TOPIC:

Hi I'm fascinated by South African history, including the Boer War. My Swedish grandfather, Wilhelm Frykberg, fought with the Cape Mounted Rifles and I don't know why he decided to fight with the British especially as he had just come out from Sweden. Most of the Scandinavian volunteers fought with the Boers and as someone of British ancestry (apart from the Swedish grandfather) my sympathies are largely with the Boers. I would be interested to have more information on the Scandinavian volunteers and why my grandfather appears to be an anomaly.

Journalist2022
Welcome to the site and the Forum.
You may be interested to learn that your Swedish GF has a bio in our host's recent publication "Wepener Account and Medal roll". He served as "3140 Pte. Wilhelm Frykberg , Cape Mounted Rifles" and earned several clasps on his QSA medal and also earned the KSA. He also served as a Sgt. in the Midland MR and a similar rank in the Field Intelligence Dept.
At this remove, it would be hard to say why your GF served with the British side. Perhaps he saw things differently to other Swedes; perhaps he saw the CMR as a crack unit to serve in (which it certainly was) - it really matters not at this remove.
I have refrained from posting a cut of your GF's bio from djb's Wepener book as it is copyright. Perhaps you might see your way clear to secure a copy of that book and see what your GF had to endure in the epic Wepener siege.
Regards
IL.

Thanks for your info

Hello There,

I was actually looking through and scanning a few of the CMR Enlistment pages the other day and your Grandfather appears on both pages. He enlisted into the CMR on the 18 September 1897. The pages also show a few personal details.

Not that much but at least photo's of the original enlistment pages.





Regards
Adrian

Hi There,

Here is his Attestation Paper for service in the Midlands Mounted Rifles dated 26 August 1901. Note that his fathers name is the same but noted as Senior while he is Junior.



Regards

Thank you so much Adrian for your time and information. My Swedish family said he had come to SA in 1900 so this corrects that. He died long before I was born so I never had the chance to meet him and talk to him. He also had a very interesting life working in Zambia before becoming the Swedish Consul in Johannesburg. Three other brothers of his also settled in South Africa and none of them ever returned to Sweden to live.