Australians in the Boer War
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Hint: This site is intended as a search aid - not a definitive source. It is essentially an index to documents that seem to relate to this person plus a very brief precis of relevant elements. Sources often conflict and I also flag things with a ? when I am unsure. So if the information below is important to you, then please check the original sources to see what else they contain (and in case I have inadvertantly introduced transcription and/or precising errors). There can be additional information that was not included in the database for both space and copyright reasons.


 

Surname HARRIOTT
Given Name(s) or Initial(s) William Rupert
Regimental Number
RankLieutenant
Unit Name 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles
StateNSW
Extracts and Comments
(from Sources as shown)

Murray: 'C'Sqn. died of wounds Diamond Hill 13.6.1900.
Source:# 54 grave Diamond Hill Cemetery, photo.
B5204: Queen's South Africa medal and 4 clasps (Drief. Jbg. DH & CC) deceased 13.7.1900.
Roe: ?13.7.1900 (possibly my transcription error) as headstone shows 12 June 1900.
Paterson: hit with expanding bullet in thigh.
URL5: letter dated 21.6.1900 from Pte. Vincent DANS/DAVIS 1NSWMR says HARRIOTT was shot in thigh with an explosive bullet and died in hospital next day, would not take cover but stood up under a perfect hail of bullets.
URL6: memorial tablet erected in offices of AMP Society 24.9.1900.
URL7: memorial Gates to Lieut. WR HARRIOTT opened at St. Thomas Church N. Sydney 28.4.1901.
URL8: On Sunday afternoon 30.4.1901 the formal ceremony of opening the Lieutenant HARRIOTT memorial gates at St. Thomas's Church, North Sydney, was performed by Major Holmes DSO. The heavy rain that fell no doubt prevented many from attending, but there was a fair number present. The gates are of iron, on each of which there is a brass plate. The inscriptions thereon are as follow; "In memory of William Rupert Harriott, Lieutenant New South Wales Mounted Infantry; who fell in the battle of Diamond Hill, South Africa, June 12, 1900, aged 23 years." "These gates were erected by his personal friends. We doubt not that for one so true. There, must be other nobler-work to do!
URL9: An Incident of the War. The war correspondent of the SMH gives some interesting details with regard to the fighting after the capture of Pretoria. Referring to an engagement in which the New South Wales Mounted Infantry took part, he says - It was then that they lost two brave young officers, HARRIOTT and DRAGE. Both these men - HARRIOTT was little more than a boy - had shown bravery out of the common, and while the men were lying down among the rocks, crawling forward on their stomachs yard by yard, HARRIOTT and DRAGE stood up urging the men on, and calling them by name. The men implored them to lie down, but they took no heed. They actually got out their pipes and filled them while the bullets whizzed past and spattered in little grey splashes of lead on the rocks. It was not long before the inevitable end came. HARRIOTT was struck with an expanding bullet in the thigh, and came to the ground with a shattered leg. Poor boy, his sufferings were awful, but nothing could be done for him, as there were no means for getting him down that rocky precipice under such fire. Dr. CORTIS, of New South Wales, was up at the firing line, and he did all that could be done for the wounded man. Sergeant FLEMING (well-known in Albury district in the peaceful profession of a solicitor) was by him as he fell, and FLEMING proceeded to build a little wall of stones round him to prevent his receiving further injury. As he placed one stone in position it was knocked out of his hands by a bullet striking it. They managed to make a shelter for him, and the grim line of khaki-clad figures pushed steadily on up the hill. Away a little distance DRAGE got his death wound. He was shot right through the face, and the bullet came out at the back of his head. Even then he died hard. It took four men to hold him down, as he struggled half unconscious to go forward over the rocks. Two troopers were also killed in this attack, going on to their death like brave men. Captain HOLMES was shot through the arm by a shrapnel bullet, but went on with his men. This officer has earned the highest commendation in every affair in which he has been engaged. After a while the Boer fire slackened as the main advance pushed steadily on, and our men got to the top of the kopje and had the satisfaction of shooting at their retreating foes, but as the horses had been left at the foot of the kopje it was some time before we could pursue. They went on in open order, and actually got within range of Botha's main laager and poured some volleys into it; but as we had 200 men, while the Boers had about 2000, it was not practicable to advance further. As night fell the Boers withdrew altogether, and by dawn next morning their forces were away to the hills once more, and the New South Wales troops, with most of the others, were brought back to Pretoria to await the arrival of Baden-Powell and Buller. It is pleasant to think that in this critical engagement the men of the old colony have maintained the good name they have already earned all through the campaign.
URL10: Private W MCALLISTER (No. 376), who went to South Africa with the Second Contingent Army Medical Corps, writes to his mother at Crown Street, Surry Hills, under date, Kroonstad, 27.8.1900, as follows - 'You will observe we are now at Kroonstad, this being our second visit. The first time we called was about three months ago, when on the way to Pretoria. We were then in high glee at the progress we were making, but when we arrived there it was not as we anticipated, viz., the termination of the war. The same day we received orders to prepare to march. We then proceeded to Diamond Hills, where two large battles were fought. Here we lost a number of the New South Wales Mounted Infantry, including Lieutenants DRAGE and HARRIOTT. The former was buried in the morning; the latter was wounded in the thigh (a terrible wound, poor fellow) and succumbed to his wounds at 4 pm same day. I took part in the burial of the remains.
C&R Examiner: Untended Graves In South Africa. Writing from Pretoria on Easter Monday [1903], Mr. Pen BAWDEN states that on the previous day he visited Diamond Hill, and saw the graves of Lieutenant HARRIOTT and DRAGE, of the second contingent, from NS Wales. "Had it not been that he was directed to the spot," he writes, "one would have been unable to find the graves. It seems strange that while all the Tommy officers and Tommies who fell during the war have headstones or crosses on their craves, these two Australians have nothing. What, I wonder, has the New South Wales Government done with that immense sum collected for the Patriotic Fund. Surely some of that money could be expended in marking the resting place of these men. The Englishmen have a grave committee here, whose duty it is to look after the graves of their men who fell, but they have small trouble about the Australians. They fought for them and now the Englishman does not give a hang what becomes of them. I think it a great shame that those men's graves should go untended. I spoke to several Australians to day re the matter, and they want to make an effort out of their own moneys, to do something, but I think that the New South Wales Government should take some steps." LDTel: The [NSW ASC] corps though not directly represented in South Africa during the late Boer war, gave about 25 per cent, of its effective strength as volunteers to other corps, and it is worthy of note that out opf five ASC officers who volunteered for active service, three are lying in South African graves, viz.. Lieutenants BASCHE and HARRIOTT, and Captain MILLER, the latter a son of Lieutenant-Colonel David MILLER, the late commanding officer of the corps.
Source References
Murray: Official Records of the Australian Contingents etc. page(s) 60 64 203
Field: The Forgotten War etc. page(s) 119
Wallace1: The Australians at the Boer War page(s) 209-2 10
Source:# Oz-Boer contributed source number 54
Howe: Words of War page(s) 94 98
B5204: National Archives of Australia series B5204
Paterson: From the Front page(s) 322 382
HAGSOC: HAGSOC's South African Graves website
Cope1: Boer War Men of Queanbeyan-Braidwood page(s) 42
Syd. Herald : Sydney Morning Herald newspaper date(s) 3.8 & 25.9.1900 & 27.4.1901
Town&Country: Aust. Town and Country journal date(s) 4.5.1901 ABaWEL 3.8.1900
Evg. News: Evening News (Sydney NSW) date(s) 16.10.1900
C&R Examiner: Clarence & Richmond Examiner newspaper date(s) 30.5.1903 LDTel: 9.9.1903
External Link URL1www.hagsoc.org.au/sagraves/nmcdb/nmcdb-search.php
External Link URL2www.hagsoc.org.au/sagraves/photos/za00700.php
External Link URL3www.ausvets.powerup.com.au/boerwar.htm
External Link URL4www.hagsoc.org.au/sagraves/photos/grave13.jpg
External Link URL5newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/14328230?searchTerm=boer+lancers
External Link URL6nla.gov.au/nla.news-article14349806
External Link URL7nla.gov.au/nla.news-page1344606
External Link URL8nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71466758
External Link URL9nla.gov.au/nla.news-article99848226
External Link URL10nla.gov.au/nla.news-article114014353


Please email me if you can contribute any other relevant information about this person (eg any other military service, where in Australia they came from or when/where they died). Also, if you find an external link broken.


Apology: For some time now it has been difficult to keep up with the newly available sources (especially the Trove newspaper site) plus the flow of contributions and queries. So I have been forced to prioritise maintenance and data entry over replying to correspondence. Nevertheless, your contributions are being added to the database and acknowledged on the contributions page and, although my replies are many months behind, I will attempt to get to them more often.
 
Colin Roe
Canberra

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