TOPIC:

Morning Mike & Geoff

Thank you very much for these extra posts - certainly brings to life this incident, how very sad. The grave marker is so poignant.

Geoff - to your questions, application to return home would be made to the unit CO, they would have to pay a sum to break their contract and generally they would have had to pay passage home unless some "job" could be found for them - such as escorting a wounded comrade perhaps.

Do you have Timlick's service papers?

Regards
Meurig

Thanks Meurig,

No, I do not have Timlick's service papers and don’t know if they are available.

Jumping back to Daniel Van Schalkwyk who was court-martialed for shooting Trooper Arthur Timlick. News reports in the London Standard and elsewhere in Australia (where I have been able to search the newspapers) included items with some dates, e.g. The London Standard from 27 Dec 1901: ‘DURBAN, Dec. 26. Commandant Daniel Van Schalkwyk has been tried by Court-martial at Krugersdorp, and shot, for firing at a wounded trooper of the South African Constabulary, who had surrendered and laid down his arms.’

I saw on ‘The Anglo-Boer War (The South African War) - 1899 – 1902’ Facebook page, a posting where Commandant Daniel Van Schalkwyk’s widow was looking for compensation for her burned home. In this document, it says the trial was on 8 Dec 1901 and he was executed on 26 Dec 1901, which lines up nicely with the above news report. It also notes that his farm was at Hartebeesfontein, which is northeast of Hekpoort, so the locations all match up nicely.

Another Facebook posting contained “Today - 1901-11-25 : Daniel van Schalkwyk is sentenced to death by a court martial in Krugersdorp. He is charged for picking up a rifle after having surrendered, and shooting a trooper of the SA Constabulary near Hartebeeshoek on 15 November.” Hartebeeshoek is just to the northwest of the Uitkomst and Dwarsvlei farms and southeast of Schalkwyk’s farm at Hartebeesfontein.

An earlier post in this angloboerwar.com forum contained “Just checked in the British government's official papers on Martial Law (Cd.981). It states van Schalkwyk was tried at "Warm Baths" 25-11-1901, shot 17th December. No mention of Krugersdorp. The Court Martial President was Mjr Bird 2RDF, with Gpt Game RFA & Lt Britton 2RDF.”

The dates don’t all line up: two trial dates (25 Nov 1901 at Warm Baths and 8 Dec 1901 likely at Krugersdorp) and two execution dates (17 Dec 1901 likely at Warm Baths, and 26 Dec 1901 at Krugersdorp)

Could we be talking about two different men named van Schalkwyk? Could he have had two trials? I doubt that he was executed twice!!

Do the British government's official papers contain a second entry for a van Schalkwyk with a trial date of 8 Dec 1901?

Thanks,

Geoff



using Google Translate:
"Commandant. R.D. van Schalkwyk
Shot at Krugersdorp on 17 December 1901
Commandant. Van Schalkwyk of the farm Hartebeesfontein in the Krugersdorp district was a district commissioner in the district. He was tried on charges of betrayal on December 8, 1901, that he would have shot a wounded soldier after imprisonment. He was executed on Krugersdorp on December 26.
After the war, his spouses set a claim for the burnout of their woo house, outbuildings and the confiscation or burning of all their property by British tropics. Her claim amounted to £ 3 018:4:0, indicating that her husband was a fairly well-off farmer. In her claim she reported when she was executed, but that she "did not know what was wrong".
The answer to her claim has indicated:
Amount allowed: Nil.
Remarks: Disallowed. Husband was tried at Krugersdorp in Dec. 1901 and executed.
These events again demonstrate which confidentiality the hearings took place and how little data were kept about it."

Hello Geoff

I initiated the thread on Facebook.

Regards
Meurig aka SWB

Hello from South Africa.
The SAC service file for Arthur Timlick is in the Pretoria National Archives and I do have access to this.
These files usually contain the original attestation document completed in the country in which he attested, shooting and riding certificates, attestation document completed when he arrived in South Africa and general admin documents regarding his service until discharge. These files don't give much detail as to what they actually did during their service.
We are compiling a book on the men of the SAC who were wounded, died, missing, POW, received the Badge for Gallantry, MIDs, etc. and have the following entry for him:
TIMLICK, Arthur, 3/Tpr, A1887. Born 26 March 1879, Canada. Attested 20 May 1901. Dangerously wounded on 15 November 1901 at Uitkomst. Died of wounds on 6 December 1901 at Krugersdorp. Buried in Krugersdorp Cemetery with name commemorated on the Memorial in the Garden of Remembrance as Timilik. Headstone records date of death as 9 December 1901. Name commemorated on the SAC Plaque in St. Alban’s Anglican Cathedral, Pretoria.
See Action chapter : 15 November 1901

The Action Chapter records the following:
In an engagement at Uitkomst, near Krugersdorp, men from 16/A Troop surrounded a party of Boers, seven of whom indicated that they wanted to surrender. Sergeant Major Kingston went forward with a couple of men to bring them in. As they approached, the Boers “picked up their rifles and fired point blank at twenty paces, wounding the whole party.” Trooper Ernest Gough, from Summerside, Prince Edward Island, said that one of the men, van Schalkwyk, surrendered and laid down his rifle but when he saw Trooper Arthur Timlick turn his head, he picked up the rifle and fired hitting Timlick in the chest. Timlick and Trooper William Sewter, who was shot in four places, later died of wounds received in battle. Kingston was shot in the stomach but recovered. Trooper Gough said van Schalkwyk was court martialled and shot for his actions.
The above is from Jim Wallace's book "No Colours, No Drums" which is the story of the Canadians who joined the SAC. He has given his permission for us to use any information from his book.

Other men involved in this action were:
Wounded and died of wounds:
3/Tpr W Sewter (A1770)
3/Tpr A Timlick (A1887)
Severely wounded:
TSM WD Kingston (A1469)
3/Tpr W Vollans (A1798)

I have a photo of Timlick's Canadian gravestone which I have is attached. I don't know how clear this is as I had to reduce the size in order for it to be accepted here.
I was very interested with the additional details given here, including the photo of his grave.
Can you tell me Mike where the grave is that you have included a photo of?
Regards
Audrey
Rhino Research

Good Afternoon Audrey

The photo that I had is from Jim Wallace's book...... Page 307....... Sorry no idea of location.......
I have blown up yours......

Mike

Thanks Audrey for the write-up on Arthur Timlick!

Is it possible to email or post a copy here of his service papers?

The gravestone with Canada written at the top is Krugersdorp Cemetery.

The gravestone with the tree on top is in Fraser Cemetery in New Westminster, BC, Canada. The approximate location is N 49° 13.301 W 122° 53.914.

I never noticed until now that the dates don’t match on the headstones – Dec 6th vs. Dec. 9th. All records including the gravestone in his hometown indicate that Dec 6th is correct and there is an error on the headstone in Krugersdorp Cemetery.

I didn't know about the SAC Plaque in St. Alban’s Anglican Cathedral, Pretoria.

I didn't know about the wounding of 3/Tpr W Vollans (A1798). I will have to some further research on him. I have already started looking into Sewter and Kingston, but haven't got too far.

A quick look on Ancestry, I found in UK, Casualties of the Boer War, 1899-1902 says W. Vollans was injured on 4 Nov 1901 at Uitkomst. Same location, but 11 days earlier.

Cheers,

Geoff