PRIVATE / LIEUTENANT (LATER CAPTAIN, AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE) W.G.P. NORDMAN (NORDEMAN IN SOME RECORDS), TWICE VOLUNTEERED FOR SERVICE IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE BOER WAR, INITIALLY AS A PRIVATE, 2ND CONTINGENT SOUTH AUSTRALIA MOUNTED RIFLES

THE QUEEN’S SOUTH AFRICA MEDAL AWARDED TO PRIVATE / LIEUTENANT (LATER CAPTAIN, AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE) W.G.P. NORDMAN (SURNAME SPELLED NORDEMAN or NORDMANN IN SOME RECORDS and NORDMAN ALSO ADOPTING THE ASSUMED NAME NORMAN DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR), WHO TWICE VOLUNTEERED FOR SERVICE IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE BOER WAR, INITIALLY AS A PRIVATE WITH THE 2ND CONTINGENT SOUTH AUSTRALIA MOUNTED RIFLES AND SUBSEQUENTLY AS A LIEUTENANT WITH THE 8TH AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH FORCE.

DURING THE BOER WAR NORDMAN SAW SERVICE WITH THE 2ND CONTINGENT SOUTH AUSTRALIAN MOUNTED RIFLES ALONGSIDE HARRY HARBORD “BREAKER” MORANT, THE ENGLISH BORN AUSTRALIAN HORSEMAN AND BUSH BALLADIST, WHO WAS CONVICTED BY COURT MARTIAL AND EXECUTED FOR MURDERING BOER PRISONERS OF WAR AND CAPTURED CIVILIANS DURING THE BOER WAR.

NORDMAN WAS COMMISSIONED CAPTAIN IN THE AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR, BUT BECAUSE TWO OF HIS BROTHERS WERE SERVING WITH THE GERMAN IMPERIAL FORCES, ONE IN THE GERMAN NAVY AND ONE IN THE GERMAN ARMY, NORDMAN’S LOYALTIES WERE SUSPECT AND HE WAS FORCED TO RESIGN HIS COMMISSION.

Queen’s South Africa Medal, 6 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Johannesburg, Diamond Hill, Belfast, South Africa 1901 (officially named, engraved in serifed capital letters: Pte. W.G.P. NORDMAN, S.A.M.R.). Attractive old dark tone, Extremely Fine.

Medal accompanied by biographical details, 2 pages copied service papers for Nordman’s second period of service in South Africa, with the 8th Australian Commonwealth Force, roll of officers and men who saw service with the 2nd Contingent, South African Mounted Rifles and medal roll confirming medal and clasps for service with the 2nd South Australian Mounted Rifles (on the medal roll the heading “Modder River” at the head of that column has been crossed out and a manuscript note “SA 1901” substituted in its place). Medal also accompanied by various additional copied research, including a medal roll of the 2nd Contingent, South Australia Mounted Rifles, New South Wales newspaper extracts and relevant extract from “The Colonials in South Africa”.

Wilfried (Wilfred) Gottlieb Rowland Patrick Nordman (1876-1950) was born in Vizianagaram, Madras, India, on 2/6/1876, the son of Karl Friedrich Nordman and Sarah Caddell. An article in the “Advertiser” newspaper of 20/12/1899 records Nordman as having been granted an “evening” scholarship at the University of Adelaide. Nordman’s service papers for his second period of enlistment (surname spelled Nordeman) record him as enlisting into the 8th Australian Commonwealth Force at Adelaide. At the time of enlistment Nordman gave his age as 26 years old, gave his trade as Draftsman, and confirmed that he had previously seen service for 1 year and 145 days with the 2nd South Australia Mounted Rifles Contingent. Service papers give his next of kin as his wife, Fanny Nordman.

The 2nd Contingent South African Mounted Rifles, 8 officers and 113 other ranks, embarked for South Africa from Australia on 26/1/1900, arriving at the Cape of Good Hope on 25/2/1901. The following account of the regiment’s services in South Africa is taken from John Stirling’s “The Colonials in South Africa”

“The 2nd contingent, 8 officers and 118 other ranks, commanded by Captain C. J. Reade, embarked on the Surrey on 26th January 1900, arrived at the Cape on 25th February, and at De Aar on 6th March. Here they at once marched off as a portion of a column designed to put down the rebellion about Prieska. Some very hard riding was done, but the squadron managed to bring back their horses in fair condition to De Aar. Here they entrained for Norvals Pont and marched thence to Bloemfontein, where they joined the 1st contingent and the main army. A party of Nursing Sisters from the colony also joined the army at this time. In the advance from Bloemfontein to Pretoria, which commenced on 3rd May, the South Australians, commanded by Captain Reade, along with the Victorian M.R., Tasmanians, and a battalion of regular mounted infantry, formed the 4th Corps of Mounted Infantry under Colonel St G. C. Henry, which acted as the screen and scouts of the centre of Lord Roberts’ army. Their task entailed much hard riding, and they had fighting on many occasions, particularly between the Vaal and Pretoria. The work of Henry’s corps in these engagements was much praised. At Johannesburg the South Australians were first into the fort. Henry’s corps was engaged at Diamond Hill 11th-13th June, and thereafter held posts east of Pretoria. On 21st July the South Australians had a rather warm skirmish. On the 28th they set off in the eastern advance, still as part of Colonel Henry’s corps. The South Australians had severe fighting and some casualties about Belfast on 7th September; thereafter they marched to Komati Poort. Near that place they discovered some of the enemy’s abandoned guns. They were in the big review at the Poort on 28th September. On 9th October the two contingents entrained for Pretoria. Soon after this the 1st contingent and 25 of the 2nd entrained for Cape Town, and arrived at Adelaide on 30th November. The remainder of the 2nd were attached to Alderson’s column, which was one of those employed in February and March 1901 in a big sweep through the Eastern Transvaal. On 29th March they sailed for home.”

After returning to Australia from South Africa, Nordman volunteered for a second tour of duty, was commissioned Lieutenant, “B” Squadron, 4th Troop (Port Pirie & Environs) 8th Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse (10th Contingent).

There is a good group photograph of uniformed officers of the 8th Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse, including the then Lieutenant Nordman, incorporated in the biographical sketch for Nordman on Ancestry.

The following account of the Australian Commonwealth Horse Regiment is taken from John Stirling’s “The Colonials in South Africa”.

“In December 1901 it was arranged that Federated Australia would send more men to South Africa, and on the 30th Mr Barton announced that the 1st Federal Contingent would consist of nine units, contributed as follows: New South Wales and Victoria three each, Queensland one, West Australia one, South Australia and Tasmania each one-half. But these arrangements were somewhat altered. According to the evidence given before the War Commission and the statements in the appendices, New South Wales furnished three battalions of Commonwealth Horse, which were called the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Battalions, amounting altogether to 1169 officers and men, with 1300 horses. The first lot of Commonwealth troops sailed in the latter half of February 1902. Their war service was thus short, and they had few opportunities of acquiring distinction, but they took part in the last great drives in the Western Transvaal under General Ian Hamilton, and their good work was specially referred to by Lord Kitchener in his despatch of 1st June 1902. The second lot of Commonwealth troops sailed from the various Australian ports between 1st and 10th April 1902, and on the 5th of that month it was announced that Australia would furnish a further contribution of 2000 men, being four regiments of 500 each. These were at once recruited, and sailed about the middle of May, but peace was declared before they arrived in South Africa.”

The fact that Nordman did not qualify for the South Africa 1902 clasp indicates that he did not reach South Africa and see active service there with the 8th Battalion Australian Commonwealth Horse until after 31/5/1902, by which time peace had been declared.

Following the outbreak of WW1 Nordman was commissioned Captain, Australian Imperial Force and appointed Area Officer, Surry Hills. However, because he had two brothers serving with the German Imperial Forces, one in the German navy and the other in the German army, Nordman’s loyalties were suspected and he was forced to resign his commission. The following account of his forced resignation is taken from “The Mirror of Australia”, Sunday 10th October 1915 (page 2)

“Captain Wilfried (sic) Gottlieb Nordmann, who has a brother in the German Army and another brother in the German Navy, is, we are informed, to be relieved of his position as Area Officer at Surry Hills, Sydney. An officer will be appointed temporarily in his place. It will be remembered that Captain Nordmann was given a commission in the Australian Imperial Force, but, owing to the feeling aroused amongst the men at Liverpool Camp, he was not permitted to accompany the Force to the front. Much resentment was caused at his retention in the Commonwealth Military Forces by his subsequent appointment at Surry Hills. Residents in the neighborhood desire to know whether the proposed appointment is merely temporary, in order that Captain Nordmann may resume his position after the conclusion of the war. This course would be in keeping with the attitude of the authorities throughout the present crisis.”

Nordman married Eva Fanny Harris (1868-1937) in Norwood, South Australia, on 25/9/1901. The couple had five children, two sons (one stillborn) and three daughters. The marriage was apparently not a happy one, notices being published in the New South Wales Police Gazette on 19/8/1917 and 29/9/1920 regarding arrest warrants being issued for Nordman on charges of wife desertion and breaching an order to provide his wife and children with financial support.

Nordman’s marital and financial problems were no doubt caused by the fact that he had been forced to resign his commission after it was confirmed that he was of German ancestry and that he and that he had two brothers serving with the German armed forces. The Police Gazette report of September 1920 states that by then Nordman was attempting to conceal his identitiy by using the assumed name Norman and that he was a “heavy drinker”.

Harry Harbord “Breaker” Morant, the English born Australian horseman and bush balladist, who Nordman served alongside during the Boer War, like Nordman, enlisted into the 2nd Contingent South Australia Mounted Rifles when the unit was raised in late 1899. Both men sailed together for South Africa aboard the Surrey on 26/1/1900 and both men continued to see service alongside each other until Morant returned to England for six month, shortly after the campaign in the Wittebergen, 1st-29th July 1900, in order clear some debts.

Medal accompanied by extract medal roll for Morant’s QSA, which notes that the medal and clasps to which he would have been entitled were never awarded because Morant, as a result of his crimes and execution, had been placed on a “Black List”. Had Morant been awarded a QSA he would have been entitled to the clasps Orange Free State, Cape Colony, Diamond Hill and Wittebergen, indicating that he spent a considerable period of time serving alongside Nordman in the 2nd South Australian Mounted Rifles.

A four clasp Queen’s South Africa Medal to the South Australia Mounted Rifles awarded to Private H.C. Chawker of the 2nd Contingent South Australia Mounted Rifles was sold by Noonan’s on 19/9/2013 (lot 125). That medal, auctioned over ten years ago and with only 4 clasps, sold for £800 (£1030 approx. including auctioneer’s fees, etc).