TOPIC: Ahlers, Johannes. Commandant

Served: Lydenburg.

ABO (Komandant J. Ahkers). Kaplan Auction, November 17.

Confirmed with Lydenburg Kdo vide Form B. He states that he fought with every Kommando from 1885. Confirmed P.O.W. 1 September 1900. Incarcerated at Green Point, captured at Wilgedacht. With three black and white copied photos of him in civilian dress.

Medal approved 19 March 1947. Type 2 suspender and WW II naming.

ABO (Kommandant J. Ahlers). City Coins August 2014

Johannes Ahlers, Lydenburg Commando, was 85 when he applied for his ABO medal. He did not elaborate on actions/skirmishes in which he took part, but mentioned that he had also served in every Transvaal Expedition since 1885. Interpreting the voluminous data on his Vorm “B” and appended letter it seems possible that he actually was a “Laager Kommandant” i.e. Commissariat Officer and not a “Fighting” Commandant! However, his ABO was approved with the latter rank.

He was taken prisoner on 1 September 1900 on his farm Welgedacht and spent the rest of the war in the Greenpoint Camp.