TOPIC:

Hi

The information I have related to 3720 Pte. W. Sibthorpe, 5th Dragoon Guards, indicates that he was wounded in action at Paardekop on 21 May 1901.

I presume the Paardekop referred to is the railway siding situated southeast of Standerton in the Transvaal and now called Perdekop.
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I have not been able to trace any record of an incident at Paardekop on that date.

Can anyone please clarify for me how Sibthorpe may have come to be wounded on that date and whether my understanding of the location of the incident is correct?

Best regards
Peter

Peter,

There is another Paarde Kop in the OFS which I have been reading about recently with regard to operations at Wepener in April 1900.

I checked in Gore's book but that does not cover 1901.

Stirling days 'In the first quarter of 1901 the regiment had arduous work in the south-east of the Transvaal while General French was driving Botha's forces into that angle. They frequently had skirmishing, but perhaps their hardest work was the escorting of convoys from the railway to French's men during a time when the weather scarcely ever faired up for weeks at a time, and the endless spruits could only be crossed with great difficulty. The regiment was afterwards taken to the Western Transvaal, and did much work in the Klerksdorp district.'

This would suggest your Paarde Kop, mid way between Volksrust and Standerton is much more likely.

Here is a summary of the casualties reported from that date. The summary shows Dibthorpe as the only casualty at Paarde Kop that day.



Kind regards
David

Dear David

Thanks a lot.

Best regards, Peter

Hello Peter

The 5th Dragoon Guards were posted to the following places from the end of July 1900 up until the end April 1901- Zandspruit being around 15 to 20kms away from Paardekop. Your man was more than likely shot by a sniper while on escort duty or on patrol ?



Taken from The History Of British Cavalry Vol IV 1899 -1913

Regards

Dear RR

Thanks so much.

Best regards, Peter