TOPIC:

The map below shows the exhumations of Boer casualties that were carried out during August 1978, preparatory to re-interment in the vault of the Burgher Monument, Ladysmith.



1. BRATHMORE – ???? DE BEER (potentially Barend Petrus DE BEER, K.I.A., Lower Tugela, 17/02/1900, aged 36); and Willem Adriaan NIEMANN, K.I.A., Spion Kop, 24/01/1900, aged 32.
2. CLYDESDALE – Unknown Burgher (believed by Rob Davidson to be Veldkornet Barend Jacobus de Lange BADENHORST, K.I.A., Spion Kop, 24/01/1900, aged 35).
3. BRAKFONTEIN – Two unknown Burghers
4. MIDDLEDALE (MARIA’S BERG) – Hermanus Jacobus KOK, K.I.A., “Sandwich Hill” [Maria’s Berg], Natal, 18/01/1900, aged 47; Jacobus S.W. KOK, K.I.A., “Sandwich Hill” [Maria’s Berg], Natal, 18/01/1900, aged 18.
5. ALEXANDRIA – David Andries VAN STADEN, K.I.A., Spion Kop, 24/01/1900, aged 29; and Willem Andries Stephanus MARAIS, K.I.A., Spion Kop, 24/01/1900, aged 30.
6. ARCADIA – Jacob Philippus SMIT, died Arcadia Field Hospital, 25/01/1900, aged 36 (presumably from wounds received at Spion Kop); W. MALAN (three possibilities)
7. BEAUVALE – Johannes Groenewald DE KOCK, K.I.A., Platrand, 06/01/1900, aged 23 (grave found to be empty).
8. HILLSIDE (MINEOWN) – Andries Johannes DE JAGER, K.I.A., Rifleman’s Ridge, 14/11/1899, aged 29.
9. KLEINFONTEIN – Hermanus Nicolaas WESSELS, K.I.A., Platrand, 06/01/1900, aged 47; and an unknown Burgher.
10. SMITH’S CROSSING – Veldkornet Nicolaas Johannes MENTZ, K.I.A., Acton Homes, 18/01/1900, aged 54; and Francois LOMBARD.
11. THREE BRIDGES – Petrus Lefras UYS, K.I.A., Talana Hill, 20/10/1899 (the War Museum wrongly gives Bloed River, Utrecht, as place of death), aged 25 (born 14/11/1874).
12. DAVEL’S HOEK – Johannes Jacobus JOUBERT, K.I.A., Colenso, 23/02/1900 [21/02/1900], aged 22 (born 29/06/1877); Gabriel J.J. UYS, K.I.A., near Colenso, 15/12/1899, age unknown; Gerhardus Jozua VAN NIEKERK, K.I.A., Lower Tugela, 22/02/1900, aged 42 (born 11/06/1857); Johannes Wilhelmus Hendrikus VAN NIEKERK, K.I.A., Lower Tugela, 23/02/1900, aged 23.
13. DAVEL’S HOEK – Unknown Burgher (grave found to be empty)
14. LANSDOWNE – Unknown Burgher, K.I.A., Rietfontein.
15. TINTINYONI – Unknown Burgher (possibly Kroonstad Commando), K.I.A., Rietfontein.
16. LOMBARD’S KOP – Jacobus Nicolaas BOSHOFF, K.I.A., Talana Hill, 20/10/1899, aged 30 (born 24/10/1869).
17. WOLFENDEN – Marthinus Johannes SCHEEPERS, K.I.A., Lombard’s Kop, 30/10/1899, aged 23; and an unknown Burgher.

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1. BRATHMORE

Willem Adriaan NIEMANN, K.I.A., Spion Kop, 24/01/1900, aged 32; and ???? DE BEER (potentially Barend Petrus DE BEER, K.I.A., Lower Tugela, 17/02/1900, aged 36).

My diary entry for August 3rd 1978

We now set off in the direction of Spion Kop, our destination a farm a short distance down the Geluksburg road, on the right. The buildings are deserted now, but the farm used to belong to Welly Hyde’s aunt, so he has many memories of this place.
There are two graves here, those of W.A. Niemann and de Beer. Niemann was killed at Spion Kop, but there is some controversy about de Beer. It is commonly believed that he was killed at the same battle, but his name does not appear on the official casualty roll.



.1:50,000 Map of South Africa, Sheet 2829DA (Spion Kop)




.From left to right, the graves of ???? De Beer and Willem Adriaan Niemann, K.I.A., Spion Kop.






While the labourers started work, Welly went off to have a look around the old farm buildings. He returned saying he had come face-to-face with a rinckhals. Describing it as “a big chap”, he said that it had disappeared into a crack in some stone steps. I decided it was probably best not to go exploring myself.
Corrugated iron first appeared in Niemann’s grave, at which point Welly jumped in and started excavating the human remains. The skull was well preserved and once it had been cleaned up, I photographed it in situ.
I then started work on de Beer, but unfortunately his skull had collapsed under the weight of the grave-fill. Excavating around his chest, I unearthed a heavily corroded pocketknife. This will be taken up to Pretoria when the government inspector (Mr Schuman) returns there at the end of the month.
Once the human remains had been bagged up and labelled, and the graves had been back-filled, we wended are way through the tall grass to the Ladysmith road, and thence back home.






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Fascinating! More of the same please Neville - this makes it all very real for us.

I hope the relatives of the deceased listed above see this post, especially Niemann's family. A great record to preserve.

Regards

Rory

Thank you Rory,

As you might imagine, it was exciting stuff for a teenager straight out of school. Two of us went out to South Africa to follow in my great grandfather's footsteps, but never imagined we would be involved with anything like this. I was hooked!

Neville

2. CLYDESDALE

An unknown Burgher (believed by Rob Davidson to be Veldkornet Barend Jacobus de Lange BADENHORST, K.I.A., Spion Kop, 24/01/1900, 35 years old).


My diary entry for August 10th 1978

From Alexandria we drove on to a farmstead called Clydesdale, which, like Arcadia, had been a Boer hospital during the war.



.1:50,000 Map of South Africa, Sheet 2829DA (Spion Kop)


We were to dig a grave some distance from the main cemetery. No one was sure whether the occupant was a Boer or a Briton, and we hoped to solve this problem today. If he turned out to be a "Tommy", we would have to re-bury him; if he was a Boer, then we would follow the normal procedure.







While the exhumation was under way, Rod deNormann and I went over to look at the main cemetery. This contains the graves of those killed at Spion Kop and, in appearance, is very like the Harrismith Commando cemetery near End Hill. After taking photographs of this and the farm, I returned to the grave and found the labourers progressing well.










We hadn't been sat talking for long when the first flakes of corrugated iron began to appear. In Welly Hyde's mind this alone solved the nationality problem: he believed that had this man been a “"Tommy", the Boers wouldn't have bothered with anything as fancy as a corrugated iron "coffin". Indeed, in all ways this burial was identical to those of all the other Burghers we have exhumed over the past two weeks. However, as the body had been buried in a blanket, without clothes/uniform, it was impossible to reach a definitive answer to this question.
The skull was well preserved, and I was photographed examining this by Neil Veitch for the "Cape Times".







Veldkornet Barend Jacobus de Lange Badenhorst, who could be the man buried in the single grave at Clydesdale. With thanks to Rob Davidson.





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Riveting stuff. I once copied this fellows probate file in the Natal Archives in Pietermaritzburg for the then owner of the medal group. I wish I had kept a copy. I am still in contact with the chap and will ask if he has the record still. I know the group was sold on at a later date. There was a fascinating eye witness account of how he died in the file.

Regards

Rory