TOPIC:

General Louis Botha was photographed in 4 poses by Jan van Hoepen in January or Feb 1900 in Natal, on the Tugela line.
In this photo, Botha holds a borrowed Boer Mauser carbine. The carbine was carved with battle honours and a name, Heckermann.
(Incidentally, the same hand carved at least two other Boer rifles around the same time, and those rifles feature in Dave George's book, "Carvings from the Veldt, Part Two", figs 270 to 272.)
I'd be very grateful if anyone can track down Heckermann, who I think may be a German volunteer.

Rob,

This isn't particularly helpful, but it is the only mention I have so far been able to find of a Heckermann in an ABW context.

It is an odd name for a reporter to conjure up, but I can't find any other record of this "General Heckermann". Mind you, I can imagine that such a beautifully carved carbine might have belonged to a Boer (or German) officer.



Bunbury Southern Times (Western Australia), 6 July 1901

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Thanks, Neville;
it's quite possible that this is the same Heckermann, though I very much doubt he was a General!
If German volunteers were captured during the Guerilla phase, what was their fate: POW or deportation to Germany?
If the latter, is there a ledger of names?
Thanks
Rob

The Germans had their own club on St Helena. I have no idea when these men were captured - many at Elandslaagte, I should imagine. The photograph is not dated.



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Hi Rob,

Apologies but I only saw your post now.

Just to add to the confusion there was a family in the Transvaal at the time known as "Ueckermann" and at some point they dropped the "U" for a "H", or they misspelt his surname, to make it "Heckermann".

There was a burger who fought known as "William Henry Ueckermann" who was a ZARP (1864 to 1910).

I don't have the book you were referring to but the first letter from the screen shot could be a "U" and not a "H".

It's a long shot but...maybe...it's him

Sturgy,

Well spotted, on closer examination the first letter definitely looks more like a U than an H.

Willie Ueckermann appears to have fought at Elandslaagte:



Melbourne Weekly Times, 23rd December 1899 (original report in the Standard and Diggers' News, 23rd October 1899)


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