TOPIC:

Queens South Africa Medal 1899 -1902, with 3 clasps CAPE COLONY, SOUTH AFRICA 1901, SOUTH AFRICA 1902, impressed named 97 TPR P. WINTERBACH. WORCESTER D.M.T.; British War and Victory Medals, impressed named PTE P.J. WINTERBACH. BOTHAS M.R.

Trooper Peter Johannes Winterbach was residing pre-war in the Worcester District. During the war he served initially with the Worcester District Mounted Troop (with the service number 97) . There were only 99 medals awarded to the unit. N.J.V.D.W. Winterbach service number 98 is probably a relative. The pair of them transferred to the Field Intelligence Department and served as Agents qualifying for the Cape Colony, South Africa 1901 & 02 clasps with the unit.

During WW1, he served with Botha’s Mounted Rifles as part of the 3rd Mounted Brigade, which was mobilised 19/1/15 and fought in German South West Africa (Namibia) which was successfully concluded 9/7/1915. It is possible that he was back in the Field Intelligence for the campaign as intelligence units were formed for the G.S.W.A. campaign, the men taken from various other units.

His post war address was Union Farm, PO Pyramid, Transvaal.



Mike

Hi Mike,

Your man No 97 Tpr. P. Winterbach has some company – perhaps a brother or cousin but I can’t quite identify either of them. If anybody has an idea please let us know.

I have the similar singleton QSA medal which is named as follows:

Single – (98 Tpr. U. Winterbach. Worcester D.M.T.)

As you have mentioned this recipient is also named on both the Worcester DMT and FID medal rolls.

The impressed initial on the QSA medal is “U” but looking closely at the WDMT medal roll I guess that his initial could have been recorded as “N” and that the naming was just one of the very many errors that so often found on medal rolls. (Perhaps we collectors should be grateful that some are corrected!)

It is however when one looks at the FID medal roll that real confusion sets in as this roll records his name as “Winterbach, N.J.V.D.W.” and those initials are very distinct and clear on a medal roll which was prepared in Pretoria on 14 September 1906. There is no doubt the the two Winterbach FID Agents were the same two individuals who were issued medals off the WDMT medal roll as that detail is clearly referenced.

I note that it is recorded that both the Winterbach medals were initially issued without any clasp and seemingly the two date clasps were the only clasps issued for either of them although the additional Cape Colony clasp may have been issued off an additional obscure FID medal roll. Anyway, I have noted that other FID agents were issued with the colony clasp and clearly your medal recipient felt that he was entitled to it. I will now have to add a clutch of clasps to the ribbon attached to my medal.

I would guess that these two “Winterbachs” were members of the family who had established themselves in the vicinity of Ceres which is not too far westwards from Worcester.

The name Pieter Francois Hugo Winterbach who was born in approx. 1880 and who died on 16 January 1933 at the age of 53 years fits your man but I guess that confirmation of this may be rather difficult.

I guess that the initial of the Winterbach, No 98 is “N” and not “U” but the expanded initial of “N.J.V.D.W.” has me stumped. I have not been able to locate any Winterbach with this initial and can’t recall coming across any other recipient with so many initials! However, I suspect that I found what might be a possible answer when I researched the family name of the South African National Archives website for there, I noted an 1892 reference in which was noted as follows: “Petition of Nicolaas Jacobus Van Der Westhuizen in re Insolvent Estate of Johan Carel Winterbach”

I presume that it may therefore be reasonable that there was either a further “initial error” on the 1906 FID medal roll or alternatively his name was Nicolaas Jacobus Van Der Westhuizen Winterbach”.

Good Morning Rob......

Yours was the first thing I read this morning (while coffee is being made) and it is fascinating how these medals were named..... The spelling errors, engravers miss reads and name changes keep us hopping..... As I have said previously if we knew all the answers there would be no fun in collecting or researching......

Mike

RobCT wrote: “Petition of Nicolaas Jacobus Van Der Westhuizen in re Insolvent Estate of Johan Carel Winterbach”

I presume that it may therefore be reasonable that there was either a further “initial error” on the 1906 FID medal roll or alternatively his name was Nicolaas Jacobus Van Der Westhuizen Winterbach”.

This might very well be, it was often the Afrikaner tradition to name second or third sons after other family members.
You might find that N.J. vd Westhuizen was an uncle, or the father in law of J.C. Winterbach.

In my own case for example, my grandfather was named after his grandfather on his mom's side, surname included as his third name.

Janco

Found some evidence to suggest that P.J. and N. may have been brothers. The death certificate of Elizabeth Winterbach (1852-1931) of Worcester, wife of Johan Carel Winterbach, reveals that she was the daughter of N.J. van der Westhuizen, and that they had three sons, named Petrus Johannes, Nicolaas Jacobus and Johan Carl. Her father's death certificate reveals that his name was Nicolaas Jacobus.

It's possible that Petrus was the Pieter Johannes Winterbach, a farmer of Boksburg, Transvaal, who died in 1935. He was 56 years old (so born in 1878/79), born in Tulbagh, son of Johan Carel Winterbach.

A Nicolaas Jacobus Winterbach (1882-1958) died in Kimberley.

The Pictures......





Mike