TOPIC:

Afternoon Gents




Whilst on a recent road trip trip to Cape Town, I managed to convince my wife that we had to stop in a few remote places to find memorials to men in my collection.

I have a ABO Medalje to Burger J.E. van Rooyen, who served from 3rd October 1899 with the Christiana Commando under Kommandant Tolla De Beer. Listed are engagements at Belmont, Rooilaagte, Magersfontein "and many more fights"

He was wounded at Richmond 3rd March 1902 and died of wounds in Deelfontein Hospital on 27 March 1902. He was initially buried at Deelfontein before being re-interred in Richmond Cemetery (Cape Province) in the 1960's.

His Vorm B was filled in by his widow, now Mrs Kotze of Christiana, in 1942. The medal being approved and issued to her in 1943.

I can find not reference to any action in the area at that time and can only assume it was a very small local engagement that resulted in his injury. There are a total of 6 names on this memorial and they must have been exhumed from nearby isolated spots and re-interred at Richmond. They are J.N Blignaut, 22 years and F.N. Hagen, 20 years both from Bloemfontein and died at Schiet Kraal. Also S.D. de Wet, 18 years from Wepener died Kouwenburg, A.G. Erlank, 24 years from Utrecht died Richmond and G. Roux aged 18 from Grahamstown died Kralefontein. The memorial is very weathered and hard to read in places.

It was worth the slight detour to add the final resting place of a soldier in my collection, who died almost within sight of the end of the war.

Jon

Jon
Thank you for showing this memorial. There must be many more like it scattered around the country. We need a Berenice or a Meurig to do a survey of them all.
Regards
Brett
PS It was kind of your wife to allow you to deviate from your route. You have evidently trained her well.