Dhoolie Bearers

Dhoolie Bearers have often been described as “excellent fellows, small in stature, some with ribbons on their chests”.

They gained their respect of all who called for their services. After any battle, the field was left to the Dhoolie Bearers and the slow-travelling ambulances with their Red Cross flags. Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi, himself a Dhoolie Bearer, after leaving Ladysmith, proceeded to Pietermaritzburg where he raised an ambulance corps of some 1 100 Indian volunteers.