TOPIC:

Before I take the plunge on the Wepener medal roll book; can anyone confirm if S G O Ridderborg of Brabant’s Horse is mentioned, hopefully with a short article?

ATB,

Lars

Lars
Yes, he is as Lt. Sven G.O. Ridderborg, 1St BH and has a short bio.
Enjoy the book.
Regards
IL.

Hello Lars,

This is his entry from the book:

QSA (4) CC Wep Tr Witt; KSA (2)

Born in 1877. Served in 1st BrH. Commissioned into the 1st Dragoon Guards. Operations in the Orange Free State. Operations in the Orange River Colony, May to November 1900, including actions at Wittebergen and Bothaville. Operations in Cape Colony. KSA from 1st DG. Sailed for India with the 1st DG, 6 November 1907. Lieutenant, Lancashire Hussars, 1 May 1911. He died in 1937.

Best wishes
David

Sven Georg Otto Ridderborg does not seem to have had a good end to his military career as this clipping from the Western Times of 1 December 1915 shows:



For those interested in why he was cashiered I would suggest googling his name and following the lead to the Great War Forum.

He also seems to have received a decoration/award from the Austrians as this clipping from the Pawnbrokers Gazette of 26 October 1907 suggests:



He appears on 24 Public Family Trees on Ancestry showing he was born 2 December 1877 in Sweden. This document was attached to the PFT which gave him the most comprehensive coverage:



Thus he appears to have first made his way to SA via London in 1898. The associated transcript record indicates the Torsten departed from Gothenburg on 28 April 1898.

He died back in Sweden on 4 December 1937.

May thanks David for sending me the excerpt!

It’s a sad end to Ridderborg’s career indeed. In India he was asked to resign his commission in the Dragoon Guards, and after rejoining a yeomanry territorial unit cashiered.

His obtaining a commission in the guards is spectacular. Born in a noble family (father officer and baron) he had not a head for studies, so he went to sea on sailing ships. He was for a career in the merchant navy, but accepted as officer cadet it was school time again.

So he emigrated to South Africa, joined the Cape Town Police but bought his release within a year. Then some work with the railways with a Swedish engineer when war broke out. Volunteering for Brabant’s Horse (without military training) he rose through the ranks and within a year commissioned in the 1st Dragoon Guards. Quite extraordinary! Returned to the Boer War with the regiment, became adjutant and one of three officers chosen to make a goodbye visit to their honorary Colonel, emperor Franz Josef in Vienna. There he got the Austrian decoration.

Thanks for the added information!

ATB,

Lars