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Another Sheppard image, courtesy MC Heunis. It shows Louis Botha (seated 3rd from left) with his officers at a krygsraad (council of war) at Klipriviersberg near Johannesburg. Lucas Meyer is seated 2nd from left and Botha’s secretary, “Sandjie”Sandberg, stands behind Botha.

Another great Sheppard photograph. I’m enjoying seeing all of these images. Do we know how many there might be?

I should imagine Sheppard’s output was very limited, given that the highest negative number I have seen is Z.29. It’s possible he ran out of photographic plates early in the war. This would explain why all the subjects that have so far come to light are from the beginning of the campaign.

Thank you Neville, that’s interesting and thank you for sharing the wonderful photographs.

MC's photograph of the krygsraad at Klipriviersberg (posted by Rob above) is very much an outlyer, having been taken on around 27-29 May 1900. All Sheppard's other known images seem to be from January 1900 or earlier.

Rob, how sure are you of the place and date, given that neither of these are mentioned in Sheppard's caption?

Neville, I'm so pleased you asked that. Personally I agree 100% and also think it is taken earlier in the war - in Natal - though it came with the attribution to being taken at Klipriviersberg near Johannesburg. But people do write things in error. For example, in the book "The War at Home: women and families in the Anglo-Boer War" by Nasson and Grundlingh, the very same photo is reproduced and the standing figure (Sandberg) is identified as Jan Smuts. Which is not correct, I think.
So that's decided - it's going into the Louis Botha book as a krygsraad in Natal. Thanks for emboldening me!