Is the a Project With Australian Regiment in South Africa?

This may be of interest (though not a project):
http://www.bwm.org.au/warcourse/Colesberg.php

Perhaps he was in this Australian Regiment:
Formed: November 1899 in Cape Town from first contingent units from NSW (infantry company), Vic. (Mounted Rifles and infantry company), SA (infantry company), WA (infantry company) and Tas. (infantry company)
Commanding officer: Colonel J. C. Hoad (Vic.)
Organisation: six companies/squadrons, two from Vic. And one each from other colonies
Service: northern Cape Colony including defence of Colesberg front (9-12 February) and Free State; converted to mounted rifles December 1899; Hoad received a CMG for leading the regiment
Disbanded: April 1900 in Bloemfontein
Useful sources: Hoad papers (Australian War Memorial, PR86/261), Reay Australians in War (1900)

There is an article on http://alh-research.tripod.com/Light_Horse/index.blog?topic_id=1115606 where it's mentioned that:
(February) 10th.- The Victorian Company was heavily engaged at Bastard's Nek. Killed -Sergeant Grant and Private Wilson, Victoria. Wounded and taken prisoners - Privates Snare (subsequently died in Boer hospital), Burrows, and Gifford.

This is a long-shot, but I'm leaning towards it being this gentleman?
https://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/military/display/104...

If it is him, this would pertain to him:
Sergeant Neil Grant died from bullet wounds in the chest.
Trooper A.H. Willson, quick to go to his aid, was killed
instantly as he bent over the wounded man.
Grant was shot by a young boy using a sporting rifle, the
weight of the Mauser being too much for him. The second
shot came from the boy's father who shot Willson in the
head. Within full view of the parent a Dragoon then shot
the son dead. The immediate reaction of grief and dismay
of the father caused him to bound from cover to his feet
completely oblivious to his danger. In a matter of seconds
he fell riddled with bullets from every Lee Metford levelled
at him.
SOURCE: Wallace R.L.: The Australians at the Boer War: AWM
& AGPS: Canberra: 1976: p.111.

Above taken from: http://users.netwit.net.au/~ianmac/austregt.html

Thanks for the post Gail, I enjoyed researching that. We should start a project for them.

Thank You so much Drummond Corrie Private User

You have my full attention, and this is why I feel these men , actually all the Soldiers that fought for their Countries and other Countries need a HERO's Page.

I am always humbled to read their struggles and their HEROIC deeds. We don't know the half of what these men had to go through.

Reading what you researched is so touching, and what they did for one another with so much compassion.

For them to wake up everyday, not knowing if it's their turn to see the life hereafter or do they get another day to see their families.

After posting this last night, and until someone take's the initiative to make a special and remembrance place for these brave men, I will add them to the Anglo Boer War. They need to be seen.

If I may ask you, I will post them there, but will you add the research and this true story under their names, if they are researchable?

Thanks for the info, I am now more determined to get them all on Geni,

Thank you for all the links, it puts everything into a better perspective. It is going to be insult to injury, adding them to the Anglo Boer War....

Hi Gail, I was trying to see if I could find the father and son who shot him. I found that first-hand account of the skirmish from the Boer perspective and I'm not having much luck with the names:

BATTLE OF RENSBURG (Hobkirk's Farm "Pink Hill"), 12 February 1900

Account by a Boer prisoner to a correspondent of the The Daily Mail of the trap into which the 2nd/Worcesters had fallen and the attempted rescue of them by the Australians under Major Eddy, at Hobkirk's Farm, near Colesberg, 12th February 1900.
I saw a long row of their dead and wounded laid out on the slope of a farmhouse that evening - they were all young men, fine big fellows. I could have cried to look at them so cold and still. They had been so brave in the morning, so strong, but in the evening a few hours later they were dead, and we had not hated them nor they us.

It was a cruel fight. We had ambushed a lot of the British troops - the Worcesters, I think they called them. They could neither advance nor retire; we had them penned in like sheep, and our field cornet, van Leyden, was beseeching them to throw down their rifles to save being slaughtered, for they had no chance. Just then we saw about a hundred Australians come bounding over the rock in the gully behind us. There were two great big men in front cheering them on.

We turned and gave them a volley, but it did not stop them. They rushed over everything, firing as they came, not wildley, but with the quick sharp upward jerk to the shoulder, the rapid sight then the shot. They knocked over a lot of our men, but we had a splendid position. They had to expose themselves in order to get to us, and we shot them as they came at us. They were rushing to the rescue of the English. It was splendid but it was madness.

On they came and we lay behind the boulders, and our rifles snapped and snapped again at pistol range but we did not stop those wild men until they charged right into a little basin which was fringed around all its edges by rocks covered with bushes. Our men lay there as thick as locusts, and the Australians were fairly trapped. They were far worse off than the Worcesters up high in the ravine.

Our field cornet gave the order to cease firing and called on them to throw down their rifles or die. Then one of the big officers -- a great rough-looking man, with a voice like a bull, roared out "forward Australia! no surrender!" These were the last words he ever uttered for a man on my right put a bullet clean between his eyes and he fell forward dead. We found later that his name was Major Eddy, of the Victorian Rifles. He was as brave as a lion but a Mauser bullet will stop the bravest. His men dashed at the rocks like wolves; it was awful to see them. They smashed at our heads with clubbed rifles or thrust their rifles up against us through the rocks and fired. One after another their leaders fell. The second big man went down early, but he was not killed. He was shot through the groin, but not dangerously. His name was Captain McInerney.

There was another one, a little man named Lieutenant Roberts; he was shot through the heart. Some of the others I forget.
The men would not throw down their rifles; they fought like furies. One man I saw climbed right on to the rocky ledge where big Jan Aldrecht was stationed. Just as he got there a bullet took him and he staggered and dropped his rifle. Big Jan jumped forward to catch him before he toppled over the ledge, but the Australian struck Jan in the mouth with his clenched fist and [he] fell over into the ravine below and was killed.

We killed and wounded an awful lot of them, but some got away; they fought their way out. I saw a long row of their dead and wounded laid out on the slope of a farmhouse that evening - they were all young men, fine big fellows. I could have cried to look at them so cold and still. They had been so brave in the morning, so strong, but in the evening a few hours later they were dead, and we had not hated them nor they us.

Veldkornet van Leyden and "Groot Jan" Aldrecht. Had more luck with the Australians though:
Major Eddy was presumably Major George Albert Eddy
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10678730

Thank you so much for all this research. Quite an amazing story told. When I read about the "a Mauser bullet will stop the bravest" It reminds of the 90 rifles that were found, by Mr Gert P Taljaard, on his farm Weltevrede in the Petrus Steyn District in 18 October 1968. The then Police, fetched all the rifles, amongst them were Muzzle-loaders, breech-loading guns an and Martini Henri's. The oldest amongst these rifles dated back to the year 1857 and the most recent 1897.
He found them hidden among the rocks and dole-rite. He was busy crushing dole-rite at the time he found them.
These guns obviously would be from the war, and amazing, that they were only discovered in 1968.
It would be interesting to know, which side the guns belonged to.

My friend and author David George published three volumes on Boer War weapons called Carvings From The Veldt: http://www.boerwarriflecarvings.net/

I own all three and absolutely cherish them. I've never met a more knowledgeable and approachable expert on the topic. I highly recommend adding these books to your collection. I have no doubt some of the rifles you mentioned would feature in these books.

Hi Leanne, Private User,
Here is my previous discussion.
Lots of information from Private User, which I found very interesting.
Perhaps you can have a look as well, maybe you can shed some more light please.

If I need to add with the British Regiment, or do they stand alone as the Australian Regiment.

It would seem from the info from Drummond Corrie, that they stand alone. I don't know much about them, as I just happened upoon their death notices, and felt they needed to be on Geni

From the little I have read I think Australians served under Britain for the first part and then under Australia after 1901.

If this is correct, I would suggest adding an Australian Project and if appropriate you could add a soldier to both the British and the Australian projects.

Australia needs to be treated as as geographical location in this context, not a nation.

The famous (infamous?) Australians such as Breaker Morant were irregular troops, not attached to any army...
http://www.lighthorse.org.au/the-bushveldt-carbineers/

An overview can be found at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_Australia_during_...

Sounds like a great project

Thank you Private User,
I am certainly getting a History lesson of note, with all this info.

I enjoy the knowledge, and stand in awe, of what our our ancestors had to endure.

So we have a separate project inside the Anglo Boer War for
New Zealand
Canadian's
British
against the Boer's

so I think it would be only fair to make a separate project inside the Anglo Boer War for Australia as well.'

It would also jut be easier for family members to find their ancestors.

I have offered Private User to start the Project, as I feel that not only has he done much more research, so it would be only fair.
Then taking into consideration, I have no clue how to start a project like this, and I will rather stand back and let the experts make the best of it.

:-)

Hi Gail, just thought I'd add that Major Eddy was married to Cecilia Wilson. Can't help but wonder if she was related to Trooper A.H. Wilson who rushed to Eddy's aid?

Looks like they had six children: John Rylott Eddy, Mary Isabel Flowers (Dolly) Eddy, Alan George Eddy, Keith Eddy, Neville George Eddy, George Albert Enslin Eddy

Go ahead and add on please.

Agree with what's happening here .