Hello, Thanks to a number of you who have helped in the past year - I am slowly piecing together the life of my wifes grandfather who was a Boer and ended up in a POW camp in India, my main frustration being that the records on the Boer side were very basic, his details are below; POW No 16847 Name DE BEER, DIEDERICK MARTINUS FREDERIK Age 33 Born 31October 1867. Address DAMPLAATS HEILBRON Fieldcornetcy VECHTKOP Captured at HOPETOWN 1901/02/23 Sent to Ahmednagar INDIA on board the Hawarden Castle which left Cape Town for India on 02 April 1902 with 512 POW onboard. My question now is ; Can anyone tell me how and by which regiment he may have been captured at HOPETOWN 1901/02/23 - he was part of General Christian de Wets force who invaded the Cape - Conan Doyles Book The great Boer War covers this period in chapter 32 but probably this is too minor a detail to rate a mention. I know that he was wounded twice during the war ( once in the arm and once in the head ) and this may have happened in this action? Would appreciate any assistance. Thanks and Regards, David Sheldon - Brisbane, Australia ************************************************************************************************* "This e-mail and its attachments are intended for the named addressee only and no liability is accepted for use or reliance on any part of this e-mail by any other person. It is confidential, may be subject to privilege and is also subject to copyright. No part of it should be reproduced, adapted or communicated without the written consent of the copyright owner. Any confidentiality or privilege is not waived or lost because this e-mail has been received by you and you are not the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, please let us know by reply e-mail. Please note that e-mails can be interfered with, can contain computer viruses or other defects and may not be successfully replicated on other systems. This footnote confirms that this e-mail message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses. However whilst the sender has taken reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of this email and any attachment containing viruses, we cannot accept liability for any such viruses and we give no warranties in relation to any of the above matters. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of this e-mail please contact the sender immediately. No responsibility is accepted for any changes made to a document other than those made by the sender."

Hi David, I have searched for Hopetown and found a couple of leads which may be of assistance. The information comes from the account of the 1st Dragoon Guards. The first paragraph says: The regiment sailed on the Maplemore on 8th January 1901, and arrived in Cape Colony about the end of that month, in time to take part in the pursuit of De Wet, but without allowing time for men and horses to get into the campaigning condition essential for so arduous a task. This disadvantage notwithstanding, the regiment was able to be of great service. In his despatch of 8th March 1901, para 9, Lord Kitchener refers to their "timely arrival", and says that the 1st King's Dragoon Guards, Prince of Wales's Light Horse, with G Battery RHA, brought from Pretoria, to be joined later by the 3rd Dragoon Guards, were formed into a brigade which was placed under Colonel Bethune,— evidently the brigade whose doings are graphically described by 'Intelligence Officer' in 'On the Heels of De Wet'. After describing the exciting chase, Lord Kitchener says, "The close pursuit of the various columns had the effect of driving De Wet north to the Orange River, west of Hopetown, where, being hotly pressed by General Plumer, his 15-pounder gun and a pom-pom were captured by our mounted troops under Lieutenant Colonel Owen, 1st King's Dragoon Guards". De Wet eventually got across the river, but over 200 prisoners, all his guns, ammunition, and waggons fell into our hands. "He undoubtedly quitted Cape Colony with great loss of prestige". A full account of the 1st Dragoon Guards is available here: http://www.angloboerwar.com/units%20imperial/1st_drag_gds.htm There is another reference to Hopetown in the account of the Essex Regiment but this is useful to exclude some units I think: In January 1901 the Essex, along with the Suffolks, West Yorks, and Cameron Highlanders, formed an infantry brigade under Brigadier General Spens, and part of a strong force under Major General Smith-Dorrien which operated from near Wonderfontein towards Carolina. On 31st January the Essex left the brigade for the railway. Five days afterwards Smith-Dorrien was fiercely attacked at Bothwell. In February 1901, the enemy having become aggressive in Cape Colony, the Essex were railed from Wonderfontein to Norval's Pont, and soon thereafter were taken to Orange River Station and Hopetown. The bulk of the invaders having been expelled from the colony, the battalion was once more taken to the Eastern Transvaal, and when peace was declared they were inhabiting the Ermelo blockhouse line. Full test available at http://www.angloboerwar.com/units%20imperial/essex_regt.htm Lastly, there are a couple of mentions of Hopetown with dates very close but just after the ones you are interested in with the DSO entry for Lt Col Hamilton-Campbell. The extract says: He was twice mentioned in Despatches: first by General Sir Charles Knox, for good work done while commanding the 6th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry during operations in pursuit of De Wet in Cape Colony, which ended in his force being broken up outside Hopetown, Cape Colony, on 25 February 1901; again by Brigadier General T D Pilcher, for operations carried out on the Orange River, just below Hopetown, when a party of 75 Yeomen defeated 300 Boers, commanded by Commandant Haasbroek, capturing 45 of them, 25 to 28 February 1901. His full entry is available here: http://www.angloboerwar.com/DSO/h/hamiltoncampbell_wk.htm Perhaps ‘On the Heels of De Wet’ may be another avenue to pursue? There is a copy for sale in NZ for US $30 by Anah Dunsheath Rare Books (Auckland, New Zealand). Their description is “Book Condition: Fair. Second Impression. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. pp.vi,346, 2 (New Novels). front fly missing. Bookseller Inventory # 002878” Good luck David David Biggins david.biggins@angloboerwar.com www.angloboerwar.com <http://www.angloboerwar.com/> -----Original Message----- From: David Sheldon [mailto:David.Sheldon@poports.com.au] Sent: 16 January 2006 21:10 To: BOER-WAR-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Boer POW Hello, Thanks to a number of you who have helped in the past year - I am slowly piecing together the life of my wifes grandfather who was a Boer and ended up in a POW camp in India, my main frustration being that the records on the Boer side were very basic, his details are below; POW No 16847 Name DE BEER, DIEDERICK MARTINUS FREDERIK Age 33 Born 31October 1867. Address DAMPLAATS HEILBRON Fieldcornetcy VECHTKOP Captured at HOPETOWN 1901/02/23 Sent to Ahmednagar INDIA on board the Hawarden Castle which left Cape Town for India on 02 April 1902 with 512 POW onboard. My question now is ; Can anyone tell me how and by which regiment he may have been captured at HOPETOWN 1901/02/23 - he was part of General Christian de Wets force who invaded the Cape - Conan Doyles Book The great Boer War covers this period in chapter 32 but probably this is too minor a detail to rate a mention. I know that he was wounded twice during the war ( once in the arm and once in the head ) and this may have happened in this action? Would appreciate any assistance. Thanks and Regards, David Sheldon - Brisbane, Australia **************************************************************************** ********************* "This e-mail and its attachments are intended for the named addressee only and no liability is accepted for use or reliance on any part of this e-mail by any other person. It is confidential, may be subject to privilege and is also subject to copyright. No part of it should be reproduced, adapted or communicated without the written consent of the copyright owner. Any confidentiality or privilege is not waived or lost because this e-mail has been received by you and you are not the intended recipient. If you are not the intended recipient, please let us know by reply e-mail. Please note that e-mails can be interfered with, can contain computer viruses or other defects and may not be successfully replicated on other systems. This footnote confirms that this e-mail message has been swept for the presence of computer viruses. However whilst the sender has taken reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of this email and any attachment containing viruses, we cannot accept liability for any such viruses and we give no warranties in relation to any of the above matters. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of this e-mail please contact the sender immediately. No responsibility is accepted for any changes made to a document other than those made by the sender."