Michael Carmichael Rowland

Colonel M. C. Rowland, C.M.G., was a South African military administrator and former Imperial officer whose service bridged the late Victorian British Army, colonial South African forces, and the early Union Defence Force. He is best remembered as the first Quartermaster-General of the Union Defence Force, a role that placed him at the centre of South Africa’s military organization during its formative years.

Rowland had earlier served with the Royal Munster Fusiliers and saw service connected with the South African War. His medal group includes the Queen’s South Africa Medal with multiple clasps and the King’s South Africa Medal, reflecting extensive service during the Boer War period. He was also mentioned in despatches, appearing in contemporary records as the Honourable Lieutenant M. C. Rowland.

By the time of the 1906 Zulu Rebellion, Rowland was serving in a senior administrative capacity in the Transvaal. As Major M. C. Rowland, Controller and Paymaster, Transvaal, he was involved in the practical work of mobilization, supply, clothing, equipment, transport and pay. For his services during the rebellion he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.

Following the creation of the Union of South Africa, Rowland became one of the important military administrators of the new Union Defence Force. As Quartermaster-General, he was responsible for the logistical and administrative machinery that underpinned the force. His First World War medal entitlement is represented by the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, the latter bearing the oak leaf emblem for Mentioned in Despatches.

After retiring from the Union Defence Force in 1919, Rowland remained active in public and charitable life. He became a prominent Catholic layman in Johannesburg and was closely associated with organizations serving the deaf community. He chaired the Johannesburg Deaf and Dumb Association, was a founding member of the South African National Council for the Deaf, and later served as its chairperson from 1937 until 1947. His contribution was substantial enough that the Colonel Rowland Home for the Aged Deaf was later named in his honour.

Colonel Rowland died in April 1947 at Frere Hospital in East London. His funeral was held from the pro-Cathedral in Kerk Street, Johannesburg, on 11 April 1947. His surviving medal group reflects a career that moved from Imperial soldiering to South African military administration, and then into civic service.