28 MAY 1900 - NEAR HAMMONIA

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While Lt Boyes and 17 men of the Border Horse were out near Hammonia, they heard firing. They proceeded to the spot and were surrounded by about 80 Boers. 

They fought for 3 hours and then, their horses having been captured and their ammunition nearly expended, Sergeant-Major Bull decided to surrender. Lieutenant Boyes was not near Sergeant-Major Bull at the time and Lieutenant Boyes was still in the hands of the enemy when the Court of Inquiry was held in September 1900.
WO 108/372 “SA Surrenders”.

Hockin was one of the men taken prisoner in the Hammonia incident and subsequently released, more than probably minus horse, rifle and ammunition. He subsequently served as Captain & Adjutant in Ashburner’s Light Horse: on the unit’s supplementary QSA roll he is shown as not entitled to a KSA, but only to a SA’01 clasp.

 

However, he seemed to have been issued with a KSA off the roll of the Field Intelligence Department, (fraudulently) claiming previous service in Rimington’s Guides (there is no trace of his name on the relevant Nominal or QSA roll). 

The KSA roll of the FID has the following remarks against Hockin’s name: “This man was accused of embezzlement & fraud. He was not tried but released by the Civil Authorities at Johannesburg. His (un-convicted) crime was that of selling cattle, belonging to the Government”.