Leander Starr Jameson

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Sir Leander Starr Jameson, 1st Baronet

.

Early life and family

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He was born on 9 February 1853, the youngest of 12 children of

Major-General

Pringle of Symington House.

Leander Starr Jameson was born at

Longford wrote that Rudyard Kipling wrote the poem "If—" with Leander Starr Jameson in mind as an inspiration for the characteristics he recommended young people to live by (notably Kipling's son, to whom the poem is addressed in the last lines). Longford writes, "Jameson was later to be the inspiration and hero of Rudyard Kipling's poem, If...".^[5] Direct evidence that the poem "If—" was written about Jameson is available also in Rudyard Kipling's autobiography in which Kipling writes that "If—" was "drawn from Jameson's character."^[6][7]

In 1895, Jameson led about 500 of his countrymen in what became known as the

Seymour Fort 1918 wrote of L.S. Jameson in this way:

... It was not his wont to talk at length, nor was he, unless exceptionally interested, a good listener. He was so logical and so quick to grasp a situation, that he would often cut short exposition by some forcible remark or personal raillery that would all too often quite disconcert the speaker.

Despite his adventurous career, mere reminiscences obviously bored him; he was always for movement, for some betterment of present or future conditions, and in discussion he was a master of the art of persuasion, unconsciously creating in those around him a latent desire to follow, if he would lead. The source of such persuasive influence eludes analysis, and, like the mystery of leadership, is probably more psychic than mental. In this latter respect, Jameson was splendidly equipped; he had greater power of concentration, of logical reasoning, and of rapid diagnosis, while on his lighter side he was brilliant in repartee and in the exercise of a badinage that was both cynical and personal...

... He wrapped himself in cynicism as with a cloak, not only to protect himself against his own quick human sympathy, but to conceal the austere standard of duty and honour that he always set to himself. He was ever trying to hide from his friends his real attitude towards life, and the high estimate he placed upon accepted ethical values... He was essentially a patriot who sought for himself neither wealth, nor power, nor fame, nor leisure, nor even an easy anchorage for reflection. The wide sphere of his work and achievements, and the accepted dominion of his personality and his influence were both based upon his adherence to the principle of always subordinating personal considerations to the work in hand, upon the loyalty of his service to big ideals. His whole life seems to illustrate the truth of the saying that in self-regard and self-centredness there is no profit, and that only in sacrificing himself for impersonal aims can a man save his soul and benefit his fellow men.^[8]

A less flattering view is given in Antony Thomas's Rhodes (1996), in which Jameson is portrayed as unscrupulous.

The Jameson Raid

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In 1895, Jameson assembled a private army outside the

In November 1895, a piece of territory of strategic importance, the Pitsani Strip, part of the

Rhodes hoped that the intervention of the company's private army could spark an Uitlander uprising, leading to the overthrow of the Transvaal government. Rhodes' forces were assembled in the Pitsani Strip for this purpose. Joseph Chamberlain informed Salisbury on Boxing Day that an uprising was expected, and was aware that an invasion would be launched, but was not sure when. The subsequent Jameson Raid was a debacle, leading to the invading force's surrender. Chamberlain, at Highbury Hall, his home in Birmingham, received a secret telegram from the Colonial Office on 31 December informing him of the beginning of the Raid.

Though sympathetic to the ultimate goals of the Raid, Chamberlain was uncomfortable with the timing of the invasion^[why?] and remarked "if this succeeds it will ruin me. I'm going up to London to crush it". He swiftly travelled by train to the Colonial Office, ordering Sir Hercules Robinson, Governor of the Cape Colony, to repudiate the actions of Jameson and warned Rhodes that the company's Charter would be in danger if it were discovered that the Cape Prime Minister were involved in the Raid. The prisoners were returned to London for trial, and the Transvaal government received considerable compensation from the company. Jameson was tried in England for leading the raid; during that time he was lionised by the press and London society.

The Jameson Raid trial

The Jameson Raiders arrived in England at the end of February, 1896 to face prosecution under the Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 styled R. v Jameson, Willoughby and others.^[9] There were some months of investigations initially held at Bow Street Magistrates' Court, following which the trial at bar (a trial in front of multiple judges instead of a jury) began on 20 June 1896, at the High Court. The trial lasted seven days, following which Dr Jameson was "found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment as a first-class misdemeanant for fifteen months.^[2] He was, however, released from Holloway in the following December on account of illness."^[8]

During the trial of Jameson, Rhodes' solicitor,

The conduct of Dr Jameson during the trial was graphically described by Krout 1899, an eyewitness account of her observations during the Jameson Raid trial. She wrote:

.... Dr. Jameson was very grave and he, alone, was somewhat ill at ease. As he entered the court room a dark flush mounted to his forehead, which slowly faded as he walked to his chair and seated himself with great deliberateness. He was a man somewhat below medium height, with a huge head carried a little to one side, showing a remarkable breadth of brow; the eyes were large, dark and sufficiently expressive, when not concealed by the heavy drooping lids that were frequently half, or wholly, closed; the nose was prominent and large and rather symmetrical, the chin and mouth indicated decided firmness; the whole expression and demeanour of the man evinced fearlessness that would be disposed to express itself in deeds rather than words. He, too, was carefully dressed in a dark frock coat and trousers, a spotless, white necktie and pale grey gloves-the conventional morning dress of an English gentleman. He walked with a heavy un-elastic tread and a slightly swinging carriage, and sat much of the time obliquely in his chair, one cheek resting upon his elegantly gloved hand; his glance was often cast down or fixed at rare intervals upon his counsel,

Mary Krout^[10]