Untitled

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18043, 31 December 1926, Page 19

Memorable Brants in the

By

Charles Conway

DECEMBER 30: THE JAMESON RAID. THIRTY-ONE YEARS AGO, ON DECEMBER 30. 1895, Dr Leander Starr Jameson commenced his daring march with an armed force through the territory of the Transvaal Republic. For many years the British residents in the Transvaal, who formed a large percentage of the population of the Republic and owned half the land and nine-tenths of the property, had made bitter complaints regarding their treatment by the Boer Government, which had subjected them to a rigid policy of political exclusion and restriction. All their endeavours to secure the many rights and privileges to which they -were justly entitled proved futile, and at the end of 1895 they decided to resort to forcible measures. Risings were planned to take place in Pretoria and Johannesburg, and it was arranged that Dr Jameson, who was then Administrator of the British South Africa Company in Rhodesia, should march across the border with an armed force to support the insurrection, but the project proved a complete failure. The leaders of the movement in the two cities were compelled to postpone the risings and were unable to give any assistance to Jameson, who carried out his part of the programme in spite of the warnings which were sent to delay his march. Jameson’s force, which consisted of about 500 mounted men, four Maxims and a few field guns, crossed the frontier on the evening of December 30. and for a couple of days it was allowed to march along the road to Johannesburg without meeting with any opposition from the Boers. Jn the meantime Jameson had been overtaken by a messenger from Mafeking, who handed him a cablegram from the British Government, W'hich repudiated his action and ordered him to return immediately, a command which he completely ignored. On the afternoon of January 1, when Jameson had arrived within twenty-five miles of Johannesburg, his further progress was barred by a detachment of Boer troops, which was posted in a strong position and easily frustrated the attempts of the raiders to break through. During the night the Boers were reinforced, and on the following morning Jameson, finding that his little band was surrounded and in danger cf annihilation, surrendered. For some days the fate of Jameson and his men hung in the balance, but Paul Kruger, the President of the Transvaal Republic, acted with unexpected magnanimity and handed his prisoners over to the British Government to be dealt with. His action created a most favourable impression throughout the Empire, but this was speedily dissipated when the wily old man presented his bill for damages, in which he not only demanded the absurd sum of £700,000 for expenses incurred in capturing the five hundred raiders, but claimed one million pounds as “ moral and intellectual damages.” Jameson and his principal officers were placed on trial in London and were sentenced to short terms of imprisonment. Their raid into the territory of a friendly State was absolutely indefensible, but their pluck and daring appealed to the’imagination of the British public, and the raiders became the popular heroes of the day. [Copyrighted.]