The Rhodesian Rothesian: The story of Biawa Makalaga, the first African to play football in Scotland, who came to Scotland with Major James Grant
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A MILITARY historian has written a book about the extraordinary life of a Rhodesian man who came to be an adopted Rothesian.
Biawa Makalaga was begging on the streets of Bulawayo when Speyside's Major James Grant discovered him and took him home to Moray.
After serving during WWI, Biawa became the first ethnic African to play league football in Scotland.
Keith Lloyd, a military historian from Brackley in England, came across the unique story while working on a five-year project on the Northamptonshire Regiment.
His work is done in aid of the Royal British Legion and has appeared in several museums.
The story of Biawa Makalaga
Major James Grant was a legendary Speyside figure; Mayor of Elgin, an inventor, traveller, philanthropist and a rip-roaring raconteur.
In 1872, he inherited the Glen Grant Malt Whisky Distillery, in Rothes.
He became an officer in the local Rifle Volunteers, the Territorial Army of its day, and quickly attained the rank of Major – largely due to his status as one of Rothes’ largest employers, and his generous contributions towards the costs of providing the part-time soldiers with their uniforms; and a plentiful supply of ‘wee drams’.
In Rhodesia, Africa, now Zimbabwe, on a Big Game Hunting Safari, Major Grant and his Hunting Party had some success with the ‘bag’ but ceased operations for a while due to the dangers of disease and a shortage of drinkable water.
Later, in the city of Bulawayo, he came across a young lad who was begging in the street (another account suggests the Major found Biawa wandering hopelessly in the bush).
He had a chat with the boy to discover that he was orphaned, being looked after by a poor cattle herder and was very hungry. After making appropriate enquiries with the authorities (Rhodesia was then a key British Colony) James adopted Biawa, eventually taking him back to Speyside.
Biawa joined the staff at Glen Grant House near Rothes, becoming a pageboy and servant to Major James and his second wife (of three) Fanny.
Rothesians pronounced his name ‘Byway’, a reference to where the major had first met him. He was believed to be of the Kalanga people.
Although he was of uncertain age, Biawa was enlisted into the Northamptonshires at Fort George, Nairn in 1916. In February 1917, he was posted to Egypt with the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force and saw action against the Ottomans during the Egypt, Sinai and Palestine Campaigns under General Allenby. (Leading to the capture of Jerusalem in December 1917).
Precise details of Biawa’s wartime experiences seem to have been lost; one account has him attached to a Field Ambulance Unit, perhaps as a Stretcher Bearer. Whatever, during the WW1 Campaign in the Middle East 1/4 Battalion took part in the following actions:
15 August 1915: Landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli and engaged in various actions against the Turkish Ottoman Army.
December 1915: Moved to Egypt to defend the Suez Canal. Then engaged in the Palestine Campaign.
1917: The First Battle of Gaza, The Second Battle of Gaza, The Third Battle of Gaza, The Capture of Gaza, The Battle of Jaffa.
1918: Actions at Ras el' Ain, Operations at Berukin, The Battle of Sharon. Ended the war in Beirut, Palestine.
1/4 Battalion Battle Honours: Egypt 1915 & 1917. Gaza. El Mughar. Nebi Samwil. Jerusalem. Jaffa. Tell' Asur. Megiddo. Sharon. Palestine 1917-18.
Exact details of Steelback casualties sustained in Egypt and Palestine are sketchy.
However the number of losses to the Regiment can be measured by the number of recorded burials: Gaza War Cemetery: 127 Steelbacks; Jerusalem War Cemetery andMemorial: 86. Ramleh War Cemetery: 13. Deir El Belah War Cemetery: 9. Total: 235.
In March 1920, Private Makalaga was discharged from the Army and returned to Glen Grant House to take up his below stairs duties, now as Butler.
He became the goalkeeper for Rothes Victoria FC. Hence, the first ethnic African to play league soccer in Scotland. On retirement from the game, he was a life-long supporter of the Vics, travelling to away matches on the team bus!
During WWII Glen Grant House was occupied by the British Army; Biawa went into service at Lossiemouth which he hated. Later, at War’s end, he returned ‘home’ to Rothes.
Glen Grant House has now been converted as private apartments; the Whisky Distillery is now owned and operated by Campari Gruppo, an Italian multi-brand drinks conglomerate.
Major James Grant died in 1931, age 84. Provisions were made in his will to secure Biawa’s future, including a permanent room in Glen Grant House and a daily luncheon at the nearby Seafield Arms, to include a gin and tonic.
Despite spending most of his adult life with the Glen Grant Whisky family he never took to the local homemade tipple.
Biawa Makalaga died in January 1972; age uncertain.
