TOPIC:

The Deadwood POW item depicted below has intrigued me for some time. It is a wooden box (approximately 17 x 11 x 7 cm) covered in a lacquered, heavily embossed material (leather? canvas?) with on the lid the effigies of what looks like President Steyn and General DeWet. Inside the box there is a photo taken a Deadwood camp and a mention that it was made by a POW.



I have not seen other POW work like this and always wondered whether the embossing was actually done in the camp or perhaps added post war to a rather standard type of wooden POW box produced in the camp. Anyone own a similar objector able to shed some more light on this?

For context, the box came with a few carved bone items. From the varying quality thereof, it seems that these items were not carved by the same prisoner.

I have done a scan of UK newspapers of the day for Deadwood & Broadbottom Camps as one of my Smethwickians served in the 4th Battalion, Gloucester Regiment who left England on the 2nd April 1900 and arrived on St Helena on 21st April 1900 as this document shows – my man is 2059 Lance Sergeant Charles Winfield:



They left St Helena in July 1901 arriving home on 27th July 1901. Newspaper reports indicate they were involved at both camps.

Deadwood Camp received far more attention in the UK newspapers of the day than Broadbottom Camp and here are my two pictorial contributions for what they are worth.

Coventry Evening Telegraph 23rd August 1900. This advert appeared in several newspapers but this one gave the best quality reproduction.



Perhaps of more interest from the Illustrated London News of 2nd February 1902:



According to the Edinburgh Evening News of 8th May 1903, this is what happened the material used for building those huts & fences.