Lieutenant-Colonel A.W. Thorneycroft was born on 19 January 1859 and served in the Anglo-Zulu War and in the First Boer War of 1881, where he took part in the defence of Pretoria.
Thorneycroft was one of several officers sent to South Africa in 1899 to raise volunteer units in preparation for the South African War (1899-1902). He raised a corps of soldiers, later known as the Thorneycroft′s Mounted Infantry. In the Battle of Spioen Kop he was with the advanced troops sent up to occupy the summit. The initial assault was a disaster, and with the higher ranking British officers either killed or mortally wounded, this left Thorneycroft the most senior officer present and in command.
He stayed in South Africa throughout the war. In his final despatch from South Africa in June 1902, Lord Kitchener, Commander-in-Chief of the forces during the latter part of the war, described Thorneycroft as ‘an absolutely reliable officer of great experience, common-sense and force of character.’ For his service in the latter part of the war, Thorneycroft received a brevet promotion to colonel on 22 August 1902.
