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Photos.....

Mike

Anthony
A very valuable medal connected to an important historical event and great documentation to go with it. Thank you for your posting.
Regards
Brett

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References: Cloete, P.G. (2000). The Anglo-Boer War: a chronology, Pretoria: Lapa
from the Website SA History online
www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/anglo-b...ton-king-dinizulu-an

Anglo-Boer War 2: The cattle looting expedition commanded by Gen. Bruce Hamilton, King Dinizulu and Chief Sikhobobo arrives back in Vryheid. Two Boers have been killed; one taken prisoner and thousands of Boer cattle have been looted. The King and his army are ordered to return to the royal kraal with 100 mangy cattle as a gift. Chief Sikhobobo and his impi remain at the Vryheid railway station for fear of Boer reprisals.

Some time ago someone wanted to know what happened to Francis Barry Pratt who was captured by the Zulus at Holkrans and later freed. He was my great uncle and I spent many happy holidays on his farm outside Vryheid in Natal. My dad Henri John Horatio Liebetrau was his wife Mildred's nephew. Francis and Mildred had two children, a daughter called Earl and a son called George. I have many happy memories of helping George with the cows at night and these were the best times I have ever experienced of rural farm life. Francis had a collection of memorabilia taken from various stages during the Boer War and one in particular was a saddle taken from horse ridden by a British Captain who was either killed during a battle or taken prisoner. Francis said he was at school one day when the Boers arrived and said all boys at age 16 and over were now part of the Boers and that is how he came to be a young child Boer. He told us of a time when they had to hide in a river under water and use reed tubes to breath through whilst the Zulus were running around looking for survivors to kill and I think this was during the Holkrans Battle and after being found they were later released but not sure of these exact facts. The last time I was on his farm was back in 1965. I last spoke to Francis and George on the phone in 1970 to tell them my father had passed way at 49 years old. Francis Barry Pratt died in July 1976 at age 93 and have lost total contact with George and never actually met Earl who lived with her husband in another area of South Africa.

Liebetrau
Thank you for sharing with us your memories of contact with a Holkrans survivor. So much interesting and useful information was lost forever when veterans of the war died, so it is good that a little of their story is preserved when possible.
Regards
Brett