Thomas Lane – A Victoria Cross Recipient Who Ended His Days in Kimberley

One of the more unusual military figures associated with Kimberley was Thomas Lane, an Irish-born soldier whose remarkable life took him from the battlefields of Europe and China to southern Africa. Lane was born in Cork in 1836 and served in the British Army. On 21 August 1860, while serving as a private in the 67th Regiment of Foot during the Second Anglo-Chinese War, he took part in the assault on the heavily defended Taku Forts in northern China. During the attack, Lane and Lieutenant Nathaniel Burslem crossed the defensive ditches surrounding the North Taku Fort and attempted to enlarge an opening in the fortifications before an entrance had been secured. Both men were badly wounded during the action, but their efforts helped troops gain access to the fort.

For his bravery, Lane was awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. His later life was considerably more complicated. After leaving the British Army, he travelled widely and eventually served in southern Africa, including during the Anglo-Zulu War and in various mounted units. His military career was not without controversy, and at one stage his Victoria Cross privileges were forfeited following a conviction for desertion and theft. Lane eventually settled in Kimberley, where he served with the Kimberley Police. He died in the city in April 1889 and was buried in Gladstone Cemetery, giving Kimberley an unexpected connection with a Victoria Cross action fought almost three decades earlier and thousands of kilometres away.

Did You Know?

Thomas Lane was one of a small number of Victoria Cross recipients whose medals were formally forfeited for later misconduct. King George V subsequently established the principle that a Victoria Cross should never be forfeited, regardless of any later offence committed by its recipient. Lane's name was consequently restored to the official Victoria Cross record.

The First Presbyterian Minister Arrives

Kimberley's extraordinary growth during the diamond rush brought people from many different countries, cultures and religious traditions to the rapidly expanding settlement. On 21 August 1878, the Reverend David Brown arrived in Kimberley as the town's first Presbyterian minister. His arrival came at a time when Kimberley was changing rapidly from a rough collection of mining camps into an increasingly established town. Churches, schools, hospitals and civic organisations were being created alongside the mines, hotels, drinking houses and commercial businesses that had characterised the early diamond fields. The establishment of a Presbyterian ministry was therefore another small indication that Kimberley was becoming a permanent community rather than simply a temporary mining settlement.

Did You Know?

Kimberley's religious diversity grew rapidly during the diamond-rush years. Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist and other congregations established themselves in the town, often beginning in tents or simple corrugated-iron buildings before constructing the churches that became familiar Kimberley landmarks.

Kimberley's First Baptist Minister – 1880

Exactly two years after the arrival of Reverend David Brown, another denomination reached an important milestone. On 21 August 1880, the Reverend James Hughes arrived as Kimberley's first Baptist minister. Hughes became part of a growing religious community serving a city that was by then becoming one of southern Africa's most important industrial centres. His arrival also illustrates the extraordinary speed at which Kimberley's institutions were developing. Within little more than a decade of the first major diamond discoveries, the settlement had attracted not only miners and entrepreneurs, but teachers, doctors, nurses, clergy, architects and professionals from around the world.

Kimberley's Story Continues

The events of 21 August demonstrate the wonderfully varied nature of Kimberley's history. Thomas Lane connects the city to a distant nineteenth-century military campaign in China, while the arrivals of David Brown and James Hughes reflect Kimberley's rapid development during the diamond-rush era. Stories like these remind us that Kimberley's history was shaped not only by diamonds and famous mining magnates, but by thousands of individuals whose lives and journeys became intertwined with the growing city.