TOPIC:

Served: Johannesburg Politie.

ABO (Burg J F Wessels). Kaplan Auctions, November 2019.

I have acquired this medal. An interesting man - he was taken POW after crossing the border into Mozambique and sent to Portugal with his family.

He was also a bodyguard to President Kruger.

Regards

Rory

Hi Rory
"Viva Os Boers" by O J O Ferreira records that Wessels (Policeman, age 36),was interned at Caldas da Rainha together with his wife , 1 son and 6 daughters. A second son named Jan Harm Caldas Wessels was born in Portugal, but died on 10 Feb 1902. No mention is made of Wessels being on Kruger's Bodyguard.
8 members of the Bodyguard (indicated as such on the PoW Register) were taken Prisoner in Pretoria on 9 August 1900, so Wessels and his family must have left Pretoria at an early stage and crossed the border into Mozambique late in September 1900
Henk

Thanks for that info Henk. On his Vorm B under the Veldslagen of Gevechten column, he mentions that he was at:

Colesberg, Abrahams Kraal and "Wacht van President" - it's on this last comment that I base my previous comment.

In addition Wessels claimed to have been "Police Johannesburg Commando" and that he served under Gen. De La Rey and Commandant Van Dam, Drill Hall.

He was an early claimant for his medal - applying in November 1921

Hi
The bodyguard were all ZARP's, as was Wessels. Also : the Medal Advisory Board accepted the service details on his Vorm "B" so there cannot be any doubts about it. I just commented on the data supplied by Ferreira
Henk