TOPIC:

Good evening
I want to find out if my grandfather John William Sykes was born in the concentration camp at Norvalspont on 31 January 1898. I am also asking if any children with the surname Sykes died in that camp. Thank you.
Esther Kirsten

As I understand that the camps were not founded until September 22nd 1900 so if he was born January 31st 1898 which was also before the war started he could not have been born in one of the camps...…

Mike

Esther,

The War did not start until October 1899 so I would agree with Mike that your grandfather would not have been in a camp at the time.

There was a camp at Norvalspont between Feb 1901 and Oct 1902 ( angloboerwar.com/other-information/88-co...tion-camps-locations )

Esther,

I think the Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein has a list of camp deaths. The site is currently unavailable but this is the link to check: www.wmbr.org.za/view.asp?pg=research&pgs...tabases&head1=Search

Kind regards
Dsvid

It is certainly worth pointing out on that particular date, not only was there no war, simply because members of the British Government had not worked out how the best way to actually start one, but, the GOC South Africa was Sir William Butler, whist he held that appointment, there could certainly not be one!

Hadassah57 wrote: Good evening
I want to find out if my grandfather John William Sykes was born in the concentration camp at Norvalspont on 31 January 1898. I am also asking if any children with the surname Sykes died in that camp. Thank you.
Esther Kirsten

Esther,

The Angloboerwar Museum link is working, it is just slow at the moment.

I searched for Sykes and this was the result: