“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
Latest Blog
Lachlan Stuart's Marathon Feat
Mr Stuart will return to TGS again for the event held on Wednesday, 28 May to support the Year 12's significant fundraising G150 Gift Run event. The boys are running 1500km in a relay format to honour a 1968 TGS Interact Club fundraising project that will help upgrade the original School gates on Herries Street, along with raising funds for the Nerve Connection Foundation.
Remembering Private Colin Stirling, a TGS Old Boy (1899-1900)
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,…
Honouring Tradition: Toowoomba Grammar School and ANZAC Day
This year marks 98 years since TGS and the 13 Army Cadet Unit (Toowoomba Collective Unit) first participated in ANZAC Services in Toowoomba. The School's commitment to these services is a testament to its deep-rooted military traditions and the enduring spirit of remembrance. Mounties out the front of School House in 1908. A Legacy of Service Toowoomba Grammar School's military traditions date back to its early days. The School's Cadet Unit, formed in 1892, has been a cornerstone of its…
Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week - Developing Good Character Beyond the Classroom
We offer a range of enrichment activities for our boys, but the last week of Term 1 is a very special opportunity for all of our Senior School students. It's Outdoor Pursuits and Activities Week, which provides age-appropriate physical challenges in a safe, well-supervised environment. Activities on the various camps may include ropes courses, rock climbing, bodyboarding, surfing, mountain biking and canoeing. The aim is to foster a love of the outdoors and an appreciation of the environment.…
Stories behind key TGS staff helping shape our students
It was my great privilege to join TGS as Head of House - Boyce Boarding in 2024. The opportunity to lead these young men of character on their TGS journey carries great weight but is also enormously exciting. Embarking upon this project alongside my wife Meg as Boyce Boarding House Manager strengthens the team further. I am hopeful that we will demonstrate to the boys how positive relationships can foster a warm and supportive environment. I know that many of our boys are familiar with strong…
More Than Just an Education and That Makes All the Difference
Toowoomba Grammar School excels in its extensive co-curricular programs, particularly in performing arts and sports. Our boys learn that success comes from hard work and dedication. This ethos is inspired by quotes like “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great,” “The harder I work, the luckier I get” and the words emblazoned on our P.B. Hauser Aquatic Centre wall “Success is the celebration of preparation.” These opportunities allow students to excel in programs…
Stewardship: Leading the Way in Safety, Sustainability and Security
However, the challenges facing the Director of Facilities, Mr Bengie Dickeson and the Director of Information Technology, Mr Ron Robinson certainly are. This month's weather has been nothing if not unpredictable and it's in those conditions that both these men's skills come to the fore. With Tropical Cyclone Alfred and its threat to our School campus and community - Mr Bengie Dickeson and Mr Ron Robinson played integral roles in keeping everyone and everything on our 150-year-old campus safe.…
Pursuing New Horizons in Horticulture
Jake Moon is a sixth-generation primary producer. He is dedicated to agriculture and is currently working at his family’s St George farming enterprise, tackling some of the sector’s biggest challenges. The 28-year-old says his family moved to the St George irrigation precinct in 1978, initially growing rockmelons and watermelons, hence the business name Moonrocks. Seasonal and market changes led them to switch crops frequently, growing grapes, broccoli and even wax flowers over the years.…
Crushing it at Cricket and Conveying Culture
He explains that he’s named after Yarramundi, a respected and influential leader of the Richmond tribes of the Dharagnora (Hawkesbury-Nepean region of New South Wales) and a respected elder of the Boorooberongal clan of the Dharug people. “I’m proud of my culture and excited to have just started learning Dharug Dalang as part of the language revitalisation with my family.” During one week late last year he juggled exams, balanced representative cricket in Mackay with being the emcee of the…
