Catalogue description German Settlers

Details of Subsubseries within WO 12
Reference: Subsubseries within WO 12
Title: German Settlers
Description:

Muster books and pay lists for three units of officers and men formerly of the British German Legion in Crimea, who accepted the British government's offer to be transported to southern Africa as 'German military settlers'. The documents are in respect of the settlers' in southern Africa (Cape of Good Hope, 'British Kaffraria', Stuttenheim and Fort Murray), as well as for their periods of embarkation and transportation to Africa.
Date: 1856-1862
Arrangement:

The musters for the three regiments each comprise a continuous sequence, but they are not arranged chronologically within WO 12. The chronological sequence for the settlers after their arrival in the Cape is as follows:

1st German Settlers:

  • Feb 1857-Mar 1858 in WO 12/10789
  • Apr 1858-Sept 1858 in WO 12/10790

2nd German Settlers:

  • Mar 1857-Mar 1858 in WO 12/10791
  • Apr 1858-Mar 1859 in WO 12/10790
  • Apr 1859-Mar 1860 in WO 12/10792
  • Apr 1860-Aug 1860 in WO 12/10793

3rd German Settlers:

  • Mar 1857-Mar 1858 in WO 12/10794
  • Apr 1858-Mar 1859 in WO 12/10795
  • Apr 1859-Mar 1860 in WO 12/10796
  • Apr 1860-Mar 1861 in WO 12/10793
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Administrative / biographical background:

The British German Legion was originally formed during the Crimean War to help alleviate a manpower shortage for the British Army. The Enlistment of Foreigners Act 1854 allowed the government to recruit foreign mercenary troops to make up the low number of British men being recruited for the war, to be called the British Foreign Legion. A greater than expected number of over 14,000 foreign nationals joined, which resulted in their formation into separate foreign legion units based upon their nationality (German, Italian and Swiss).

The Crimean War ended before any of these volunteers saw action, and at the end of the war the legions were disbanded. For the men of the British German Legion, most could not return home having sworn allegiance to a foreign power, and the British government encouraged the men to emigrate to the colonies; over 2,300 from the British German Legion volunteered to go to southern Africa (Cape Colony).

Those volunteers were placed under the command of Baron Richard von Stutterheim, the commanding officer of the British German Legion. They were considered to be 'military settlers', as opposed to civilian settlers, to resist the attacks of an enemy or to aid the civil power. They were transported to the Cape Colony as a military unit (together with women and children) aboard six sailing ships, with the last ship arriving in southern Africa by early February 1857.

By 1858 the men of the Legion were successfully serving in protecting the Cape Colony's Border Region of 'British Kaffraria', enabling most of the British troops formerly stationed there to be transferred to India to serve in the 'Indian Mutiny'. As the Mutiny continued, a regiment of settlers of the Cape belonging to the late British German Legion was formed for General Service in India. In September and October 1858 approximately 1,100 men of the Legion embarked for India. The vast majority of these men did not return to Africa, but went on to serve in the British Army as regular soldiers. Over the next few years the remaining men of the Legion were gradually discharged from service or transferred to other military units. In February 1861, the last men were discharged and the Legion was formally disbanded.

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