Boer personalities A - B

Albrecht, Major Frederich Wilhelm R

Born in Potsdam, Prussia in 1848.  He joined the Artillery in 1867 and served in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 as a sergeant in the Guards Field Artillery Regiment.  He arrived in the Orange Free State in 1879.  He joined the Vrystaatse Artilleriekorps as a Captain and used his own training to transform it into an efficient unit.  As a Major, he served at Belmont, Graspan, Magersfontein and Klip Drift.  He was captured at Paardeberg.  He died in 1926.

Beyers, General Christiaan Frederik

Born in Stellenbosch in 1869, he moved to the Transvaal in 1888.  He worked as an attorney in Boksburg and, when war broke out, he joined his local commando in Boksburg and was soon voted in as Assistant Field Cornet.  After the fall of Pretoria, he was promoted to Assistant Commandant-General of the Waterberg and Zoutpansberg Commandos.  He participated in the battle at Nooitgedacht with General de la Rey on 13 December 1900.  He operated in the Magaliesberg area and harassed the British.  He represented the Boers of the Waterberg in the Vereeniging Peace Conference from 15 May 1902, where he chaired the proceedings.  Resuming his practice as an attorney in Pretoria after the war, Beyers became Speaker of the Transvaal Parliament under the Responsible Government.  He was appointed Commandant-General of the newly founded Union Defence Force In 1912.  In 1913, he visited Europe and met Kaiser Wilhelm II.  On his return to South Africa, he clashed with General Louis Botha, whom he considered overly concerned with overseas commitments.  He started negotiations with General De La Rey and others in opposition to the Government.  At the outbreak of the Great War, he felt he had no choice but to resign.  General Smuts accused him of treason.  He was involved in the Rebellion and was drowned while crossing the Vaal River, pursued by Government troops.

Blake, Colonel J Y F

A US citizen born in 1856 in Missouri.  He graduated at the West Point Military Academy in 1887.  He was commissioned in the 6th Cavalry and say service in the Indian wars before resigning his commission in 1890.  He travelled to South Africa in 1885 and took part in the Matabele Campaign in 1896.  He sided with the Boers during the Boer War and took command of the Irish Brigade with the rank of Colonel.  Their first combat was in the Battle of Nicholson's Nek near Ladysmith on 30th October 1899 where he was wounded. During the Ladysmith siege, the Irish Brigade was stationed between Pepworth and Surprise Hill.  After the siege, he operated in the OFS near Brandfort during March and April 1900. In May the Irish brigade played an important part in the defence of the Biggarsberg, covering the Boer withdrawal from Natal.  Blake served with distinction in the guerrilla war and returned to the US at the end of the war.

Botha, General Christiaan   

Younger brother of Louis Botha, he was born in Greytown, Natal, in 1864.  He was one of the early settlers in Swaziland where he worked as Police Commandant at Bremersdorp during the 1890s. In April 1900 he was promoted to Assistant Commandant General and led the commando in the fighting in Natal.  Forced from Natal, he fought in the Eastern Transvaal and in Northern Natal.  One of his achievements was the capture of a British convoy to Melmoth.  He acted as a delegate at the Peace Conference and seconded the resolution to accept the terms offered.  He died in Kokstad in 1912.

Botha, General Louis

He was born on the family farm near Greytown, Natal, in 1862.  He attended a German Mission School.  His first experience of war came in the operations during the Zulu Wars of 1883 to -1888.  He married in 1886 and moved to a farm in the Vryheid district of the New Republic which was became part of the Transvaal two years later.  At the start of the Boer War, he joined his commando in October 1899 as an ordinary burgher but was soon promoted to Acting General during the Battle of Modderspruit (Ladysmith) on 30 October 1899 in place of Lukas Meyer who had become ill.  A month later he was appointed General and given responsibility for the defence of the Tugela.  He played a decisive role in the battles of Colenso, Spion Kop and Vaal Kraans.  After the death of General Piet Joubert on 27 March 1900, Botha was appointed to be the Acting Commandant General.  He commanded the forces of the Transvaal until the end of the war.  Later in 1910, he became the first Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa and commanded Union troops in German South West Africa in 1914-1915.  He attended the Peace Conference in Versailles in 1919 and died that year in Pretoria.

Botha, General Philip Rudolf  

He was born in 1851.  He was noted for hos copnduct at Paardeburg.  While in command of the Harrismith burghers, he made a breakthrough at Sprinkaan's Nek.  He was killed in action while attacking the British position near Ventersburg in 1901.

Bouwer, General Barend Daniel  

He was born in 1875 and grew up in Angola.  A good linguist, he served as an interpreter at the law courts in Pretoria.  He was involved in the Jameson Raid as a despatch rider.  During the Boer War her served in the Ermelo Commando and rose to the rank of vetch general.  His commando surrendered on 19 Jun 02.  He participated in the Peace Conference and afterwards worked as a prospector.  He dies in Cape Town in 1938.

Brits, General Coenraad (Coen)

He was born in 1868.  As a Field cornet in the Wakkerstroom commando, he took part in the invasion of Natal at the start of the Boer War.  His service in that campaign led to his promotion to General in 1901, and to Assistant Commandant General in 1902.  A close friend of General Louis Botha, he supported him during the Great War and helped with the suppression of the 1914 Rebellion. He also took part in the German South-West African and German East-African campaigns.  He died in 1868-1932.

Burger, Vice President Schalk

The “Acting President" of the Transvaal, was born at Lydenburg in the year in which the Sand River Convention was signed, 1852.  His grandfather, one of the original Voortrekkers, had the distinction of having the price of £300 set on his head by the British Government, in consequence of his share in a Natal rebellion.  His grandson was more of a politician than a soldier.  Enlightened and shrewd, he did rival Mr Kruger in his influence over his countrymen.  He participated in the Sekhukhune Campaign of 1876, and was an Acting Field Cornet in the First Anglo Boer War of 1881.  He served as a Commandant in 1885 and was elected to the Volksraad in 1887, serving later as Chairman.  In 1895, he stood for election as Commandant General but was defeated.  When the Boer War started, he was tasked with patrolling the Swaziland border as Commandant of the Lydenburg Commando. He took part in the Battle of Modderspruit on 30 October 1899.  He was censured for neglect after the successful British raid on Gun Hill on the night 7/8 December 1899.  He was preset at Spion Kop.  Due to illness, he withdrew from the fighting and pursued his political career once more.  He acted as State President after President Kruger had left for Europe. In the Krigsraad in May 1901, he advocated a cessation of hostilities but his proposal was strongly rejected by President Steyn of the OFS.  He died in 1918.