Recently, whilst in Oldmeldrum, Aberdeenshire, I visited the parish churchyard and near the gate came across this tombstone:
So who was Alexander Boggie ‘a pioneer of Kimberley, Barberton and Rhodesia‘? The following fascinating account of this pioneer written by Bob Manser and Eddy Norris was kindly shared on ‘Our Rhodesian Heritage’
Alexander Boggie was born on 8th May , 1861 at Liverpool, Lancashire, England
His father was also named Alexander and his younger brother was William (‘Major Boggie”). Alexander was approximately 15 months older than William.
It may seem odd that the elder brother was born in Liverpool and William, a short while later born in Edinburgh but the Boggie’s seemed to have had family ties in both Scotland and England (Liverpool) going back to their grandfathers days.
Records show that he was educated privately, and at various public schools in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and London. His education however must have been rather disjointed and complex as it states the family went to South Africa in 1869 when he was about 8 years old. It is mentioned that he was at the diamond fields of Kimberly in 1871 when the great mine was discovered. I cannot find any reason for his parents to have gone to South Africa, possibly his father was transferred there by some banking company whom he worked for, or like many other to seek a new life, excited by both the diamond and gold fever which was quite acute at that time.
He returned to Scotland with his mother in 1875 on the death of his father, this must have made him about 14 years old so one wonders how he managed all his schooling in both England and Scotland.
He returned to South Africa in 1883, then a young man of 21, and presumably tried his luck with various business enterprises in the boom town of Kimberly. He also joined the rush to the De Kaap and Barberton gold fields so he certainly had the mining bug well in his system.
He visited Swaziland in 1886 and opened negotiations with Umbandine, the Swazi King , with a view to getting a gold concession in this country. This he succeeded in doing so and as soon as this became publicly known a rush for concessions to Swaziland took place.
In 1888 he visited Matabeleland on a similar mission to try and gain concessions from Lobengula as it was thought that there were similar great gold deposits to be found there, equal those in the Rand .
In this particular venture to Lobengula he joined forces with J. Cooper- Chadwick and a fellow named Wilson. Sometime during these prolonged concession seeking efforts he split from this partnership as he appreciated the strength of the other parties also pressing the Matabele King. The main contenders, namely Rudd and Maguire, whom he knew were backed by the then powerful Cecil Rhodes so he did not press for his own claims. History shows that the Rudd Concession was eventually achieved for Rhodes’s syndicate although the actual legality of this concession was always regarded as doubtful.
It is interesting to note here that Alexander’s companion, Coooper-Chadwick spent nearly three years on the outskirts of Lobengula’s kraal , some of this was owing to his tenacity and some of it he states was involuntary as at times he was a semi prisoner and not allowed to leave.
Cooper-Chadwick wrote a book about his adventures called “Three years with Lobengula” ( re printed in the Books of Rhodesia series by the late Lois Bolze)
Alexander remained in the new Rhodesian town of Bulawayo in the early 1890’s after the Pioneer Column entered and occupied the country on behalf of the British South Africa Company. By that time Lobengula had fled northwards , chased by the BSA Co’s troops and died somewhere in the Gwaai River area.
Alexander was soon to be involved in both the Matabele rebellions of 1893 and 1896 and at one stage was specially commissioned by the authorities to procure from the Bechuanaland Protectorate( Botswana) and expedite the forwarding of provisions to the beleaguered town of Bulawayo.
During the second Boer War of 1899-1902 he acted as a special correspondent for the Rhodesian press in this campaign.
When peace eventually came to Rhodesia at the end of 1896 he appeared to have been well settled in Bulawayo and took a great interest in it’s affairs both commercial and otherwise.
He was on the board of various gold mining, land and other companies in Bulawayo and on most public bodies of the town, plus being Hon. Chief of the Bulawayo Caledonian Society.
He certainly had no apparent interest in military matters , unlike his younger brother ,”The Major”, and he never married, and as I previously mentioned, there appeared little social contact with ‘The Major’ or Jeannie Boggie.
Alexander also wrote a book on his experiences in Rhodesia and is titled “From Ox Wagon to Railway”
The interesting thing about this book was that is was the FIRST book to be printed in Rhodesia by the Times Printing Works Bulawayo in 1897.
As he had entered the country as early as 1888 and had been involved in the Rebellions of 93 and 96 he was naturally entitled to membership of the Rhodesia Pioneers’ And Early Settlers’ Society.
At some stage he left Bulawayo, possibly deciding to retire, and returned to his beloved Old Meldrum in Scotland. There he died on the 5th of October 1922 aged only 61. His death certificate describing the cause of death as acute bronchitis and oedema of the lungs.
