BOER WAR HERO – Captain Macfarlane from South Australia
“Captain Macfarlane, D.S.O., of the Transvaal Mounted Rifles, whose name was reported in Tuesday’s papers as among the killed at the engagement with the Zulus at Mome Mountain, was well known to Renmark men who served in the Boer war. A native of Angaston, and eldest son of Mr.D.Macfarlane, now of Adelaide, who is one of the Directors of the New Era fruitgrowing company on the Murray, near Morgan, he was one of the most gallant of the Australians who distinguished themselves in the late war in south Africa.He was a member of the first Westralian contingent and went out again as a lieutenant in, we believe, the 5th South Australian contingent.He was universally esteemed for many manly and soldierly qualities, and was regarded by Brigadier de Lisle as one of the smartest men on his staff.Not only by his bereaved parents and immediate relatives, but by all who knew him, his loss will be deplored and mourned.”
Does anyone relate to this family of Macfarlanes referred to in the foregoing press cutting about the Boer War (1889-1902)?
The New Era Fruitgrowing Company at Morgan, SA flourished from about 1900 to 1926.And we would be most interested to find some data concerning Macfarlanes in that region.Captain Macfarlane was by all accounts a real war hero and his story would make good reading.
If anyone can offer more details on these pioneer clansfolk, please contact president@clanmacfarlane.org.au or leave your comment below.
Dear Malcolm
Captain SC McFarlane’s name is one of 17 on the Anglo-Boer War honour roll of former scholars of Hahndorf College, an Adelaide Hills boarding school which folded in 1912. Today the honour roll is tucked away in the supper room of the Hahndorf Institute. It is in good order.
As far as I’m aware, the most common spelling of his surname is ‘McFarlane.’
By all accounts he was a remarkable man. I’ve written about him in ‘The Hahndorf Anglo-Boer War Honour Roll,’ a short article which will appear in about April or May 2013 in The Flinders Column, a publication of the Mount Lofty Districts Historical Society. Like you, I would be interested to track down any descendants.
You’ll find the relevant parts of this article below.
‘Captain Sidney McFarlane D.S.O. also returned to South Africa and with his brother set up as a famer and stock dealer. Aged 29, he died there in 1906. As a captain in the Transvaal Mounted Rifles, he ‘laid down his life for his country’ in the Zulu uprising, a grieving Headmaster would tell the next old scholars’ gathering. An old Adelaide friend wondered why he was so keen to fight the Zulus. The answer, the friend concluded, was that he had ‘no time for the nice notes of diplomacy.’ He loved soldiering.
His death was widely mourned beyond Hahndorf. In South Africa he had been instrumental in caring for the graves of his Australian compatriots. Miss Hettie Clark, Hon. Secretary in South Australia to the South African Graves Fund, wrote on hearing of his death:
‘There were many lads who found their last resting-place on the lonely South African veldt during the late Boer war. To-day the mothers of those lads are bowed in grief for the death of Captain Sydney Colin McFarlane, D.S.O.. For it was he who cared for the lonely graves of their dear ones. Many an hour (when pressed for time) he spent in putting a grave in order. “Don’t thank me,” he would write, “is it not the least I can do for an old comrade?” Then again he would write -‘Such and such a grave will in future be cared for by a friend who lives near by.’ Always a kind message of assurance for the broken-hearted mothers.’
She was not exaggerating. In May 1905 McFarlane had written to Miss Clark with an update on his work in South Africa. The first monuments in South Australian marble, consigned to him by the Fund, had arrived in top condition in late 1904, and he had forwarded them to Reitz, where he had supervised their erection over the graves of comrades killed at Graspan in 1901, and Connilus River, where another trooper lay. He had made arrangements with local people to care for these memorials and graves. The memorial stone for Troopers Moore, Nicholas and Tothill, who had died at Vredefort in July 1900, had also arrived. He told Clark he would now supervise its positioning by their graves in the Vredefort cemetery.’
Since i wrote the above a South African friend has found that McFarlane is buried at Eshowe. He hopes to visit the grave shortly and forward a photograph. If so I’ll forward it to you. There is a superb photograph of his funeral procession in WJ Powell’s The Zulu Rebellion of 1906, long out of print and selling for about AUD 2,500 in South Africa when one becomes available. Fortunately a scanned copy of the relevant pages, including the above photograph, can be found at http://www.angloboerwar.com/forum/2-introductions/7122-captain-s-c-mcfarlaie-dso-transvaal-mounted-rifles?start=6
I found the following details about his military service in Frank Kelley’s recent post on the Anglo-Boer War Forum:
‘Sidney Colin McFarlane died of wounds at Eshowe on the 10th of June 1906. He is shown on the casualty list as a Captain and on the medal roll as a Lieutenant in the Transvaal Mounted Rifles. He had served during the Anglo Boer War as a Trooper in the 2nd West Australian Contingent up to March 1901 and then obtained a commission and commanded the South Australian Bushmen until November. He then served with the 6th South Australian Contingent until April 1902, his QSA/KSA are verified in WO100; WO100/292 page 112 as number 77 Trooper, WO100/292 page67 as Lieutenant, De Lisles South Australian 5th and 6th Imperial Bushmen Corps and WO100/370 page 189 as Captain with service from the 25th of February 1900 to the 3rd of November 1900 and from the 4th of May 1901 to the 31st of May 1902, he had been wounded and spent time in both Great Britain and Australia, between the two date spans! After the war he remained in South Africa and joined the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles in 1903.’
I hope all this helps!
Kind regards
Tony Stimson
7 March 2013