Information on Harry Boik Trooper 141 NATAL MOUNTED POLICE

Posts : 1 Join date : 2020-11-10

Hi I am new to this site and don't know how to navigate around properly it yet, can anyone give me any information concerning my Great Uncle Harry Boik. Names of members of his surviving family and if they wish to get in touch. I know he was in the Zulu war but was he at Rorke's Drift I have conflicting info on this. I have been told he is mentioned in various books but don,t know of the titles, my Dad used to talk about him a lot and said he was a remarkable man and pioneer.
Thanks, Michael Boik in the UK

Michael
On the top line above there is a search facility, type in Boik. There was a relative looking for info on him some time back so you will find chapter and verse on him.

Cheers

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Subject: Information on Harry Boik Trpr 141 NMP Thu Nov 12, 2020 2:30 am

Harry Boik certainly wasn't involved in the defence of RD on the 22nd or 23rd Jan , was possibly out with Chelmsford or Dartnell. If so he would've arrived at RD on the morning of the 23rd Jan after the fighting had ceased . I see he's entitled to the Medal with Clasp 1879 , so he certainly was in Zululand at some stage between Jan - Sep .
90th Salute

Posts : 947 Join date : 2011-10-21 Location : Algoa Bay

Hi Michael,

See my pm.

barry

Symons gave the number of Police on 11th January 1879 as 4 officers under Dartnell and 128 men. This excluded HQ and the Harding detachment left to guard the Pondoland border. Holt also gave the actual number assembled for the invasion as 111 incl. Dartnell, a figure taken from Trpr. Clarke's roll. On the 23rd January Clarke used his 134-man roll to confirm N.M.P. casualties; three (Sub-Insp. Fred. W. Bampton, Trprs. Bacon, Patrick) were not on the medal roll. Either the remaining 131 were all on the Mangeni or 20 men must have left camp (on escort duty rearwards? under Bampton?) so that Clarke could both have a roll of 134 and a presence of 111.
Three men were at Rorke’s Drift hospital and 34 at Isandhlwana (incl. Trpr. Parsons sent back to camp by Dartnell for accidentally firing his revolver). The likelihood is that 3 officers and 70 men(possibly 90) were on the Mangeni (and Dartnell, under the General Staff figure). Norris-Newman estimated the number sent out on Dartnell’s patrol at “100 Mounted Police, and fifty Volunteers”, which, realistically, could confirm either total of 74 or 94 men.
Boik might have been out with Dartnell's patrol, equally he might not; there is no independent corroboration (yet).