Jameson, LEANDER STARR

Jameson, LEANDER STARR, leader of the raid into the Transvaal, was born at Edinburgh 8th February 1853, studied medicine there and at London, and having gone to the Cape, settled in medical practice at Kimberley in 1878. Through Mr Rhodes he took part in pioneer work, was made administrator for the South Africa Company at Fort Salisbury, and conciliated enormous influence and popularity. During the troubles at Johannesburg between the Uitlander reform party and the Boer government, Jameson, who by order of Mr Rhodes, then Cape Premier, had concentrated the military forces of Rhodesia at Mafeking on the Transvaal frontier, started with 500 troopers to support the Reformers (29th December 1895) just when they had been intimidated by President Kruger; and after riding foodless for twenty-four hours the party encountered on 1st January 1896 an overwhelming Boer force strongly posted at Krugersdorp, to the west of Johannesburg. Surprised and disappointed that no support came to them from Johannesburg, they fought gallantly till their ammunition was exhausted and till Boer reinforcements brought up artillery. Then Jameson and 450 men surrendered, and were imprisoned at Pretoria, but handed over ere long to the British authorities for trial. Jameson, who arrived in England two months after the raid, was in August condemned to fifteen months' imprisonment, without hard labour, Sir John Willoughby, military chief of the expedition (an officer holding Her Majesty's commission), to ten months, and 'Dr Jini's' other officers to minor terms of imprisonment—all as first-class misdemeanants. The private troopers were not punished. This disastrous raid provoked the German Emperor's congratulatory letter to Kruger, which caused such fierce resentment in Britain and nearly led to war with Germany.