A tank regiment rolls out its history

MARK LEVIN

Some of South Africa’s oldest regiments are from KwaZulu-Natal and since 1994, most have recorded their histories: Natal Carbineers, 15 Maintenance Unit, Umvoti Mounted Rifles, Durban Light Infantry, Natal Field Artillery and now, Natal Mounted Rifles.

Launched at their headquarters in Durban, the 800 page volume is titled Rough but Ready, the updated history of the Natal Mounted Rifles and is compiled by Clive Wilsworth with Alec van Rooyen, Matthew Everitt and Wray Mayne.

The title is taken from the regiment’s motto, behind which is a much told story. A few months before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War in 1899, the Governor of Natal, Sir Walter Hely- Hutchinson, visited the regiment’s officers’ mess. He remarked on the absence of “plate” (regimental silver), adding “This is spartan and what I like to see - rough and ready.”

The medical officer then placed the boot of Captain Vause on the table, exclaiming ,” This is all the plate we have.”

The boot and spur together with the motto “Rough but Ready” eventually became NMR’s badge and motto, which still exist today. It should be added that their regimental silver is today a great deal more impressive.

The authors have covered the events of NMR using the regiment’s Battle Honours as their chronological guide. It is striking how many well known Durban families served in the regiment and its antecedents, sometimes over generations. Too often, the supreme sacrifice would be made in times of war.

In one photograph, two of the Stainbank brothers, William and Arthur, stand outside the Escombe Station ready to mobilise on the outbreak of World War 1. Neither would survive: William died of disease in England in 1916 aged 24; Arthur was killed in action in Flanders (Belgium) in 1917. His name appears on the Main Gate to the Missing of Ypres in Belgium. He was only 23. Both boys had been educated at Michaelhouse and had played rugby for Natal before the war. Their younger brother Kenneth, was behind the establishment of Yellowwood Park and the donation of the land around Coedmore Castle, which became the Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve. It had been their family home.

The Evans family also made the supreme sacrifice not once but twice.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Winter Evans served with distinction during the Siege of Ladysmith and was mentioned in dispatches. While commanding NMR, he was killed in action in a raid on a farm near Vryheid in February 1902, just three months before the war ended.

His son, Alfred, had barely finished his schooling at DHS when he joined NMR. He immediately displayed the same mettle as his father.

While scouting an area just north of Ladysmith in October 1899, he unhesitatingly risked his life while under fire, to aid a fellow trooper. Such was his gallantry, that some believed he would be awarded a Victoria Cross.

The Taddy cigarette company jumped the gun and actually produced a cigarette card in their Boer War VC series showing Trooper Evans wearing a VC.

Instead, Evans was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Unlike his father, young Evans survived the Boer War. His luck ran out in the First World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) while commanding the 3rd Battalion New Zealand Rifle Brigade in France, but at Passchendaele he was killed in action on October 12, 1917 aged 36. His memorabilia is in the NMR museum.

One member who was awarded the Victorian Cross was Edwin Swales, another product of DHS (which continues to honour his memory). Swales served with NMR until January 1942 when he was selected for pilot training with the SA Air Force.

The following year, he was seconded to the Royal Air Force (RAF) where he was described as “simply oozing guts.”

Indeed he was returning from a bombing raid over Pforzheim on February 23 1945. Captain Swales realised he would be able to bring his stricken Lancaster bomber swiftly back to base. Determined to save his crew, he ordered them to bail out while he remained at the controls. In doing so, he would not be able to save himself. The Lancaster crashed and burst into flames with Swales still at the controls. As was so poignantly expressed in his VC citation, “ he did his duty to the last, giving his life that his comrades might live.” Nine weeks later, Hitler committed suicide and the war in Europe ended.

Not all events ended so tragically. During the Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, an NMR assault on the enemy came at a cost of many lives. One of the fortunate few was Lt. Pat Lyster, who was struck in the chest by a 9mm round from a German Luger. He was probably spared because his soldier’s paybook was in his breast pocket. His son still has the bloodied paybook.

Lyster was a Natal and Springbok rugby player before the war. He played two tests against Australia in 1933 (aged 20) and was part of the legendary 1937 team that toured New Zealand. Yet his most thrilling match was the “informal” one played between the South Africans and New Zealanders at Bagush in the Western Desert in 1941. Although the South Africans lost 8 -0, the mixture of rivalry and camaraderie in the midst of war was priceless.

While stationed in Egypt, Lyster met the love of his life, Jean Matthews. A nurse, she had been sent to Cairo at her own request. On their second date, he proposed; she accepted. Her account, which was recorded when she was 90, is a delight to read. After the South African forces left for Italy, they were eventually able to arrange their wedding in Rome. Jean managed to scrounge some extra eggs, one to wash her hair, the rest for the cake. Her hair looked lovely; the cake was rock hard - “you almost broke a knife to cut it. Nevertheless, she sent a piece to Lyster’s mother.

The Lysters were fortunate, but the Roll of Honour recording the war dead is a permanent reminder of the terrible toll wrought by the war. There is a moving photograph included in the book showing three simple graves, each with a cross, of three NMR troopers killed by a booby trap at a village well in Italy.

The authors have given a brief background to each conflict and other key events . This has been fleshed out by the inclusion of many photographs and extracts from war diaries, letters and newspaper clippings.

While there are a few errors and the occasional awkwardness in the layout and design, it does not detract from the overall achievement of this updated history.

Each of the Rolls of Honour was compiled by Kevin Jordan from Glenwood High School. The wealth of detail in each Roll deserves a special mention.

The considerable support given to the research and publication by the NMR Board of Management is to their credit. Few of the surviving regiments in South Africa still have the inclination or resources to fund this type of endeavour.

It is unlikely that there will be many regimental histories in future years. In part this is a reflection of the SANDF’s own ambivalence about anything before 1994. The failure of a single serving member from any of NMR’s fellow KZN regiments to even attend the book launch is an indication of the changing nature of the regiments - regiments which once shared the pleasures of mess evenings in peacetime, and the horror of the battlefield in wartime.

In 2019, the majority of the reserve regiments had their names changed although some believe changes were never gazetted. NMR was renamed Queen Nandi Mounted Rifles (QNMR). With its origins stretching back over 170 years to 1854, it has history entwined with that of South Africa and the two world wars. Equally, its history is part of that of Durban and KwaZulu Natal. Not for nothing does QNMR have the freedom of the City of Durban and that of five towns: Stanger, Matatiele, Pinetown, Hillcrest and Ladysmith.

For those interested in the book, it is suggested that Wray Mayne be contacted at 0768468033. The Regiment and its museum are still housed in what was Durban’s first airport in Masabalala Yengwa Avenue (NMR Avenue). Check about opening times, but the superb collection of memorabilia and artefacts on display in the museum are well worth a visit.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE