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Some low-quality snapshots from an album which features a few views of Dundee during occupation by Boer forces.


Unusual photograph taken from the seat of an ox car during the Boer invasion of Natal




Dundee Train Station




Downtown Dundee. The large man in the centre of this photograph in all likelihood is Lukas Meyer. Note the Vierkleur flying from the building in the background.

Thank you Everhard for the interesting photos, 100% Genl. Lucas Meyer. I believe the multi-storey building in the background is the Masonic Hall (or Boswells). In 1901 the theatre was the was the venue for the treason trials of the Natal Rebels (aka Biggarsberg boers).

From my great grandfather’s (AG Boshoff, see Neville's post angloboerwar.com/forum/19-ephemera/33530...r-photographs#100409 ) ABO diary, an account of the looting of the Masonic Hall: “Among the burghers in Dundee were a large number who lived in neighbouring districts such as Utrecht and Wakkerstroom. These men took as much loot as they could and carried it home. On the way back from the hotel to our dismount area I noticed a group of fellows, including some of my own men, who had apparently plundered a Masonic lodge. They were walking around showing off the Masonic aprons, medals and badges they had plundered. Although I am not a Mason myself, I had many friends in the Order and out of respect for them, I ordered the looters to hand over the loot – which they did under protest. With the help of a resident I had the caretaker called. Needless to say, he was surprised and grateful when all the looted regalia was handed back to him. Gratefully he said: “Sir, this will be a feather in my cap.” He invited me and a few others to go with him to the lodge building, where he treated us to champagne from a secret hatch. There we were then told that Gen. Penn Symons had been badly wounded and died. At the same time I also learned that a friend, the brave Lieut. Mike du Toit of our artillery, had also been badly wounded”.

I recently purchased a group of ABW lantern slides from a German auction house which are unusual in that the labels are in French and all the subjects are of Boer combatants. Some are copies of van Hoepen images, but many others, like this one, appear to be unique snapshots. Could they have been taken by a French Volunteer with the Boer forces?








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Lovely to see new images.
The men seem too dapperly dressed for Boers, esp. in the hat department.
Let’s have a new thread on lantern slides, with your suggestions how best to scan them?

Rob,

Lantern slides are a bit of a pain when it comes to scanning. Firstly one needs a scanner that can scan transparencies, then I find the best results are obtained by combining a normal reflective scan of the mount & caption with a positive film scan of the image.

Here are two more from the French group. The first has a title that translates as "General Botha Returning from his Fight at Klip River" and the second "The Distribution of Medicines amongst the Commandos".














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Shaun, sorry I completely forgot to reply to your Q of eight months ago! I didn't mean to ignore you...
Yes, I completely agree with your location of the photo.
I also agree it was probably taken just before Spioenkop, because we know the same photographer, Reginald Sheppard, took this photo of General Schalk Burger on the eve of Spioenkop. Schalk Burger was based with the Carolina and Lydenburg men, in the exact location you show on your maps.
Hillegas wrote of this photograph in With the Boer Forces: ‘Before the same battle [Spioenkop] one of the Boer generals asked Mr. Sheppard to photograph him, as he had had a premonition of death and he desired that his family should have a good likeness of him. The general was in the heat of the fight, but he was not killed’. (Photo courtesy of Neville Constantine)