TOPIC:

Originally posted this in the wrong place. The Greek Volunteers thread reminded me of a post I had made on another forum about 6 years ago, amended and reposted here.

I suspect there were a reasonable number of Americans, because many of the horses brought to South Africa for the British Forces came from the U.S., along with their American wranglers. No doubt some of these men, who would certainly have had a taste for adventure to begin with (the West was still reasonably wild in 1900) decided to stay around and get involved. The following from Rhodesia and After - Being the Story of the 17th and 18th Battalions of Imperial Yeomanry by Sharrad Gilbert, describing the scene in Beira Harbor, Portugese East Africa where these two battalions disembarked to go inland as part of the Rhodesia Field Force in May 1900:

There are huge towering cargo boats, their decks built from end to end with horse stalls - one has 700 Hungarians, another carries Australian 'whalers', two more arrived packed with 'bronchos' (sic) from the States, in the care of rough-looking cowboys*.

* Footnote in the book - Many of these cowboys joined one or another of the irregular corps, and did good work for us in the field. One of them, Abraham Guisert, a few weeks afterwards assassinated the British Consul in Beira.

Gilbert served in the same IY company as my G Grandfather and published this memoir in 1901.

Further research has also shown that Guisert was not American (as might be inferred above), but Bavarian: paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/papers...1207.2.12.10&l=mi&e=
5th paragraph down.

Nick

There are five American recipients of the VC (mostly Americans serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WW1) There was almost a sixth recipient, a Major Frederick Russell Burnham, DSO (pictured below), an American who was Chief of Scouts under Lord Roberts, and a close associate of Lord Baden-Powell and Frederick Selous.


At any rate he declined his VC as it could not be awarded to a mercenary and Burnham refused to renounce his U.S. citizenship. He was awarded the DSO instead. His DSO and QSA were personnally presented by King Edward VII. The Wikipedia article makes for fascinating reading, assuming it is correct and true as written. The man was certainly larger than life if even half the article is true.

Nick

I have also been told that there were quite a few Irish-Americans that fought on the Boer side during the war, but cannot confirm this.

Here is the best book on Americans on the side of the Boers during the war.....

WEST POINTER WITH THE BOERS, A, Col. J. Y. F. Blake, Irish Brigade, Angel Guardian, 1903

Mike

Hello Nick.....

I have heard the story about Burnham being recommended for a VC but there is no documented proof of the fact.....

I just looked it up in his Biography..... He mentions getting the DSO and QSA with bars which he states was a surprise as he was not expecting any form of reward......

Also in the book is the same picture of him as he is standing sideways with the morning band on his arm with the caption:

From a photograph taken after the death of Queen Victoria and shortly before he was invested by King Edward with the cross of the Distinguished Service Order.

But if you look closely you can see the DSO and QSA.....

Mike

QSAMIKE wrote: I have heard the story about Burnham being recommended for a VC but there is no documented proof of the fact.....

I just looked it up in his Biography..... He mentions getting the DSO and QSA with bars which he states was a surprise as he was not expecting any form of reward......

I am going to concede this point as I suspect you are correct. The hazards of relying on Wikipedia (or the internet in general), without ensuring facts are backed up by primary sources. I should know better.

There is no mention of the VC in the Burnham Wikipedia article, Burnham is mentioned in the VCs to Foreigners Wiki article, but there is no reference note, so I suspect it is legend.

Thanks for keeping me honest Mike,
Nick