Battle Tours ZA

19/04/2021

Medal Identification/Association

Do you have a medal in your family that you would like to identify and make an association as to where your medal recipient fought, and/or was during the time he earned the medal. Below is a Boer War medal and if you have one in your collection, and you would like to know where your recipient/family member was during the years 1899 to 1902, please contact me on [email protected] and I will get back to you with interesting information.

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18/04/2021

Mid Month Visit – March 2021

In January 2003 I attended a talk at the Military History Society of South Africa on the Battle of Helvetia, given by Peter Goodship. The Largest portion of the Garrison at Helvetia was of men of the 1st Liverpool Regiment, and being a Liverpool Football supporter there was an immediate interest. At the end of the talk I was ‘hooked’ on the events that transpired on the 29th December 1900. Boer General Ben Viljoen attacked the garrison at Helvetia where many of the soldiers encamped there were still either hung over from Christmas celebrations, or practicing for New Year. Many of the soldiers captured were too inebriated to ‘march into captivity’. What a disaster.
Helvetia was a trading station occupying a strategic position on a supply route between Lydenburg and Machadadorp, with supply columns using this route twice a week. The garrison consisted of a main camp, with four nearby hills being continually manned. On the eastern hill was the Naval 4,7 inch gun called the Lady Roberts. General Viljoen and his commandos launched their attack in the early hours of the morning of 29 December 1900. By 7h30 the battle was over and the Boers started withdrawing with their prisoners and spoils, amongst which was the Lady Roberts.
Ben Viljoen in his book ‘My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War’ writes (Page 176) – “A great quantity of rum and other spirits was found among the enemy’s commissariat, and as soon as the British soldiers made prisoners were disarmed, they ran up to it, filled their flasks, and drank so freely that about thirty of them were soon unable to walk”. Commandant Schikkerling in his book ‘Commando Courageous’ writes (page 117) – “In one of the forts were several barrels of rum, and from these many of the soldiers filled their water bottles. Some indeed were so drunk at starting time that we could not take them away; others fell by the way on the march”.
Despite all this, the most westerly hill, King’s Kopje, held out until re-enforcements came that night at about 20h00. There are accounts in a number of books about Helvetia. There was a commission of enquiry and Major Cotton, who commanded the garrison, was made the scapegoat. He was found guilty of shamefully surrendering to the enemy. Clemency was denied and he was cashiered in November 1901. There is however more to this story and the King granted him a pardon. He was given an honourable discharge and put on early retirement with a pension. For those interested in reading accounts of the aftermath, there is a connection between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the commission of inquiry.
I have visited the battle-site often, and did so again on 14 March 2021. The graves are not signposted and unless you know where they were it would be almost impossible to locate them. In 2001 I was fortunate enough to go on a guided tour with Marion Moir and the ruins of the Helvetia Trading Station were very visible, and I managed to photograph them. The whole area, including the hills comprising the garrison are now forest. The land is owned by a forestry company and totally covered with trees.
In the small cemetery at Helvetia is a marble stone which commemorates four Boers who lost their lives in the battle:
Lieutenant Morkel Pretoria Police
Lieutenant P.J.J. Nortje Pretoria Police
Constable M.J. Viljoen Pretoria Police
Constable J.S. Lewis Johannesburg Police
Corpoarl J.C. Coetzee is also commemorated – he died of wounds and is buried in Dullstroom
There are nine soldiers from the Liverpool Regiment commemorated at this cemetery. They are - Sergeant Swallow, Lance Corporal Hopkins, Corporal Adams, and Privates Clarke, McGann, Pidgeon, Whittaker, Woods and Young.
In my collection I am fortunate to have the medal to 4935 Private B. Pope who was wounded at the battle, and t0 3651 Private J. Higgins who was taken prisoner. I have always wondered whether he was one of those who decided that the best way to go into captivity was with the aid of alcohol.
Having spent a few days in the Kruger Park, a favourite place of mine to ‘un-wind’, we returned to Johannesburg via the Long Tom Pass, Lydenburg, Dullstroom and Belfast. As one approaches Dullstroom, there is a private farm on the right, where there is a small cemetery and two stone sangars on a small hill above the cemetery. There are two flag poles next to the sangars, and sometimes there is a Union Jack and a Boer Vierkleur flag flying, one from each pole. We stopped in Dullstroom for a milkshake, and as is my want, I started asking questions about the farm and the cemetery. Without going into too much detail of the conversations, we were eventually given permission, after a number of ‘phone calls, to visit the cemetery. There are 10 marked graves and three unmarked graves (the bottom three names are the unmarked graves) -
No. Rank Init Surname Regiment How Date Where
6732 Pte. G. Ashinford Royal Warwickshire DoW 22/12/01 Windhoek (Near Dullstroom)
4200 L.Cpl F. Bell 19th Hussars DoW 17/04/01 Dullstroom
4212 Pte. E. Dowsett 19th Hussars KiA 02/05/01 Dullstroom
4305 Pte. A. Gurney 19th Hussars DoW 04/05/01 Dullstroom
Maj ATP Hudson Manchester DoW 20/12/01 Elandspruit
4435 L.Cpl RHA Hunter 18th Hussars DoW 16/04/01 Near Dullstroom
5078 Sgt D Leitch Seaforth Highlanders KiA 22/12/01 Dullstroom
Capt A Menzies Manchester DoW 22/01/01 Windhoek (Near Dullstroom
31776 Tpr LR Stewart ScottishHorse DoW 12/07/01 Witpoort
3156 L. Cpl H.F. Thurston Shropshire L. I. DoW 25/01/02 Houtenbeck
Scout Bayesane Scottish Horse KiA 01/05/01 Near Dullstroom
4161 Pte. D. Caddis 18th Hussars DoW 05/09/00 Dullstroom
3873 Cpl. G. Hood 18th Hussars KiA 16/04/01 Near Dullstroom

In Steve Watts book ‘In Memoriam’ he lists a further name, with a (?) against where the soldier has been interred. Other than the three unmarked graves described above there is no other marked and/or unmarked grave in this cemetery so the mystery remains. If Steve Watt was unsure, and being the absolute ‘guru’ on this subject, unless we find a marked grave for the name below, in some Boer War cemetery, then his final resting place will remain a mystery.
31819 Cpl. JM Blackham Scottish Horse KiA Roodekrantz, near Dullstroom 30/04/01

20/06/2020

Douglas Haig was born in Edinburgh on 19 June 1861 and after studying at Oxford, entered the military in January 1884. He was an equestrian enthusiast and represented England at Polo.

At the outbreak of the South African War (1899-1902) he saw action at Elandslaagte and was with Lieutenant-Colonel French on the last train out of Ladysmith before the siege. As Lieutenant-Colonel he commanded a Cavalry Brigade and saw action at the battles leading up to the relief of Kimberley and the capture of Bloemfontein.

During the guerrilla phase of the war, with the rank of Brigadier-General, he was given a column of men, and was tasked with patrolling the northern Cape, chasing Boer commandos operating in the area. During the final weeks of the war, he was tasked with finding Boer General Smuts and escorting him to Vereeniging for the Peace Talks.

Haig’s father was the head of the family’s successful Haig & Haig whisky distillery.

16/06/2020

Lieutenant-General James Babington died on 15 June 1936 aged 81. During the South African War (1899-1902) he saw action at Magersfontein and the defeat on General De la Rey's commando near Ventersdorp, during the Guerrilla Phase of the war. He left South Africa in September 1901 to return to England. Wikepedia reports that his image was chosen by Paul McCartney and used by the Beatles to depict the fictional "Sgt. Pepper" for the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.

06/06/2020

Having received an ultimatum on 4 June, General Louis Botha decides to evacuate Pretoria and make a stand with his fighters, north of the City. At 10h00 on 5 June 1900 General Roberts enters Pretoria unopposed.

01/06/2020

After crossing the Vaal River into the old Transvaal Republic the British objective was to capture Johannesburg. On 30 May the Boers were defeated at the Battle of Doornkop in the western suburbs of Johannesburg. The Boers were also forced to retreat from the town of Germiston – the strategic railway junction. A 24-hour truce had being negotiated between Commandant Krause and General Roberts which delayed the entry of the British troops into the city. This truce allowed the fighting Boers safe passage out of Johannesburg and its surrounds, together with much needed supplies. The fear that the Boers were going to dynamite the mines was allayed, supposedly by the negotiated truce. The British occupied Johannesburg on 31 May 1900 – 120 years ago.

31/05/2020

After crossing the Vaal River into the old Transvaal Republic the British objective was to capture Johannesburg. On 30 May the Boers were defeated at the Battle of Doornkop in the western suburbs of Johannesburg. The Boers were also forced to retreat from the town of Germiston – the strategic railway junction. A 24-hour truce had being negotiated between Commandant Krause and General Roberts. This truce allowed the fighting Boers safe passage out of Johannesburg and its surrounds, together with much needed supplies. The fear that the Boers were going to dynamite the mines was allayed, supposedly by the negotiated truce. The British occupied Johannesburg on 31 May 1900 – 120 years ago.

24/05/2020

Field Marshall Jan Smuts was born on 24 May 1870. As was custom in his youth, due to circumstances, he only started school at the age of 12. This late start was not to deter him and he graduated from both Stellenbosch and Cambridge Universities with Honours. One of his lecturers at Cambridge described Smuts as the most brilliant student he had ever taught. Einstein is quoted as saying that Smuts was one of a handful of people in the world who understood the theory of relativity. After a brief period of employment with Cecil Rhodes, the Jameson Raid took him to the Transvaal where he became state attorney in the capital of the South African Republic in Pretoria.

During the initial stages of the South African (Anglo-Boer) War he served under Paul Kruger, being his right hand man. Once the guerrilla phase of the war commenced he joined General de la Rey in the field and served with distinction.

After the war he entered politics and it is safe to say that together with General Louis Botha, they shaped the future of South Africa. He was in Botha’s first Union Government and held three significant portfolios. At the outbreak of World War One he was at the forefront of the Rebellion before successfully leading the South African forces in German South West Africa and East Africa.

From 1917 to 1919 he was a member of the British Imperial War Cabinet, and was instrumental in the founding of what became the Royal Air Force (RAF). He was appointed as a field marshal in the British Army in 1941 and was the only person to sign both of the peace treaties ending the First and Second World wars. His friendship with Winston Churchill is legendary.

He served as prime minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 until 1924 and from 1939 until 1948.

23/05/2020

Lieutenant-General French died on 22 May 1925 at the age of 72.

On entering the ‘military’ he saw brief service in the Royal Navy, before becoming a cavalry officer. He took part in the Gordon Relief Expedition in 1845 which arrived two days too late to save the massacre of thousands of civilians as well as the death of Major-General Charles Gordon.

French became a household name and somewhat of a national hero during the South African War (Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902). He was at the Battle of Elandslaagte, but managed to avoid being in Ladysmith during the siege by being on the last train to leave the town before the siege started.

He saw service in battles to relieve Kimberley and was the first senior British Officer to enter the town on the relief, where he was taken to meet with Rhodes. He was then part of the force that marched north, occupied Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Pretoria. He saw action at the last set piece battle of the war, Bergendal, before being very active in the guerrilla phase of the war.

14/05/2020

Mafeking had been under siege since 14 October 1899 when the Boers under Commandant Eloff made an unsuccessful attack on the town. On 14 October over 7,000 Boers under the command of Commandant-General Cronje, surrounded the garrison at Mafeking and a number of requests to surrender were dismissed by the British.

Late in October, Cronje, with half the Boer force, left for the battles around Kimberley, and the Boers were now forced to take a less active role in their efforts to effect a surrender. The British garrison, under the command of Colonel Baden-Powell, repulsed a number of attacks made by the Boers.

On 24 April Commandant Sarel Eloff, the grandson of President Kruger, with his commando, joined the Boers at Mafeking to plan an attack. The attack took place on 12 May and was initially successful. Eloff was able to overpower the British forces holding the ‘fort’ on the perimeter of the British line.

However, the support from the Boers under Commandant Snyman failed to materialise and the initial success of Eloff was overturned, thanks to a material counter attack by British forces, ably supported by armed men from the Baralong tribe. Commandant Eloff, together with over 100 Boers were taken prisoner and a further 60 were either wounded or killed. The British lost 5 killed and the supporting, Baralong lost 8 men.

Commandant Eloff spent the rest of the war as captive on the island of St. Helena.

12/05/2020

The beginning of May 1900 saw the start of the British advance northwards towards Johannesburg and Pretoria. The Boers decided to make an effort to prevent this advance and to defend Kroonstad, the town where a number of Boer krijgsraad (councils-of-war) had been held in March.

The Sand River, over which the railway line to the north was built, seemed the ideal defensive position. General Louis Botha joined the Free State Boers and together there was a force of about 8 000. They positioned themselves on the northern banks of the river which ran from east to west. The railway bridge was destroyed and the British had to find an alternate route to advance north.

On 9 May the British force, under Colonel Porter found an unoccupied drift (Du Preez Laager Drift) west of the railway, and proceeded with their advance. Once the position had been secured the 1st Cavalry Brigade crossed in strength.

On the same day Major-General Hamilton’s Brigade occupied another drift (Junction Drift) also west of the railway line, and crossed in force the following day. These two crossings exposed the right flank of the Boer position.

By early morning on 11 May all leading units of Major-General French’s force were now across the river. General Botha had consolidated the Boer central position having realised his right flank was outnumbered and fierce fighting ensued. After a full day of engagement the Boers retreated. The British losses were over 20 killed and 50 wounded.

11/05/2020

One of the less spoken about Commandants of the South African War (1899-1902), Danie Theron, was born on 9 May 1872. Before the start of the war he was instrumental in the formation of a Cycle Corps.

At the outbreak of war, as a Captain he was responsible for establishing the Boer intelligence scouts, and they first saw ‘action’ around Ladysmith. Due to their success in intelligence and reconnaissance they were moved to the Cape and were involved at Paardeberg and Poplar Grove. On 2 March 1900 the Theron Scouting Corps was formed and he was promoted to Commandant.

On 4 September 1900, during a scouting exercise for a Boer attack on the British forces near Fochville, he was killed, having unexpectedly come across a small group of British soldiers.

(From Wikipedia I extracted the following) In one of the very rare occasions where Mr. Mandela spoke Afrikaans in public, he said he valued the fighting spirit of Danie Theron, his honesty, bravery and his determination to do the right thing for his nation and his beliefs. Mr. Mandela said that the modern South Africa needs more Danie Therons in order to meet the challenges that lie ahead…….and……
His great-great-niece is Charlize Theron……and…… during the Boer War, Danie Theron used the alias of Captain James Bond. This is probably where Ian Fleming, the writer of the British spy series got the idea.

10/05/2020

Commandant Danie Erasmus died on 7 May 1914.

He fought in the First Anglo-Boer War (1880) where he became a Commandant. During the South African War 1899-1900, as a General, he saw action at the first battle of the war, Talana, was involved in the Siege of Ladysmith, and later operated in the Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga).

He was a man with his own ideas and didn’t take kindly to criticism and as such, late in 1900 was demoted from the rank of General to Commandant.

He was captured in the Eastern Transvaal in January 1902 and sent to St Helena.

He died in Pretoria 3 months before the First World War broke out, thus avoiding having to take sides in the 1914 Rebellion.

07/05/2020

6 May 1902 was the Battle of Holkrans (Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902) and although not the defining moment in the peace negotiations of the war, it became a huge consideration. Up to this point the war had been between the Boers and the British, but Holkrans introduced a new foe to the war – the Zulus. Holkrans is sometimes referred to as ‘the massacre’ and sometimes, ‘the skirmish’, but with the number of casualties on both sides, a battle is not out of context.

A Boer commando from the Vryheid district had laagered at Holkrans, to the north of Vryheid in northern Natal (now KwaZulu Natal). A tribe of the Zulu nation, the abaQulusi attacked the laager in the early hours of the morning of 6 May 1902. There are different ‘interpretations’ of the motivation behind the attack – revenge for ill treatment, or to recover cattle previously stolen by the Boers, or encouraged by the British. However, the small laager and an element of surprise made the attack compelling for the Zulu’s. The Boers were overwhelmed with 56 of the 73-strong commando being killed. The abaQulusi had 52 of their warriors killed.

This Battle will be the ‘Battle of the Month’ and will appear on the website as such.

06/05/2020

4 May 1866 was the birth of Captain W. E. Gordon of the Gordon Highlanders. He was in his early 30’s when he arrived in South Africa to fight in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 and was part of the force sent to relieve Kimberley.

He saw action at the Battle of Magersfontein in December 1899, where he was wounded and then saw action at Paardeberg before being involved in the epic Battle of Doornkop - the battle for Johannesburg..

During the guerrilla phase of the war he was awarded the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Dwarsvlei on 11 July 1900, where together with Captain Younger, they rescued the British guns under heavy gunfire from the Boers.

04/05/2020

On 30 April 1900, at a skirmish at Toba Mountain (near Thaba Nchu), Captain Ernest Towse of the Gordon Highlanders was shot in the head and blinded in both eyes. ‘
For his gallantry at this engagement, and his bravery at the Battle of Magersfontein, he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
It is said that Queen Victoria shed tears at the parade when pinning the decoration on Towse’s chest. (www.battletoursza.com)

26/04/2020

General Coen Brits – 19 April 1868

General Coen Brits who was born on this day in 1868,was a huge man standing 6 foot 6 inches tall and became a very close friend of General Louis Botha after Botha rescued him when his horse had been shot and he became tangled in barbed wire.

Initially with the Wakkerstroom Commando, he took part in the invasion of Natal at the start of War. During WW1 he took part in the German South-West African and German East-African campaigns.

19/04/2020

Engagement at Vygehoek – 17 April 1901

Vygehoek was a farm in the Lydenburg District of the then Eastern Transvaal (now Mpumalanga).

In a section of the sweep to capture General Ben Viljoen, a column under the command of Major-General W Kitchener (brother of Lord H.H. Kitchener), moved west from Lydenburg with 1 400 men.

Farms in the area were searched for Boers and during one of these searches (Vygehoek) a small party of Boers were engaged by a British force under the command of Major Eustace of the Kings Royal Rifle Corp. 60 Boers were taken prisoner and over 1 000 head of cattle were taken.

19/04/2020

Battle of Palmietfontein – 16 April 1901

Palmietfontein was a farm 8 km north of Dullstroom.
In late March 1901 the British put plans in place to capture Boer General Ban Viljoen. Lieutenant-General Blood was put in command of this initiative and had six columns and 10 000 men under his command. Columns were sent to different areas of the District to either engage Viljoen, or to cut off his routes of escape.

The column under Colonel Douglas was in the Dullstroom area when it was attacked by General Muller, Commandant Taute and Viljoen. After a late afternoon engagement, the Boers being outnumbered, retired during the night.

There is no mention in any documentation I have about the number of casualties, however, the bodies of the Hussars killed in the battle are buried in the cemetery 3 km out of Dullstroom on the road to Lydenburg.

19/04/2020

Colonel W P Pulteney – 14 April 1941

Lieutenant-Colonel William Pulteney saw action at the battles of Belmont, Modder River and Magersfontein. He was part of the march to Bloemfontein and Pretoria, and thereafter saw action at the battles of Diamond Hill and Belfast.

Late in 1900 he received the brevet promotion to Colonel.
He died on this day in 1941, 4 days before his 80th birthday.

19/04/2020

Battle of Goedvooruitzicht – 14 April 1901

On this day in 1901 Jan Smuts’ Commando was laagered on the farm Goedvooruitzicht, 20 km south of Coligny.

At daybreak, Lieutenant-General Babington, with his mounted infantry, commanded by Colonel Rawlinson, executed a surprise attack on the laager. The Boers under Commandant Wolmarans (Smuts was not present being at a Boer Government meeting with Kitchener and Milner) mounted a spirited counter attack, but being totally outnumbered were forced to flee when the British guns were brought into action.

The British took prisoners, guns, wagons and cattle, suffering only a few injuries.

19/04/2020

Battle of Roodewal – 11 April 1902

Although referred to as Roodewal in most British publications and reports, this battle was fought on the farm Rooiwal in the district of Delareyville. This was to be the last set piece battle of the war.

The British had suffered ignominious defeats at Yserspruit (24 February 1902) and Tweebosch (7 March 1902) and had resumed their ‘sweep’ on the Boers. Lieutenant-General Lord Kitchener had ‘handed over’ command to Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Hamilton early in April and Hamilton immediately set plans in motion to ’chase down’ the Boers. The Boers, around 6 000 in number, had laagered close to Rooiwal and Hamilton moved three of his seven columns into position to confront the Boers. He had about 15 000 men under his command.

On the evening of 10 April General Kemp, who was in command of the Boers as Commandant de la Rey was in talks with other Boer leaders discussing the possibility of peace, received information that the left flank of the British position was weakly defended. Hamilton also realised that this was a weakness and sent reinforcements overnight to strengthen the position.

Early on the morning of 11 April 1902, Kemp led the overall attack on the British with about 1 800 men, led by Generals Celliers and Liebenberg and Commandant Potgieter attacking the ‘weak’ left flank. Kemp, who was going to position himself for the British retreat, on seeing the British troops who had been positioned overnight, realised that the Boers were totally outnumbered, but it was too late to order a retreat.

In the first and only cavalry charge by the Boers in the whole war, the Boers were defeated and had to retreat. Commandant Potgieter was one of the many Boer casualties. (This battle will be featured as the Battle of the Month and will appear on the website (www.battletoursza.com) at the end of April.

19/04/2020

Lord Chelmsford – 9 April 1905

Frederic Augustus Thesiger who later became Lord Chelmsford, died on 9 April 1905 aged 77.
Chelmsford was in command of the central force which invaded Zululand in 1879 and camped at the foot of Isandlwana.

Chelmsford decided to split his force to try and find the main Zulu force. He was out with half the force, looking for the Zulus when those who were left at the camp at Isandlwana were attacked and annihilated by the Zulus on 22 January 1879.

19/04/2020

Battle of Jammersberg Drift – 9 April 1902

Jammersburg Drift, or Jammersburg Bridge as it is sometimes known, is on the Caledon River, and was the first battle in the Siege of Wepener.

Knowing of the presence of Boer Commandos in the area, the then Commander of the Garrison, Major Maxwell, decided to reinforce the hills to the west of the bridge.
On 4 April 1902 Commandant Banks called on the town to surrender. His request was refused. On 5 April Colonel Dalgety arrived with a relief force and positioned the 2 000 men under his command in defensive positions.

By 9 April Boer Commandant de Wet, with 6 000 men, seven guns and four pom-poms had the position surrounded and commenced with a heavy bombardment of the position.

In his report of the battle, Colonel Dalgety said “the weakest part of the position was on the extreme left rear, which was held by the Cape Mounted Rifles and it was here that the heaviest casualties took place. The Cape Mounted Rifles lost 21 killed and 75 wounded out of a total of 33 killed and 133 wounded.”

Among de Wet’s Commandants were Wessels, Haasbroek, de Villiers and Olivier.

19/04/2020

Siege of Wepener – 8 April 1900

On 8 April 1900, Boer Commandos under the command of Commandant Christiaan de Wet commenced the Siege of Wepener.
Colonel Dalgety was in command of the garrison of British and South African colonial forces.

19/04/2020

Engagement at Hartenbosch – 8 April 1902

Hartenbosch was a farm in the Orange Free State, 90 km north of Bloemfontein in the Bultfontein district.

A British patrol under Major Luard were in the area when they were attacked by Commandant Badenhorst’s Commando on their return to Bultfontein.

In the history of the Thornicroft Mounted Infantry it is quoted “many of our men, the majority of the patrol were captured by the enemy”. In the engagement one man was killed and 15 were injured. The soldier killed was Private Mooney of Thornicroft’s Mounted Infantry .

19/04/2020

Acquittal of Commandant Kritzinger – 6 April 1902

The British had been pursuing commandos in the Cape for the entire length of the guerrilla phase of the war, none more so than Commandant Kritzinger.

In December 1901 he was cornered and in a skirmish, injured and taken prisoner. He was imprisoned at Graaff-Reinet and tried, as were a number of other Boer Commandants, by a military tribunal. Charges against him were similar to those levelled against Scheepers and Lotter, who were found guilty and executed.

Kritzinger was acquitted after influence from England and the United States was forthcoming.

19/04/2020

J B M Hertzog – 6 April 1866

Barry Hertzog, as he was known, was born on 6 April 1866 and was a general in the South African War. He fought with distinction during the guerrilla phase of the war.

After the signing of the Peace Treaty of Vereeniging, he became a political opponent of both Louis Botha and Jan Smuts. Botha and Smuts wanted reconciliation between Boer and British – Hertzog wanted Afrikaner ‘independence’.

Hertzog was prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1924 to 1939, losing a Parliamentary Vote in 1939 due to his stance on British ‘alignment’ during WW2.

19/04/2020

Skirmish at Zeekoegat – 6 April 1901

Zeekoegat was a farm south-east of Graaf-Reinet in the eastern Cape. Graaf-Reinet was a town, used by the British, as a base from which they started out in their searches for the various Boer Commandos operating in the area.
On 6 April 1901 Commandant Scheepers captured 75 British soldiers who were on patrol in the area, after a brief skirmish.

19/04/2020

Battle of Tweefontein – 5 April 1900

Tweefontein was a farm 10 km south-east of the town of Boshof in the Orange Free State, which is town in the western Free State, about 50 km from Kimberley.

Colonel Villebois-Mareuil (also known as The French Colonel) had just been made Veg-Generaal of the ‘foreigner’ Commando in Kroonstad and had decided to travel to Kimberley to try and ascertain what Lieutenant-General Methuen’s next move was going to be, now that Kimberley had been relieved and Bloemfontein had fallen – a few days before his appointment.

Scouts had told Villebois-Mareuil that Methuen was at Boshof with a large force. Villebois-Mareuil didn’t believe this and decided to laager. A force, far outnumbering the Commando attacked Villebois-Mareuil and after a battle which lasted a couple of hours, the Commando were forced to surrender.

Villebois-Mareuil was killed in the action. He was buried by the British with full military honours, with his captured men in attendance. (A full account of Villebois-Mareuil will appear in the BattleToursZA April Newsletter. If you are not on the mailing list for the newsletter, please send an email to – Allan – [email protected] )