Hello Henk,
Well that is one of the best QSA's I've seen on here for some time now, you are a very lucky fellow, but, you have shattered the image I had of the provost marshal and perhaps a few of those bloody hard Canadian South African Constabulary fellows getting off the train at Pietersberg after the war, their sole desire, the return of those clasps!
General Beyers had with him a fairly large commando they caused much trouble in the Zoutspansberg at the begining of 1902, Colonel Colenbrander took his column, which included the Pietersberg Light Horse, on a hard trek, north, to intercept him.
Colenbrander caught up with Beyers at Mahilas Kopje, but, Beyers had the advantage of knowing the country, it was very broken and insected with many smaller kopjes, with a number of very steep rocky dongas as well as the standing mealie crops which belonged to the local kaffirs.
After the commando made their first rush through the mealies, inflicting a number of casualties, Colenbrander decided to retire to a ridge serval hundred yards away and the two opposing forces exchanged fire for quite some time, both sides retired later, at dusk.
Beyers moved in to the Kleine Spelonken where he thought he would be safe, but, was intercepted again near Fort Edward, although he lost a number of men and horses, he managed to escape.
He had infact, moved across to Blauwberg and still had a good sized commando with him, Lord Kitchener's newly appointed Intelligence Officer Zoutspansberg had Beyers in mind when he took up his new headquarters in a small farm about a mile and a half outside Fort Edward and close to the main road.
He used his kaffir scouts well and they warned of any Boer movements towards Fort Edward, often he and his men had to stand to arms all night, but, it meant that Pietersberg was safe.
General Beyers became the Speaker of the first Transvaal Parliament and subsequently, Minster of Defence for the new Union, but, when the Great War began, he changed sides becoming a rebel, he joined the Germans in GWSA, he was drowned whilst attempting to cross a swollen river, when his horse was swept away by the current, a good soldier and a brave man.
Anyway Henk, that is a really good QSA and thank you for showing it on here today,
Kind regards Frank