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Two photos of the German Red Cross sent to South Africa.
To me, it is striking how big the German contribution was!
Photos thanks to MC Heunis

Graf Zeppelin (centre) and Majoor von Wichmann (right). Taken in South Africa just before the war.



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A great picture! von Zeppelin was killed at Elandslaagte, in Heidelberg he has a very simple grave stone and a memorial.

Happy New Year to us all!
Can anyone provide info about Lieut G Badicke? He's on the WMBR database and also mentioned in Davitt as being in the German Corps. A friend has recently acquired the remains of his elaborately carved Boer Mauser Carbine. You'll recall that the Germans were issued these carbines.
Any info gratefully received!
Rob

Stunning carving. One for Dave George's next tome?

Brian Pottinger mentions Georg Badicke three times, though he provides little detail.

The most informative passages are as follows:

p.30
Within days, the staff structure of the German Commando, the Johannesburg-based one, and the German Corps, the Pretoria equivalent, were settled. Schiel was to be commandant of both units. Headquarters staff of the German Commando was to consist of a member of the Pretoria Infantry Volunteers, Thomas Chalmers Robertson, as adjutant (despite his name Robertson was as Boer as they came and was at the time serving as 14th secretary in State Secretary Reitz's office), Captain C Wiese as second in command, while assistant veldcornets were Lt Georg Badicke, Lt Otto von Albedyll and Count Von Zeppelin. The portly Dr Elsberger was to be in charge of medical cover.

p. 119
The original German units were in for a period of disruption, re-organisation and palace-politicking.
Only days after the defeat at Elandslaagte, Count Von Albedyll was busy putting together another German Commando. This commando - 228 men strong - left Johannesburg on November 2 but instead of heading for Natal they struck east [sic] to the Free State front, apparently at President Steyn's invitation.
They came under General Schoeman's over-all Command at Colesberg and their immediate commandant was Gustave Preller. In time this group would become known loosely as the "Vrystaatse Duitsche Korps" and in some accounts even the "Freikorps".
But they were not the only German unit in the field on the eastern [sic] front. One of the survivors of the Elandslaagte catastrophe and its original staff officer under Schiel, Georg Badicke, had already hightailed it to the OFS campaigns and gathered around him a few Elandslaagte survivors. The two groups merged.


This shows that Badicke was at Elandslaagte (as Staff Officer), and then fought in the OVS as part of the Vrystaatse Duitsche Korps.






Neville Gomm (The South African Military History Society Journal, Vol 2, No 2)

The German Commando in the South African War of 1899-1902

In September 1899, Schiel held meetings in Johannesburg and Pretoria and, shortly afterwards, the German Commando was established in Johannesburg. A branch, which was called the German Corps, was formed in Pretoria. The commando also had a section consisting of Boers who were mainly from Schiel's prisons staff. Field Cornet H. U. von Quitzow was elected Schiel's replacement in Pretoria with Paul Krantz as Assistant Field Cornet. Schiel selected mainly former German officers for his military staff. Count Harra Zeppelin became his adjutant with the rank of captain. The other staff members were Captain Weiss and Lieutenants Von Aldebyll and G. Badicke. Captain Weiss was the commander of the German troops at the time of the Witbooi uprising in German South West Africa. Captain T.C. Robertson was also appointed to the staff to see to the interests of the Boer section. He was a former officer of the Pretoria Vrijwilliger Corps.




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Badicke was a member of Gen Kock's staff, so is likely in the first photo. A possible choice for him could be the man on the left (starred). The same man, now on the right, fought with the Germans corps at Spioenkop (starred again). He looks like an officer to me. These photos are taken by the same photographer, Jan van Hoepen, 3 months apart, and the man has kept his appearances very smart. Next, I'll see if Badicke applied for the ABO Medal, and if so, where he fought.