Alexander Harvey Biggar

According to The Settler Handbook by M.D. Nash, Alexander Biggar, formerly of 79 St. Aubyn Street, Plymouth, Devon, held the rank of Captain in the 85th Regiment of Foot, serving on half pay. During his military career, Biggar had also served as the regiment's paymaster — a position of considerable trust and responsibility.













However, his army career came to a sudden and disgraceful end in May 1819. A General Court Martial found him guilty of embezzling £1,300 from War Office funds and of suborning a clerk who was due to testify against him. As a result, Biggar was cashiered from the army and ordered to repay the stolen funds.

For Biggar, the Cape emigration scheme of 1820 offered a much-needed opportunity to escape the shadow of scandal and begin a new chapter. Like many others seeking a fresh start, he set his sights on the Cape Colony, determined to rebuild his life on the distant shores of southern Africa.

1837 - Port Natal Volunteers under Commandant AH Biggar formed and disbanded.

Alexander emigrated to the Cape Colony as part of the 1820 Settlers, a group encouraged by the British government to establish a new life in South Africa. Demonstrating both ambition and resources, Alexander paid deposits for 13 other settler families, who were bound to him under contract for three years. Each family was to receive 20 hectares (approximately 81,000 square metres) of land, which they could cultivate during their free time. After fulfilling their obligations for three years, they would be granted title to the land.

Despite the formal agreements, by July 1820, all but one—George Pollard—had abandoned their contracts, either voluntarily or by finding ways to break their terms.

Alexander’s own family, which by then included nine daughters and his son Robert, embarked on the HMS Weymouth from Portsmouth on 20 January 1820. They arrived in Algoa Bay (modern-day Port Elizabeth) on 15 May 1820. During the voyage, his youngest son, George, was born.

On 6 September 1826, the family settled on an isolated farm near Bathurst. A decade later, in May 1836, Alexander relocated to Port Natal (present-day Durban), a developing frontier trade hub that would later become part of the Colony of Natal. He initially moved there with his youngest son, George.

Once in Port Natal, Alexander played a role in establishing the Volunteers of Port Natal in 1837—the first organized white militia in the region. However, this group was short-lived and quickly disbanded.

In total, Alexander fathered 13 children, which notably included a son born to a Zulu woman—a reminder of the complex and often controversial relationships between British settlers and local communities during that period.

In 1838, following the murders of Voortrekker leader Piet Retief and his party at the hands of King Dingane, the Voortrekkers assembled a retaliatory force known as the Wenkommando, or "Winning Commando." Determined to seek justice and secure their position in the region, the Voortrekkers, under the leadership of Andries Pretorius, prepared for a decisive confrontation.

Having already suffered great personal loss—both his sons, Robert and George, had been killed—Alexander Biggar joined the Wenkommando. He brought with him not only his own experience but also the assistance of approximately 170, by some accounts, loyal black servants, including members of the amaCele community with whom he had close ties.

On 16 December 1838, Alexander fought alongside the Voortrekkers at the Battle of Blood River, a historic clash along the Ncome River. The battle, which became known for the river running red with blood, marked a pivotal victory for the Voortrekkers against Dingane's Zulu forces. Alexander was present among those whose names were recorded at the Zulu royal capital of uMgungundlovu following the battle.

The Wenkommando later laagered at Mthonjaneni, a strategic location to the south. On 27 December 1838, Alexander joined a scouting party led by Hans de Lange, tasked with locating cattle hidden by Dingane’s followers—a valuable resource in the aftermath of the conflict.

The following day, the party descended into the treacherous Ophathe Gorge, unaware they were walking into an ambush orchestrated by Zulu forces. Surrounded and outnumbered, escape was nearly impossible. Although mounted and capable of fleeing, Alexander reportedly chose to stay behind with his amaCele allies, refusing to abandon them.

At the age of 57, Alexander Biggar fell alongside five Dutch settlers and several of his servants in what became known as one of the tragic closing chapters of his turbulent life in southern Africa.