[1][6][7] The service company of the Durham Artillery, consisting of five officers and 170 other ranks, sailed on 24 March 1900 and landed at Durban.

[23][24][25] In July 1900 the composite company moved to Eshowe in Zululand, where having swapped their artillery Carbines for infantry rifles they were engaged in preventing Boer border raids.

In September a 3000-strong Boer Commando under Louis Botha threatened Zululand, and a 51-strong detachment of the company without guns was sent to Fort Prospect, near Melmoth, to prepare defences.

Assisted by 35 men of B (Dorsetshire Regiment), Company, 5th Division Mounted Infantry, and all under the command of Capt A.C. Rowley of 2nd Battalion Dorsets, they dug trenches and constructed stone sangars.

The brunt of the attack fell on two sangars on the north and west of the position held by the Durham Company acting as infantry.

Although the Boers broke through the Wire obstacle and got within 20 yards (18 m) of the sangars, they held out and Rowley was able to repulse the attack with the aid of a Maxim gun.

About that time a party of 14 Nongqayi (Zululand Police) under Serjeant Gumbi fought their way through the Boer lines to join the defenders.

The remainder of the Durham & Edinburgh Division was brought down from the Natal–Transvaal frontier and sailed to Bombay in India guarding Boer prisoners of war.

Part of the unit remained in India guarding prisoners for some time, the rest embarked for home in November 1901, arriving a dew days after the company from Durban.

There were moves to reform the Auxiliary Forces (Militia, Yeomanry and Volunteers) to take their place in the six Army Corps proposed by St John Brodrick as Secretary of State for War.

[34][35] Under the sweeping Haldane Reforms of 1908, the Militia was replaced by the Special Reserve, a semi-professional force whose role was to provide reinforcement drafts for Regular units serving overseas in wartime.