TOPIC:

Thanks Neville.

The more I look at it the more the "H" looks like a "U".

There are a number of "Ueckermann" on the medal roll.

Perhaps a close-up of the battle honours on the rifle could narrow him down?

Regards,
Sturgy

Problem solved - it's certainly UEKERMANN
As well as Sturgy's man, William Henry Ueckermann" who was a ZARP
From the WMBR in Bloemfontein database, I see 3 more posssibilities:
UEKERMANN WALTER DAVID ZAR Staatsartillerie
UEKERMANN CHARLES WILLIAM Age:44 Address: MIDDELBURG Captured: BARBERTON 1900/09/15
UEKERMANN EDWARD ALBERT Age:38 Address: MIDDELBURG Captured: KOMATIEPOORT 1900/10/08

I surmise the Boer Mauser carbines were considred less desirable (they are less accurate - personal experience) at the start of the war, because they were issued to the ZAR Staatsartillerie, as well as the German and other foreign volunteers, but I have yet to see a Staatsartillerie carbine "personalised" with carving! The Commandos also also had some carbines (Burgher Edward Wertheim, Fordsburg Cdo; Stoffel Oosthuizen, Middelburg Cdo -see in Tinus le Roux's "Boer War in Colour"p 230.

As far as the battle honours, they are the invasion of Natal and Dundee; there may be others on the right hand side.

Hi Rob,

One thing that struck me was that the names you listed all had English sounding names.

I had a look on-line and they were all brothers.

The Middleburg Commando and a few guns of the Staatsartillerie were at Dundee/Talana and so it looks like the only brother we could potentially rule out is the ZARP as I believe the first engagement for them was at Ladysmith itself.

I'm not knowledgeable on rifles but if the Middleburg commando didn't use Mauser carbines then the most likely candidate would be WALTER DAVID (1878 - 1958) of the Staatsartillerie.

Edit: I just saw your post on the Middleburg Commando using Carbines so then it's one of the brothers.

There are a few references of the Staatsartillerie being present at Dundee and I enjoyed the humorous anecdote from this article:

'Skote Petoors!'

Ref: samilitaryhistory.org/jnl2/vol181pr.html

This particular incident with the artillery led to the coining of the well-known Afrikaans idiom 'Skote Petoors', literally meaning 'good shot, Pretorius'. As already mentioned by Du Toit, Johannes Lodewicus ('Lood') Pretorius was in charge of the third gun of the Staatsartillerie at Talana.

As the mist rose that fateful morning, crowds of burghers stood around their artillery pieces, encouraging the gunners to open the fight. Without taking the customary two sighting shots, Lood Pretorius put his second shot smack into the British camp. The Boers were delighted 'Skote Petoors!' one Boer shouted, and a new idiom entered the Afrikaans language.

UECKERMAN / UECKERMANN POW'S

Thanks Stugy, Elmarie!
This is all very interesting stuff. As an aside, I loved the anecdote about Lood Pretorius (Skote Petoors), as I have - I think- his Boer Mauser rifle which I've posted before, along with his Vorm B - I'll re-post them anyway, since I can't find the original thread...

Hi Rob,

That's a fantastic rifle & unique part of history; well done!

That's him for sure.

Regards,
Sturgy