Edward Brabant

Major-General Sir Edward Yewd Brabant, KCB, CMG, born 1839, was a South African colonial military commander. He served in the 9th Xhosa War (1877-1878), First Matabele War (1893-1894), and other campaigns. During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), he commanded the Colonial Division in 1900, and the Colonial Defence Force of Cape Colony in 1901. Near the end of the war, he served as Commandant-General of the Cape Colonial Forces (1903-1904). He was knighted for his services.

First Matabele War

Captain Brabant oversaw the Ndebele employed by the British South Africa Company forces in Fort Victoria, Matabeleland (now Masvingo, Zimbabwe). He worked with "Matabele" Benjamin Wilson from Cumberland, who was one of the twelve scouts for Allan Wilson's Victoria Column. The other column scouts were: Bob Bain (Canadian), Frederick Russell Burnham (American), Jack Carruthers, Art Cummings, Duncan Dollar, Pearl "Pete" Ingram (American), Harry Lloyd, Texas Long, Billy Lynch, Andrew Main, and Billy Reed.

econd Boer War

As a Brigadier General of the Eastern Cape troops, his command included: Cape Mounted Rifles, the 79th Battery, RFA, the Kaffrarian Rifles, the Queenstown Volunteers, part of the 1st Battalion, Royal Scots, and Brabant's Horse. His units operated round the Queenstown/Dordrecht area and moved north to hold the Jammersburg Drift at Wepener, which they did under appalling rain and cold against a superior Boer force led by Christiaan De Wet.

Brabant's Horse

On 5 Nov 1899, Brabant raised the Light Horse regiment known as "Brabant's Horse." The top strength of the unit was 600, all ranks, including South African colonials, Australians, British, Canadians. The unit saw much action against Boer commandos.

Brabant's Horse was disbanded in Cape Town on December 31, 1901.

Family

His son, Lieutenant Arthur Edward Brabant, served with the Imperial Light Horse during the Second Boer War. He was wounded at the Siege of Ladysmith and died two days later on November 5, 1899.cite web |url=http://glosters.tripod.com/OfficersB.htm |title=Officers Died Boer War |accessdate=2007-08-12 |format=html |work=list]

References

* by Arthur Conan Doyle, London, Smith, Elder & Co. (1902)