Henry Nourse 'Ferreira's Horse'

Henry Nourse (the second) was born 23 April 1857 on a farm in the district of Uitenhage. As a child he trekked with his family to Natal, attended Maritzburg High School and at the early age of 13 went to the Diamond Fields to seek his fortune. While on the Fields, he messed with Cecil John Rhodes and assisted in raising the Kimberley Light Horse, under the captaincy of Joseph (later Sir Joseph) Robinson.

At the suggestion of the Administrator of Griqualand West, Owen Lanyon, he moved to the Transvaal, arriving in Pretoria in 1877, shortly before the annexation by Sir Theophilus Shepstone. During the Zulu War, he commanded 'Ferreira's Horse' and in the first South African War he raised and commanded 'Nourse's Horse'. In 1882 he was sent by Sir Hercules Robinson, Governor of the Cape Colony, to Bechuanaland, to report on the troubled situation there and, if possible, to reconcile the warring chiefs.

After the first South African War, Nourse and Ignatius Ferreira ran a profitable mail coach service from Kimberley to Pretoria, Lydenburg, Barberton and Newcastle. Nourse also did some prospecting at Barberton but in 1884 returned to Pretoria to take up the government postal contract, trading under the name of Dow & Company. His interest in prospecting persisted and in 1886 he was able to secure claims on the Witwatersrand from which he founded the Kambula Gold Mining Company on which the first 10-stamp battery on the main reef was erected, later sold to Robinson Gold Mining Company) and the Henry Nourse Gold Mining Company (which later became part of the Central Mining group) and many others. He was prominent in various speculations and investments, floating several gold and coal mining companies.

During the ascend South African War (1899-1902) Nourse, as a lieutenant colonel, served as chief staff officer of Colonial Forces at the Cape and was mentioned in despatches by Lord Kitchener. After the war he went into horse-breeding on a large scale thus indulging his passion for horses. His stud was said to be one of the largest in the world and he was reputed to be one of the beet judges of thoroughbred horses. He was a keen racing and did much to improve the standard of horse-racing in South Africa. Having been a keen athlete in his youth, he took a leading part in encouraging sport, being Chairman of the South African Amateur Athletic and Cycling Association, Chairman of the Olympic Cameo Committee and executive member of the Jockey Club of South Africa.

He married Jacobs Petronella Preller, daughter of Advocate J.C. Preller, first Mayor of Pretoria. There were no children of the marriage. He died on October 6, 1942.

Ignatius Ferreira is connected to Henry Nourse. This it what led me to post "KIA at Kambula. And Died at Kranspoort (Zoutpansberg) in 1921"

Nourse's Horse was raised by Captain Henry Nourse in 1880 with a strength of about 60 men, but as he fell sick early in the siege of Pretoria he was succeeded in command by Captain A. Woolls Sampson, who was himself wounded in the attack on Zwart Kopje on 6 January, 1881. Thus Lieutenant J.W. Glynn was in command in the attack on Elandsfontein Ridge on 16 January, 1881.
According to John Nixon 'the volunteers were clothed in neutral-coloured suits, with a bandolier full of cartridges over the shoulder, and each man carried a rifle.' It is also understood that the men wore light cord breeches and slouch hats. Officers wore helmets. The men wore blue pagris round their slouch hats and for this reason Nourse's Horse was also referred to as the 'blue puggarees' according to Walter Richards, who also tells us that, owing to a mistake on one occasion, which might have proved a serious one, the Pretoria Carbineers and Nourse's Horse carried red and blue flags, respectively, to denote their whereabouts in the field. The Pretoria Carbineers wore red pagris.
During the investment of Pretoria in the Transvaal War of 1880-1881 the military authorities, being aware of the desirability of cutting grass and making hay for the horses, commandeered mowing machines from merchant stores, and the first machine was started under the supervision of the head of a Government Department but that gentleman, zealous to secure a good cut one day, namely, 11 January, 1881, was led to go too far afield down the valley towards Elandsfontein west of Pretoria without first obtaining armed protection. He was attacked by a party of Boers but managed to escape without the mowing machine, a wagon and mules. This resulted in mowing machines being required to work under armed protection.
The loss of the mowing machine, wagon and mules captured by the Boers who were supposed to have come from a laager at Elandsfontein Farm, about 10 miles west of the camp in Pretoria, resulted in a reconnaissance in force in that direction on Sunday, 16 January, 1881. The aim was to ascertain more about the laager and to destroy it if possible.
The column left at four o'clock in the morning under the command of Lt-Col George Frederick Gildea, as Col William Bellairs intended leaving later on. The column consisted of two field guns, one mountain gun carried on a cart, 170 mounted men comprising 45 mounted infantry, 65 Pretoria Carbineers, and 60 Nourse's Horse, and 300 infantry made up of 120 Royal Scots Fusiliers, 30 from the 94th Regiment and 150 Pretoria Rifles - the latter being conveyed on mule wagons.
Lt R.P. Littledale of the Royal Engineers and a few sappers had been sent out in the opposite direction some miles to the east to create a diversion by exploding some dynamite which they did at about 6 a.m. when the main column was half-way to Elandsfontein. They succeeded in drawing parties of Boers towards the scene of the explosions.
Fifty men of the Pretoria Rifles were detached to hold a hill to the left, about three miles out, which commanded the Quagga Poort. Nourse's Horse scouted to the right, and the Pretoria Carbineers to the left front. On nearing the ridge the enemy was observed to be in occupation and to have lit a signal fire. Nourse's Horse was ordered to move towards the opposite end of the ridge where there were stone defences, and the Carbineers to a hill about 2 000 yards to the left as a precaution against any Boer reinforcements arriving. The remainder of the Pretoria Rifles was left on a rocky rise as a reserve. The wagons were laagered and the Royal Scots Fusiliers were thrown forward in skirmishing order. The two nine-pounder guns were brought into action.
Lt-Col Gildea, who had been reconnoitring on foot, had been able to pick out the laager which appeared to be a particularly strong one with a blockhouse in front and a loopholed wall and schanzes around. He decided that the best place from which to attack it with the least loss of life would be from the ridge where Lt J.W. Glynn and his men from Nourse's Horse, having left their horses under cover, were already busily engaged in dislodging the enemy from rock to rock. Col Bellairs, who had now arrived on the scene of action, decided to leave Lt-Col Gildea in command to carry out his intended plan which was to send the mountain gun and rocket apparatus, with 50 men of the Fusiliers, to support Nourse's Horse and drive the enemy off the ridge.
In the meantime the skirmishers, the Fusiliers along the base of the ridge and the 94th out to the left, were hotly engaged. The guns were dropping shells about the stone laagers and schanzes on the ridge, and the men of Nourse's Horse were vigorously forcing the Boers into the rear stone laager. It now seemed that, with the support of the mountain gun and the infantry on the ridge, the position and the laager would be taken, but there were difficulties and delays in hauling the gun up the ridge, and then Boer reinforcements began streaming over the Nek to the south and turning the attack on the left. Unfortunately, through some misunderstanding, the Pretoria Carbineers had been withdrawn to the bottom of the hill they had been holding and another large party of Boers arrived on the scene. The defending Boers on the ridge renewed their efforts when they saw the reinforcements arriving and it became necessary for Lt-Col Gildea to order a withdrawal. Col Bellairs agreed with this decision as it now became obvious that it would not be possible to develop the final assault on the ridge before the Boer reinforcements came up. The prolongation of the attack would have entailed the loss of many men without achieving any worthwhile result.
The withdrawal was effected in an orderly fashion, although the infantry were particularly harassed by the enemy. It was found that two Fusiliers and a mounted man of the 94th were missing and Lt-Col Gildea was inclined to return and bring them in, but abandoned this idea when he was informed that the enemy had been seen carrying them away. It appeared subsequently that the two Fusiliers, who had been on the extreme left of the skirmishing line, had not noticed that their comrades had retired. They were fired upon by some Boers who had come up on their flank and were both wounded, one mortally. This resulted in a display of great gallantry on the part of two men, Lance-Corporal James Murray of the mounted troop of the 94th Regiment and Trooper John Danaher of Nourse's Horse, who both dashed forward under heavy fire, to rescue the two wounded men.
The French war correspondent, Charles Du-Val, tells us that Murray and Danaher advanced for fully five hundred yards to where their wounded comrades were lying, exposed all the time to the fire of the Boers, until they reached the wounded men, to find that one was beyond human aid. They then carried the other man between them until Lance-Corporal Murray was shot in the back and fell alongside the comrade for whom he had risked his life. Murray then ordered Danaher to retire, and as the latter realized that he could not save Murray under such heavy fire, he fired a few shots over his prostrate companions, gathered up their rifles and marched coolly back to receive the praise of all who had witnessed his plucky adventure. Murray, and Davis, the wounded man of the 2/21st Royal Scots Fusiliers, together with the body of Private Charles Byrne of the same regiment, were returned the following day under a flag of truce. Unfortunately, Private Davis died five days later.
The Column commenced its return journey at about eleven o'clock with the infantry in the wagons following the road, whilst the guns, keeping to the higher ground, retired alternately with one gun always remaining in action to cover the other. Col Bellairs remained with the guns, directing their movements, as he feared a possible rush to capture them. The Pretoria Carbineers and the mounted infantry protected the right and rear, and Nourse's Horse the left. The Boers followed until within three miles of the camp, keeping up a running fight the whole time. They tried to gain possession of a kopje or position from which they would be able to harass the flank of the retiring column, but they were forestalled by the rapid movements of Lt Glynn and Nourse's Horse. The column eventually got back to camp at about three o'clock, the troops having been under fire for about six hours and under arms for nearly twelve hours.
In his official report on the action, dated 17th January, 1881, Lt-Col Gildea writes as follows:
'The behaviour of all ranks engaged was good, but I cannot but give to Nourse's Horse, under Lieut Glynn, the chief honours of the day; the manner in which they took the hill, and drove the Boers before them could not be surpassed, and I cannot say how much I regret not having had the pleasure of completing the work they had so well begun. The behaviour of Sergt. Fitz-Clements, Nourse's Horse, who captured four horses from the enemy, is deserving of special notice, but that of Trooper John Donagher, of Nourse's Horse, and Lance-Corporal Murray, 94th Regiment, forms the subject of a special report.
The above report appeared in the Transvaal Government Gazette of Tuesday, 25 January, 1881, together with the report of Col Bellairs in which he states:
'The way in which Nourse's Horse engaged the rebels during the attack on their strong position and subsequently selected and defended ground to cover the withdrawal specially attracted my attention and merits high commendation.'
The Boer casualties do not appear to be on record, but those of the British were the two men killed, namely, Private James Byrne of the 2/21st Royal Scots Fusiliers, and Corporal James Long of Nourse's Horse, apart from Private Davis who, as already mentioned, died five days later, and eight men wounded.
Elandsfontein Ridge was henceforth known as 'Nourse's Hill.'

Does anyone have access to an 1877 Official Army List, rather than a Hart's?

I am trying to establish which of the Nourse brothers - Henry or Temple - resigned his commission as a Lieutenant in the Natal Hussars in 1877?

Thanks in anticipation,

John Y.

A quick Archive search turned this up John:
DEPOT NAB
SOURCE RSC
TYPE LEER
VOLUME_NO 1/5/75
SYSTEM 01
REFERENCE 1300/1869
PART 1
DESCRIPTION ILLIQUID CASE. JOSEPH NOURSE IN HIS CAPACITY AS THE GUARDIAN OF HIS
SEVEN MINOR CHILDREN, TEMPLE MAYNARD CRACROFT NOURSE, HUGH NOURSE,
MARINA MOORE NOURSE, HENRY NOURSE, JANE MAUD NOURSE, ALICE NOURSE
AND GEORGE WILLIAM NOURSE VERSUS CHARLES W STEWART.
STARTING 18690000
ENDING 18700000

Not much use but interesting

Frank,

Thanks for that I found that one along with a number of interesting entries in National Archives relating to Temple, the iSandlwana survivor. The one that is bugging me is which of the brothers resigned from the Natal Hussars.

Natal units were recorded in the Official Army List, so it would give me the answer.

Regards,

John Y.

John
From the first and second paragraph it looks as though Henry moved from Kimberly to the transvaal in 1877. Would that possibly preclude him serving with the Natal hussars?
Is so its then probable your target would be his brother Temple maynard

Henry Nourse (the second) was born 23 April 1857 on a farm in the district of Uitenhage. As a child he trekked with his family to Natal, attended Maritzburg High School and at the early age of 13 went to the Diamond Fields to seek his fortune. While on the Fields, he messed with Cecil John Rhodes and assisted in raising the Kimberley Light Horse, under the captaincy of Joseph (later Sir Joseph) Robinson.
At the suggestion of the Administrator of Griqualand West, Owen Lanyon, he moved to the Transvaal, arriving in Pretoria in 1877, shortly before the annexation by Sir Theophilus Shepstone. During the Zulu War, he commanded 'Ferreira's Horse' and in the first South African War he raised and commanded 'Nourse's Horse'. In 1882 he was sent by Sir Hercules Robinson, Governor of the Cape Colony, to Bechuanaland, to report on the troubled situation there and, if possible, to reconcile the warring chiefs.
After the first South African War, Nourse and Ignatius Ferreira ran a profitable mail coach service from Kimberley to Pretoria, Lydenburg, Barberton and Newcastle. Nourse also did some prospecting at Barberton but in 1884 returned to Pretoria to take up the government postal contract, trading under the name of Dow & Company. His interest in prospecting persisted and in 1886 he was able to secure claims on the Witwatersrand from which he founded the Kambula Gold Mining Company on which the first 10-stamp battery on the main reef was erected, later sold to Robinson Gold Mining Company) and the Henry Nourse Gold Mining Company (which later became part of the Central Mining group) and many others. He was prominent in various speculations and investments, floating several gold and coal mining companies.
During the ascend South African War (1899-1902) Nourse, as a lieutenant colonel, served as chief staff officer of Colonial Forces at the Cape and was mentioned in despatches by Lord Kitchener. After the war he went into horse-breeding on a large scale thus indulging his passion for horses. His stud was said to be one of the largest in the world and he was reputed to be one of the beet judges of thoroughbred horses. He was a keen racing and did much to improve the standard of horse-racing in South Africa. Having been a keen athlete in his youth, he took a leading part in encouraging sport, being Chairman of the South African Amateur Athletic and Cycling Association, Chairman of the Olympic Cameo Committee and executive member of the Jockey Club of South Africa.
He married Jacobs Petronella Preller, daughter of Advocate J.C. Preller, first Mayor of Pretoria. There were no children of the marriage. He died on October 6, 1942.

2 Notebook o.1879-82 10x16 cm. 98p. (few pages blank)
Also Ts transcription 15p.
Starts with military notes including some written in 1882 when he was in Bechuanaland trying to bring peace to Bechuana chiefs. At back are military notes written in 1879(?) with lists of men at Port Victoria under Capt. Jones and other miscellaneous military affairs.

Frank,

With that and further information held in [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] on Henry. I think it is safe to conclude that Temple Maynard Cracroft Nourse is the person that resigned his commission from the Natal Hussars, but I'd still like to see the fact confirmed in print.

Regards,

John Y.

Bonsoir, Please, did the London Gazette publish the list of Natal units?

Cheers
Frédéric

Frederic,

I wish that it did it, things would be so simple then, but no it did not.

The only official document I can find that will answer my query will be the War Office's Army List.

Regards,

John Y.

John,

I sent you a P.M. with a link to 1877 Army List, including the Colonial Militia

Tom

Mr Young,

Sorry, my question was really stupid.

Cheers

Frédéric

Tom,

Thanks for that however due to copyright restrictions I can only see Hill's details, but it appears that from your pm that it was indeed Henry Nourse who resigned his commission in the Natal Hussars prior to leaving for the Transvaal in 1877.

Just out of interest Joseph Nourse, their father, (mentioned above in Frank's posting) was a former Royal Navy officer.

Frederic,

Not at all.

Regards,

John Y.

On the subject of Henry Norse - became Nourse in 1948.

I purchased a second hand copy of Frank Emery's The Red Soldier a number of years ago. It was previously, or originally, owned by Lt. Col (Ret) G S Alexander OBE. This was in the days when persons 'stamped' ownership of books.

In the book were various newspaper clippings from The Star newspaper commemorating the contrary of the AZW.

Also included were written notes on Henry Norse. These notes, I have to assume were written by the retired Lt. Colonel - the majority of which concerns his (Norse's) participation in the 'Seccokunie' campaign.

Incidentally, and it is only incidental, Henry and Ms Preller did have a child - 'who died young'

What was arguably more interesting were the Lt. Colonels notes written on Isandlwana (a summary of the casualties suffered) - more particularly though a brief history of the 1/24 & 2/24 - with reference to the 2/24th's time in Mauritius.

Lt. Colonel Alexander states 'where my Father was born, 21st May 1865.

I am assuming the Father was a member of the 2/24th Regiment (hence his interest) and then whether his Father was still actively associated with the 2/24th at the commencement of hostilities?

Sihayo,

The past owner of your 'The Red Soldier' was (86049) Lt Col George Sidney Alexander was born in Meerut, India in 1898 and retired from the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on 13 January 1953. He received the OBE in the New Year's Honours 1951. He was commissioned from Conductor (Warrant Officer Class 1) on 8 February 1939. I think he died at Hendon in 4Qtr 1960.

His father was also a George Sidney Alexander who was born in Mauritius 1865 at the time that 2/24th was stationed there. This G S Alexander had two marriages - Frances Teresa Millar (13 Feb 1893 Southwark) and Helen Hayward (23 Mar 1905 Plumstead). Frances was the mother of Lt Col GS Alexander. The father served in 5th Dragoon Guards retiring as QMS 2338 in about 1904. His father (i.e. Grandfather of Lt Col Alexander) is given as Daniel Alexander also a soldier - unfortunately there is no soldier named Daniel Alexander given as serving in the 24th Foot at the time of the Anglo-Zulu war.

Many, many thanks Kenny for the detail provided.

Lt Col George Sidney Alexander was still alive as late as 1977 when the book was gifted to him by Cousins from the United Kingdom. It was sent to him on the occasion of his 80th Birthday. At the time the Lt. Colonel was resident at Dan Pienaar House, Sandringham, Johannesburg (presumably this was a Retirement Home)

I also have 'documentation' dated August / September 1962 which places him as part of an Expedition to locate the remains of Fort Victoria and Fort Olifants in the Northetn area of Sekhukiniland, according to sketches shown in Lt. Henry Nourse's pocket book of 1878.

Other notables listed as part of the expedition included Nimmo Law (family of Henry Nourse) and Arthur Davey (Archivist and Historian). Whether they located the Fort remains I am not sure - however it does show that he was still a very active man in 1962

@Kenny. I recently purchased Durnford: From Isandlwana to Chatham. In this regard reference is specifically made to the affadavit made by Wm Hy Cook 'on behalf of' Captain Shepstone with respect to the removal of documents from the body of Durnford in May 79.

In terms of his affadavit he states 'The only Officer who came up after finding of the body, and after it was searched was an officer of the Kings Dragoon Guards, Colonel Alexander'

This must surely be the same Alexander you referenced - and would thus explain his son's interest (handwritten notes in my possession) with reference to Isandlwana

Sihayo
I am not sure whether there is a family link between QMS GS Alexander 5DG and Colonel Henry Alexander KDG. John Young may be able to help.

Kenny,

Personally, I would doubt it unless the QMS was a “Gentleman-Ranker”.

Related members of the Alexander family were well represented in the Anglo-Zulu War:

Colonel Henry and Lieutenant John Alexander, 1st (The King’s) Dragoon Guards.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Colonel Henry Alexander, 1st (The King’s) Dragoon Guards
(John Young Collection.)

and his nephew.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Lieutenant John Alexander, 1st (The King’s) Dragoon Guards
(John Young Collection.)


Captain Robert Alexander, Royal Artillery, commanding IInd Division’s Ammunition Column.

Captain George Agar Alexander, 2nd Battalion, 3rd (East Kent “The Buffs” ) Regiment.

Lieutenant Herbert Rowan Alexander, 2nd Battalion, 21st (Royal Scots Fusiliers) Regiment.

They came from a sept of Alexander family which bore the title the Earls of Stirling.  Some of the family elements were part of the transplantation from Scotland to Ulster, thereby linking them to the Earls of Caledon and through that link to Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis.

JY

Many thanks indeed Kenny and JY. Your response is most sincerely appreciated