| Allan Wilson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1856 Glen Urquhart, Ross-shire, Scotland |
| Died | 4 December 1893 Shangani River, Zimbabwe; buried at Matopo Hills, Zimbabwe |
| Allegiance | British Army |
| Years of service | 1878 - 1893 |
| Rank | Major |
| Commands held | Victoria Column; Shangani Patrol |
| Battles/wars | First Matabele War: — Shangani Patrol |
Allan Wilson (1856 – 4 December 1893), was born in Scotland. He is best known for his leadership of the Shangani Patrol which resulted in his death and made him a national hero in Rhodesia.
Upon completion of his apprenticeship at a Fochabers bank, he went to the Cape Colony and joined the Cape Mounted Rifles. He fought in the Zulu War and the First Boer War and was promoted to Sergeant. After taking his discharge he became a trader and gold prospector, and he earned a commission in the Basuto Police. Later he joined the Bechuanaland Exploration Company as Chief Inspector and was sent as their representative to Fort Victoria (now Masvingo) in Matabeleland, serving as the senior officer in the Victoria Volunteers. He became a Major and was killed while leading the Shangani Patrol during the First Matabele War. Wilson is buried, along with most of his patrol and with Cecil Rhodes, in Matabo Hills, Zimbabwe. He is considered a national hero and one of the founding fathers of Rhodesia. The date of his death was a national holiday in Rhodesia.
When the First Matabele War broke out, Wilson given command of the Victoria Column and appointed the rank of Major. He led the famous Shangani Patrol in search of King Lobengula and, on 4 December 1893, he and 31 of his men were cut-off from the main column and killed by the Ndebele warriors. In desperation and only hours before his defeat, Wilson sent Frederick Russell Burnham and two other scouts to seek reinforcements from the main column commanded by Major Patrick Forbes. Unfortunately the battle raging there was just as intense and there was no hope of anyone reaching Wilson in time. The incident achieved a lasting, prominent place in Rhodesian colonial history and is considered to be roughly the British equivalent to Custer's Last Stand.
A patriotic play called Wilson’s Last Stand was produced on the stage and ran in London for two years. In the play, based on some embellished facts, it is said that in the killing of Wilson and his thirty-one men, Lobengula lost 80 of his royal guard and another 500 Ndebele warriors. Wilson was the last to fall and the wounded men of the Shangani Patrol loaded rifles and passed them to him during the final stages of the defense. When their ammunition ran out, the remaining men of the Patrol are said to have risen and sung, God Save the Queen. Once both of Wilson’s arms were broken and he could no longer shoot, he stepped from behind a barricade of dead horses, walked toward the Ndebele, and was stabbed with a spear by a young warrior.
There is also a ballad of the Shangani Patrol, by Nick Taylor (1966), and a free MP3 version sung by John Edmond - [2].