Exploring with my camera
St James Anglican Church is tucked away in Graaff Reinet and the only church which was open, so in we went! St James the Great dates to 1850 and is the oldest church still in use in Graaff Reinet. The Church … Continued
The concentration camp at Bethulie was one of the largest camps established by the British during the Anglo-Boer War, 1899-1902. Of the 1,737 people who died at the camp, 1,311 were under 15 years, and 426 were over 15 years. The women and … Continued
The President Brand Cemetery is disturbing in many ways: there is a memorial to the women and children who died in the Anglo-Boer War; there are graves of young men who died, both in combat and from disease; gravestones had been broken and damaged; … Continued
I read The Boer War as we travelled in South Africa and was horrified by the bungling, stupidity, ruthlessness, and barbarity of the 1899-1902 war. Of course there were acts of bravery, daring, and enterprise, even cleverness, but this was a war which … Continued
At Sannas Pos, on 31 March 1900, Boers led by General Christiaan de Wet defeated British soldiers under Brigadier General Broadwood. It was a significant skirmish for two reasons: the Post controlled the water supply to Bloemfontein via the Modder River, andIt was … Continued
It was to be a long day’s drive, 321 kms from Kiara Lodge in the Golden Gate National Park to the City Lodge Hotel, Bloemfontein, and we started early.
The first Europeans settled in the Bay of Natal (today’s Durban) in 1824 to create a trading post. In 1834 the Great Trek began and by 1837 the Voortrekkers were starting to cross the Drakensberg, soon establishing the Republic of … Continued
