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The Mafeking LampPrint Page Print this page

30-January-2016
30-January-2016

Photographs supplied by Roger Johnson

The lamp commemorates the relief of Mafeking during the South African (Boer) War.

The Siege of Mafeking was the most famous British action in the Second Boer War. It took place at the town of Mahikeng (called Mafeking by the British) in South Africa over a period of 217 days, from October 1899 to May 1900, and turned Robert Baden-Powell, who went on to found the Scouting Movement, into a national hero. The Relief of Mafeking (the lifting of the siege) was a decisive victory for the British and a crushing defeat for the Boers.

The lamp is believed to be the original acetylene gas lamp from the South African (Boer) War Memorial.

 

 

 

Location

Address:Graham Place, Richmond Valley Council, Casino , 2470
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -28.865898
Long: 153.047174
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Technology
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:Boer
Approx. Event Start Date:October-1899
Approx. Event End Date:May-1990

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:1901
Front Inscription

Plaque :

Mafeking Lamp

The township of Casino was not excluded from the patriotism shown during the Boer War in South Africa.  A number of men from the District enlisted in the NSW Lancers and local property owners presented the government of the day with valuable horses for service in the Transvaal.

Sir Baden-Powell and a small force of some 600 soldiers and volunteers defened the town of Mafeking for a period of 8 months.

The relief of Mafeking filled the towns people with national pride and in 1901 the Mafeking Lamp was erected.

A public meeting decided to incorporate other major battles along with local casualties at time of war.  Space was left for those who would lose their lives before the end of the war.

Over time the monument has had many changes in appearance and significance, has run on acetylene gas and electricity, has been knocked down by a car and rebuilt to original specifications.  

The monument has now become a central part of out ANZAC Day service and march.

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au