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Alfred O' Reilly - a Kimberley and Peninsula Horse Volunteer 1 year 9 months ago #90762

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Alfred Timothy O’Reilly

Private, Kimberley Volunteer Regiment
Squadron Sergeant Major, Peninsula Horse, Cape Colonial Forces) – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal (Defence of Kimberley) to 454 PTE. A. O’ REILLY. KIMBERLEY VOL: REGT.

Alfred O’Reilly was born somewhere in the Cape Colony in 1878 the son of John Robert O’Reilly, a Trader and Hunter, and his wife Maria Greaves. O’Reilly senior was also known as Diamond Jack and was credited with, if not finding the first large carat diamonds in the Northern Cape, then certainly trading with prospectors and local farmers for them. He has an interesting biography in the Dictionary of South African Biography’, Issued by: Human Sciences, Research Council, 1972-1987. Volume IV, page 436-437.

Having taken part as a mercenary in a Tlhaping war, he received land in British Bechuanaland which is where he farmed until his death in 1904. Alfred, the subject of this work, was one of the children born to his first wife. Other siblings were John Robert (born in 1862), Caroline Maria (1870), Florence (1879), Annie Ida (1881) and Maria (1883.) His mother, Maria, passed away on the family farm, Toming, in British Bechuanaland, on 16 October 1884 when he was 6 years old and his father, not one to try and raise so many children unaided, married again. On this occasion to Henrietta Sarah Renou. There was no shortage to the children born of this marriage either, with Alfred becoming an older half-brother to Albert James Stanley, Anthony Robert Cecil, Ronald Allan Fraser and Terence Henry O’Reilly.

Meaningful work was scarce in the dry and arid Northen Cape and, with enough of his siblings to help out on the farm, O’Reilly betook himself to Kimberley to seek employment. This would have come as no surprise for two reasons – firstly diamonds ran in his veins thanks to his father’s association with them and secondly, because almost all roads led to Kimberley which had become something of a boom town and the centre of the Diamond mining industry. Cecil John Rhodes had started the De Beers mine and prospectors and work-seekers were still flooding into the area in late Victorian times.

At the age of 21, O’Reilly was employed by De Beers in Kimberly as a Labourer. His card in the Kimberley Museum indicates that he joined the Kimberley Regiment as a volunteer on 27 April 1899. The address he provided at the time was c/o D McMaster, De Beers Terrace or Workshop, De Beers Co. Assigned no. 454 he commenced militia-style training.

A little over five months later, on 14 October 1899, the Boer forces besieged Kimberley. Three days earlier the two Dutch-speaking Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State had declared war on Imperial Britain and the Kimberley Volunteers were part of a very small military presence expected to keep them at bay whilst protecting the all-important diamond mines from falling into their hands. Rhodes himself was cooped up in Kimberley and the Boers would have dearly loved to get their hands on him.

The Kimberley Regiment of Volunteers had been formed in February 1899 with the amalgamation of the Kimberley Rifles which served in the 1896 – 1897 Bechuanaland campaign and formed the right wing of the Regiment with five infantry companies, and the Diamond Fields Horse which formed the left wing of the Regiment with two companies of mounted infantry.

The Regiment was called out and mobilised under Lieut.-Col. R. A. Finlayson on 3 October 1899 and at the time of the commencement of the Siege consisted of 14 officers and 285 N.C.O.’s and men. This outfit, consisting of mine employees in the main, including O’ Reilly, had paraded “seven companies strong” in the town on 6 October in the run up to the outbreak of war “marching into camp amid enthusiastic cheers.”

One of the first actions in which they participated was a fight at Macfarlane's Siding, six miles north of Kimberley, in which considerable loss was inflicted on the enemy. This became known as the battle of Dronfield in which the Kimberley Volunteers played their part - as additional reinforcements they had been ordered to be in readiness, and at 2 o’ clock a train, filled with these reinforcements, steamed out of Kimberley Station and headed for the action.

The train was brought to a standstill a few hundred yards south of the Siding, and the men were detrained with the object of going to the Artillery’s assistance. The enemy started firing into the train, and it was under very trying circumstances that the troops were got into attack formation. As the infantry advanced across the open towards the Boer position, they were met by a dropping fire, the effects of which were quickly noticeable.

On reaching cover they poured volleys into the bushes and covered each successive rush with the fire of flanking parties. The enemy began to retire as the men advanced. As the evening drew to a close the whole force returned to Kimberley.

After this there were many skirmishes and sorties in which the mounted men did most of the fighting, while the infantry, including the Town Guard, held the trenches and defensive works. In the making of these works coloured labour, largely provided by the De Beers Company, was mainly employed. Very soon the defences were so strong that the Boers were afraid to face an assault indeed, all through the siege the defenders did most of the active or attacking work, the enemy relying mainly on artillery and long-range rifle-fire.

Probably the most important engagement throughout the entire siege was the attack on Carter’s Ridge which took place on 25 November 1899 – in which 5 officers and 132 Other Ranks of the Kimberley Regiment took part along with most of the outfits defending Kimberley. This action under the command of Scott-Turner was at the instigation of Colonel Kekewich and was aimed at attacking the gun positions being constructed by the Boers at Carter’s Ridge, just outside Kimberley.

At daybreak two forces left Kimberley – the mounted troops under Scott-Turner and the Artillery and Infantry under Chamier. The latter, including the Kimberley Volunteers, was despatched in the direction of Wimbledon Ranges to engage the enemy and prevent any movement against Scott-Turner. It was falsely assumed that the relief force was “close by” and that a demonstration of this size against the enemies most formidable bombardment position would be necessary to divert attention from the advancing troops.

Chamier’s column had moved out from the reservoir and was advancing in the direction of Johnstone’s koppies where they were told to engage the enemy and turn them out of their redoubts. They were hotly engaged in the direction of Wimbledon, fighting continuing more or less briskly for over 3 hours, during which time the men were exposed to a most galling fire. Eventually after Scott-Turner ordered his force to retire, the order was given for the infantry to do like-wise which they did under cover of the guns. The Newton Camp detachment of the Kimberley Regiment, about 160 strong, under Lieut. Colonel Finlayson, who acted as reserves and supports to the artillery, came in for their share of the enemy’s shell fire, several shells falling unpleasantly close to their extended line.

On 28 November a second attempt at Carter’s Farm was made to capture the enemy’s works and push back his line of investment on the south-west side of Kimberley. On this occasion the sortie was on a much larger scale with some 2000 men involved - split into three columns. O’ Reilly and his Kimberley Regiment was part of the centre column – again under Colonel Chamier. Shortly after 3 p.m. Chamier deployed his troops in attack formation.

A company of the Kimberley Regiment was detached to take and hold Wright’s Farm, which they succeeded in doing without casualties. At about 5 p.m. the fatal advance from Carter’s began with Scott-Turner and a small force leading the attack on the enemy’s laager, driving them out and capturing the whole camp. But it was the assault on the second redoubt that went painfully wrong and led to the death of Scott-Turner and twenty others.

Fortunately (for them) Chamier and his men held a strong position at Carter’s Farm and Wright’s Farm and, as he had heliographed he, “intended to remain there”. That night the Imperial forces, under the cover of darkness, re-entered Kimberley. The loss of so many men and a high ranking officer demoralised the defenders and a sombre mood prevailed in Kimberley for a long while after the disaster.

Kimberley was finally relieved on 15 February 1900 but for O’ Reilly the war wasn’t over. Although he earned no more clasps to his Queens Medal he soldiered on until defective eyesight occasioned his discharge from the Kimberley Volunteers on 13 November 1900. Apart from the Queens Medal, he also earned the highly-prized Kimberley Star, a medal struck at the request of the Mayor to thank those who helped fend off the aggressors.

At this point O’ Reilly must have moved away from Kimberley and headed down to the Cape proper for it was here that he enlisted with the Peninsula Rifles. From the outset his skill set must have been appreciated as he was appointed as a Squadron Sergeant Major with no. 1266. The Peninsula Rifles was raised in October 1901 and disbanded three months later in January 1902. Members were entitled to QSA only, no clasps. The unit was formed from the Cape Peninsula Regiment. In January 1902 they were disbanded. There duties appear to have been along the lines of a District Mounted Troop – mounted men charged with the protection of life and property on the outskirts of Cape Town.

The Boer War over on 31 May 1902, O’ Reilly appears to have moved back to the Kimberley area. It was here, in the Dutch Reform Church on 24 January 1906, that he wed Maria Magdalena Abiguel (not Abigail) Du Toit. He was recorded as being a 28 year old “Handelaar” (Trader), whilst his wife was 20 years old.

He passed away on 19 October 1946 at the age of 68 from Senile Arterial sclerosis whilst living at 56 “A” Pollsmoor Village, Retreat, Wynberg – a suburb of Cape Town. Interestingly his previous occupations were listed as “previously miner above ground” and Retired Private, Kimberley Regiment. He and his wife seem to have devoted a large part of the remainder of their lives to the church. An extract from the December 1946 Seventh Day Adventist publication "South African Division Outlook" serves as a mini-obituary, both in his case and that of his wife:-

O'Reilly.— Alfred Timothy O'Reilly, aged sixty-eight years died on October 19, 1946, at Retreat, Cape. Brother O'Reilly accepted the advent truth thirty years ago, when he was baptised by Pastor Charles Paap, and became a member of the Taungs church where he served as a deacon. In 1935 Brother O'Reilly went to Kimberley and became a member of that church, although for the last four years he had been living in Boksburg. For seven years our brother had suffered from an illness, and hoping that a change would do him good, he and his wife went to stay with their daughter, Mrs. J. J. van Niekerk at Retreat, but he continued to fail in health and he went to his rest on October 19. Left to mourn, are his devoted wife, seven children, and fifteen grandchildren. Words of sympathy and comfort were spoken by Elder A. C. Le Butt, assisted by the writer, at the Lansdowne church and at the Plumstead Cemetery, where our brother was laid to rest to await the call of the Lifegiver on the resurrection morning. C. S. PIKE

And from the August 1947 edition:

O'REILLY.—Maria Magdalena Abigael (du Toit) was born at Oudtshoorn 61 years ago and died at the home of Mrs. van Niekerk at Maitland on the morning of the 8th July, 1947. In 1906 our sister was united in marriage to Mr. Alfred Timothy O'Reilly, and to this union were born nine children of whom seven are still alive. Brother Alfred passed to his rest last year in October. Thirty-three years ago Brother and Sister O'Reilly heard the Message as preached by Seventh-day Adventists through Elder C. A. Paap at Taungs. They readily accepted the Truth and were baptised by Elder Paap and they both remained faithful until the very last. The funeral service was held in the Lansdowne Church by the writer assisted by Pastor J. M. Staples. Sister O'Reilly was laid to her rest in the Plumstead cemetery where we believe she will respond to the call of the Life-Giver at the first resurrection.