Arthur Henry Neumann (12 June 1850 – 29 May 1907) was an English explorer, hunter, soldier, farmer and travel writer famous for his exploits in Equatorial East Africa.

He took a job with a coffee planter near Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal shortly before the deadly Borer Beetle infected the growth and decimated the fledgling industry.

Overhunting was already taking its toll in the area and gradually Neumann moved further afield to his ultimate goal of East Africa.

As Neumann continued his quest for big game the uneasy political situation between the Zulus and the British and their Swazi allies began to unravel and a violent uprising was in the offing in Zululand.

During the brief war Neumann performed bravely helping consolidate British gains in Transvaal and forging alliances with the Swaziland kingdom.

He travelled and hunted extensively around the Limpopo and Sabi rivers whilst renting out his farm[2] and leasing land from the Swazi royal family for cattle raising on the borders of Swaziland and Transvaal.

In his first four months with the Company Neumann's road gang of fifty men carved their way through the bush opening up the hinterland, forging alliances and enmities as they progressed.

[2] It was, of course a disaster for the elephant but it provided much needed wealth into Equatorial Africa and men such as Neumann were available to satiate the demand.

Neumann records that he downed a number of large animals before his gun misfired allowing an angry cow elephant to maul him.

[6] He returned to Mombasa with the ivory and the specimens in October 1896 in poor physical health and sporting an injured and withered arm.

[7] Neumann was not one to play down his exploits and his memoirs were widely read by a public more than willing to lap up tales of derring-do from the Empire.

The book is enhanced by the work of three eminent wildlife artists, his friend John Guille Millais, Edmund Caldwell and George Edward Lodge and was a lavish publication.

In August 1901 he is recorded as visiting his old friend Frederick Jackson, now Acting Commissioner of Uganda in Entebbe,[2] and that his intention was to head north to hunt near the Abyssinian border.

In fact Neumann probably returned shortly after to Britain as he is recorded buying a large-bore, double-barreled rifle from the Southwark gunsmith John Rigby & Company whilst staying at the Union Club.

He was present at a Norfolk shooting party in late 1901 that was attended by several notable hunters of the period including Frederick Selous and J.G.

According to Millais early in 1902 he once again returned to East Africa where he stayed in Mount Kenya country for five years periodically heading north to hunt bull elephants.

Neumann with his affinity for Ndorobo people of East Africa was reluctantly drawn into political conflicts that eventually undermined his position.

[2][9] Neumann who by this time was in poor shape was also receiving criticism from the growing lobby in the colony that were against the uncontrolled hunting of big game.

[10] He responded by publishing a pamphlet in which he put forward his ideas on how the ivory trade and illegitimate elephant hunting could be controlled.

This was agreed at the end of May, but the grant was never enacted as on 29 May after writing a brief note Neumann committed suicide by gunshot at his lodgings in central London.