The Nottingham Road Rifle Association.

Queen's South Africa Medal with no clasp.
Trooper A. Stead, Nottingham Road Rifle Association.

Queen's South Africa Medal with no clasp.
Trooper W. Woodhouse, Nottingham Road Rifle Association.

The town of Nottingham Road is located in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa 19km south of Mooi River and 59km north west of the provincial capital Pietermaritzburg. European settlement in this area had started in the first half of the 19th century but increased in pace from 1849 onwards with the implementation of various immigration schemes designed to attract settlers to the region. One such was the Byrne Immigration Scheme, which for a sum of £10 provided the sea voyage from England to Durban and an allotment of 20 acres of land. The settlers who arrived in this area found much of the land infertile and totally unsuitable for farming and, in addition, had to contend with native raids on their cattle and horses. Wild animals, such as elephants, lions, leopards, and wild dogs, were abundant, and caused further loss of livestock. In 1856, the 45th (Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot finished construction of a fort intended to bring an end to native cattle raiding and this location became known as Nottingham Road.
The Nottingham Road Rifle Association was formed in January 1889. Its members used the Martini Henry rifle, the recoil from which could badly bruise one's shoulder. When the South African War broke out in October 1899, there were fears that Boer forces would rapidly move south and occupy Pietermaritzburg. Consequently, Town Guards were established in many places and the local Rifle Associations were called out.

When the Boers reached Mooi River, the Nottingham Road Rifle Association, under the command of Major George Ross, along with other irregular units, were called on to patrol the area in order to ascertain the position and strength of the Boer forces until regular troops could arrive. The contemporary historian Clement Stott, author of “The Boer Invasion of Natal” described these men as “local farmers ... [who] rendered most valuable assistance on account of their knowledge of the surrounding country."

One British officer who served briefly with these local forces was 29-year-old Major Hubert Gough who had arrived in Durban on 23 November 1899. He was immediately sent up to Nottingham Road by the night train and he was very impressed with what he later saw. In his own words "Here I joined a Rifle Association (actually a squadron of the Natal Carbineers) composed of about 80 loyal Natal farmers, riding their own horses and providing a few necessaries in the way of kit. I found them a friendly, practical body, ready to fight when required, but not at all inclined to gallop thoughtlessly into danger. My military experience of this war began at once. At dawn next morning we set forth on reconnaissance east of the railway. Riding with these Natal farmers, I covered about 30 miles and back in a day and returned to Nottingham Road the same evening. We did not encounter any Boers, but in that long ride I had been taught more about reconnaissance than I had learnt in over 10 years' service in the cavalry. They moved by bounds, like wild animals carefully approaching their prey, and this has now become the classic method of advance for scouts." Gough’s experiences at Nottingham Road would prove instrumental in shaping British tactical thinking as the war progressed.

In total, fewer than 45 members of the Nottingham Road Rifle Association received the Queen’s South Africa Medal. The examples shown here are named to Troopers A. Stead and W. Woodhouse. Interestingly, two of the early settlers in the region were a Matthew Stead and a William Woodhouse. (see http://shelaghspencer.com/settlers/) Could these have been related to the recipients of these medals?

The original medal roll for the Nottingham Road Rifle Association was signed by James King, the Association’s president, on 10th March 1905 and shows that 32 Queen’s South Africa Medals were issued on 1 September 1906 to men who were “called out for active military duty against the enemy.” A supplementary roll of 9 extra names omitted from the original roll was signed by James King on 18th February 1908. For some reason the latter roll shows the rank of the recipients as “member” whereas on the original roll they are described as “trooper.”