Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Pretoria (Rebecca Street) Cemetery | C.E. 1977. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.127 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 47D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Education & Career :
The loss of King was much regretted in South Africa. In "Native Life in South Africa, Before and Since the European War and the Boer Rebellion" by Sol T Plaatje, Kimberley, S.A. he recalled:
"One loss which the Natives, judging by articles in their newspapers, will not easily forget is that of Captain William Allan King, the late Sub-Commissioner of Pretoria. He was shot by a rebel, on November 23, near Hamaanskraal, whilst helping a wounded trooper. In his lifetime his duties brought him in touch with employers of labour in the Pretoria Labour District and with Natives from all over South Africa. A non-believer in the South African policy of least resistance, he was without doubt the ablest native administrator in the Transvaal Civil Service, and as such the vacancy caused by his death will be very hard to fill. He was an expert on Native matters, and no commission ever sat without his being summoned to give evidence before it.
The Natives called him "Khoshi-ke-Nna", which means "I am the Chief". A firm but just Englishman, with a striking military gait, he would have been an ideal leader of the native contingents had the offer of native help been accepted by the Union Government."
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: South African Mounted Rifles |
| Action : Africa |
The East African Campaign was a series of battles and guerrilla actions which started in German East Africa (now Tanzania) and ultimately impacted portions of Mozambique, Northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, Uganda, and the Belgian Congo. The German colonial forces, led by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck, skillfully fought for the duration of World War I and surrendered only after that war had ended. Other campaigns were conducted in West and South West Africa.
Detail :
"Captain King fell not from a German bullet but from one fired by one of the Dutch traitors, in a brisk fight to quell the recent Boer rebellion"
("Native Life in South Africa, Before and Since the European War and the Boer Rebellion")
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Pyramids Lodge No. 2968 E.C. | South Africa |
| Joined : | United Service Lodge of Pretoria No. 2967 E.C. | South Africa (Northern) |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
21st December 1904 | 22nd March 1905 | 17th May 1905 |
He was initiated into Pyramids Lodge at Nylstroom, Transvaal in 1904, shortly after the Lodge's consecration. He is listed as a 28 year old Government Official and resident in Potgiebisrust. He resigned from this lodge 21st December, 1907.
Joined the United Services Lodge of Pretoria No. 2967 on the 9th March 1914. Listed as a Civil Servant, resident at Pretoria - "Killed in action 23.11.16."
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley