UPDATED: 30/09/2024
30 September 1872, Ernest Moses horse-whipped by JB Robinson.
30 September 1904, Lord Roberts visits Kimberley for the last time.
30 September 1920, City Engineer Thomas Cullen retires after 40 years in the position.
30 September 1934, Kimberley Air Rally begins.
The whipping of Ernest Moses
Ernest Moses was a practicing dentist in early Kimberley. In fact, at the time he was horse-whipped by JB Robinson, the settlement was known as New Rush.
Like many in those early days Moses tried his hand at various ventures other than his chosen trade, these including writing a newspaper column and running a part-time diamond buying business.
JB Robinson was not a timid man by any means and Ernest Moses had offended him twofold. Firstly, he had been sold a “dud” diamond by Moses, and secondly, and of much more concern to Robinson, he had been defamed by the erstwhile reporter in his newspaper column. Not one to sit back, Robinson did not have long to wait and on 30 September 1872, the short in build Ernest Moses walked past Robinson’s offices just off Market Square.
Seizing a horse whip the much larger Robinson rushed out, grabbed Moses and whipped him a few times. Moses broke and ran away but Robinson gave chase succeeding in delivering a few more very well placed slashes with the whip. Fist fights were common in those days but being horse whipped in public was not.
Over the next few days and weeks the various newspapers reported on the incident and its aftermath with much enjoyment, and the diggers too followed the story with much glee. Moses threatened to sue Robinson, and Robinson was going to counter sue. The newspapers tended to favour Robinson because of the “dud” diamond as it was not generally accepted to try and cheat on any diamond deal, but Robinson was not that popular among his fellow diggers. It was an enthralling few weeks.
The case did not reach court as the parties came to an out of court agreement. Moses apologised to Robinson, and Robinson apologised to Moses. It was a damp ending to what everyone believed would be an explosive court case.
JB Robinson
Robinson would go on to become a multi-millionaire randlord, and become Sir Joseph Benjamin Robinson Bt, but Ernest Moses had had his five minutes of fame (or infamy), and he quietly disappeared from history. It is not known at this time where he went or what he did after his clash with one of Kimberley’s most entertaining personalities.
(Pictured is JB Robinson).
UPDATED: 30/09/2020
30 September 1872, Ernest Moses horse-whipped by JB Robinson.
30 September 1904, Lord Roberts VC visits Kimberley for the last time.
30 September 1920, City Engineer Thomas Cullen retires after 40 years in the position.
30 September 1934, Kimberley Air Rally begins.
Private Pilot for Queen Elizabeth II
Gordon Store MVO OBE was born in Kimberley on 28 January 1906, the son of a well-known citizen, Albert Store. He was educated at Kimberley Boys High School, Mill Hill and at the Imperial College in London. He learned to fly at the De Havilland School and in 1926 was commissioned into the Reserve of Air Force Officers.
In 1931 Gordon was co-pilot and navigator on the 19-year-old Miss Peggy Salaman’s record-breaking flight to South Africa in a De Havilland Puss Moth named “Good Hope”. They set off on 30 October 1931 from Lympne in Kent and five days, six hours and 40 minutes later they landed at the Cape, knocking more than a day off the record.
After his flight with Peggy Salaman in 1931, Store remained in South Africa as a director of Aero Services, operating from a grass airfield at Wynberg. Three years after setting this record Gordon Store joined Imperial Airways, serving on the airline’s African and Empire routes before beginning a long association with the Atlantic in 1939, when he commanded one of the three crews which operated the first regular transatlantic services.
Gordon Store and Peggy Salaman in front of their plane “Good Hope”.
After the war Store was recruited by Air Vice-Marshal Don Bennett of “Pathfinder” fame as operations manager of British South American Airways, which merged with BOAC in 1949. Store became a Douglas Stratocruiser captain.
For a time he was also a private pilot for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
He died on 4 October 1993, aged 87 years.
Pictured is Gordon Store and Peggy Salaman in front of their plane “Good Hope”.
From Kimberley Calls and Recalls on Facebook By Steve Lunderstedt
Shortlink for this post: https://www.kimberley.org.za/?p=10767
