Latest topics | » Punch's view of Chelmsford's tactics!Today at 11:37 am by lydenburg » Writing adviceTue Mar 26, 2024 2:26 pm by Julian Whybra » Private John Scott 24th Regiment a fugitive at largeWed Mar 20, 2024 12:53 pm by Dash » Sergeant W E Warren RA - VeteranTue Mar 19, 2024 9:32 pm by Matthew Turl » Your favourite line from Zulu or Zulu DawnTue Mar 19, 2024 4:52 pm by Julian Whybra » 100,000 posts!Tue Mar 19, 2024 2:20 pm by Julian Whybra » Zulu Dawn/Zulu - New Immortals Film The Way Forward ?Sat Mar 16, 2024 2:34 pm by jgregory » Badge on 2/60th and 3/60th foreign service helmets Sat Mar 16, 2024 11:05 am by John Young » Corporal James Frowen Williams F Company. Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:08 am by Julian Whybra » British rations and moraleMon Mar 11, 2024 11:05 pm by Julian Whybra » Blue Plaque to James Egan, alias Private HaganMon Mar 11, 2024 9:16 pm by ADMIN» A few questions regarding Rorke's Drift and IsandlwanaWed Mar 06, 2024 9:16 pm by Julian Whybra » William J Hoare 24th Regiment??Sun Mar 03, 2024 7:08 pm by Dash » Swinburn Carbine issue in AZWThu Feb 29, 2024 12:53 pm by Rob D » Australians who went to Zululand and fought in the 1879 war.Thu Feb 29, 2024 8:39 am by John Young » Philip Price Thu Feb 29, 2024 7:55 am by Julian Whybra » Alfred Fairlie Henderson Thu Feb 29, 2024 7:47 am by RoryReynolds » August Hammar Letter Dated 6th Jan 1879Thu Feb 22, 2024 8:34 pm by Stefaan » Bearing The Cross by Ken Blakeson | BBC RADIO DRAMA: Ken Blakeson's play tells the story of the Battle of Rorke's Drift and the effect it had on three of the soldiers who fought in it.Wed Feb 21, 2024 10:57 am by Julian Whybra » Letter of officer during Zulu wars.Wed Feb 21, 2024 10:47 am by Julian Whybra » About the second invasionTue Feb 20, 2024 9:14 pm by 90th » Zulu Festival Brecon July 2024Sat Feb 17, 2024 7:35 pm by John Young » Watford band boys killed at iSandlwanaFri Feb 16, 2024 8:26 am by Julian Whybra » Private J. McCrudden 1/13 Foot Sun Feb 11, 2024 3:10 am by 90th » Death of Michael Jayson (Zulu Dawn)Thu Feb 08, 2024 9:55 pm by ADMIN» The anniversary of 22nd January in 2024Thu Feb 08, 2024 3:51 pm by luke1997 » What was the distance?Thu Feb 08, 2024 8:46 am by Stefaan » Mrs Henry HookTue Feb 06, 2024 3:14 pm by Kenny » "With 6 good riflemen"Mon Feb 05, 2024 2:30 pm by Mr M. Cooper » What was G company supposed to do?Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:31 pm by Julian Whybra » Private 1445 Charles Meates 17th Lancers and his brother William WylieFri Feb 02, 2024 10:07 pm by John Young » South Africa Medal With Clasp To Pvt J. Salter 3/60thFri Feb 02, 2024 3:12 pm by Foody » Weatherleys Border Horse FlagThu Feb 01, 2024 9:40 pm by Herbie » Edward Plantagenet Kemeys-TynteTue Jan 23, 2024 10:06 pm by Edjg » How many started?Tue Jan 23, 2024 10:10 am by Julian Whybra |
March 2024 | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
---|
| | | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | Calendar |
|
Top posting users this month | |
Zero tolerance to harassment and bullying. |
Due to recent events on this forum, we have now imposed a zero tolerance to harassment and bullying. All reports will be treated seriously, and will lead to a permanent ban of both membership and IP address.
Any member blatantly corresponding in a deliberate and provoking manner will be removed from the forum as quickly as possible after the event.
If any members are being harassed behind the scenes PM facility by any member/s here at 1879zuluwar.com please do not hesitate to forward the offending text.
We are all here to communicate and enjoy the various discussions and information on the Anglo Zulu War of 1879. Opinions will vary, you will agree and disagree with one another, we will have debates, and so it goes.
There is no excuse for harassment or bullying of anyone by another person on this site.
The above applies to the main frame areas of the forum.
The ring which is the last section on the forum, is available to those members who wish to partake in slagging matches. That section cannot be viewed by guests and only viewed by members that wish to do so. |
Fair Use Notice | Fair use notice.
This website may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owner.
We are making such material and images are available in our efforts to advance the understanding of the “Anglo Zulu War of 1879. For educational & recreational purposes.
We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material, as provided for in UK copyright law. The information is purely for educational and research purposes only. No profit is made from any part of this website.
If you hold the copyright on any material on the site, or material refers to you, and you would like it to be removed, please let us know and we will work with you to reach a resolution. |
| | Commandant Pieter Raaff CMG | |
| | Author | Message |
---|
ADMIN
Posts : 4349 Join date : 2008-11-01 Age : 64 Location : KENT
| Subject: Commandant Pieter Raaff CMG Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:43 pm | |
| [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Pieter Raaff was an Afrikaner who served the British as the commander of the Transvaal Rangers. He was born in the Orange Free State in 1849, at which time it was called Transorangia. In 1865, when he was only 16 he fought in the Boer dispute with Basutoland and took part in the storming of Thabo Bosigo's mountain stronghold. He was badly wounded in the battle. He later married Catherine who was described as a noted beauty and a magnificent horsewoman. They had five children. In 1878 he was with the Lydenberg Rifles, in Colonel Hugh Rowlands' column which set out to attack the stronghold of Chief Sekhukhune of the Pedi tribe. The expedition failed but Rowlands was called on to command no.5 Column in the 1879 invasion of Zululand and Pieter Raaff asked if he could raise a cavalry unit to join the column. Raaff's Transvaal Rangers were at first ordered to Derby close to the northern border of Natal, but when Rowlands' column was broken up the mounted troops were attached to Evelyn Wood's no.4 Column. The ill-conceived attack on Hlobane mountain cost many lives, especially those of the irregular cavalry under Redvers Buller's command. The Transvaal Rangers were in the group that came in from the east and scaled the heights in pouring rain. The attack looked, initially, like a success but a Zulu impi of 23,000 approached and the retreat of Buller's men began. It turned into a disastrous rout down Devil's Pass and only the actions of a few brave men prevented a total massacre. Buller singled out Pieter Raaff to praise him for his distinguished conduct. The battle that followed, at Kambula was a victory for Wood's troops and Raaff again was responsible both for giving early warning of the approach of the impi, and for leading a sortie against the right horn of the Zulu formation. He was involved in the battle of Ulundi but it was the end of the war and the irregular units were disbanded. The Transvaal Rangers went home and Raaff was awarded the Order of St Michael and St George, which he proudly wears in the photo. After the war Raaff was employed by the British as a political officer and found himself caught in the middle of a growing confrontation between the Boers and his employers. He warned the British about a Boer attempt to rescue one of their number who was being held for trial in Middelburg. When the First Boer War started, Raaff was in a dangerous situation but continued to act as a go-between for negotiations at Potchefstroom. This was a fortified town with British troops which eventually came under attack from 4,000 Boers. They forced the surrender of Raaff and other officials and they were jailed for treason. He was tried and sentenced to death. Two other Afrikaners who worked for Raaff were also tried, and executed, but Raaff was given a reprieve by Paul Kruger. The siege of Potchefstroom went on and Raaff remained in jail until the armistice was declared. Although peace came to the Transvaal, Raaff was regarded as a collaborator so he and his family moved back to the Orange Free State where he started a butchery business. He then became a gold prospector in the Transvaal for a few years, until Rhodes and Jameson began their incursion into what became Rhodesia. Raaff migrated north to settle there and achieved prominence as the Resident Magistrate of the Fort Tuli District in Mashonaland. When the Matabele War began Raaff re-raised the Transvaal Rangers and led one of the columns which set out to capture King Lobengula. This was the war in which Major Allan Wilson's Shangani patrol made a famous last stand, on 4th Dec 1893, against 3,000 Matabele warriors. The rest of the field force was in a desperate situation and the commander, Major Forbes, was held responsible for Wilson's death. The second in command was Pieter Raaff and it was up to him to take charge and extricate the army from destruction. They had to leave their fortified camp without alerting the Matabele so Raaff ordered that dummies be constructed, dressed in uniform, and dummy guns placed on the ramparts, to fool the tribesmen into thinking they were still there. This gave them time to get away, but it was a fighting retreat. They reached the relief force, led by Cecil Rhodes, and Raaff was treated as a hero. This was the crowning moment of his military career but soon afterwards, in 1894, he died. The cause of his death is a bit of a mystery, but was thought to be a bowel inflammation. His wife survived him by many years, dying at the age of 93 in the 1950s. Source:http://www.britishempire.co.uk/ |
| | | | Commandant Pieter Raaff CMG | |
|
Similar topics | |
|
| Permissions in this forum: | You cannot reply to topics in this forum
| |
| |
| |