Lot Essay
The Natal Mounted Police
Raised by Major Dartnell in 1874, the N.M.P. was never given the same opportunities as the Frontier Armed and Mounted Police, later Cape Mounted Riflemen, always having difficulty in trying to obtain proper arms and equipment. Nonetheless, the Corps always attracted a 'very good class of recruit', and in 1877, when Shepstone annexed the Transvaal, a 25-strong N.M.P. Contingent acted as his sole escort. Moreover, of those men who served in the Zulu War of 1879, over 30 lost their lives at Isandhlwana. The unit was issued with 256 Medals, 167 of them with the '1879' clasp.
Raised by Major Dartnell in 1874, the N.M.P. was never given the same opportunities as the Frontier Armed and Mounted Police, later Cape Mounted Riflemen, always having difficulty in trying to obtain proper arms and equipment. Nonetheless, the Corps always attracted a 'very good class of recruit', and in 1877, when Shepstone annexed the Transvaal, a 25-strong N.M.P. Contingent acted as his sole escort. Moreover, of those men who served in the Zulu War of 1879, over 30 lost their lives at Isandhlwana. The unit was issued with 256 Medals, 167 of them with the '1879' clasp.