Harrismith Commando was a

light infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

. It formed part of the

South African Army Infantry Formation The South African Army Infantry Formation supervises all infantry within the South African Army. History Origins: Union Defence Force South African Infantry originated as the ''Infantry Branch'' of the Union Defence Forces in 1913. In 1915, ...

as well as the South African Territorial Reserve.

History

Origin

This unit originated upon the mobilisation orders of the Orange Free State Republic in 1899.

Operations

With the Free State Republic

=Anglo Boer War

= This commando was initially sent to occupy mountain passes of the

Drakensberg The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within th ...

between the Orange Free State and the British

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to ...

. English speakers of Harrismith were sent to the Oliviershoek Pass or serve in the

Town Guard A city guard, city watch, town guard, or town watch, was a law enforcement and security formation found in many countries and historical periods, usually subordinate to the local municipal government. Historically, many cities had their own gua ...

. The first engagement of the war was at Besters Station with an advance on

Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to: * Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada * Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States * Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia * Ladysmith, Virginia, United States * Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...

when this commando occupied Middle Hill. 100 men from the commando were part of the initial assault. The first Free Stater to die in the Anglo Boer War, Fred Johnson, came from this commando. This Commando was also involved in the battle of Rietfontein which took place on 24 October 1899 between six commandos of the Free State Army commanded by General A

Piet Cronje Piet may refer to: People *Piet (given name), a common name in the Netherlands and South Africa *Henri Piet (1888–1915), French lightweight boxer *Tony Piet (1906–1981), American Major League Baseball player Schools *Purushottam Institute of ...

and a British

Flying Column A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, appli ...

dispatched from

under the command of Sir George White. The Free State forces consisted of the following commandos: * Harrismith Commando, * Kroonstad Commando, * Winburg Commando, * Bethlehem Commando, * Vrede Commando and * Heilbron Commando. In 1900, the commando together with those from Vrede and Heilbron were again assigned the defence of the mountain passes. The remnants of the Harrismith Commando was captured in a sweep operation between block house lines by a British column on 13 February 1902.

With the UDF

By 1902 all Commando remnants were under British military control and disarmed. By 1912, previous Commando members could however join shooting associations. By 1940, such commandos were under control of the National Reserve of Volunteers. These commandos were formally reactivated by 1948. UDF era National Reserve of Volunteers shoulder tab

UDF era National Reserve of Volunteers shoulder tab

With the SADF

During this era, the unit was mainly used for rural area force protection, police assistance and stock theft control. The unit was also engaged in securing the Lesotho border. The unit resorted under the command of the SADF's Group 25.

With the SANDF

=Disbandment

= This unit, along with all other Commando units was disbanded after a decision by South African President

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...

to disband all Commando Units. The Commando system was phased out between 2003 and 2008 "because of the role it played in the apartheid era", according to the Minister of Safety and Security

Charles Nqakula Charles Nqakula (born 13 September 1942) is a South African politician who served as Minister of Defence from September 2008 to 2009. He also served as Minister for Safety and Security from May 2002 to September 2008. Nqakula is married to fo ...

. Harrismith Commando was the last commando to be disbanded, in March 2008.

Unit Insignia

Leadership

Memorials

Reconciliation Memorial

On 11 June 2017, a Reconciliation Memorial was unveiled at Platrand near

. This memorial honours the fierce battle that occurred on 6 January 1900 between the

Devonshire Regiment The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...

and the Harrismith Commando on that site.

Market Square

The towns market square has a monument, adjacent Warden Street, to the memory of those who served in the Harrismith Commando. An obelisk in the same street in front of the Dutch Reformed Church lists the names of the men of the Harrismith Commando who died in the Anglo Boer war. Of the 73 names, 19 are listed as having died at Platrand, 32 killed or mortally wounded elsewhere and 22 who died in prisoner of war camps overseas and buried in India and Sri Lanka.Hawkins, E.B. The Story of Harrismith. (Ladysmith. 1982)