From the next City Coins auction, November 2020
ABO (Komdt. N.J. Grobler)
According to Ferreira in “Viva os Boers”:
Nicolaas Johannes Grobler was born in Cradock, Cape Colony, in 1853. After farming in the Barkly East and Kokstad districts, he moved to Johannesburg and was employed by the NZASM (Railway Company). In October 1899 he was in Natal, serving in the Johannesburg Commando, received full ZAR Citizenship and served as Field Cornet at Elandslaagte (21 Oct 1899). In September 1900 he was elected Commandant in the Eastern Transvaal.
On Vorm “B” Grobler was very economical with detail! He stated his unit as “Johannesburg Foot Commando”, naming his superior officers as Generals de la Rey and Ben Viljoen, and mentioned being in action at Klip River on 27 May 1900 and Jukskei River (between Johannesburg and Halfway House) on 29 May 1900. He then referred to service in the Eastern Transvaal: “Guarding PoW Camp at Nooitgedacht and in Barberton”.
On 23 September 1900 Commandant Grobler and Commandant H P Mostert were the two senior Boer officers under Gen Pienaar when the Mozambique border crossing took place.
In Portugal, Commandant Grobler was the Senior Boer Officer at Alcobaça. When he and his party arrived by train at a station some 7 km from Alcobaça on 28 March 1901, he was given a horse while the internees had to walk. When they arrived at Alcobaça at 21h30, they were heartily met with a fireworks display and school children with lit torches, while the lights in every house were switched on. In addition, the windows and doors of the houses adjoining their route were opened wide as a sign of welcome. The internees were accommodated in a section of the barracks of the 5th Portuguese Cavalry, a colossal building that was originally a monastery, but had been taken over by the military in 1834. Over the next 16 months Grobler acted as intermediary between the internees and the Portuguese authorities, settling matters concerning allowances, meals, a school for the youngsters, etc.
Grobler and the other Alcobaça internees took the oath of allegiance to the British Crown on 8 July 1902 in the presence of an official of the British Legation in Portugal and started on their journey back home to South Africa on 18 July 1902 by boarding a train bound for Lisbon.
