Boer casualties Platrand
Johannes Hendrik Labuschagne came from the farm Magdalena, district Harrismith. At the age of 33 he participated in the epic Battle of Platrand, 6 January 1900, with his commando. He was a large but gentle man and his huge horse, Mick, reportedly weighed 255 lbs. He wrote his memoirs in simple Dutch while a prisoner of war in Tin Town Camp, Ladysmith in 1901. The death during the war of his beloved son, christened Paul Kruger Labuschagne, broke his heart.
The following is an extract from his written memoirs of the Free State burghers who participated in the Battle of Platrand. His meticulous notes included the fallen, the wounded and their wounds at the Battle of Platrand. 6 January 1900
HARRISMITH DISTRICT
The Fallen
1. Field-comet John T. Lyon shot through the head
2. Field-comet Japie de Villiers shot high through the leg; died of blood loss
3. Field-comet Jan van Wyk shot through the head
4. Zacharias de Jager shot through the backbone or kidneys
5. Michael Uitenweerde shot through the head
6. Gert Wessels first wounded through the cheek and shoulder and later through the head; died of 3 shots through the side
7. Piet Minnie shot through the head; entered at the eye
8 Stephanus Heyns shot through the head
9. Marthinus Potgieter two shots through the head; first wounded in the head and later died
10. Jacobus Odendaal of a shot through the chest and abdomen
11. Adriaan Marais two shots through the head
12. Eddie Meintjies shot through the head
13.JohannesMeyer shot through the head
14 Jan Branken shot through the chest
Died of wounds:
15.Hermanus Wessels shot through the shoulders and backbone
16. Pieter Scholtz shot through the head
17. Jurie Odendaal shot through the head
Wounded:
1. Michael de Jager shot through the leg
2. Adriaan Venter (Dapperman) shot through the head
3. Jacobuc Wepener shot through the side
4. Piet de Wet shot through the side
5. Matthys Wessels shot through the shoulder
6. Matthys Stoop shot through the head
7. George Ford shot through the leg
8. Johannes van Rensburg shot through the shoulder
9. Christiaan Stoop shot through the leg
10.Nicolaas Nel leg off
11 Willem Retief shot through arm and foot
12.Cornelius Corver shot through ear
13.Jan Landman wounded by large sized buckshot through buttocks
14.Hendrik Meyer two shots through body
15.Philip Myburg shot through cheek
16.Frik Marais shot through chest
17.Hermanus le Roux shot through arm
18.Frik Potgieter shot through chest
19.Field-comet Jan van Rooyen shot through buttock
HEILBRON DISTRICT
The Fallen
1. Field-comet Jan Cilliers shot through the head
2. Pieter Steyn shot through the head
3. .lim White shot through the neck
4. Greyling unknown mortal shot
5, Jan de Kock shot through body and leg
6. Grobbelaar shot through the head
Wounded
1. J Cilliers shot through the shoulder
2. H Kreimer shot through arm
3. A.Cilliers shot through shoulders
4. A Dedman shot through ear
5. Piet Faure shot through the leg
6. Jan van Eeden shot through the head
7. .loseph van Stryp shot through the head
KROONSTAD DISTRICT
The fallen
1. W. Delport
2. WWakets
3. M. du Plessis
4. Andries Raath
Wounded
1.Andries i. Van Loggerenberg
2. C. Venter
3. J. Cronje
4. P. Bouwer
5 P. du Plessis
6 J. Everts
7.J. Pieterse
8. H. Jansen
FREE STATE ATTACKERS OF PLATRAND (Wagon Hill)
Harrismith Commando: Molen River Ward:
1. Comdt. C.J. de Villiers 2. Field-comet J.T. Lyon 3. Rev. J.D. Kestell
4. D. Aveling 5. Frans van Aardt 6. Hendrik Bruwer
7. Christoffel Bester 8. Carel Bed (Baird?) 9. B. Bosman
10. S. Botha 11. J. Branken 12. Zaag de Beer
13. P. de Bruin 14. L. Blom 15. C. Cronje
16. M. Cronje 17. P. Cronje 18. D. Cronje
19. B. Crause (Crous?) 20. Jim Ford` 21. George Ford
22. C. Franken 23. John Foster 24. B. Grabe
25. C. Grabe 26. J. Grove 27. C. Grove
28. A. Gous 29. P Heyns 30. Dirk Huister
31. Charlie Howell 32. P. Jersich 33. Z de Jager Jnr
34. Michael de Jager, sr. 35. Michael de Jager Jnr 36. Sam de Jager
37. N. Kok 38. F. Kok 39. M. Kok
40. Lodewyk Koch 41. J. Koch 42. J.H. Labuschagne
43. I.M. Labuschagne 44. P.J. Lourens 45. H. Lourens (J-sn.)
46. J. Loog 47. H.le Roux 48. Mattheus Maree
49. J. Minnie 50. M. Minnie 51 P.Minnie
52. H .Maritz 53. Jac. Maree 54. Frik Maree
55. D. Minnie 56. Stoffel Meyer 57. H. Meyer
58. P.H. Meyburg 59. Adriaan Marais 60. F Marais
61. J. Marais 62. Jac Marais 63. J. Marais (M-sn.)
64. H Marais 65. Eddie Meintjies 66. H Meyer
67. Joseph van der Merwe 68. J van der Merwe 69. Frank van der Merwe
70. A van der Merwe 71. Jan Naude 72. Nicolaas Nel
73. C. van Niekerk 74. A Oosthuyse 75. Willem Oosthuyse
76. Dirk Odendaal 77. Jac. Odendaal 78. Hendrik Odendaal
79. D. Odendaal 80. Frans Odendaal 81. Jac. Odendaal
82. Oosthuyse 83. Daantjie Papenfus 84. P.H. Pienaar
85. JCT Pienaar 86. J.J. Pienaar 87. W.J. Pienaar
88. D Pienaar 89. H.P. Pienaar 90. FJ Potgieter
91. Jurie Potgieter 92. R Papenfus 93. Jac. Potgieter
94. E Potgieter Snr 95. E. Potgieter, Jnr 96. D Prinsloo
97. Joh. Van Rensburg 98. Chris Roestof 99. C Roets
100. JH Troberts 101. J de la Rouvierre 102. S de la Rouvierre
103. IM Snyman 104. HP Smit 105. HA Sauerman
106. JW Sauerman 107. BJ Sauerman 108. CJ Sauerman
109. DJ Sauerman 110. CF Sauerman 111. PH Sauer
112. Gert Smit 113. F. Staars 114. PJ Strydom
115. A. Swanepoel 116. Stephanus 117. Baas Saaiman
118. Jac. Swart 119. Jan Swart 120. P Scholtz
121. P.Scholtz 122. Schoeman 123. Douw Steyl
124. Michael Uitenweerde 125. Jan Uys 126. A Venter (Dapperman)
127. C. de Villiers 128. M de Villiers 129. F. de Villiers
130. HD van Wyk 131. C.J. van Wyk 132. Ign. van der Watt
133. Jac. Wepener 134. P. de Wet 135. Jan de Wet
136. Gert Wessels 137. Mattheus Wessels 138. Wessel Wessels
139. Jan Wessels 140 Mattheus Wessels 141. C Wentzel
142 Carel Wentzel 143. Chris Wentzel 144. Paul Deiks
145. Otto Smith 146. B van Coller 147. Jan Landman
148. Jan Oosthuyse 149. C Willemse 150. C. Giesing
151. Joh. Pretorius 152. Jac. Pretorius 153. J McCrate
154.D. Swart 155. M de Jager
Total 156 for the Molen River Ward
Harrismith Ward
1. Fieldcornet Gert Pretorius 2. Field-comet Jan van Rooyen 3. Field-comet Japie de Villiers
4. Field-comet Jan van Wyk 5. Frans de Jager 6. Frik de Jager
7. Zaag de Jager 8. Willem de Jager 9. Marthinus de Jager
10. C. Corver 11. A. Krogman 12. Marthinus Maritz
13. Fred Muller 14. J.J. Moolman 15. P.J.C. Maree
16. Frik Potgieter 17. Jan du Plessis 18. W. van Rensburg
19 Joh. Van Rensburg 20. Willem Retief 21. Frank van Reenen
22. Jan Serfontein 23. Tom Liversage 24. Matthys Stoop
25. C. Stoop 26. Piet Swarts 7. Frik Smith
28. Dan (Jan!) Teubes 29. Jan van Wyk 30. Hendrik Wessels
Heilbron Commando
1. Field-comet Jan Cilliers 2. Piet Steyen 3. Greyling
4 J, de Kook 5. J. Cilliers 6. H. Kreimer
7. A. Cilliers 8. A. Dednam 9. P. Faure
10. Jan van Eeden 11. W. Whehmeyer 12. C. Steyen
13. A. Steyen 14. N Gunter 15. C. Gunter
16. A. Gunter 17. H. Kruger 18. A. Kreimer
19. B. Labuschagne 20. L. Maritz 21. F. Mentz
22. A. Steenekamp 23. A.Potgieter 24. A, van der Melwe
25. G. Benade 26. Jan van Eeden 27. F. Botha
28.Z.deBeer 30. M. Jooste 29. P. de Kook
31. G. Potgieter 32. W. Potgieter 33. A. Watts
34. Jim White 35. Grobbelaar 36. Joseph van Stryp
Kroonstad District
1. A.F. Pienaar 2. MJ. Grobbelaar 3. B.P. Nortje
4. W.J. Pretorius 5. B.P. Pretorius 6. R. Vermaak
7. H. Jansen 8 B. van Biljon 9. J. Vosloo
10. P. Delport 11. H. Schoeman 12. I. Cronje
13. Jac. Van Eeden 14. A.I. Van Loggerenberg 15. C. Venter
16. J. Cronje 17. A. Raath 18. P. Bothma
19. C Viljoen 20. P. Bouwer 21. P. du Plessis
22. G. Everts 23. J. Pieterse 24. W. Delport
25. W. Wakets 26. N. du Plessis (Of M. du Plessis?)
27. J. Berg 28. I. Van Aswegen
Total of 28
The total number of burghers that stormed Platrand (Wagon Hill) on 6 January 1900 were as follows:
Harrismith Ward 198 (167 Molen River + 31 Harrismith) 17 died and 19 wounded
District Heilbron 37 6 died and 6 wounded
District Kroonstad 28 4 died and 8 wounded
Winburg 00
Total 263 27 died and 33 wounded
My sincere thanks to my good friend Doctor Eugene Campher for translating these figures from the original Dutch.
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