TOPIC:

Local legend has it that on October 13 every year the spirit of a British soldier walks along the railway line at Dalmanutha Station on the Pretoria to Lourenco Marques line. This story was repeated every year by the Johannesburg Star, a paper not usually given to rumour.
In the1960's, I visited Dalmanutha Station and found a small cemetery containing the graves of a half dozen British soldiers.

Fast forward to 2001. While my son and i were filming our documentary on Lord Strathcona's Horse near the battlefield of Bergendal, I was surprised to hear our local tour guides and never heard or the story of the ghost soldier. Intrigued they agreed to take a side trip in search for the station and the cemetery. The Station is long gone, but after much searching we found the cemetery hidden in the undergrowth of a Bluegum plantation. I took a photo of the grave of a Lieutenant P Jones of the 8th Hussars who was killed in action at Geluk on, believe it or not, 13 October, 13, 1900.
I would like to find out if any else had ever heard this story>

It's new to me.

I did a bit of a search, and found this, "Among ghosts that presage death must be included the picturesque and popular "ghostly drummer of Airlie." The family seat of the Earls of Airlie is in Forfarshire, and the tradition is that for centuries no Earl has passed to his rest unheralded by the faithful drummer. As grim Death approaches, the ghostly musician appears on the battlements of the castle, and beats his weird and eerie tattoo on his ghostly drum. The last Earl died in South Africa, bravely fighting in the Boer War, and natives of Forfarshire are not wanting who tell you that they saw and heard the ghostly drummer two nights before the news reached England that the Earl had fallen in the field."
Tamworth Herald, 1915

and

...."Preaching in the Congregational Church, Seaford, Mr. Compton Rickett, M.P., related the following coincidence, which he vouched for as true:
....A gentleman, whose son was attached to the British forces in South Africa as doctor during the Boer war, paid a visit to two of his sisters. They remarked that they were glad his son had returned home. On the father replying that his son was still in South Africa, they exclaimed that they had seen him looking through the glass panel of the door of the corridor about 6 p.m., just before the father's arrival. The father returned to London, and next morning made inquiries at the War Office. He was told that information had just been received that his son had died the previous evening from enteric fever, the time of death being 6 p.m English time."
Derby Daily Telegraph, 1906

Hi Berenice, Interesting you should mention the Earl of Airlie. He was killed at the battle of Diamond Hill (or Donkerhoek from the Boer point of view) supposedly riding a white horse! Not a good idea on the South African veldt.
Cheers, Tony