The Natal Mounted Police (NMP) were the colonial police force of the

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 ...

created in 1874 by Major

John Dartnell Major-General Sir John George Dartnell KCB, CMG (2 April 1838 – 7 August 1913) was a British soldier and police officer who was the founder and first Commandant of the Natal Mounted Police. A veteran of the Indian Mutiny, he saw action in ev ...

, a farmer and retired officer in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

as a semi-military force to bolster the defences of Natal in South Africa. When required the NMP would be assisted by the Colony's volunteer regiments including the

Natal Carbineers The Ingobamakhosi Carbineers (formerly Natal Carbineers) is an infantry unit of the South African Army. History Origins The regiment traces its roots to 1854 but it was formally raised on 15 January 1855 and gazetted on 13 March of that year, ...

. It enlisted European officers, NCOs and natives. Men of the NMP fought and died in the

Battle of Isandlwana The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British commenced their invasion of Zulul ...

and at

Rorke's Drift The Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the ...

during the

Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in 1879 between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Following the passing of the British North America Act of 1867 forming a federation in Canada, Lord Carnarvon thought that a similar political effort, coup ...

of 1879.

Natal Mounted Police 1873-1894

The Natal legislature established the Natal Mounted Police in 1874 following a

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

by Chief

Langalibalele Langalibalele ( isiHlubi: meaning 'The scorching sun', also known as Mthethwa, Mdingi (c 1814 – 1889), was king of the amaHlubi, a Bantu tribe in what is the modern-day province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He was born on the eve of the ar ...

. However, the Natal legislature were slow to appropriate funds for the organization. The first commandant was Major John George Dartnell (1838-1913) formerly of the

86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot The 86th (Royal County Down) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot to form the Royal Irish Rifles in 1881. Histo ...

while the first enrolled trooper was Edward Babington of Londonderry in 1874.Natal Mounted Police and Natal Police /Nominal roll - The Campbell Collections of the University of KwaZulu-Natal
/ref> Dartnell later described his recruits as the:

...flotsam and jetsam of the colony, and a very rough lot they proved to be, being principally old soldiers and sailors, transport riders, and social failures from home, etc. They were, however, a very fine, hardy lot of men, ready to go anywhere and do anything, and very willing and cheerful if a little troublesome in town; but in the country, away from temptation, they were excellent men who grumbled occasionally, of course, but were more inclined to laugh at and make light of discomfort and hardship.

In its early days the Natal Mounted Police mustered 50 whites and 150 Africans; it was seriously under-manned and poorly equipped yet nevertheless managed to gain an enviable reputation for camaraderie and efficient policing. The first headquarters were at Fort Napier in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

. In 1877, twenty-five men of the Natal Mounted Police provided the protective escort for Sir

Theophilus Shepstone Theophilus Shepstone Sir Theophilus Shepstone (8 January 181723 June 1893) was a British South African statesman who was responsible for the annexation of the Transvaal to Britain in 1877. Early life Theophilus Shepstone was born at Westbury-o ...

, the Special Commissioner, when he went to

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

to issue a proclamation announcing the establishment of British authority over the

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, ...

. No overt opposition was made to the annexation

Zulu War

The Natal Mounted Police saw little action until the

of 1879 when it was attached to the

as part of the Colonial mounted force and entered into the

Zulu Kingdom The Zulu Kingdom (, ), sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or the Kingdom of Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa. During the 1810s, Shaka established a modern standing army that consolidated rival clans and built a large following ...

with the Central Column under the command of

Lord Chelmsford Viscount Chelmsford, of Chelmsford in the County of Essex, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1921 for Frederic Thesiger, 3rd Baron Chelmsford, the former Viceroy of India. The title of Baron Chelmsford, of Chelm ...

. One detachment of 97 men of the NMP led by Major Dartnell was sent to find the location of the Zulu army of

Cetshwayo kaMpande King Cetshwayo kaMpande (; ; 1826 – 8 February 1884) was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1873 to 1879 and its Commander in Chief during the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. His name has been transliterated as Cetawayo, Cetewayo, Cetywajo and Ketchw ...

while the second detachment of 34 men fought in the

on 22 January 1879. Of this second detachment 25 were killed in the battle with 21 killed fighting alongside 19

in a 'last stand' defending Lieutenant-Colonel

Anthony Durnford Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony William Durnford (24 May 1830 – 22 January 1879) was an Irish career British Army officer of the Royal Engineers who served in the Anglo-Zulu War. Breveted colonel, Durnford is mainly known for his defeat by the Z ...

. Three men of the NMP were in hospital at Rorke's Drift where they fought in the

Battle of Rorke's Drift The Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission (station), mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants ...

, where one of them, Sidney Hunter, was killed in action. The first detachment of the NMP under Dartnell returned to Isandlwana on the evening of the battle where they spent the night among the ruins of the camp and the bodies of their colleagues before accompanying

's relief column on its advance to Rorke's Drift early the next morning. When Sir

Garnet Wolseley Field Marshal Garnet Joseph Wolseley, 1st Viscount Wolseley, (4 June 183325 March 1913), was an Anglo-Irish officer in the British Army. He became one of the most influential and admired British generals after a series of successes in Canada, We ...

arrived in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

in July 1879 to supersede

as commander of the forces in the Zulu War and as Governor of

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

and the

and the High Commissioner of

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

the Natal Mounted Police provided his escort during his visit to Zululand in the final days of the War.

Rebellions

Natal Mounted Policemen later served in the

Basuto Gun War The Basuto Gun War, also known as the Basutoland Rebellion, was a conflict between the Basuto and the British Cape Colony. It lasted from 13 September 1880 to 29 April 1881 and ended in a Basuto victory. Following Basutoland's transformation int ...

(1880–81), where they defended the 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 ...

against attack from the

Basuto The Sotho () people, also known as the Basuto or Basotho (), are a Bantu nation native to southern Africa. They split into different ethnic groups over time, due to regional conflicts and colonialism, which resulted in the modern Basotho, who ...

, and the Transvaal Rebellion (also known as the

First Anglo-Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

) (1880–81) when the NMP was used to form a mounted military force on the border with the Transvaal. When after these Rebellions normal policing duties were resumed, men of the NMP provided an escort for the

Empress Eugénie An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

in 1880 when she came to

to see where her son,

Napoléon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

the Prince Imperial, had been killed the previous year during the

. The only campaign medals ever awarded to men of the Natal Mounted Police were earned during this period. These were 257 awards of the South Africa Medal (1877–79) for service during the

and the

Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal The Cape of Good Hope General Service Medal is a British campaign medal which was awarded to members of the Cape Colonial Forces who took part in three campaigns in and around the Cape of Good Hope, in Basutoland in 1880–1881, in Transkei in 1 ...

for service during the Basutoland Rebellion. After 1881 police out-stations were set up across Natal with policing often consisting of long patrols in remote locations.Natal Mounted Police - Anglo-Boer War database
/ref> By 1885 the roll-call of the NMP was 300 white officers and 25 Africans.

Natal Police 1894-1913

In 1894 the Natal Mounted Police was merged with the

's various police and prison services to create the Natal Police (NP), the name it was known by until it was disbanded in 1913. Commandant

was appointed the first Chief Commissioner of Police of the new force.

Innovations in policing

The Natal Police were the first to introduce finger-printing in Africa for use in forensic identification. The scheme was launched by Sub-Inspector W. J. Clarke of the Natal Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) who was impressed by the effective use of finger-printing for solving crime in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

in 1897 and who tried to introduce the system in Natal in 1898. His superiors in the Natal Police did not share his enthusiasm for this new forensic innovation so Clarke launched the system at his own expense. Once it had proved its worth by leading to more arrests and crime-solving finger-printing became part of normal police procedure in Natal. So effective was the system that by 1910 the Natal Police's CID had more sets of finger-prints in its records than

Scotland Yard Scotland Yard (officially New Scotland Yard) is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, the territorial police force responsible for policing Greater London's 32 boroughs, but not the City of London, the square mile that forms London's ...

had in its. Clarke was to succeed Dartnell as Chief Commissioner on his retirement in 1903

Boer War 1899-1902

When in September 1899 war with the Boer Republic looked likely the men of the Natal Police were put on alert and used to watch the borders. When war was eventually declared in October 1899 the first casualties were a Natal Police picket at De Jager's Drift who were captured by the Boers. Consequently all the men of the Natal Police in northern Natal were sent to

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

where they fought in the

Battle of Talana Hill The Battle of Talana Hill, also known as the Battle of Glencoe, was the first major clash of the Second Boer War. A frontal attack by British infantry supported by artillery drove Boers from a hilltop position, but the British suffered heavy casu ...

on 20 October 1899. The British forces including 90 men of the Natal Police under the command of Colonel Dartnell then retired to

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 ...

where they became besieged during the

Siege of Ladysmith The siege of Ladysmith was a protracted engagement in the Second Boer War, taking place between 2 November 1899 and 28 February 1900 at Ladysmith, Natal. Background As war with the Boer republics appeared likely in June 1899, the War Office ...

. The Natal Police came under fire at Lombard's Kop on 30 October 1899. At Ladysmith the Natal Police had one man killed and three wounded while a further three died of disease. On 7 December 1899 during the Siege the Natal Volunteers and the Imperial Light Horse launched a night attack from Ladysmith on Gun Hill with the Natal Police guarding the left flank during the action. The Imperial Light Horse and

with a team from the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

caught the Boers off-guard and forced them to withdraw and abandon their guns. The Royal Engineers placed explosives on a

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

artillery piece and a Long Tom, taking the

breechblock A breechblock (or breech block) is the part of the firearm action that closes the breech of a breech loading weapon (whether small arms or artillery) before or at the moment of firing. It seals the breech and contains the pressure generated by th ...

from the Long Tom and removing a

Maxim gun The Maxim gun is a recoil-operated machine gun invented in 1884 by Hiram Stevens Maxim. It was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. The Maxim gun has been called "the weapon most associated with imperial conquest" by historian M ...

back to Ladysmith. Being on the other side of a hill the Natal Police did not hear the bugle call "retire" and were late returning to

. The NP saw further action during the evening of 5 January 1900 when a picket near Caesar's Camp (named after Caesar's Camp, an ancient feature near

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

which it resembled) were fired on during a major assault by the Boers on the British at Wagon Hill. Early next morning the Boers shot the horses of the NP forcing them to make their own way back by foot at the same time enduring withering rifle fire. After a British counterattack the Boers withdrew. The

ended on 28 February 1900 when an advance party of the Composite Regiment of the Mounted Brigade reached Ladysmith which including 15 members of the Natal Police. Those men of the Natal Police who were not at Ladysmith when it was besieged were excused police duties and instead served in a military role with the Natal Police Field Force (NPFF). One section was the bodyguard for General Sir

Redvers Buller General Sir Redvers Henry Buller, (7 December 1839 – 2 June 1908) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forc ...

VC when he was appointed to the Command of the British forces in Natal. Dartnell retired in 1903 as Major-General Sir John Dartnell, KCB, CB

Later service

The 1,100 men of the Natal Police saw action during the 1906 Natal Rebellion which broke out in

during a Zulu revolt against British rule and taxation. Following the unification of South Africa in 1910 the Colonial police forces were wound down with the Natal Police ceasing to exist in 1913. Its police officers were reassigned to military units including the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of the South African Mounted Riflemen or into the

South African Police The South African Police (SAP) was the national police force and law enforcement agency in South Africa from 1913 to 1994; it was the ''de facto'' police force in the territory of South West Africa (Namibia) from 1939 to 1981. After South Afr ...

or the South African Prisons Service.McCracken, Donal P. 'The Irish in South Africa - The Police, A Case Study'

art 2 Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

''Familia'', Journal of the Ulster Historical Foundation (volume 2, no. 7, 1991)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Natal Mounted Police 1874 establishments 1878 establishments in the British Empire 1913 disestablishments 1913 disestablishments in the British Empire Colony of Natal Anglo-Zulu War Military units and formations of the Second Boer War Military history of South Africa Gendarmerie Defunct law enforcement agencies of South Africa Law enforcement in South Africa Mounted police