Defence of MafekingPrint Page

The monument commemorates the defence of Mafeking by Baden Powell, Lord Cecil and the garrison 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.

Last year it was suggested that the defence of Mafeking should be commemorated here in a permanent form, and subsequently it was decided to erect a monument close to the public school buildings on a reserve. On a mound in the open space there are three square blocks of stonework, neatly cut, carrying an obelisk, which rises some distance from the ground. On a tablet on one side are the words "Erected by Murray Bridge admirers in recognition of the heroic defence of Mafeking by Colonel Baden-Powell, Lord Cecil, and Garrison from November 17, 1899, to May 27, 1900."

This monument, besides being an evidence of loyalty, is also by its chaste design an ornament to the town, and is noteworthy as being the first instance of any incident of the war being commemorated in stone, at least in South Australia. The design was executed by Mr. S. J. Williams, the stone-cutting was done by Mr. Edward Macneil, both of this town, and the stone came from local quarries. The ceremony of unveiling the monument took place on Wednesday. There was a large attendance of townspeople and district residents, including most of the children in the neighborhood.
The Advertiser (Adelaide), 18 January 1901.

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