TOPIC:

My grandfather left me a memoir regarding his family. In this he describes how his older brother Allan was left by the collapse of the family business with no livelihood and so in 1896 he emigrated from Halifax, Yorkshire to South Africa “but like many others found himself just as badly off as he had been at home”. Eventually he secured a post in the mounted police in Kuruman. This was just at the outbreak of the Boer Wall and in 1899 the town was sieged. He comments that this was broken by an artillery barrage (confirmed in some of your archive material) in January 1900, and Allan was made a prisoner. “They were not badly treated … but .. the camp was most insanitary.” He had been joined in South Africa but his older sister Mary who was seeking a dry, sunny climate to help cure her of TB. Her TB had arrested and she got work as a governess to a Boer/Scottish family called Steyn in Griqualand West. Allan survived imprisonment, and on his release was allotted a farm, but soon afterwards of pneumonia and Mary had to make a long journey by cart from to see to his burial. My grandfather says Allan died in 1900, while the War was of course still raging.
I wonder if any one can cast any further light on this?

Welcome to the forum, Allan.

There is a medal roll for the Kuruman Defence Force (WO100/283p100) which included the name of Private A T Todd. The notes say that he died of disease in 1901 and his no clasp medal was issued to his father on 11 October 1905.

Not much is known of this small force ( www.angloboerwar.com/unit-information/so...units/2566-kurumandf ). In some accounts it is called the Kuruman Police.

Hi
His grave is at the Moffat mission station cemetery in Kuruman. See graves at eggsa .

Date of death 18 October 1900

Regards
Adrian www.graves-at-eggsa.org/main.php?g2_view...72&g2_serialNumber=3

Thank you very much for the very quick responses which would have lead to me being able to confirm that my great uncle was part of the Kuruman Defence Force, and in particular to view a picture of his grave. It is poignant to know that he is buried at the Moffat Mission. My grandfather wrote that he went to the docks to see Allan sail to South Africa in 1896. He said that the whole family were in great distress at the news of Allan's death and he, as his younger brother, suffered a terrible shock from which it took years to recover. My grandfather died in 1975 but as far as I know he never saw a picture of his brother's grave. I think it most likely that his sister Mary arranged for the smaller white headstone to be placed there.