Cape Colonial Forces
Encyclopedia
The Cape Colonial Forces (CCF) were the official defence organisation of the Cape Colony
in South Africa
. Established in 1855, they were taken over by the Union of South Africa
in 1910, and disbanded when the Union Defence Forces
were formed in 1912.
(FAMP); the Burgher Force; and the Volunteer Force.
The FAMP was responsible for maintaining law and order in the districts along the frontier with the Xhosa territories in the Transkei
. The Burgher Force was a district-based militia, whose units could be mobilised when necessary to maintain order in their home districts. The Volunteer Force was also district-based, but consisted of privately-formed and self-financed units which placed their services at the government's disposal.
About three dozen volunteer units were formed between 1855 and 1861. They included the Cape Rifle Corps
(later the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Volunteer Rifles) (1855- ); the Port Elizabeth Rifles
(later Prince Alfred's Guard) (1856- ); the Cape Town Artillery
(later Prince Alfred's Own Cape Field Artillery) (1857- ); and the Port Elizabeth Volunteer Artillery (1860-1879).
In 1858, the FAMP was mobilised to restore order in the Transkei, after a wave of cattle-killing and crop-destruction by the Xhosa, following a prophecy that this would make the Whites disappear.
The Volunteer Force collapsed in the early 1860s, during an economic recession which made part-time soldiering unaffordable. By 1867, only a handful of units were left, in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Although the economy recovered after diamonds were discovered in Griqualand West
in 1869, the Volunteer Force remained dormant.
In 1872, Britain granted the colony "responsible government" under the Molteno Ministry
. The new administration encouraged the revival of the Volunteer Force through shooting competitions, financial grants, and free ammunition. Unrest in the Transkei, and fears of a war with the Xhosa, fuelled the volunteer revival in the eastern districts, where more than two dozen units were formed between 1875 and 1877. They included the First City of Grahamstown Volunteers (1875- ); and the Buffalo Corps of Rifle Volunteers
(later the Kaffrarian Rifles) (1876- ), and Grahamstown Volunteer Horse Artillery (1876-1895).
The neighbouring British-ruled province of Griqualand West also raised a small volunteer force.
between 1877 and 1881. Dozens of volunteer units were formed, but most disbanded once hostilities were over. Those that continued included the Cape Town Volunteer Engineers
(later Cape Garrison Artillery) (1879-1958); and the Griqualand West
units that were taken over when that province was annexed to the colony in 1880 and later amalgamated to form the Kimberley Regiment
.
The Frontier Armed and Mounted Police
, and burgher and volunteer units fought the Xhosa in the Transkei
and the Ciskei
in the 9th Frontier War (1877-1878).
After the war, in 1878, the government organised the military forces into a single organisation, under a Defence Department headed by a commandant-general. The first two commandants-general were Col Samuel Jarvis (1878-1880) and Brig Gen Charles Mansfield Clarke (1880-1881).
The FAMP were fully militarised and renamed the Cape Mounted Riflemen (CMR), with the Cape Mounted Yeomanry
as an auxiliary. Legislation authorised the government to call up the burgher and volunteer forces for service outside their home districts. Collectively, the CMR, the CMY, the burghers, and the volunteers, were referred to as the "Colonial Forces".
In the Northern Border Rebellion (1878), Colonial Forces were deployed against the Koranna (Khoisan
) in the districts along the Orange River
.
While British regiments were away in Zululand
during the Anglo-Zulu War (1879), volunteer units were called up to man the garrisons in the Transkei and elsewhere.
In the Basutoland Gun War (1880-1881), Colonial Forces units were deployed in Basutoland
, which was under Cape administration at that time, to enforce a law which prohibited Africans from owning firearms.
In the concurrent Transkei Campaign, Colonial Forces were deployed against the Mpondomise in the Transkei.
was briefly commandant-general in 1882. He was succeeded by Col Zachary Bayly
(1882-1892).
Compulsory registration of men for the Burgher Force ended in 1884, effectively disbanding the force.
Fears of a British war with Russia
stimulated the formation of more than a dozen volunteer units, including the Cape Town Highlanders
(1885- )and the Cape Town Irish Volunteer Rifles
(1885-1891), the Kimberley Volunteers (1887-1890), the Volunteer Medical Staff Corps (later Cape Medical Corps) (1889- ), the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles (1892-1913), and several small units in country towns. The Cape Town
coast defences were upgraded, and the Cape Town Volunteer Engineers converted into the Cape Garrison Artillery
. In 1893, the small country units were grouped together as the Western Rifles.
Command of the Colonial Forces was divided in 1892, between a Colonial Military Secretary (Col Philip Homan-ffoliiott) who controlled the CMR and the headquarters staffs, and a Commandant of Volunteers (Col Richard Southey
), in charge of the part-time forces.
In 1896, the volunteer units in Griqualand West were formed into the Griqualand West Brigade, and the field and garrison artillery were combined to form the Cape Artillery.
In 1897, the Colonial Forces were deployed in the Bechuanaland Campaign in the northern Cape, to apprehend three fugitive Tswana chiefs.
was ravaged by a war between the British Empire - including the Cape Colony
and Natal
- and the Boer republics in the Orange Free State
and Transvaal
. Boer forces invaded the Cape in 1899 and besieged Mafeking and Kimberley
. The Cape government mobilised the Colonial Forces to guard railways and other lines of communication, while the British Army struggled to relieve the besieged towns. Later, units were assigned to British formations in the field, and one was detailed to escort Boer prisoners of war to Saint Helena
and Ceylon
.
For a few months in 1900, a Colonial Division, consisting of the Cape Mounted Riflemen and several volunteer units under Brig Gen Edward Brabant
, served with the British forces in the Orange Free State.
In January 1901, after a second Boer incursion, the government formed the Colonial Defence Force (CDF), under Brig Gen Brabant. It consisted of dozens of town guards and district mounted troops, for local defence, and a few mobile units, which were placed under British Army command. In December 1901, the CDF was merged with the Colonial Forces, which were renamed the Cape Colonial Forces (CCF).
The war ended in British victory in 1902.
was commandant-general (1903-1904) and Col Henry Lukin
(1904-1912).
Most of the pre-war volunteer units continued, but none of the wartime units was retained. A few new units were formed, including the Cape Peninsula Rifles (1903-1926), and the Cape Naval Volunteers (1905-2005).
King Edward VII recognised the CCF's wartime service by granting its units King's Colours in 1904.
Imperial Germany
became the new threat to British interests, and the CMR was mobilised in 1906 to fight off the Ferreira Raid, a small armed incursion from German South West Africa. In 1907, a defence plan was prepared in case of a full-scale German invasion.
When the Cape Colony became a province of the new Union of South Africa
in 1910, the CCF were placed under the new defence ministry in Pretoria
. They were disbanded when the Union Defence Forces
(UDF) were formed in 1912, and in 1913 most of the CCF units were incorporated into the UDF. The remainder were disbanded.
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Established in 1855, they were taken over by the Union of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1910, and disbanded when the Union Defence Forces
South African National Defence Force
The South African National Defence Force is the armed forces of South Africa. The military as it exists today was created in 1994, following South Africa's first post-apartheid national elections and the adoption of a new constitution...
were formed in 1912.
1855–1877
The colonial forces were established after Britain granted the Cape Colony "representative government" in 1853. The colony was encouraged to assume some of the responsibility for its own defence, and in 1855 three separate military organisations were formed: the para-military Frontier Armed and Mounted PoliceCape Mounted Riflemen
The Cape Mounted Riflemen were South African military units. There were two separate successive regiments of that name. Some military historians distinguish between them by labelling the first as "imperial" and the second as "colonial"....
(FAMP); the Burgher Force; and the Volunteer Force.
The FAMP was responsible for maintaining law and order in the districts along the frontier with the Xhosa territories in the Transkei
Transkei
The Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
. The Burgher Force was a district-based militia, whose units could be mobilised when necessary to maintain order in their home districts. The Volunteer Force was also district-based, but consisted of privately-formed and self-financed units which placed their services at the government's disposal.
About three dozen volunteer units were formed between 1855 and 1861. They included the Cape Rifle Corps
Cape Town Rifles
The Cape Town Rifles Regiment is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit....
(later the Duke of Edinburgh's Own Volunteer Rifles) (1855- ); the Port Elizabeth Rifles
Prince Alfred's Guard
Prince Alfred's Guard is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit. The Regiment is located in the city of Port Elizabeth.-History:Prince Alfred's Guard was...
(later Prince Alfred's Guard) (1856- ); the Cape Town Artillery
Cape Field Artillery
The Cape Field Artillery is an artillery regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit...
(later Prince Alfred's Own Cape Field Artillery) (1857- ); and the Port Elizabeth Volunteer Artillery (1860-1879).
In 1858, the FAMP was mobilised to restore order in the Transkei, after a wave of cattle-killing and crop-destruction by the Xhosa, following a prophecy that this would make the Whites disappear.
The Volunteer Force collapsed in the early 1860s, during an economic recession which made part-time soldiering unaffordable. By 1867, only a handful of units were left, in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Although the economy recovered after diamonds were discovered in Griqualand West
Griqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
in 1869, the Volunteer Force remained dormant.
In 1872, Britain granted the colony "responsible government" under the Molteno Ministry
John Charles Molteno
Sir John Charles Molteno KCMG was a soldier, businessman, champion of responsible government and the first Prime Minister of the Cape Colony.-Early life:...
. The new administration encouraged the revival of the Volunteer Force through shooting competitions, financial grants, and free ammunition. Unrest in the Transkei, and fears of a war with the Xhosa, fuelled the volunteer revival in the eastern districts, where more than two dozen units were formed between 1875 and 1877. They included the First City of Grahamstown Volunteers (1875- ); and the Buffalo Corps of Rifle Volunteers
Kaffrarian Rifles
The Kaffrarian Rifles is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit...
(later the Kaffrarian Rifles) (1876- ), and Grahamstown Volunteer Horse Artillery (1876-1895).
The neighbouring British-ruled province of Griqualand West also raised a small volunteer force.
1877–1881
The Cape forces were deployed in six of the nine wars and campaigns that were fought in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
between 1877 and 1881. Dozens of volunteer units were formed, but most disbanded once hostilities were over. Those that continued included the Cape Town Volunteer Engineers
Cape Garrison Artillery
The Cape Garrison Artillery is an artillery regiment of the South African Army. There have been two regiments of the name: one a coast artillery regiment, the other an anti-aircraft regiment. The latter is part of the South African Army Artillery Formation.-1859-1866:The forerunner of the...
(later Cape Garrison Artillery) (1879-1958); and the Griqualand West
Griqualand West
Griqualand West is an area of central South Africa with an area of 40,000 km² that now forms part of the Northern Cape Province. It was inhabited by the Griqua people - a semi-nomadic, Afrikaans-speaking nation of mixed-race origin, who established several states outside the expanding frontier...
units that were taken over when that province was annexed to the colony in 1880 and later amalgamated to form the Kimberley Regiment
Kimberley Regiment
The Kimberley Regiment is an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit.-History:...
.
The Frontier Armed and Mounted Police
Cape Mounted Riflemen
The Cape Mounted Riflemen were South African military units. There were two separate successive regiments of that name. Some military historians distinguish between them by labelling the first as "imperial" and the second as "colonial"....
, and burgher and volunteer units fought the Xhosa in the Transkei
Transkei
The Transkei , officially the Republic of Transkei , was a Bantustan—an area set aside for members of a specific ethnicity—and nominal parliamentary democracy in the southeastern region of South Africa...
and the Ciskei
Ciskei
Ciskei was a Bantustan in the south east of South Africa. It covered an area of 2,970 square miles , almost entirely surrounded by what was then the Cape Province, and possessed a small coastline along the shore of the Indian Ocean....
in the 9th Frontier War (1877-1878).
After the war, in 1878, the government organised the military forces into a single organisation, under a Defence Department headed by a commandant-general. The first two commandants-general were Col Samuel Jarvis (1878-1880) and Brig Gen Charles Mansfield Clarke (1880-1881).
The FAMP were fully militarised and renamed the Cape Mounted Riflemen (CMR), with the Cape Mounted Yeomanry
Cape Mounted Yeomanry
The Cape Mounted Yeomanry was a military force created on a militia basis by Act 5 of 1878 in the Cape Colony, with a strength of 3,000 in three regiments, to act in conjunction with the Cape Mounted Riflemen on the eastern frontier...
as an auxiliary. Legislation authorised the government to call up the burgher and volunteer forces for service outside their home districts. Collectively, the CMR, the CMY, the burghers, and the volunteers, were referred to as the "Colonial Forces".
In the Northern Border Rebellion (1878), Colonial Forces were deployed against the Koranna (Khoisan
Khoisan
Khoisan is a unifying name for two ethnic groups of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San and the pastoral Khoi...
) in the districts along the Orange River
Orange River
The Orange River , Gariep River, Groote River or Senqu River is the longest river in South Africa. It rises in the Drakensberg mountains in Lesotho, flowing westwards through South Africa to the Atlantic Ocean...
.
While British regiments were away in Zululand
Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....
during the Anglo-Zulu War (1879), volunteer units were called up to man the garrisons in the Transkei and elsewhere.
In the Basutoland Gun War (1880-1881), Colonial Forces units were deployed in Basutoland
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, which was under Cape administration at that time, to enforce a law which prohibited Africans from owning firearms.
In the concurrent Transkei Campaign, Colonial Forces were deployed against the Mpondomise in the Transkei.
1882–1899
Under government direction, the Colonial Forces grew and became more professional during the 1880s and 1890s. Maj Gen Charles 'Chinese' GordonCharles Gordon
Charles Gordon may refer to:People:* Charles Gordon , American cornerback* Charles Gordon , Canadian football player* Charles Gordon , watercolor artist...
was briefly commandant-general in 1882. He was succeeded by Col Zachary Bayly
Zachary Bayly
Colonel Zachary Stanley Bayly CMG was a South African colonial military commander. He was commissioned in the British Army, and was stationed in the Cape Colony from 1877....
(1882-1892).
Compulsory registration of men for the Burgher Force ended in 1884, effectively disbanding the force.
Fears of a British war with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
stimulated the formation of more than a dozen volunteer units, including the Cape Town Highlanders
Cape Town Highlanders Regiment
The Cape Town Highlanders Regiment is a mechanised infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit.-History:...
(1885- )and the Cape Town Irish Volunteer Rifles
Cape Town Irish Volunteer Rifles
The Cape Town Irish Volunteer Rifles were a volunteer part-time military unit, which existed for a few years in late Victorian South Africa.The unit was formed in Cape Town in 1885, in response to fears of a war between the United Kingdom and Russia....
(1885-1891), the Kimberley Volunteers (1887-1890), the Volunteer Medical Staff Corps (later Cape Medical Corps) (1889- ), the Uitenhage Volunteer Rifles (1892-1913), and several small units in country towns. The Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
coast defences were upgraded, and the Cape Town Volunteer Engineers converted into the Cape Garrison Artillery
Cape Garrison Artillery
The Cape Garrison Artillery is an artillery regiment of the South African Army. There have been two regiments of the name: one a coast artillery regiment, the other an anti-aircraft regiment. The latter is part of the South African Army Artillery Formation.-1859-1866:The forerunner of the...
. In 1893, the small country units were grouped together as the Western Rifles.
Command of the Colonial Forces was divided in 1892, between a Colonial Military Secretary (Col Philip Homan-ffoliiott) who controlled the CMR and the headquarters staffs, and a Commandant of Volunteers (Col Richard Southey
Richard Southey
Colonel Richard George Southey CB CMG was a South African colonial military commander. His father, Sir Richard Southey, was a high-ranking Cape civil servant....
), in charge of the part-time forces.
In 1896, the volunteer units in Griqualand West were formed into the Griqualand West Brigade, and the field and garrison artillery were combined to form the Cape Artillery.
In 1897, the Colonial Forces were deployed in the Bechuanaland Campaign in the northern Cape, to apprehend three fugitive Tswana chiefs.
1899–1902
From 1899 to 1902, South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
was ravaged by a war between the British Empire - including the Cape Colony
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
and Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
- and the Boer republics in the Orange Free State
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
and Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
. Boer forces invaded the Cape in 1899 and besieged Mafeking and Kimberley
Kimberley, Northern Cape
Kimberley is a city in South Africa, and the capital of the Northern Cape. It is located near the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers. The town has considerable historical significance due its diamond mining past and siege during the Second Boer War...
. The Cape government mobilised the Colonial Forces to guard railways and other lines of communication, while the British Army struggled to relieve the besieged towns. Later, units were assigned to British formations in the field, and one was detailed to escort Boer prisoners of war to Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
and Ceylon
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
For a few months in 1900, a Colonial Division, consisting of the Cape Mounted Riflemen and several volunteer units under Brig Gen Edward Brabant
Edward Brabant
Major-General Sir Edward Yewd Brabant, KCB, CMG, born 1839, was a South African colonial military commander. He served in the 9th Xhosa War , First Matabele War , and other campaigns. During the Second Boer War , he commanded the Colonial Division in 1900, and the Colonial Defence Force of Cape...
, served with the British forces in the Orange Free State.
In January 1901, after a second Boer incursion, the government formed the Colonial Defence Force (CDF), under Brig Gen Brabant. It consisted of dozens of town guards and district mounted troops, for local defence, and a few mobile units, which were placed under British Army command. In December 1901, the CDF was merged with the Colonial Forces, which were renamed the Cape Colonial Forces (CCF).
The war ended in British victory in 1902.
1903–1913
From 1903, the Cape Colonial Forces consisted of the Defence Department under a commandant-general, the Cape Mounted Riflemen, and the Volunteer Force. The post-war commandants-general were Maj Gen Sir Edward BrabantEdward Brabant
Major-General Sir Edward Yewd Brabant, KCB, CMG, born 1839, was a South African colonial military commander. He served in the 9th Xhosa War , First Matabele War , and other campaigns. During the Second Boer War , he commanded the Colonial Division in 1900, and the Colonial Defence Force of Cape...
was commandant-general (1903-1904) and Col Henry Lukin
Henry Lukin
Major General Sir Henry Timson Lukin KCB, CMG, DSO was a South African military commander. He fought in the Anglo-Zulu War and the Basutoland Gun War , the Bechuanaland Campaign , and the Anglo-Boer War when he was in command of the artillery during the defence of Wepener for which action he was...
(1904-1912).
Most of the pre-war volunteer units continued, but none of the wartime units was retained. A few new units were formed, including the Cape Peninsula Rifles (1903-1926), and the Cape Naval Volunteers (1905-2005).
King Edward VII recognised the CCF's wartime service by granting its units King's Colours in 1904.
Imperial Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
became the new threat to British interests, and the CMR was mobilised in 1906 to fight off the Ferreira Raid, a small armed incursion from German South West Africa. In 1907, a defence plan was prepared in case of a full-scale German invasion.
When the Cape Colony became a province of the new Union of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 1910, the CCF were placed under the new defence ministry in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
. They were disbanded when the Union Defence Forces
South African National Defence Force
The South African National Defence Force is the armed forces of South Africa. The military as it exists today was created in 1994, following South Africa's first post-apartheid national elections and the adoption of a new constitution...
(UDF) were formed in 1912, and in 1913 most of the CCF units were incorporated into the UDF. The remainder were disbanded.