Brabants Horse

[JulianB]

I have a 1917 MGC officer (originally from Canada) who had previously seen service with Brabants Horse. I suspect this was South Africa and therefore a bit off topic, but could anyone kindly give the the basic details of what this unit was.

thanks

Julian

[Paul Johnson]

Julian,

My understanding is that the Brabants Horse (and the Boer War is not my field) was a British Irregular Force. There were two Regiments of Brabants Horse with a combined force of 1050 in 1900.

Hope This Helps a little.

Rgards

PAUL JOHNSON

[Guest Pete Wood]

From various sources on the web:

It was an colonial irregular contingent formed in South Africa for the duration of the Second Boer War.

Brabant became the Brigadier General of the Eastern Cape troops which

included the Cape Mounted rifles, 79th Battery of the RFA, Brabants Horse,

Kaffrarian rifles, Queenstown Volunteers and part of the 1st Royal Scots.

They operated round the Queenstown/Dordrecht area and moved north to hold

the Jammersburg Drift at Wepener, which they did under appaling rain and

cold against a superior Boer force led by de Wet. Some believe that had de

Wet continued his way south destroying lines of communication thus holding

up Roberts advance instead of besieging this force for 16 days things

might have gone quite differently.

NRA references for Brabant's Horse (Boer War period?):

WO 126/6 A-B

WO 126/7 C-D

W/O 126/8 E-G

WO 126/9 H-I

WO126/10 J-L

WO126/11 Ma-Mi

WO 126/12 Mo-P

WO126/13 Q-S

WO126/14 T-Z.