TOPIC:

Served: General Cronje.

Details
An unusual ABO Medal to one of only 3 Hoofd Telegrafist (Head Telegraphist) who were awarded the medal, he being the only POW.
Charles Pieter van Niekerk was born in Standerton in 1880, and at the age of 20 would find himself serving at the front at Magersfontein before being trapped with General Piet Cronje in the Boer laager at Paardeberg. I like to think he was a key man with Cronje and was responsible for sending and receiving messages. listed as being captured at Paardeberg on 27 February 1900 he would soon find himself on the ship Milwaukee en route to St Helena where he would see out the rest of the war as an inmate at Camp Deadwood.
He died in Pretoria on 3rd August 1962.






Jonathan

He was a member of the Lekker Sectie Band, back row, 2nd from right.



Great to find a picture

Fabulous image!
And a lovely Afrikaans pun - "Lekker Sectie" literally translates as "Nice Section" but when spoken it sounds like "Nice and Sexy", which is surprisingly risque for those times.