John T E Flint (1856)

Born 1856 in Dumfriesshire

Died [date unknown] in London, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Andrew Field [send private message]

BSA Police Crest

Biography

Birth & Upbringing: John was born in 1856 in Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Family:
Education
Professional Qualifications:
Military Service: John enlisted in the 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards where he received his commission, later transferring to the 4th Dragoon Guards and then, apparently, returning to the 1st. As a Captain, he was Adjutant of the 4th and promoted to Major in December 1897. He saw action in North-West Frontier of India, with the Tirah Expedition, before travelling to Africa, via South America, where he had been sent to acquire horses for the Boer War.
Vocation: His brief policing career was as Commander of the Mashonaland Division between July 1901 and October 1903. At one time he commanded the Transport Department of the BSA Police and was responsible for introducing camels for police and transport usage, circa 1903-4, due to prevailing horse sickness at the time. Flint had soldiered with camels while in India. ^[1]
Honours and Awards:
Demise: He died in London, England. ^[2].
Burial:

Note of Interest

"The concept of replacing oxen with one humped camels was successfully promoted, however, mainly by a Colonel Flint of the British South Africa Police (BSAP): the British South Africa Company was a Charter Company but was largely the personal fief of Cecil John Rhodes and its police were the official law and order institution in much of southern Africa. The logic behind the proposed use of camels was that they were hardier than oxen, required less water, went well in buggies, carriages and ambulances at a steady tripple (pace) of 6 miles per hour (9.7 kph) and were not susceptible to such diseases as African horse sickness, redwater and rinderpest (Anon, 1903a; Flint, 1903 (reprinted verbatim in Anon, 1903c)). The reference to African horse sickness is of interest as it indicates that camels were also to substitute for horses as well as cattle. Unlike many early African livestock initiatives Colonel Flint's proposals for the introduction of camels came to fruition. It was originally intended to import 50 animals from India but eventually, because the £600 allocated to purchase arrived late in India and the onset of the monsoon when the money did become available, only 34 were finally selected and purchased. These comprised 9 bulls and 11 cows of Gujarkhan breed of “baggager” camels and 10 bulls, 3 cows and 1 heifer of the Batinda breed of riding camels. The animals were certified by the Port Veterinary at Karachi [now in Pakistan] as the "the best batch of camels that has ever been shipped from this port". " ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Andrew Field: BSA Police Commissioners BSAP Website
2. ↑ Obituary Notice Outpost Magazine: Journal of the BSA Police
3. ↑ Wilson, R T : The one-humped camel in Southern Africa: Their presence and use in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in the early twentieth century