A Zulu War veteran, war weary and stateless in Bavaria
Lieutenant, Count Franz von Hirschberg, 1st / 2nd Natal Native Contingent
Following the Crimean War, British-German veterans settled in the district known as British Kaffraria of the Cape Colony. They were German volunteers, who had been recruited as part of the British German Legion for service in Crimea; however, the war ended, so the authorities transported them in 1856, along with their families to South Africa, where they established military hamlets. One of these men was Sergeant, Count Franz von Hirschberg of the 5th Light Infantry, a man who threw himself into the colonist way of life and served in three subsequent frontier wars. Despite his diligent service, von Hirschberg was destined to end his life in a Bavarian asylum, of which, in 1885, the Bavarian authorities declared to the British Foreign Office that he had forfeited his nationality!
The son of Count Johann George Franz von Hirschberg, he was born at Bruck in der Oberpfalz, Bavaria, on 28 August 1828, and at different times during his life, he was referred to as Count Francois de Hirschberg. In 1855, Franz enlisted in the 5th Light Infantry, British German Legion, and by the time they embarked for British Kaffraria aboard the Sultana on 10 November 1856, he was a sergeant in the 2nd Regiment, German Military Settlers. Soon after arriving, he married Adelheid von Lilenstein in Berlin, Eastern Cape, who was the daughter of Captain Carl von Lilenstein, also of the military settlers. In March 1857, he was appointed a gentleman cadet and transferred as a lieutenant to the 3rd Regiment, German Military Settlers, in September 1860.
Having been discharged from the military settlers in March 1861, he resided in Berlin, Eastern Cape, but in 1869, despite his urgent request for an explanation, the land allocated to him was withdrawn by the government. He was the gaoler of Queenstown when, on 17 December 1877, he enlisted as a corporal in the Wodehouse True Blues for service during the Ninth Eastern Cape Frontier War (1877–78). He was promoted to sergeant in April 1878 and was discharged in June, when the war was brought to a close.
With war with the Zulus looming, officers and men were being recruited for the Natal Native Contingent. On 20 November 1878, his name was submitted by another old German military settler, Commandant Wilhelm von Linisigen, as a candidate as a lieutenant in the Native Contingent for service in Zululand, as did Commandant W.J. Nettleton eight days later. On 18 December 1878, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the 1st / 2nd Natal Native Contingent and was present during the battle of Nyezane on January 22, 1879. He went on to serve with the 4th Battalion, NNC, and was present at the battle of Gingindhlovu on April 2, with the beleaguered garrison at Eshowe being relieved soon after.
He was working in Kimberley on the diamond mines when the BaSotho Gun War broke out in October 1880. He enlisted as a trooper in ‘G’ Troop, Left Wing, Kimberley Horse, and served at Thlotse Heights on the Free State border. He took part in all the fighting there until 12 April 1881, when the contingent returned to Kimberley – life was tough at Thlotse Heights, and the Kimberley men were eager to return home.
He was a riding master to the Cape Colonial Forces at Dordrecht in 1883 when he applied for his South African War Medal, having stated that he had served twelve months in the Zulu War as well as the Gun War. It was about this time that Franz, now with six children disappears from official records, and the riding master’s appointment being wrapped up the same year – he never held another appointment.
In 1885, he was located in a lunatic asylum in Munich upon his return to Bavaria, suffering from ‘an incurable disease of the mind.’ It would seem that he had become estranged from his wife and children in South Africa, as his wife’s death certificate stated that he died in Germany in the late 1880s, but no one was sure of the year.
The Bavarian government declared that Franz had forfeited his nationality due to his long absence, and to the British Foreign Office, they inquired if he was an English subject or had any pension to draw upon. With the outcome not being documented, the last correspondence located referred to his trustee, Mr. Emil von Hirschberg, requesting that the costs of his treatment should be covered by the Cape Government and that he did not wish to make a claim on his war medal. A search through the ‘war sufferers’ pensions paid out by the Cape Government does not mention Franz von Hirschberg, suggesting that his family in Bavaria ended up paying the medical bills.
The von Hirschberg family records reveal that Franz died at Regenstauf in the Regensburg District of Bavaria, on 20 September 1905. One wonders if he attempted to correspond with his family and why he returned to Bavaria at all. It’s quite a sad story, albeit in many ways indicative of the times and like all historical research, it’s never really complete and I am confident that there is much more to learn about Franz von Hirschberg.