TOPIC:

POW NUMBER: 7232
SURNAME: STEYN
FORENAME: WILLIAM HERBERT (WILLIE)
AGE: 25 YEARS
ADDRESS: HEILBRON
RANK: COMMANDANT
CAPTURED: 1900/06/11, RHENOSTER RIVER
SEND FOR DIYATALAWA, CEYLON, SHIP: CATALONIA
ESCAPED: PORT OF COLOMBO

Five exiles – Lourens Steytler, George Steytler, Willie Steyn, Piet Botha and a German named Hausner – succeeded in swimming out to a Russian steamer in the port of Colombo, travelled by a devious route through to the Crimea and from there to St Petersburg, Russia where the locals, sympathetic to the Boer cause, celebrated their escape. Then on to Germany, The men then visited Kruger in Holland and finally landed at Walvis Bay. They then made their way back to South Africa to rejoin their comrades.

www.geni.com/projects/Anglo-Boere-Oorlog...902-POW-Ceylon/14300

Elmarie
Thank you for this post, and the others that immediately followed it. The escape of Willie Steyn and his comrades is amazing. I had a vague knowledge of this story, but I am pleased to see it repeated here together with a photo of one of the participants. It is perhaps surprising that the Americans haven't made a film of this adventure. They could have justified it to American audiences by changing the German, Hausner, into a German American!
Regards
Brett

I am researching a J J styn, Prisoner of war on St.Helena, I've found two JJ Steyn's are these and any others related?

Afrikaner families often use the same fore-names down the generations. All the JJ Steyns would be distanty related, I suppose, but they may not be close relatives.

Have a look at the War Museum of the Boer Republics database. There is no JJJ Steyn among the POWs listed there.
wmbr.org.za/view.asp?pg=research&pgsub=d...Terms=steyn&opt=dset
One candidate for your JJ Steyn, POW at St Helena, would be
Surname STEYN
Name JACOBUS JOHANNES HERCULAS
Age 36
Address NOOITGEDACHT
District MIDDELBURG, T.V.
Where Captured KRANTZKLOOF
When Captured 1901/12/08
Camp Onbekend
Country St. Helena
Ship (To) Onbekend
Ship (Back)
POW Number 26430

This man's family were in the Middelburg concentration camp from about 5 days after his capture - see
www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Person/62190...nnes_Hercules_Steyn/

His wife, Magdalena, had recently given birth, and her baby Diedrik Johannes Steyn died in the concentration camp aged 3 months.

Thank you
I did look at that but the letter to JJJ postmarked the 6th June, was not sure but JJH was captured 12th August
The sender H E Steyn is another clue, but yet to find him
Than you for your interest
Cliff