ABO (Burger H.J.F. Storm). City Coins September 2017
Hermanus Johannes Frederik Storm was bom in the Cape Colony in 1866 to Christian Andrias and Maria Elizabeth Storm. He lived in East London and worked as a transport rider. Somewhere during his travels, he met Anna Sophia Vogel who lived in Chelmsford, Newcastle, Colony of Natal. They were married at Chelmsford on 8 April, 1889. They had four children.
By the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1899, Hermanus was living on the farm Sterkfontein in the District of Zoutpansberg in the far north of the South African Republic and he joined General Beyers under the Zoutpansberg Commando. General Beyers operated in the Pietersburg area, which also happened to be the area in which the Bushveld Carbineers under Harry “Breaker” Harbord Morant was operating.
Breaker Morant’s court-martial was in full swing when on 22 January 1902 General Beyers successfully attacked and took the concentration camp at Pietersburg, recovering some 151 fighting fit men. The success of this attack undoubtedly gave General Beyers’ Burgers a boost and they planned to attack Pietersburg on 24 January with the specific purpose of capturing horses. Unfortunately, one of the recently released leaked the plans to the British and the next day, the British were ready, including Breaker Morant who, was released temporarily to aid in the defence of the town. The attack was a disaster and at the end, Field Cornet Venter, Fanie Botha, Christiaan Bierman (son of Commandant Bierman) and Hermanus Storm lay dead.
Hermanus’ wife successfully applied for his Anglo-Boer War Medal in 1928.
