Kimberley Mobilises for the First World War – 1914

Only weeks after the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Kimberley was already preparing for the demands that the conflict might place upon the city. The Kimberley Regiment had been mobilised, but many other local residents were enthusiastic about contributing to the war effort. On 27 August 1914, a public meeting was held at Kimberley Town Hall, and the Kimberley Defence Rifle Association was formed.

The Association was organised into four squadrons representing different parts of the city:

• A Squadron – Business Centre
• B Squadron – Belgravia
• C Squadron – De Beers
• D Squadron – Transvaal Road area

Among those involved was Lieutenant-Colonel Robert George Scott VC, one of Kimberley’s best-known soldiers, who had already distinguished himself during the Second Anglo-Boer War. Within a month, the Defence Rifle Association had become the Kimberley Central Commando, reflecting the rapid mobilisation across South Africa as the country entered the First World War.

Did You Know?

By 1914, Kimberley had a long military tradition. Only fourteen years earlier, the city had endured the 124-day Siege of Kimberley during the Second Anglo-Boer War.

Tony Harris – A Double Springbok from the Diamond Fields – 1916

Two years later, on 27 August 1916, Terence Anthony “Tony” Harris was born in Barkly West. Harris would become one of the most remarkable sportsmen produced by the Diamond Fields. Educated at Christian Brothers’ College in Kimberley, he excelled at rugby, cricket, tennis and golf.

His achievements were extraordinary. Harris represented South Africa in both rugby and cricket, making him a double Springbok. As a young flyhalf, he toured New Zealand with the famous 1937 Springbok rugby team and played in two Test victories against the All Blacks. He later represented South Africa at Test cricket, making his international debut against England in 1947.

His sporting career was interrupted by the Second World War. Harris served as a pilot with the South African Air Force and was shot down off northern Italy in February 1945. He survived for several days in a dinghy before being rescued and spent the final months of the war as a prisoner of war. After the war, he returned to competitive cricket. Tony Harris died in Plettenberg Bay on 7 March 1993.

Did You Know?

While at Christian Brothers’ College, Tony Harris captained the school’s cricket, rugby and tennis teams. By the age of 17 he was already playing first-class cricket for Griqualand West.

The Rhodes Trophy and Kimberley’s Black Rugby Heritage – 1898

Another important sporting event also concluded in Kimberley on 27 August. In 1898, Kimberley hosted the inaugural Rhodes Trophy rugby tournament, one of the earliest organised inter-provincial competitions for Black and Coloured rugby players in South Africa. The tournament began on 20 August at the Corporation Athletic Ground in Beaconsfield, close to Green Point Location, and concluded on 27 August 1898.

The competition developed from the South African Coloured Rugby Football Board, whose organisers secured a trophy from Cecil Rhodes for an inter-provincial tournament. The Rhodes Trophy would continue, in various forms, for many decades and became an important institution within South Africa’s non-racial rugby tradition at a time when racial segregation increasingly shaped organised sport. Its beginnings in Kimberley remind us of the city’s surprisingly important place in the early history of South African rugby.

Did You Know?

Kimberley played an important role in developing organised rugby among communities excluded from the white rugby establishment. The first Rhodes Trophy tournament took place in Beaconsfield in 1898, more than half a century before apartheid formally divided South African sport.

Kimberley’s Story Continues

August 27 brings together three very different parts of Kimberley’s history: military mobilisation during the First World War, the remarkable sporting career of Tony Harris, and an early chapter in South Africa’s Black and Coloured rugby tradition. Together they show how Kimberley’s story extends far beyond diamonds. The city has also played an important role in South African military, sporting and social history.