The Pioneer Column in Mashonaland in 1890. A force raised by Cecil Rhodes' British South Africa Company to annexe the territory of Mashonaland, later part of Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe.
Illustration by William Barnes Wollen (1857–1936) from Cassell's History of England, pub circa 1901. Info from wiki: The Pioneer Column was a force raised by Cecil Rhodes and his British South Africa Company in 1890 and used in his efforts to annexe the territory of Mashonaland, later part of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The route began at Macloutsie in Bechuanaland on 28 June 1890. On 11 July, it crossed the river Tuli into Matabeleland. It proceeded north-east and then north over a distance of about 650 kilometres (400 mi) intending to terminate at an open area explored by Selous a few years earlier that he called Mount Hampden. However, the column halted about 15 kilometres ( mi) before that at a naturally flat and marshy meadow bounded by a steep rocky hill; (today's Harare Kopje) on 12 September (later celebrated as a Rhodesian public holiday). The British union flag was hoisted on the following day, 13 September. Three towns were founded; the first in early August at the head of a gentle route that led up from the low altitude area known as the Lowveld (named Providential Pass), called Fort Victoria (renamed Masvingo in 1982); the second at Fort Charter on a plateau halfway to the terminus of the column at the originally named Fort Salisbury.[3] The Pioneer Corps was officially disbanded on 1 October 1890 and each member was granted land on which to farm.
Size: 3269px × 2413px
Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 13, 1890, 19th, africa, annexe, british, cecil, century, colonial, column, company, efforts, empire, engraving, era, flag, force, history, hoisted, illustration, image, king, lobengula, mashonaland, matabele, nineteenth, part, picture, pioneer, raised, rhodes, rhodesia, september, south, southern, territory, tricked, union, victorian, zimbabwe
