TOPIC:

Just to say how much I am enjoying this thread. These unpublished documents have a definite freshness and immediacy about them, unlike the stale stuff one comes across in printed sources.
Keep them coming!
Rob

Rob, Neville, many thanks for the encouragements. I have always felt a bit bad about sitting on these sort of items without being able to share them with likeminded people. Presenting them in this way saves them for posterity and forces me to dig deeper into the subject and, on the whole, that is a very satisfying activity (falling a tad short of sharing a bubble bath with Sharon Stone, but you get my drift). Also my collection focus is on paperwork produced by the Boers. These objects have -for language reasons- traditionally been of lesser interest to the English speakers. By providing translations and a bit of context, I try to make these posts interesting to all. Stay tuned.
Everhard

General H.R. Lemmer to Lord Methuen

On 28 September 1900 General H.R. Lemmer sent a message to Methuen, dryly acknowledging receipt of the latter’s letter that came with a Proclamation by Lord Roberts, stating he will forward these to the addressee, Generaal Koos DelaRey.

Methuen and his troops had been chasing through the western Transvaal for much of the month of September and, according to Belfield’s map, were camped out on the farm Treurfontein in the Lichtenburg district at the time Lemmer sent the message.


The Proclamation included in Methuen’s message to DelaRey most likely concerned Lord’s Roberts Proclamation No17 issued on September 14.

In early June of 1900, Roberts’ troops had occupied Pretoria and Roberts, thinking the war was all but over, had issued Proclamation No 15, annexing the ZAR to the British Empire. To the Fieldmarshal’s chagrin, events over the subsequent months proved that that Proclamation had been very much premature. Although Kruger had disappeared from the scene, there still was a ZAR government of sorts functioning “on wheels”, Boer commandos still controlled much of the Veld and the ZAR’s substantial treasury was safely stashed away in European bank accounts.
Proclamation No17 was one of the last of Roberts’s limp attempts to convince the Boers that further resistance was futile. Thereafter, Roberts’ frustration with the strategic errors made during the occupation of Pretoria and his utter misreading of what the occupation of the capital actually meant, caused a notable hardening of his stance. This hardline approach, continued by his successor Kitchener, involved the implementation of a scorched earth policy, deportation of POW’s and the establishment of concentration camps, a.o.

Vecht Generaal Hermanus Richard Lemmer (Born June 29, 1849 at Hartebeesfontein, Potchefstroom district) was a member of the upper chamber of the ZAR legislature. He joined the war in October 1899 as a common burger but moved quickly up through the ranks. Lemmer fought fearlessly in many of the war’s battles and skirmishes and died less than 12 weeks after writing this message while, with just a few burgers, storming an enemy position between Lichtenburg and Marico.

Interesting that he signs himself off as "Fighting General" - I have always translated, perhaps erroneously, Vecht General as "Combat" General.

Rory thanks for this reply and for your earlier, very helpful, information about VC J.C. Daniels. Perhaps Elmarie can write something about the subtle difference between Generaal and VechtGeneraal.?

Kommandant J.D.L Botha to Officer in charge of British troops, Mafeking

The implementation by the British of the hard-line policies, mentioned in the previous post, caused no end of disquiet among Boer commanders. This post combines 3 items relating to the detention by the British of Boer civilians, notably the family of Kommandant J.D.L Botha of the Marico commando. The first item is a message that Botha, then bivouacked near Ottoshoop, sent to the Officer in charge of British troops in nearby Mafeking.


The message reads:

Near Ottoshoop
To: Officer in charge of H.M. forces, Mafeking
4/1/1901 [Belfield probably misread it as 4/11/1900 on the contemporary translation and filed it accordingly, efv]
Honorable Sir,
As I am still awaiting an answer to my communication to Lord Methuen of the 30th last re. the returning of the women, I now address myself to you with the friendly, but firm, request to immediately send back to me my family as well as other families that, on order of Lord Methuen, were removed from this district for reasons that elude me entirely.
Awaiting a speedy reply, I have the honor to be, Sir, your Obedient Servant
Signed J.D.L. Botha
Kommandant Marico.


Kommandant Josephus Daniel Louwrens Botha (ABO, DTD) was already 63 years of age when he wrote the message. He had been elected Kommandant of the Marico Commando in 1884 and was active in the field for the entire duration of the war.

The message did elicit a response as evidenced by the next item in Belfield’s file in the form of a note in the hand of Lt. Colonel Courtenay Bourchier Vyvyan [of Mafeking Siege fame, efv] dated the 5th of January 1901 and addressed to the C.S.O. (Chief Security Officer), Western District. The addressee was probably Belfield who happened to be in Mafeking at the time.

The message reads:

The attached letter from Kommandant Botha was received this morning. (translation appended) A reply signed by Brigadier General the Earl of Errol [at the time Charles Gore, the Earl of Erroll was Brigadier General in the Imperial Yeomanry Brigade in South Africa, efv] is being sent to say that the letter has been forwarded to Lord Methuen who is temporarily absent from Mafeking. With the reply were enclosed a letter from Mrs. Botha to Kommandant Botha and a letter from Mrs MacArthur in whose house Mrs Botha resided while here. I enclose a translated Copy of Mrs. Botha’s letter.
Mafeking, 5. Jan. 01
Signed CB Vyvyan, Lt. Col, Commandant.

The copy of Mrs. Botha’s letter is reproduced hereunder and is self-explanatory. Please note the rather indignant remark made in the left-hand top corner by the Censor Captain K. Maclachlan [Most likely Captain K.F. Maclachlan, without known company, who served on the staff of the 19th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, efv]