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Another officer in the Swaziland Commando who signed off on Gouvernement’s Noten was 2nd Lt. Gideon Jacobus Nell (frequently spelled Nel). Gideon Nell was born in Utrecht (Tvl} on November 15, 1871, almost nine months to the day his father Willem Andries Stephanus Nel, a farmer, married his mother Aletta Catharina Kritzinger. Gideon Nell and his siblings (two brothers and 4 sisters) spent part of their youth at Forbes Reef, Swaziland, close to Steynsdorp just over the border with the Carolina District. (Jeppe drew Swaziland as part of the Transvaal, but in effect it was a Transvaal protectorate with a Native Chief nomally in charge). Gideon Nell joined the Swazieland (sic) Rijdende Politie (SRP, Swaziland Mounted Police) which was headquartered at Bremersdorp (now Mnanzini). He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the SRP when, by September 1899, the tensions between Britain and the two South African Republics had reached boiling point and the Transvaal Government instructed all white residents of Swaziland to leave the territory. This instruction applied to both “Boer” and “British” residents and effectively transferred the power over Swaziland to the Native Chief Ngwenyama Bhunu weMbandzeni. The objectives of this instruction appear to have been an effort to keep the territory neutral during the upcoming conflict and to force Boer families to move to safe territory whilst their men of fighting age joined the commando. It can be assumed that Gideon Nell moved with his colleagues of the Swaziland police force to the new SRP head quarters at Bell’s kop (Belskop) on the border between Swaziland and the Ermelo District. (Bell’s Kop and the later mentioned Oshoek became important Boer Telegraph-communication hubs during the war).
At the outbreak of the war Gideon Nell (Like J.A.D. Kruger described in earlier post) moved with the Swaziland Police under General Chris Botha into Natal and fought in all major battles there. On his ABO application Nell mentions the battles of Colenso on 15 December 99, Molendrift (5 February 1900), Boschmond (?)(16 February 1900), Helpmekaar (April 1900). Scheepersnek (11 June 1900), Bremersdorp (23April 1900) and Talene on 26 September 1900. He also mentions actions at Sambaansland en Lemombo (a mountain range in the north east of Swaziland). This listing is obviously not exhaustive as Gideon stayed in the field for the entire duration of the war. On his DTD application Gideon mentions to have commanded a unit at Colenso and that he was involved at the relief (or disarmament as he uses the word “ontzetten”) of canons (and?) Laager at van Tondersnek. Gideon applied for his medals relatively early (in 1923) and gave as reference both Kommandant J.A.D. Kruger and General Coenrad Brits with whom he served in South West Africa during the suppression of the 1914/15 Rebellion .

Gideon married twice, first with a Marthina Isabella Badenhorst and sometime after 1915 with Aletta Davel. At some stage after the war Gideon moved to the farm Glenmore in the Ermelo District (“Post Office Oshoek”) and died there on February 28, 1958, aged 86.



This Pretoria 5 Pond was signed by Nell. His proximity to J.A.D. Kruger is evidenced by the fact that he uses the exact same text for issuing the noot “Op eerlijke wijze ontvangen” (received for honest reasons). The noot doesn’t bear any evidence that the recipient presented it in a claim for compensation after the war.




Gideon Nell’s application form for his Dekoratie voor Trouwe Dienst medal. (Photo Credit: Ewald Nel)


Gideon Nell’s full medal set featuring his DTD and ABO medals (Photo credit Ewald Nel)

Superb vignettes of Boer service - keep them coming!

The recent dispersal at Noonans of an old and large collection of Gouvernement’s Noten brought two Gouvernement’s Noten to market that were annotated by Kapitein A.P. Pretorius.


Kapitein A.P. Pretorius, photo credit Elmarie/WMBR.

Kapitein Andries Petrus Pretorius was the scion of one of the oldest Boer Voortrekker families. This made research into the man rather difficult as the combination of early appearance of the Pretorius name in South Africa with the habitual large family size and propensity to give at least one the offspring the exact same Christian names, meant that there were quite a few men with the name Andries Petrus Pretorius. The A.P. Pretorius in question appears to be the one born on 23 November 1878 from the marriage between Andreas Petrus Pretorius (1845-1927) and Adriana Rosina Muller (1850-1921). Andries had no less than 13 siblings. He joined the Ermelo Vrijwilliger Corps (Ermelo Volunteer Corps. EVC) which had been active in Swaziland prior to the Boer War. (this is a bit confusing as the official name of the commando of Ermelo volunteers was at least until 1898 “Ermelo Volunteer Cavalry Corps” or EVCC, see badge. Perhaps the name of the unit changed thereafter). It is assumed that Andries joined the Swaziland Commando at the outbreak of the war. He had the rank of Kapitein in the EVC and was attached as adjudant to the staff of General Christiaan Botha, Kommandant of the Swaziland Police. Andries Pretorius served with Generaal Christiaan Botha (who eventually became commander of all Boer forces in the Eastern Districts of the Transvaal) throughout the war and therefor his war experiences mirror those of Christiaan Botha. It is possible that his position as Adjudant shielded Pretorius from certain frontline duties he nonetheless mentions on his ABO application to have participated in the fighting at the Tugela line, Colenso, Spionkop “and many other battles.”


Ermelo Vrijwilliger Cavalry Corps white metal cap badge (in use from 1893-1898)



A Mauser attributed to Kapitein A.P. Pretorius has survived the war. (courtesy Rob Davidson)

Kapitein Andries Petrus Pretorius married (date unknown) Catharina Elizabeth Roodt (1880-1923) with whom he had 4 children (plus one stepdaughter). He lived with his family on the farm Zendelingsfontein near Klerksdorp (Tvl) where he died, aged 46, in 1925, surviving his wife by just two years. Pretorius was an early applicant for his war medals (1921). His ABO application erroneously mentions “Military secretary on Kommandant-Generaal Louis Botha’s staff”. Anecdotally, Andries Pretorius bore a strong resemblance to Louis Botha’s secretary Van Velden. Pretorius provided as reference for his medal applications Luitenant W.R. Collins (“EVC”) and General Coenraad Brits. The obvious candidate to provide a reference, Christiaan Botha, was no longer available as he had died a few months after the war.



Gouvernements Noot annotated by Andries Pretorius. He writes “Door mij uitgegeven”(issued by me) and signs with A Pretorius, Kapitein EVC

A fantastic thread, EFV, with excellent research and images bringing this little-known area to our attention.

Many thanks
David

VC Johannes Willem Horn, Boksburg Commando
Burgers on commando were famed for their exceptional marksmanship. This attribute seems to have been matched by the marksmanship with the trouser-Mauser as around the turn of last century Boer families counting 10 or more children were the norm rather than the exception. With men marrying young and the mentioned propensity to name the oldest son after the father, researching a Burger on commando becomes challenging even before considering eponymous uncles, cousins and nephews. This issue came up in the effort to give context to a Gouvernements Noot issued and annotated by Johannes Willem Horn. In the family Horn there are Johannes Willems born in a direct line respectively in 1741, 1779, 1802, 1823, 1852, 1876 and after. During the Boer War there were two men with the name Johannes Willem Horn (1852 and 1876) of fighting age (there was another one but he was a rebel from the Cape). Based on circumstantial evidence, I assume (rightly or wrongly) that the Johannes Willem Horn born in 1876, one of the 12 children from the marriage of Johannes Willem Horn (1852-1929) and Maria Cecilia van der Merwe (1852-1923), is the correct candidate.

In September 1899 Johannes Willem Horn joined the Boksburg commando under Kommandant “Dirkse” (Kommandant A.J. Dercksen) and Generaal Christiaan Hendrik (“ou Raaltjie”) Muller as a Burger and fought with that commando a.o. at Modderspruit. Horn, with part of the Boksburg commando, then joined Generaal Piet Retief Viljoen of the Pretoria Commando and fought at Colenso, Spionkop and Ladysmith. It is mentioned on his DTD application (in Horn’s own hand but signed off by General Muller) that Johannes Willem Horn showed exceptional bravery during various battles, in particular on Spionkop, at Chrissiesmeer (February 6, 1901 Louis Botha’s unsuccessful attack on Smith Dorrien’s force) and at Bakenlaagte (30 October 1901 where superior Boer forces wiped out a force of 210 troopers under Colonel Benson with no less than 88 British fatalities.) Between these exploits Horn moved up through the ranks, first to Korporaal and later to (assistant) Veld Cornet. In what appears to be the hand of Generaal Muller it is written on Horn’s ABO application that “[Horn] was for a period of the war with me on commando until he went with Generaal Alberts [General Hendrik Abraham Alberts] to join the Heidelberg Commando. He was “braaf.” (Braaf in Dutch nowadays means well-behaved but Muller must have meant brave). On his DTD application Muller, again, writes that Horn was “Braaf en getrouw,” brave and loyal.
Horn was in the field for the entire duration of the war. He married Anna Levina Lesija (maiden name unknown). No further information could be gleaned from the habitual sites other than that his brother Theunis Gerhardus (born 1891) died in 1916 in an accident at the New Modderfontein Gold Mine in Benoni.
Horn applied for his medals in 1921 from the farm Zesfontein in the Boksburg/Benoni area.

Vorm A, the recommendation for the DTD Medal


The farm Zesfontein


The Governement’s Noot issued by Horn. He writes “Uitgegaan naar Krijgsdienst der ZAR, VC Horn” Issued for military purposes of the South African Republic. This battle-scarred Noot was presented as part of claim 540 to the Central Judicial Commission for compensation. It may have little value for the purist banknote collector, it is nonetheless a little treasure trove for the Boer War enthusiast.





Location of battles during which Horn displayed exceptional bravery.


In describing great battles of the Boer War it is worthwhile to once in a while step back from the cold statistics and look at the inevitable personal dramas that flow from it. Rob Milne mentions in his book “Anecdotes of the Boer War” that the fiancée of one of the 24 British soldiers who died during that battle every year sent a sprig of heather to the Chrissiesmeer Post office to be placed on her beloved’s grave. She did this for 60 years.

Another unsung Boer War hero saved from relative obscurity by a simple Gouvernement’s Noot is VC Lukas Cornelius (“Taks”) Grobler



VC Lukas (or Lucas) Cornelius (“Taks”) Grobler was born on November 7, 1866 at Middelburg (Tvl) from the marriage of Lodewijk Stephanus Grobler and Alleta Gertruida Salmina Viljoen. He had 4 siblings. At the outbreak of the war Grobler joins the Lydenburg Commando under Kommandant David Johannes Schoeman and participates in the siege of Ladysmith and the battles of Colenso, Allemansnek, Spionkop, Buller’s breakthrough of the Tugela line, the Drakensbergen and was during the latter part of the war fighting in the Transvaal. General Joachim Fourie promoted Lukas Grobler In June 1900 to Assistant Veld Cornet (Joachim Fourie commanding the Carolina, Lydenburg and Standerton commandos died 5 months later at Witkloof). Lukas was made a full-fledged Veld Cornet by Generaal Ben Viljoen in or around April 1901. VC Grobler mentions also having served under Generaal C.M. Muller, “Generaal Pretorius” (probably Kommandant Willem Francois Pretorius of the Heidelberg Commando) and Kommandant-Generaal Louis Botha. Grobler mentions on his DTD recommendation form (Vorm A), signed off by Kommandant Schoeman, that he laid down weapons in the presence of Generaal Muller and that he had “manlijk geveg” “fought as a man befits.” He had been in the field from 28 September 1899 to 11 June 1902.

“Taks” Grobler applied for his ABO and DTD medals in 1926. Apparently, there were some administrative problems with his application as in August 1927 he wrote to the Majoor dealing with his application stating that he had already supplied the requested information before and ended the letter with “en hoop dat die onsmakelijke zaak hiermee afgehandel sal word” (and hope that herewith this unsavory matter will be settled.) It obviously was, as both medals were duly awarded.

Lucas Cornelius Grobler lived at Lagersdrift (now Laersdrif) in the north eastern part of the Middelburg District not far from Roossenekal and was married to Hester Catharina Susanna Engelbrecht, four years his junior, with whom he fathered 11 children (another source mentions 9 children). He died aged 72, in 1939.

Lukas' legally betrothed, Hester Engelbrecht in Sunday’s best.


The Gouvernement’s Noot issued by VC Grobler was part of the same claim as the one by Johannes Willem Horn. Grobler annotates with “Voor commando dienst gegeven voor gekommandeerde goederen” Issued for military purpose in lieu of commandeered goods.






The farm Lagersdrift