TOPIC:

For anyone interested in a quick game of 'Where's Wally"....or maybe "Waars Willie" in South Africa

I'm trying to see if I can locate the gentleman sitting (second row on the chair) on the far left of this photograph in a picture taken 3 years earlier of the Wakkerstroom commando at Majuba.

I think his father is in both pictures as well. If so I assume that they would be seated/standing next to each other in both pictures.

I think I have found them but Mrs Sturgy, the brains in the operation, isn't convinced.

Any thoughts welcome.

Umbilo POW Camp:



Close-Up:



Wakkerstroom Commando:



Combined Pictures:

Sturgy, my best guess with the "son" almost exclusively based on proximity to the old man. Another son candidate is the man standing slightly behind the old man's right shoulder.

Hi EFV,

Good suggestions; here was my "guess" where I admit I tried to use their hats as a bit of a reference as well; the big assumption here is that they held onto their hats.

I'm not that convinced but there are similarities that keep brining me back; we will never know but it's interesting anyway.

Fascinating Sturgy but what does Mrs Sturgy think besides that you are probably wrong?

I think your father & son pairing is wrong as there are no facial similarities, in fact there are strong facial dissimilarities – e.g. “your” son has a round head whereas “your” father has an oval head.

I would say the three sons of “your” father are showing respect and standing behind him – two definite oval faces and the other in the centre mimicking his father with the tilt of his head. Note the two outer brothers both holding their lapels - if there are any blood relationships in the photo that is the one I would put money on.

The clothes they are wearing in the PoW camp have no relation to those they wore as commandos and I would say that goes for the hats as well. Those hats have not seen months/years of service on the veldt.

Asking the commandos to remove their hats would help a lot and I wonder if using the original of the colourised photo might help.

Well, here's my twopennuth/tworandsworth having studied the images over my morning cuppa.

I'm thinking perhaps the two gentlemen right at the back standing way above the rest of their Kommando.

The uppermost being the potential father, the younger man next to him his son?

I take note of head/face shapes, but also factor in the fact that they had led a 'softer' life during imprisonment away from the veldt and put a bit of weight on following a drastic change of diet perhaps?

(Apologies for not highlighting the men with the pointy arrow things, but I would need one of the kids to show me how to do that!lol!).

I have a World War One trio to a Private C.C.P. Herbst of the Wakkerstroom Kommando. I wonder if he or one of his relatives are in the group photo.