TOPIC:

Hi Eveyone,

I'm undertaking some research on Sgt Charles Spearman, 15635, from U Battery who was killed in action on the 20th June 1901.

His attestation papers note that he was killed at "Orange Pan" in the Orange River Colony (O.R.C):



His "Soldiers Effects" also names the same location:



My copy of the SAFF Causualty Roll has his location as "unknown".

He was killed at the same time his commanding officer Major PB Taylor of U Battery was dangerously wounded:



Major Taylor's medals are here:
www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...-artillery?start=120

"Orange Pan" is also mentioned on the U Battery Memorial that BereniceUK was kind enough to records for us:
www.angloboerwar.com/forum/17-memorials-...orse-artillery#44085

My gut feeling is that Sgt Spearman and Major Taylor were ambushed or caught up in a skirmish as besides the incident at Donkey Pass in Natal I can't seem to locate an engagement relating to that date.

I can't seem to locate "Orange Pan"; maybe it was a farm; but I'm not sure; does anyone know?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Sturgy,

There is only one mention of Orange Pan on the site. This is in Jackson's A Soldier's Diary ( www.angloboerwar.com/books/198-jackson-a...africa-1899-1901-pdf )

He writes in Ch 16, p252

We made a fortified sort of camp at Bultfontein, and half the column stayed there, while the remainder of us, about a regiment and half of M.I., and half the Yeomanry, with about three guns and transport to correspond, set off north towards our old happy hunting grounds round Bothaville. There had been a smash up somewhere on the Vaal, some camp or column having been cut up a bit, and we thought we were going to trek up to the Vaal to take part in a punitive move. We had a mid-day halt the first day out, in a little hollow with a farm and a dam in it, called Orange Pan.

So, I think you are correct.

Sturgy,

If this is the same Orange Pan and the troops camped there on the first day, they cannot have moved too far, presumably on the modern-day road, the R719 towards Bothaville. Google maps shows many small water pools especially around Wesselsbrom, 40 km NE of Bultfontein.

That road does cross a river closer to Bultfontein (30 km) which Jackson may have thought was the Vaal?

This sort of area: -28.23, 26.18
maps.app.goo.gl/LhasUPkQc3WqWL5CA

In SA a pan (or vlei) is a shallow lake which may dry up from time to time. If permanently dry it may form a salt pan.The WMBR databse and the UCT Concentration Camp database have at least 3 possible OVS farms:
- a farm called Oranjepan in the Hoopstad district
- 2 farms called Oranjevlei or Orangevlei in the Vredefort and Hoopstad districts

The only Oranjepan I could locate in the general vicinity:

Thanks everyone; with your help I have manged to identify when, where and how this young man lost his life.

In pencil behind the location of his death is written: "In Transvaal whilst serving with Col Pilchers column"



According to "After Pretoria: The Guerilla War" supplement to "With the Flag to Pretoria":

In April 1901 in an attempt to capture the Commando's operating in the various areas of the Orange River Colony it was decided to divide the ORC into 3 districts:



General Knox commanded the Central District with Col Pilcher and Col Thorneycroft.

Col Pilcher led the 7th mounted Infantry, a battalion of Yeomanry, four guns, and a "pom-pom"; totalling a force of approximately 1,300 combatants.

In April 1901 they made a number of drives between Senekal and Reitz with no resistance or success.

By May 1901 the situation had not improved and the boers still had several small commandos roving through the wide territories and these had not been diminished. No large captures had been made and all sweeping movements had resulted in little more than big hauls of stock. The boers merely shifted from place to place and in some cases left almost undisturbed.

General Knox in mid-May marched towards Bothaville in order to deal with a commando which was reported to be haunting the valley of Valsch. Three columns under Thorneycroft, Pilcher and Pine-Coffin came into touch with the enemy who were holding a position at Allettsdraai; Bothaville was then entered.

During this march Col Pilcher engaged a small commando under Jacobs and Erasmus taking 11 prisoners and 53 waggons. It is this engagement that resulted in the loss of Sgt Spearman.

The detailed story is taken up by Jackson's A Soldier's Diary:

"We made a fortified sort of camp at Bultfontein, and half the column stayed there, while the remainder of us, about a regiment and half of M.I., and half the Yeomanry, with about three guns and transport to correspond, set off north towards our old happy hunting grounds round Bothaville. There had been a smash up somewhere on the Vaal, some camp or column having been cut up a bit, and we thought we were going to trek up to the Vaal to take part in a punitive move. We had a mid-day halt the first day out, in a little hollow with a farm and a dam in it, called Orange Pan.

There had been a tremendous lot of Veldt fires about during the morning's trek. Just before we came to camp we had passed a small iron building, so that when after we had got off-saddled, etc., we heard a lot of hammering, tapping sort of noises behind the ridge, we thought it was some of the fellows breaking up the iron building for wood.

Every now and then someone would say, "I believe that's firing," but the remainder kept saying, " No, only the iron house," so that it had been going on for some time when Pilcher came flying over from the farm-where an orderly had found him, I suppose-shouting, " Get out on the ridge at once, we're heavily engaged ! " Then there was a scramble. Some started to run up to the ridge, others going for their horses, and galloping up bare-backed (I got my horse, never being fond of running), gunners hooking in two horses and flogging up to the rise, no orders being given except to " get out there," so that very soon the ridge was lined and a very sharp little engagement taking place.

There was a hut on the rise, and seeing the first gun going for that I went with them, and as soon as we got to the top could see the whole situation at a glance. The Yeomanry had been rear-guard, and they had done very well, sending in their horses and retiring on foot themselves. One of them passed through by me shot through the nose!

The veldt fires were the cause of the trouble, Britz, if it were he, having taken a leaf out of Kemp's book and attacked the rear under cover of the smoke. In the sketch below the black patch represents burnt ground, with Boers dodging in and out of the smoke. We had scarcely got up when the Major* in charge of the gun was shot through the groin, and we put him behind the hut, from where he kept giving orders, which the young lieutenant left in charge took no notice of, evidently thinking the old man was out of action. Then a gunner was shot dead, and someone threw a helmet over his face.**"

* This is an account of the wounding of Major Taylor; referenced above.
** Since there was no other gunner killed on this day this account is that of Sgt Spearman.

With reference to the sketch below one can see a fallen soldier in front of the guns with a helmet over his face, this is assumed to be Sgt Spearman given the detailed account above, with a wounded Major Taylor looking on from behind the hut.



Once again thanks to all for helping to reconstruct the movements of Sgt Spearman prior to his passing.

Regards,
Sturgy