ABO (Korporaal W. J. de Kock)
BWM and VM (Bil. (A/Capt W.J. de Kock)
City Coins. October 2018.
Willem Johannes de Kock served in the Ladybrand Commando from 1 December 1899 (a surprisingly late date!), seeing action at Rensburg a week later.
On 2 February 1900 he joined the Theron Verkenner Korps, the Scout Corps of the legendary Commandant Danie Theron. He and other Corps members were at the ready on 25 February 1900 when Theron daringly slipped through the British lines at Paardeberg and entered Cronje’s laager in an unsuccessful effort to co-ordinate a break-out.
After Danie Theron was killed on 5 September 1900 De Kock acted as a Despatch Rider for Generals de Wet and Hertzog. He was taken POW by National Scouts in the Kroonstad district while carrying a report from Gen Hertzog to Gen Botha. The POW Register has him as POW number 12576, sent to Ceylon, with date of capture 10 September 1900. He, however, gave a different date, namely 28 November 1900.
De Kock joined up for WWI service in East Africa with the Machine Gun Section, 6th SA Horse, and was commissioned as Lieutenant on 1 April 1916. He also served with the Machine Gunners of the 8th SA Infantry and was promoted Acting Captain 19 Aug 1917.
