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Served: Krugersdorp.

Picture courtesy of Noonan's

ABO ((Korporaal W.T. Auth).

Spink, May 2025

Korporaal (Corporal) Willem Titus AUTH served Krugersdorp Commando

The SPINK UK auction of 22 May delivered an incredible gift to me, my ancestor, Willem Titus AUTH had his Anglo-Boer Medal offered for auction. I became an active collector of Boer War medals and Militaria directly because of genealogy research, to the point that I can say Willem Titus was a strong contributor to this passion. So, it’s no surprise that I welcome this addition to my growing collection

The surname AUTH is an uncommon one in South Africa, it’s a German family name and Willem Titus AUTH owes his birth on 27 July 1864 in Bethulie, Orange Free State to his father, Johannes AUTH & his mother Anna Margaretha Noll.
Johannes AUTH, a mason by trade attested as a Private into the 5th Light Infantry aged 30 in the German town of Marburg in Cur Hessen (modern day state of Hesse) on 12 February 1856. He was part of The British German Legion a force of German soldiers recruited to fight for Britain during the Crimean War. It was distinct from the King's German Legion, which had served during the Napoleonic Wars. A tall man for his era, he was 5ft. 8 ½ in. at the time of his enlistment. The German Legion was disbanded in November 1856, having seen little or no military action due to the war having ended. Johannes took up the offer of resettlement in the Eastern Cape Colony, in South Africa due to difficulties in repatriation by having served a foreign country. The soldiers were required to serve as soldiers in the British Kaffraria region (Eastern Cape Colony). Johannes now joined the 3rd Regiment, German Military Settlers and would receive an allocation land upon their discharge.

Johanes was married under British law to his existing German wife, Margaretha Noll aboard the Brittania in Portsmouth on 22 October 1856, arriving in South Africa on 28 February 1857, with his wife and daughter Rosina Annie aged only 4 years. He performed his duties, discharged when the regiment was disbanded on the 10th May 1860 and received his allocation of land in the settlement of Stutterheim, British Kaffraria (Eastern Cape Colony)

Challenges in the economic necessities of farming forced the AUTH family to sell-up and relocate to Bethulie, Orange Free State, when the family expands and Willem Titus AUTH is born in 1864 and followed 3 years later in 1867 by his sister, Anna Margaretha AUTH – who is my x3 Great Grandmother. The family later moved to Johannesburg, ZAR, where his father died in 1890 working as a mason, a profession he passed onto his son, Willem Titus AUTH.

Willem Titus AUTH applied for his ABO medal on the 20th of June 1940, while he was a successful builder living in West Krugersdorp. He claimed participation in the battles of Koolsburg (Colesburg), Waterworks of Bloemfontein and Dalmanutha (Belfast), this was countersigned by Burger J.B van den berg.

Of interest is that he further expands on the application (in a different ink colour, suggesting it was a later addition) translated from Dutch/Afrikaans, “I can't give you the exact dates. I was imprisoned in Komatipoort and can give you good papers that I signed in Europe”. This suggests that he was part of the Boer contingent that crossed over to Portuguese controlled Mozambique in September 1900.

By the middle of September 1900 about 3 000 burghers were assembled at Komatipoort. The majority were not mounted and could not move fast enough to escape the advancing British forces. When the British troops were approaching the border post, about 700 burghers crossed the border into Mozambique to avoid capture. Once on Mozambican territory their leader, Gen. F.J. Pienaar, ordered them to lay down their arms and they were interned by the Portuguese. According to British reckoning the group increased in time to about 2 500 men, but other sources put the number who were transported by train under guard to Lourenco Marques at about 1 400.' According to Reitz, sick and wounded burghers had already been sent to Mozambique by their officers.

Lourenco Marques was only a small port which did not really have the necessary housing facilities for the interned Boers. Moreover, the British government, Portugal's "oldest ally", put pressure on the Portuguese government to send the Boer internees elsewhere. At the same time a serious epidemic of fever erupted. Consequently, the Portuguese authorities decided to send the internees to Portugal

Willem Titus AUTH’s wife & children were not with him, they had been imprisoned in the Krugersdorp Refugee Camp (along with his German born mother, Magaretha AUTH (born Noll) who was 75 at the time. On the Camp database entry, Willem’s wife states that “Willem, aged 31 is on Commando in Listen”, which the Krugersdorp camp authorities capture as “Lisbon?”

Shortly after the declaration of peace the Portuguese government agreed to hand over the internees, who were now regarded as British subjects, to the British government so that repatriation arrangements could be finalized. On 10 July 1902 the taking of the oath had been concluded and on 19 July 1902 the internees boarded the English man-of­-war, the Bavarian, and left the harbour of Lisbon for South Africa