TOPIC:

Hi Frank

You are right. They discover the grave in die field on a farm and therefor reburied him in December 1993. There is an explanation why he was buried on top of 2 crates dum dum bullets. I did ask Dr Ron Bester, author of Boer Rifles and Carbines of the Anglo-Boer War and also Small Arms of the Anglo-Boer War to send me the detail and I will share it on the forum.

Elmarie

Many thanks Elmarie. What happened to his uniform and equipment accoutrements? Were they reburied with him or are they now in a museum?

Elmarie wrote: Hi Frank

You are right. They discover the grave in die field on a farm and therefor reburied him in December 1993. There is an explanation why he was buried on top of 2 crates dum dum bullets. I did ask Dr Ron Bester, author of Boer Rifles and Carbines of the Anglo-Boer War and also Small Arms of the Anglo-Boer War to send me the detail and I will share it on the forum.

Elmarie

Hello Elmarie,
Sadly some Boer forces often used expanding munitions as a matter of normality, in some cases, it was simply the only ammunition that a particular Commando might have actually had, I suppose to, from a point of view of hiding ammunition, the one place an Army or SAMIF patrol would be reluctant to look would be a British soldiers grave,
Very interesting all the same.
Regards Frank

Elmarie wrote: Hi Frank

You are right. They discover the grave in die field on a farm and therefor reburied him in December 1993. There is an explanation why he was buried on top of 2 crates dum dum bullets. I did ask Dr Ron Bester, author of Boer Rifles and Carbines of the Anglo-Boer War and also Small Arms of the Anglo-Boer War to send me the detail and I will share it on the forum.

Elmarie

This is what Dr Ron Bester told me:

The ground was hard limestone. Under the body, there was a hole / cavity in which the bullets are found. The bullets had hollow points (called Dum-Dum) and are prohibited by both the Boers and British to be used in warfare. It might well be the reason why this grave was not exposed and then after all these years after a farm worker discovered it, they reburied him.

Dr Bester said that the Mc Gregor Museum in Kimberley had all the info on Cpl Cooksey.

See attached another photo of Fibre (maybe his uniform?)

I don't know about you, but, I have always felt rather uneasy about this sort of thing, his waist belt clasp, from his Slade Wallace, in particular, once a Grenadier, always a Grenadier.

JustinLDavies wrote: Many thanks Elmarie. What happened to his uniform and equipment accoutrements? Were they reburied with him or are they now in a museum?

Elmarie wrote: Hi Frank

You are right. They discover the grave in die field on a farm and therefor reburied him in December 1993. There is an explanation why he was buried on top of 2 crates dum dum bullets. I did ask Dr Ron Bester, author of Boer Rifles and Carbines of the Anglo-Boer War and also Small Arms of the Anglo-Boer War to send me the detail and I will share it on the forum.

Elmarie

Thanks Elmarie. Do you have a contact point at the McGregor museum you can give me?. I am thinking about writing an article on Cpl Cooksey for The Grenadier Gazette, also including the memorial that Berenice found. All photos would be properly acknowledged etc.

Justin

Elmarie wrote: This is what Dr Ron Bester told me:

The ground was hard limestone. Under the body, there was a hole / cavity in which the bullets are found. The bullets had hollow points (called Dum-Dum) and are prohibited by both the Boers and British to be used in warfare. It might well be the reason why this grave was not exposed and then after all these years after a farm worker discovered it, they reburied him.

Dr Bester said that the Mc Gregor Museum in Kimberley had all the info on Cpl Cooksey.

See attached another photo of Fibre (maybe his uniform?)