Auckland members of Fourth New Zealand Contingent

The 4th New Zealand Contingent was one of ten contingents of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

volunteers for service during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

History

It served from April 1900 through to June 1901. The contingent went from New Zealand to Beira,

Portuguese East Africa Portuguese Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique) or Portuguese East Africa (''África Oriental Portuguesa'') were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese colony. Portuguese Mozambique originally ...

in the SS ''Gymeric'', though there was a "mutiny" on the ''Gymeric'' in Lyttelton Harbour on 27 March 1900 over conditions on board. When they arrived in Beira, part of the contingent was sectioned off to form battery units. The contingent took more than two months to reach the front line, traveling via

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

and on horseback through

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

and Beira. Between August 1900 and May 1901, the contingent fought several small

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

es against Boer

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s in northern

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

. Their most significant action was to seize an

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

unit and a supply column under the command of General

Koos de la Rey Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey (22 October 1847 – 15 September 1914), better known as Koos de la Rey, was a South African military officer who served as a Boer general during the Second Boer War. also had a political career and was one of the l ...

, capturing 135 Boer soldiers on 24 March 1901. On 28 January 1901, William Hardham was involved in an action that earned him the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the only one awarded to a New Zealander in that war.Crawford, John: ''To Fight for the Empire: An Illustrated History of New Zealand and the South African War 1899–1902'' page 60 (1999, Reed Auckland) The Fourth Contingent left South Africa in the SS ''Tagus'' in June 1901.

References

{{reflist *''Diary of Trooper R. Pearce, 4th N.Z. Regiment, South Africa'' edited by R. Pearce (1970, Walton NZ, M. Massey) *''Harry's letters from the Boer War'' by Trooper H M York No 1501 (1993, 2 volumes) *''The 4th Contingent N.Z. Rough Riders'' by J Braithwaite (1902, Dunedin) *''With the 4th N.Z. Rough Riders'' by J G Moore (1906, Dunedin) *''The `Dandy Forth' Mutiny'' by Frank Fyfe (1993, Wakelin House) (about the ''mutiny'' on Gymeric, Lyttleton, 27 Mar 1900)

External links

New Zealand in the Second Boer War
4th New Zealand Contingent Military units and formations of New Zealand

History

See also

References

External links