Bulawayo’s 40th Anniversary in 1933 celebrating the 1893 occupation of Matabeleland

This was commemorated with the publication of the Occupation of Matabeleland: A Souvenir and another publication, Matabeleland 1893 – 1933 An Illustrated Record of the Fortieth Anniversary Celebrations of the Occupation. The official Programme of Events that were spread over the week of Monday 30 October to Sunday 5 November 1933 are given below along with some of the photos that were taken to commemorate the event.

Many veterans came from far and wide outside Matabeleland and arrived by train, car and in the case of Tex Long, aged 76 years, who left from Omaruru, 100 miles (160 kms) north of Windhoek and trekked around the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert in a little donkey cart and travelled 1,500 miles (2,414 kms) to Palapye from where he caught the train to Bulawayo.

The lavish scale of the decorations and all the arrangements for celebrating the historic occasion proved a tremendous surprise to all the veterans and their wives, their widows and visitors.

A typical comment from the veterans was, “It is nice to be made a fuss of like this. I should like to be feeling fitter. But why complain? It's great to be alive today and able to meet the old friends of 40 years ago.” They were all between 60 and 80 years of age. Some hobbled along with the aid of sticks, others walked so straight one would think they were still in the old Bechuanaland Border Police. There were grey beards and white beards, suntanned and weather beaten faces, shaded by sun-helmets, broad brimmed felt hats and even a Baden-Powell type hat. One or two of the oldest enjoyed the support of friendly arms, others found newsprint not as clear as it was a quarter of a century before and voices less distinct.

The official welcome was made by Mr T.C. Fynn, the Civil Commissioner and Chairman of the Celebrations Committee who extended an official welcome to all the veterans and their wives and widows of veterans to join in the celebrations of the fortieth anniversary of the occupation of Matabeleland. He mentioned in his welcome speech that the old Nordenfelt gun, manned and mentioned by J. Squair in the article A veteran’s account from the Battle of Bembesi in 1893 and when Joe Smith knocked down Cecil Rhodes and saved his life in 1896 on the website www.zimfieldguide.com that had been sent from London by the British South Africa Company to mark the occasion.

Grand Hotel, Bulawayo Palace Hotel, Bulawayo

Matabeleland Celebrations Committee, 1933

Back (L-R) H.J. Cook, Capt Harry Allen, A.H. Cowling, Major Walter Howard, H.G. Issels, F.W.T. Posselt, Major J.S. Bridger, T.E. Speight, D. MacGillivray, J. MacDonald. Inset C.M. Harris

Front (L-R) E.C. Alderson, T.C. Fynn, W. Maver, Mrs D. Vintcent

Official Programme

Monday and Tuesday, 30 / 31 October

8.15pm Historical Play “Pioneers” at the Palace Theatre

Wednesday, 1 November

10am Veterans reunion at Palm Court, Palace Hotel and Official Welcome to Bulawayo

3pm Children’s Fancy Dress ball and Carnival at the Grand Hotel and Matinee Performance of the

Historical Play “Pioneers” at the Palace Theatre

8pm Swimming Carnival

8.15pm Historical Play “Pioneers” at the Palace Theatre

Thursday, 2 November

10am Opening of Historical Museum

4pm Native Competitions, War Dances and Songs at the Show Ground

8.15pm Historical Play “Pioneers” at the Palace Theatre

8.30pm Veterans Banquet and Smoking Concert at the Palace Hotel

Friday, 3 November

Presentation of Commemorative Medals at the schools

11am Mass gathering of school children in the Park

4.30pm Pageant Procession illustrating development of Transport, historical floats, decorated motor cars

9pm Fancy Dress Carnival Ball at the Grand Hotel

Saturday, 4 November

9.30am Veterans assemble for Official Commemoration Ceremony at the Rhodes Statue, main Street. His

Excellency the Governor, to perform the ceremony at 10am

3.30pm Aerial display at the aerodrome

8pm Grand Carnival and Fireworks Display at the Show Ground. Presentation of motor car to the

Competition Winner

Sunday, 5 November

9am Church parade, followed by pilgrimage to Rhodes’ grave, picnic lunch at the Matopos

Scenes from the play “The Pioneers” at the Palace Theatre

The play was a series of vignettes of Rhodesian (present-day Zimbabwe) historical scenes to commemorate the rank and file of those steadfast men and women who laid the foundations of our existing society” by three local authors, Hugh Phoenix, Nicolai Levitzky and Howard Gott.

Rhodes looks North

Mrs C. Hart and Howard Gott (L-R) Colenbrander (C.J. Swart) Rhodes

say farewell before Shangani (Capt Harry Allen) and Vere Stent (G. Moss)

Eastern dancing in the “Pioneers” Play

The veterans answer the Roll of Honour and receive their badges

Many messages were read out that had been sent by various officials and organisations from all around the Empire. The president and directors of the British South Africa Company send cordial and friendly greetings and said the sturdy spirit of adventure and mutual fellowship which was exemplified in those days should ever be remembered and honoured by those present and future generations of Rhodesians.

Others sent messages of goodwill and brotherhood and congratulated the veterans on having reached the fortieth milestone in the history of empire building and said that in forty short years a generation has arisen. The men and not forgetting the women who went forward in a persistent and plucky attitude displaying courage, industry and enterprise and laid the foundation of a new outpost of the British Empire. They had cause to be proud of the part they took in the building of a community which today was well ordered and cultured.

Vere Stent wrote that he was more than sorry he could not accept the Committee’s kind invitation and said that pioneers are nearly always poor men and that Bulawayo was a long way off. Still, he would be with them in heart and spirit and as witness - with the occupation souvenir in print. He was very proud of having helped to add Rhodesia to the British Empire. The new baby Dominion with few to its population and as far-flung as to its territory being one of the smallest, but one of the brightest jewels in the diadem of the Empire, which General Smuts had so properly described as the greatest power for good in the world today.

Veterans and their wives and widows of pioneers were each presented by the Celebrations Committee with souvenirs in the form of a commemoration medal, an engraved ash tray, and a copy of the Matabeleland Occupation souvenir publication, from which much of this article is taken, after which the Mayoress, Mrs W Maver and Mrs T.C. Fynn pinned on the special rosettes which had been prepared for the occasion. An illuminated scroll, specially prepared for the occasion, was signed in fadeless ink by each member of the 1893 Column present.

The veterans answer the roll and receive their badges

The Mayoress (Mrs Maver) decorates Tex Long

Reunion of veterans in the Palace Hotel garden

Many of the veterans had not seen each other for nearly forty years and the scene in the courtyard of the Palace Hotel was a charming location where the veterans and their wives were present in force and the roll call disclosed remarkably few absentees. For all it was a memorable day in their lives and it was not long before greetings were being exchanged with tongues loosened and memories stirred.

Many of the veterans had not seen each other since marching into Lobengula’s kraal on 4 November 1893

The Governor, Sir Cecil William Hunter-Rodwell The Governor performing the Opening Ceremony

greets James Scott, the eldest veteran

Matabele warriors sing and dance at the Show ground

The Carnival procession and floats were headed by the warriors who made an impressive and appropriate vanguard. Each time they passed Rhodes’ statue thy crouched low to the ground and gave the royal salute.

Warriors wearing their black ostrich headdresses join in song and dance

The Commemoration Banquet – speeches record the 1893 veterans loyalty

The Union Jack displayed was the one that covered Rhodes at his funeral

The Pageant through the streets of Bulawayo

This comprised a procession of picturesque and historical floats that attracted a big crowd of spectators and crowds overflowed from the pavements into the roadway. Flowers, confetti, pretty girls, bizarre costumes and huge grotesques masked figures created a carnival atmosphere. Each float came as a fresh surprise to the crowd and they were followed with keen interest from the old Zeederberg stage coach and tandem bicycle to the realistic steam engine of the Rhodesia Railways. The streets were lined with a mass of flags and bunting fluttering in the breeze.

The Carnival Queen, Miss Violet Gisborne, dressed in royal robes and crown and attended by maids was seated in a fairy-like bower on wheels. All through the town the procession went past large crowds of sightseers and the Pipe Band added to the gaiety and spectacle of the occasion. The gun carriage that bore Rhodes’ coffin was drawn through the streets by a group of boy scouts and the Pearly King and Queen attracted a good deal of attention with their picturesque coster costumes and they had with them a youngster in a tiny carriage that was pulled by a goat!

The Cambrian Society’s Welsh cottage South African Breweries exhibit

The romantic old Welsh cottage was complete with roses round the door and a party of Welsh maids having tea on the lawn.

Issels & Son three-stamp mill exhibit Carnival characters in the procession

The old Zeederberg coach that served the country so The ox wagon at Rhodes’ statue drawn by H.P. Fynn’s team

well before the coming of the railway

The Zeederberg coach was packed with realistically dressed up veterans on their way to the new ‘Eldorado’ and Victorian ladies in the costumes of the period.

In the afternoon three South African Airforce aeroplanes flew over the procession and alternated with a Dragon Moth aeroplane from Bechuanaland. The Governor’s party observed the procession from a specially erected platform on Scott’s Buildings and were served tea.