“Stirling and Anning were both favourites and very popular among our chaps, and we felt their loss very keenly.”— Trooper Urquhart
“Casualties Among Queenslanders. Two Toowoomba Lads Shot Dead.”
This was the headline that screamed out on the pages of the Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs General Advertiser on Thursday, 15 August 1901.
With ANZAC Day just last Friday, this week we continue to honour many of our Old Boys who gave the ultimate sacrifice including Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900) and our first former student lost in the Boer War.
The story began with:
“News was received on Tuesday afternoon that in an engagement at Kopjesfontein, on the 6th instant, the following casualties occurred among members of the Fifth Queensland Contingent – Private Colin Stirling (No. 110), son of Mr James Stirling, of Rome Street Toowoomba, was killed.”
Private Stirling was the first Toowoomba Grammar School Old Boy to be killed in the line of duty in any war. Records show he was the youngest member of the Australian Contingents to be deployed to the Second Boer War in South Africa, 1899-1902.
The eldest son of the Stirling family, Colin left TGS in Year 11 in 1900 and was working at the Queensland National Bank in Toowoomba when he enlisted. Management asked him to reconsider and remain working with the bank; however, Colin declined, determined to try his luck on the battlefront.
He joined the 5th Queensland Imperial Bushmen. According to Naval and Military Press records 2007, the Contingent left Australia on 6 and 10 March 1901, comprising 23 officers, 506 soldiers and 476 horses.
Known affectionately as the “Fighting Fifth”, Private Stirling’s troop was highly regarded and reports showed they “encountered more hot work than perhaps any of the colonial contingents in South Africa at that time.” (Toowoomba Chronicle, 24 December 1901)
On 6 August 1901 the Fifth was ordered to march to Kopperfontein. As they were heading to their destination a herd of cattle was seen on the hills and the troop was ordered to round them up. As they were heading towards the steers they were suddenly fired upon by a body of Boers who had stealthily camouflaged on the ridge with Private Striling and Corporal Anning shot dead.
“We lay there alone owing to the fact that the firing was too hot for them to reach us,” stated Trooper Don Urquhart in the Chronicle report.
“The Boers stripped the dead bodies of Anning and Stirling, captured one of our horses and took off my jacket and shirt while I was lying unconscious,” said Trooper Urquhart.
It was six hours before allies could reach the battalion, but the remaining troops somehow managed to survive the intense fire. The Boers remained on the ridge until dawn when most of them were captured by another troop. The bodies of Private Stirling and Captain Anning were returned to the camp and buried.
Naval and Military Press records show a total of two officers and 33 soldiers from the contingent were killed or died in South Africa.
TGS Old Boy (1899-1900) Private Colin Stirling was just 16 years old. He is now forever remembered on our Honour Board in Old Hall, along with on Toowoomba’s Roll of Honour Boer War monument at Mother’s Memorial.
There has been 1,864 other TGS Old Boys who have fought in various wars from the Sudan War in 1885 to Vietnam 1959-63 with 193 tragically paying the ultimate sacrifice, according to our current School Museum records which are being diligently updated by volunteers, Mrs Ann Hallam and Mrs Sue Palmer.
It is with honour and pride that TGS commemorates these Old Boys, and all the brave servicemen and women at our ANZAC Day Service on Old Boys’ Memorial Oval each year.
Lest We Forget.
TGS Old Boys’ Service
The Sudan War 1885 - three enlisted
The Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901 - eight enlisted
Boer War 1899-1902- 65 enlisted - two Killed In Action (KIA)
WWI 1914-18 - 388 enlisted - 41 KIA/ eight died of disease/ 16 died of wounds/ one in an aircraft accident - total 66
WWII 1939-45 - 1364 enlisted -17 KIA/ 48 in flying battles/ 25 flying accidents / three ground accidents/ 19 died of disease/ one murdered/ three sea battles/ five died of wounds/ one electrocuted – total 122
Korean War 1950-53 - 32 enlisted - one KIA
Vietnam War 1959-63 - four enlisted - one KIA
Peacekeeping - unknown enlisted - one KIA
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