Lieutenant Gaunt's Brigade

This photograph depicts a column of Samoan soldiers who supported King Malietoa Tanumafili I in a struggle for control over Samoa with Mata'afa Iosefo Laiufi in 1899. Malietoa was backed by the colonial powers of Great Britain and the United States, while Mata’afa was supported by Germany.

Lieutenant Gaunt

In 1897, Lieutenant Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt (1869-1953) was serving in Samoa aboard the HMS Porpoise. He was put in command of several land based military operations including the repelling of an attack on the British Consulate at Apia by troops loyal to Mata'afa (1).

The title of the photograph refers to the soldiers supporting Malietoa as ‘Lieutenant Gaunt's Brigade’. One estimate suggests this group comprised 5000 indigenous men and a couple of hundred women. The soldiers are described in reports of the time as ‘red tops’ (because of their red turbans), and many of them were equipped with Enfield rifles shipped in to Samoa from Fiji. Gaunt (who appears in the photograph riding a pony), referred to his soldiers as "The Never-Glorious Army'(2).

Tulia - a vivandiere

At the head of the column is a Samoan woman named Tulia, who is described in reports of the time as having the role of vivandiere (a French name for women attached to military regiments as sutlers). She accompanied Samoan troops into battle, carrying food and water, and encouraging the men involved in the fighting.

According to Anthony Delano, “Tulia placed herself at the head of Lieutenant Gaunt’s famous native brigade, in which he was the leading chief, and nerved them onto victory. In the jungle, when the men could scarcely see each other, much less their enemies, and with bullets flying all around, Tulia would suddenly show herself, and shout out to the dusky warriors, “Fight, fight!’ in tones of earnest encouragement. “She is as plucky as they are made,’ is the testimony of more than one eye-witness of the girl’s bravery (2).

Bravery and devotion

A newspaper report describes Tulia as a “…courageous girl who distinguished herself in most of the actions in which her regiment was concerned. Lieutenant Gaunt speaks very highly of her bravery and devotion. Always at the head of the troops carrying her water bottle with which to refresh the wounded or thirsty warriors, always having a bright smile and gentle word for all, Tulia was an immense favourite with everyone who knew her."

Life and soul of the regiment

The report goes on to say, "Few of the warriors of Gaunt's brigade can boast that they ever preceded her into battle, or across the flying enemies' entrenchment and, unlike them, this brave girl carried no arms or defence, while equally risking her life. She would march with the troops, untiring and unfearing, over tough ground and under hottest suns — cheerful, gay and indomitable : the life and souI of the regiment. No one ever offered unkindness or disrespect to Tulia, who, in the words of her commander, was ' a girl we all loved and were all proud of'"(3).

Thomas Andrew: Photographer of Samoa

This photograph is part of a large collection of images taken Thomas Andrew, a New Zealander who lived in Samoa from 1891 to 1939. Andrew is best known for his studio portraits, but he ventured well beyond that controlled environment. He photographed political events, recorded daily life, and shot idyllic scenes for the tourist market, as his diverse portfolio reveals.

Sources

(1 ) Delano, A. (2016). Guy Gaunt: the Boy From Ballarat Who Talked America into the Great War. Australian Scholarly Publishing p.57-60; Admiral Sir Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt https://www.navy.gov.au/biography/admiral-sir-guy-reginald-archer-gaunt ; A popular Commodore Samoanische Zeitung, Volume 18, Issue 6, 9 February 1918, Page 6 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SAMZ19180209.2.23

(2) Delano, A. (2016). Guy Gaunt: the Boy From Ballarat Who Talked America into the Great War. Australian Scholarly Publishing; His Opinion On The Situation. Auckland Star, VOLUME XXX, ISSUE 109, 10 MAY 1899, PAGE 3 https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18990510.2.7.1

(3) The Samoan Rebellion. (1899, July 8). The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1871 - 1912), p. 88. Retrieved June 9, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163689686;  Michael Field (2017) Tulia; frontline taupou https://invinciblestrangers.wordpress.com/2017/07/09/tulia-frontline-taupo/