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Charles Callaghan of the B.M.I., P.T.C., J.M.R., E.G.M.V. and everywhere else... 2 months 2 weeks ago #96968

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Charles Frederick Callaghan

Trooper, Bethune’s Mounted Infantry
Trooper, Provisional Transvaal Constabulary
Sergeant, Johannesburg Mounted Rifles
Corporal, East Griqualand Mounted Volunteers – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal (Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal, Orange Free State) to 108 TPR: C. CALLAGHAN. BETHUNE’S M.I.
- Kings South Africa Medal (South Africa 1901 & 1902) to 10 CPL C.F. CALLAGHAN. E.GRIQ.M.V.

Charles Callaghan was one of the many Colonial Irregulars who saw service with an abundance of locally raised units during the Anglo Boer War. With most attestations being for either 3 or 6 months, and with the war dragging on, it was common-place for local men to move from one unit to the next on expiry of their term of engagement, often until the war was over.

Born in Fort Beaufort in the eastern part of the Cape Colony on 31 July 1871 he was the son of Elizabeth Callaghan (born Broster) and her husband, Hugh. Growing up in Fort Beaufort, a primarily agricultural village, would have been hard but idyllic for the young Charles – he certainly wouldn’t have been short of playmates with siblings Hugh Broster; Charlotte Anna; Emily Louisa; Elizabeth Florence; Ida May and Adeline Maud to keep him company.

Rumblings of war would have been furthest from his mind as he went about the business of growing up in the last quarter of the 19th century. He was only 15 years old when his mother died in 1886 and 24 when his father passed away in 1895. Neither of them were alive to see him go off to war.

Callaghan was a 28 year old Speculator by occupation when the Anglo Boer War commenced on 11 October 1899. Tensions between the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal had been brewing for several years and had been heightened by the abortive Jameson Raid in January 1896. Enmity finally boiled over with the Boer Commandos crossing the Cape and Natal borders and laying siege to the towns of Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith as they made their ponderous way to the coast. With the regular army presence on the ground vastly inadequate to stem the Boer tide, the call went out for the raising of local Colonial units to augment their meagre numbers.

Bethune’s Mounted Infantry “A” Squadron

One such unit was Bethune’s Mounted Infantry - This corps was raised at Durban in October 1899 by Major E C Bethune and it was on 19 October 1899 that Callaghan attested for service with A Squadron of the unit. He was assigned no. 108 and the rank of Trooper. They were almost immediately in action and were present at Willow Grange on the night of 22nd November 1899, where they did good service against the Boers. At the famous battle of Colenso on 15th December 1899, the regiment, 500 strong, was present but, having been detailed as portion of the baggage-guard, didn’t see much action.

When General Buller commenced the movement by which he attempted to turn the right of the Boer positions between himself and Ladysmith, Bethune's Mounted Infantry was split up, a squadron being left under General Barton at Frere and Chieveley, in which district they were constantly employed on reconnaissance duties, and had some sharp casualties. The remainder of the corps accompanied their commander to Potgieter's Drift, where they were attached to General Lyttelton's Brigade, and had skirmishing on various occasions. On the 24th January, when the awful combat was going on upon the summit of Spion Kop, General Lyttelton sent the 2nd Scottish Rifles, the 3rd King's Royal Rifles, and Colonel Bethune, with two of his squadrons, to assist. They were, however, kept in reserve by General Talbot Coke, probably because the role of lining the trenches was rather that of the infantry present.

During the Vaal Krantz operations the corps continued to do patrol work, chiefly on General Buller's right and rear. On 11th February Colonel Bethune was ordered to take his men to Greytown, in order to watch the Boers near the Zululand border, and also with the view of ultimately co-operating from Greytown in any movement towards Dundee. The regiment thus missed the fierce fighting which took place near Colenso between 13th and 27th February.

After Ladysmith had been relieved the Natal Army lay chiefly to the north of Ladysmith during March and April. On 7th May General Buller commenced his movement to turn the Boer position on the Biggarsberg in an effort to drive the Boers out of Natal. In his despatch of 24th May 1900 General Buller said: "While we were at Ladysmith a force under Colonel Bethune had been holding Greytown and the line of the Tugela, that force being five squadrons Bethune's Mounted Infantry. This force I had directed to advance concurrently with our advance on Vermaak's Kraal, and we established connection with it at eleven o'clock (on the 13th). Colonel Bethune's arrangements had been very good. He had seized during the night, with his left, the hills which commanded the southern sides of the pass up which we had to approach.

At 11.20 we advanced up the pass". The enemy made a poor defence and fled, pursued by the Colonial mounted troops. Natal was, almost without loss, cleared of the enemy, and Laing's Nek was turned by the battle of Alleman's Nek on 11th June.

Not all was plain sailing though - before Laing's Nek was turned Bethune's Mounted Infantry were to suffer a grievous mishap. In his telegram of 21st May 1900 General Buller said that he had detached Colonel Bethune with about 500 men from Dundee on the 19th, to march to N'qutu, and to rejoin at Newcastle. On the 20th one squadron was ambushed about six miles south of Vryheid, very few escaping. Fortunately for him, Callaghan’s squadron does not appear to have been involved in this fracas.

Bethune's Mounted Infantry was, during the remainder of 1900, mainly employed on patrol work in the south of the Transvaal and in the Utrecht district, with the view of protecting outposts and the railway line, and frequently they had some skirmishing and much very dangerous work. When Vryheid was occupied by General Hildyard on 19th September the strong position of the enemy was turned by the skilful work of Gough's and Bethune's Mounted Infantry.

Provisional Transvaal Constabulary.

With the capture of Pretoria and Johannesburg by the British in the summer of 1900, a garrison force of paramilitary soldiers was required to continue occupation and military duties in the area. In June, the Provisional Transvaal Constabulary was established as an irregular paramilitary force of mounted soldiers intended for use in the vicinity of Pretoria. Men were drawn from various Colonial units for garrison duties in the city. Callaghan , with a number of his B.M.I. comrades were seconded to the newly created unit. He served with them from 7 October 1900 up till 8 March 1901 at which he point he returned to Bethune’s for discharge, time served.

Johannesburg Mounted Rifles

An ardent volunteer, and with the war showing no signs of an early conclusion, Callaghan attested for service with the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles. The attestation forms he completed at Durban on 3 May 1901 have survived and provide us with a glimpse of the man himself. 5 feet 6 inches in height he weighed 11 stone and had grey eyes and light hair. He had “C.C.” tattooed on his left forearm and, as his next of kin, he gave the details of his sister, Mrs. W. Johnson, Colonial Treasury, Cape Town. Assigned no. 1235 he was promoted to Sergeant and took to the field.

In July 1901, not long after he had joined them, the two battalions of the J.M.R. were amalgamated, 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 JMR had captured a laager and 20 prisoners. Towards the close of 1901 and during the first quarter of 1902 the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles were chiefly employed in the Ermelo district of the Transvaal.

East Griqualand Mounted Volunteers

Callaghan took his discharge on 23 November 1901, his conduct noted as Exemplary, and two days later, on 25 November 1901, attested for service with No. III Troop of the East Griqualand Mounted Volunteers under Captain Elliott. With this outfit he was deployed in the Transkei/Mount Currie regions of the Eastern Cape, primarily responsible for ensuring that no Boer incursions were made from the Orange Free State into that remote region. He continued on with the E.G.M.V. until the cessation of hostilities on 31 May 1902. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens and Kings South Africa medals with the relevant clasps.

By the time of his marriage to Maria Wilhelmina Henrietta Hill at St. Mark’s in Cape Town on 5 June 1907 he was a Gaoler living at Cradock in the Eastern Cape, not far from his birthplace. Their first-born, Victor Charles, was born on 29 July 1908 – Callaghan was still a Gaoler but had moved to Maclear in the Transkei area.

Charles Frederick Callaghan was a Jailer in the employ of the “Police Department” when he passed away in Bell Road, Kenilworth, Cape Town on 1 December 1940 at the age of 69. A heart attack killed him but he also suffered with severe chronic bronchial asthma. His wife passed away on 11 November 1942.