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A Civil Servant in the Western Province Mounted Rifles - N.C. Leith 10 years 2 weeks ago #40732
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Norman Campbell Leith
Trooper, Western Province Mounted Rifles – Anglo Boer War - Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Cape Colony and South Africa 1901 - Coronation Medal 1937 (unnamed as issued) Norman Leith was born in the small town of Somerset East in the Eastern Cape of South Africa on 29 April 1880. His father William Leith was a Reverend in the local church and had married his mother Helen Campbell in Wigtown, Scotland on 28 October 1869 before emigrating to South Africa. Settlers living in the dry, arid Eastern Cape were a hardy bunch – they had to be – for many years the region was plagued by marauding kafir tribes which led to as many as nine Frontier wars before the dust finally settled and the population could get on with their lives in relative peace. At some point Leith left the safety and security of his family and set up house in far away Cape Town where he entered the employ of the Treasury Department of the Cape Colonial Civil Service on 21 January 1898 at the age of 18. For Campbell this was to be his only occupation until his retirement many years later. October of 1899 saw the declaration of war between the might of the Empire on the one hand and two small but recalcitrant Boer Republics to the North of the Cape Colony on the other. The Cape was a British Colony under the sovereignty of the Queen and, although really threatened by the Boers was subject to numerous incursions into its territory by them, especially in the Eastern parts from whence Leith hailed. Regiments like the Western Province Mounted Rifles were called into being when the second invasion of the Cape Colony took place in December 1900 to assist the more regular army regiments such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Volunteer Rifles and the Cape Town Highlanders in order to thwart any potential threat that was to come their way. It was this outfit that Leith joined being assigned no. 50 and the rank of Trooper. Recruiting from the Civil Service in the main they reached a strength of over 500 and as soon as a squadron was ready it took to the field, because the enemy in the first week of January 1901 had reached within a day's ride of Cape Town. During January and February the corps was constantly in action. In a telegram from Clanwilliam, dated 31st January, the Press Association correspondent remarked that a detachment under Lieutenant Hellawell had driven 150 Boers from the Pakhuis Pass. Throughout 1901 and 1902 the corps did an immense amount of arduous work in the extreme south-west of the Colony. They were often far from support and in a district much favoured by the enemy, and one almost impossible for regular troops. The corps had endless little engagements, frequently involving sharp casualties, and if they had a good many patrols captured this may be attributed to their being more than usually split up into little detachments at the request of the officer who commanded the district. A patrol on 4th August 1901 made a smart capture of 7 prisoners, 70 horses, and 1000 rounds of ammunition but is not known whether or not Leith was among their number. Leith took his discharge from the W.P.M.R. in 1901, before the war ended in May 1902. For his service he was awarded the Queens Medal with clasps to the Cape Colony and South Africa 1901. For some obscure reason the medal roll recorded his names as Thomas Campbell Leith instead of Norman and it was with the initial “T.C.” that the medal was impressed being corrected very neatly later on to reflect the correct initials of “N.C.” – medal itself was, according to the roll, issued on 7 April 1909 to Mr. N.C. Leith “Treasury Dept., Cape Town” According to the Cape Civil List of that year Leith was a 3rd Class Clerk in the Accounting Branch of the Treasury under Mr P. Rainier and was earning a wage of 150 pounds. A year later he was promoted to 2nd Class Clerk on a salary of 240 pounds per annum. Romance struck in 1911 when he wed Minnie Winifred Solomon. The Antenuptial Contract entered into by the couple on 6 April 1911 mentioned that Leith was “of Pretoria at present Cape Town” this possibly indicated that he had been transferred or seconded to Pretoria as the new seat of government of the Union of South Africa which had come about on 31 May 1910. In terms of the Agreement Leith signed over to his wife to be two life assurance contracts totalling 500 pounds promising to maintain the premium payments on these as well buying for her 200 pounds worth of household furniture. Ere long the first and only child of the marriage came along with the birth of Winifred Pilkington on 13 January 1912. The family were now resident at 227 Preller Street, Pretoria. That Leith became a Public Servant of some substance was evidenced by his inclusion among the recipients of the 1937 Coronation Medal celebrating King George VI’s elevation to the throne. This medal, unnamed, was awarded to civil and society dignitaries in the main. Little is known of Leith’s movements subsequent to this and he is next encountered on his passing away on 6 May 1972 at the age of 92. He and his wife had moved to Greytown in the Natal Midlands and were living at 205 Cathcart Street for nine months before moving to Sunnyside Park (an old age home) in Pietermaritzburg. Sadly his wife Minnie , doubtless broken by his passing, died the very next day. 
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A Civil Servant in the Western Province Mounted Rifles - N.C. Leith 10 years 2 weeks ago #40736
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Rory,
As always a concise and interesting write up. Congratulations on your acquisition. Regards Paul  "From a billow of the rolling veldt we looked back, and black columns were coming up behind us."
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A Civil Servant in the Western Province Mounted Rifles - N.C. Leith 10 years 1 week ago #40788
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A Civil Servant in the Western Province Mounted Rifles - N.C. Leith 10 years 1 week ago #40799
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