TOPIC: Re: Klerksdorp and the Anglo Boer War

Great thread and good to hear from one in SA close the actual battlefields.

As you have found out memorials and casualty rolls can be inaccurate. I have compiled the most accurate casualty roll for the ABW - correcting such confusions as "Elandslaagte" and "Yzer Spruit".

On the subject of casualty roll inaccuracies, I write in the introduction:

"The recording of casualty locations has been imprecise for many reasons; unfamiliarity with the Afrikaans language, use of names that have passed out of usage, the location the casualty roll was prepared is often used. Many of the casualties of the battle of Biddulsphberg are shown in the casualty roll as Senekal, this is the place where the troops retired to and the casualty roll prepared. For this reason the location given in the casualty roll is wrong or mis-leading. In the Natal Field Force roll very often ‘Natal’ is given as the location for the battles on the Tugela Heights and ‘Spion Kop’ is given incorrectly for casualties on the neighbouring Twin Peaks. "

Regards
Meurig

please can you send me your email address - mine is allan.m.gordon@gmail.com