TOPIC:

Good morning, all! My daughter and I visited some of the war memorials in Bloemfontein (South Africa) this past weekend. We ended at the Rooidam Military Cemetary. Although it is described as a WW cemetery, we could not find any such marked graves. We did find a number of graves of men that died in 1908. Most of them belonged to the 5th Dragoon Guards all stationed at Tempe. This was after the Anglo Boer war and before the WW1 and WW2. What could have been the reason for so many deaths in the same year? Anyone has any idea?

Hi Gerbera

See the following links:

www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2340224/rooidam-military-cemetery
www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2340224/memo...0Military%20Cemetery

Cemetery: ROOIDAM MILITARY CEMETERY
Country: South Africa
Locality: Free State
Historical Information: Rooidam (Military) Cemetery contains 77 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, most of them made from the Tempe Hospital. Within the cemetery stands the Rooidam African Cemetery Memorial commemorating 21 casualties buried in the African Cemetery one kilometre to the south.
No. of Identified Casualties: 77

www.findagrave.com/memorial/231163280/edward-hugh-lygon

Edward was the son of Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp and Lady Mary Catherine Stanhope. He was educated at Eton College, Berkshire.

He entered the Grenadier Guards from the 4th Battalion Worcestershire Regiment in Jun 1894. He was promoted to Lieutenant in Nov 1897. He was appointed adjutant to the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards in Nov 1899. He deployed with his battalion to South Africa for the Second Anglo Boer War, sailing from Gibraltar in the Ghoorkha on 25 Oct 1899, and arrived at the Cape about 15 Nov 1900.

Along with the 1st and 2nd Coldstreams and the 1st Scots Guards they composed the 1st or Guards Brigade, under Major General Sir H E Colvile. They were part of the Kimberley relief force and fought at the battles of Belmont (23 Nov 1899), at Modder River (28 Nov 1899) and Magersfontein (11 Dec 1899), leading to the relief of Kimberley. They were part of the main army advance to Bloemfontein.