 men were visible from the Flats, but more appeared to be pushing on from the west in small parties. These men were being fired on from the thorn trees and from sangars below by my men as soon as they appeared in sight.

A few minutes after my arrival the enemy advanced north along the top of the hill, firing at a party of 'Gordons' near a sangar about 500 yards to their front. I requested the officer commanding the battery to open fire, which he did with good effect, stopping the enemy's advance, and driving them into the rocks. As there appeared to be only a small party of the 'Gordons' opposed to the enemy at this spot, as far as I could see from below, I directed a squadron of Border MR, under Lieutenant Royston, to climb the hill and go to their assistance dismounted. This would be about 6 am. On my men joining the Gordons the party advanced towards the enemy in the rocks, but were at first driven back by their heavy fire, and the enemy again advanced. The battery again opened fire, and the 'Gordons' and the Border MR again advancing, drove the enemy over the point of the hill, and they never again mounted to the crest.


BMR drawing rations in Ladysmith

At mid-day the enemy had retired about halfway down the southern slope of the hill, but still kept up a heavy fire. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get at these with artillery fire from where the battery was limbered, owing to the danger of hitting our own people on the crest of the hill, and the officer commanding the battery did not consider it advisable, owing to the rough ground to cross, and to exposure to Bulwana, to advance any of his guns as far as our outpost line, from which point the enemy could be reached. Rifle-fire was kept up until the enemy finally got into the bed of the Fourie Spruit, where he could only be reached from the top of Caesar's Hill. A heavy fire was kept up until dark, when it gradually ceased, and the enemy appeared to be retiring up the Fourie Spruit. My casualties were 4 men killed and 2 officers and 10 men wounded."

Another version of the Wagon Hill skirmish of 6th January 1900 was that of Lt. R.G. Archibald who won a competition guinea with his account published in the Illustrated London News. Archibald was the Squadron Commander of the Umzinto Troop. The article read as follows: -

“On January 6th the Boers attacked the town (Ladysmith) in two different places. The attack began at 02.30 in the morning and by daylight very serious news was hurriedly bought in that had gained Wagon Hill, and were also in possession of a portion of Caesar’s Hill Camp, overlooking the town.

All volunteers were immediately called to arms and sent to reinforce the picquets. Four small squadrons of the Border Mounted Rifles were ordered to support the 53rd Battery, Royal Artillery.

While the battery was working into position our squad was ordered to dismount and climb the hill to reinforce a company of Gordon Highlanders who were hard pressed on top. Here they met the Captain of the Gordons, who said as far as he knew the Manchesters still held the point of the hill, and he was awaiting a call from them if they required reinforcing. He then ordered our squad to move forward to find out the true state of affairs.

The squad had crept halfway across the flat on the top of the hill, when suddenly from behind a lot stones, about fifty yards in front, jumped a body of men who threw up their hands crying “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot. We are the Town Guard.” This for a moment put our men off but they did not take long to see the mistake. The Boers took up their guns and blazed away straight into our men, who immediately lay flat, returned the fire, and slowly retired to cover close by.

Before gaining this however, two men were shot dead. Our men dared not advance, as the enemy were only 150 yards in front and the Boers, for the same reason, dare not retire, as they would expose themselves to our fire. Whenever a shell shifted any of them and they got up to run they were immediately shot down by our men.


Insert photo of BMR returning from spiking Long Tom

Gradually as they had enough of it, they were forced over the end of the hill and got behind rocks. The Gordons having reinforced us, an advance made to the end of the hill, where our side remained all day, blazing away at the enemy. At three in the afternoon the Boers were reinforced and, to make matters worse, a terrific thunderstorm burst over the whole place, lasting until 5 p.m. Those two hours I shall never forget. However all things come to an end, and right glad were our squad to return to the town drenched to the skin.”

During the historic siege the regiment was reduced to half its strength by disease, privation, hardship from bad weather and the effect of continuous and arduous duties. A large number of their horses were slaughtered and eaten, these being mostly the mounts of non-effectives which could not be looked after and kept alive by any means or attention at all. During the siege their Adjutant, Captain William Arnott, was severely wounded and their Q.M. Lieut. W. D. Smith, died of disease.

After the Relief of Ladysmith on 1 March 1900, and following a six weeks' period of rest, feeding and recuperation down country and the recruitment of the unit up to normal strength, the B.M.R. formed a unit of the reconstituted Natal Volunteer Brigade under Major General John G. Dartnell, which was attached to the Imperial forces which advanced north and finally drove the Boers out of Natal.

On reaching Volksrust the Brigade was sent back to Dundee district charged with the duty of defending the upper part of Natal from the inroads of raiding parties of the enemy which were of frequent though largely ineffective occurrence. At the end of October, 1900, the Brigade was temporarily demobilised and returned home, leaving a composite regiment to which the B.M.R. contributed about fifty officers and men, who volunteered to serve on for the duration of the war.

Post the Anglo Boer conflict, Natal was counting the cost of an expensive war and the colonial fiscus was battling to make ends meet. Able minds were being applied to ways of generating additional revenue and one of the measures adopted was to impose a hut tax on every male of 18 years and older in the Colony. This was to be levied and collected by the Regional Magistrates accompanied by a Natal Police escort in case of trouble. This didn’t sit well with the young Chief Bambatha Zondi who lived in the Kranskop/Greytown area and who made his feelings very clear by fomenting an uprising amongst his fellow Zulus refusing to pay the tax and embarking on a campaign of civil disobedience which soon degenerated into armed rebellion – known as the Bambatha Rebellion.

The Government proclaimed martial law throughout Natal and the B.M.R. and other volunteer corps were called up for “mopping up” operations. They were thus in action until a week after the ambush at Mome Gorge on the 10th June 1906, where Bambatha was caught and beheaded.

We now turn to Lt. Archibald who, once again, commanded a Troop of the B.M.R. He kept meticulous notes and a diary of events as they unfolded.

Dundee, 20 June 1906 – We are still here but are moving off today as soon as we can get away to Helpmekaar. We are 160 strong and 80 Carbineers from Helpmekaar. It’s most awfully cold here and starting to blow great guns from the Drakensberg. We heard of the looting of Thring’s Post store and our loss of a convoy. We hope it will not turn out to be anything serious.

The B.M.R. moved about a great deal at this time and Archibald kept his wife appraised of their movements in a series of letters –
Stanger, 22 June 1906 – We have got orders to leave for Otomati wherever that is, some 18 miles from here. We arrived here safely last night at 7 p.m. after a long and tiring journey of 25 hours. So far there are 270 of us and 2 guns of C Battery (Natal Field Artillery).

Otomati via Thring’s Post, 26 June 1906 – we left Stanger at 1.30 p.m. with 170 B.M.R. and others totalling 400 – we are called Col. Arnot’s Column. We slept on this side of the Kearsney Tea Estate. Things are not as bad as first thought to be.

All kaffirs round here are in fear of their lives that raiding parties will come up for food and raid their kraals. They sleep in the bush at night and return in the daytime. We have been patrolling towards the Tugela (River) but have seen no kaffirs although we know they are in the Mati Valley.

Otomati, 28 June 1906 – Yesterday we had a fight and the kaffirs lost heavily, no casualties on our side except Tpr. Forder wounded in the leg by a spent bullet from our own side. The papers say the kaffirs lost 60 but 80 is nearer the mark. The B.M.R. got 37, they came on well at first but a few shells soon made them turn and then it was a case of hunt them out. They were about 6 to 700 strong. The fight took place opposite Thring’s Post.

Otomati, 1st July 1906 -We are still doing patrols and every day we see the enemy but they keep their distance. The Chief Meseni is in the Glendale Valley with about 3000 men made up of his own and men from other tribes. This was the lot the fight was against last week, but only about 1000 of them took part. About 300 of them charged a squad of the N.M.R. They let them come on until about 100 yards and then opened fire on them, but flesh and blood can’t stand against dum-dum magazine fire and they broke and fled in all directions. The B.M.R. then opened out and hunted them out from the bush killing 37, two of them up trees.

They tried to come on again but a few shells soon them to the right about. The effect of the fight on them has been good. Meseni’s impi is to our south and Ndlovu’s impi of 500 on our north, but they keep well-hidden and don’t show up. Thring’s Post – 6th July 1906 – We had a very hard three days in the Glendale Valley. Yesterday we surrounded Umshwile’s impi and practically wiped it out – 547 killed. It was a clean sweep. We had a hard day driving them out from the bush and the caves. My squadron killed 47. I can tell you in am sick of it but it must be done.

Mapumulo, 15th July 1906 – Most of the rebels here have surrendered and we have been given three days’ rest – this is to give others time to surrender too.

As can be seen, despite Bambatha’s death, the rebellion continued on for some time, with many casualties, until most of the Chiefs had surrendered. The B.M.R., their grisly task completed, were stood down. Sergeant Mack and his B.M.R. comrades were awarded the Natal Medal with 1906 clasp for their efforts.

William Gazley Mack returned to farming in the Harding area, retiring at a later date to Pietermaritzburg where he passed away at the age of 77 on 10 July 1958 at Grey’s Hospital in the city. His residential address was provided as Dunkeld, Alexandra Road, Pietermaritzburg. The cause of his demise was twofold – chronic nephritis and chronic myocarditis. He is buried in the Mountain Rise Cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

Acknowledgements where not included above: -
- Maurice for map of dispositions in Ladysmith (N. Constantine)
- Illustrated London News for troops drawing rations
- Familysearch for death notice and cemetery details