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Served: Johannesburg. Received the Wound Ribbon (Lint voor Verwonding).

Picture courtesy of Spink

ABO (Burger D. J. Retief).

Spink May 2025.

Daniel was born in Paarl, Cape Colony on 29 June 1881 to Daniel Jacobus Retief (Senior) and Paulina Maria Roos, shortly after their marriage in Paarl on 12 March 1878.

The family made the momentous move toward Colesburg in the Northen Cape, announced by the birth of his brother, Tielman in 1886. The family migrated to Johannesburg following the bright opportunities in the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) because the latest sibling to be born, Hendrik Francois was born in Johannesburg in 1889.

This made Daniel Jacobus Retief a ZAR Citizen, and he was called to service in the Anglo-Boer War within the Commando of Johannesburg. According to his hand-written Anglo-Boer Oorlog Vorm B application for his Boer War medal, he enlisted in the Commando in November 1899 and was a ‘bittereinde’ still an active combatant at the conclusion of Peace on 31 May 1902. From his application he stated that he surrendered his weapon with his entire Commando in Lydenberg, Eastern Transvaal in June 1902.

Daniel Jacobus Retief applied for his Anglo-Boer War medal on 22 December 1921, whilst living at 25 Putney Road, Brixton, Johannesburg. He claimed service in the battles of Colesburg, Abrahamskraal, Brandfort, Koppiesaleen, Renoster Rivier, ‘Barragwanah’, Donkerpoort, Dalmanutha, Balmoral, Rosenekal, Helvetia, Bethal (he notes that he was wounded here), Bloed Rivier & Lydenberg. His list of Commanding officers was extensive (as was common in the Commandos, men often transferred at their own discretion) and in particular he mentioned General Ben Viljoen & General Christiaan Muller.

He made a further application on 7 May 1929 while living at 131 Collins Street, Brixton, Johannesburg for the ‘Lint voor Verwonding’ (Wound riband) the application hand-written on a Vorm C. He once again referred to the battle of Bethal, expanding in Dutch as follows that the injury was “Kogel wond door regte heup” ‘Bullet wound through right hip’. Interview notes from the Military Staff Officer District 4 expanded on his application and capture that the Bethal battle was on 20th May 1901. The battle was mentioned in the book, MY REMINISCENCES OF THE ANGLO-BOER WAR. BY GENERAL BEN VILJOEN in Chapter 35.

Initially reluctant to award the Wound Riband (LvW) the Central Medal Board requested Daniel Jacobus Retief to have either General Muller (care of the Landbank, Pretoria) or General Lemmer (care of Buffelshoek, Zeerust) to sign the Application. Daniel steadfastly complied, further expanding that he was already in receipt of a disability grant for the wound, approved already on 4th June 1920. General Christiaan Hendrik Muller (DTD and ABO served Johannesburg Politie) signed his Vorm C, and it was approved by the Central Medal Board.

MY REMINISCENCES OF THE ANGLO-BOER WAR. BY GENERAL BEN VILJOEN
CHAPTER 35 BOER GOVERNMENT’S NARROW ESCAPE
….” On the 20th of May, 1901, I seized an opportunity of attacking General Plumer on his way from Bethel to Standerton. We had effected a junction with Commandant Mears and charged the enemy, and but for their having with them a number of Boer families we would have succeeded in capturing their whole laager.
We had already succeeded in driving their infantry away from the waggons containing these families, when their infantry rushed in between and opened fire on us at 200 paces. We could do nothing else but return this fire, although it was quite possible that in doing so we wounded one or two of our own women and children. These kept waving their handkerchiefs to warn us not to fire, but it was impossible to resist the infantry’s volleys without shooting.
Meanwhile the cavalry replaced their guns behind the women’s waggons and fired on us from that coign of vantage. Here we took 25 prisoners, 4,000 sheep and 10 horses. Our losses were two killed and nine wounded (*Including Burger Daniel Jacobus Retief)
The enemy left several dead and wounded on the field, as well as two doctors and an ambulance belonging to the Queensland Imperial Bushmen, which we sent back together with the prisoners we had taken.
On this occasion the English were spared a great defeat by having women and children in their laager, and no doubt for the sake of safety they kept these with them as long as possible. I do not insinuate that this was generally the case, and I am sure that Lord Kitchener or any other responsible commanding officer would loudly have condemned such tactics; but the fact remains that these unpleasant incidents occasionally took place.”

Daniel Jacobus Retief married Jacoba Catharina Dietz Pienaar (born 1881) on 10th October 1910 in Langlaagte, Johannesburg, when he was 29 and living at 54 Second Avenue, Melville, Johannesburg. They had two children, Jacoba Retief born 1913 and Daniel Retief born 1920. Further, the couple adopted the daughter of his brother in law (David Albertus Pienaar) due the bereavement of both parents. Their adoptive daughter, born 1917, was Maria Philippina Pienaar

Daniel Jacobus Retief passed away on 29 September 1944 at the age of 63, while living at 143 Collins Street, Brixton, Johannesburg. He passed away at the premises of Lewis & Co, Inglestone Road, Selby, Johannesburg after suffering a fatal cardiac failure