Watson JA

Details taken from a letter sent to Bertdene laubscher Curator of the Ceres museum.

 

70 years ago when I was 11 years old my grandmother told me about all the businesses, intrigues, spying and more which played itself out on the farm Elandsvlei during the Anglo Boer War.

She told that, on a certain Sunday morning during house church service, Boer spies surrounded a small school in which English soldiers had spent the night and, because the English wouldn’t surrender, a certain Grobbelaar, shot and killed an English soldier by the name of Watson. That was in 1900 or 1901. He was subsequently buried in the family cemetery.

I want to erect a tombstone on his grave as soon as I can identify it as soon as I can get hold of all his details. Sandhurst Military College in England, directed me to the correct Dept and I received the answer that the dead soldier was “Leader J.A. Watson, from the CERES Scouts and died of his wounds on Sunday 30 June 1901 at Elandsvlei; place of grave unknown. He was not a British soldier but rather a Cape Colonial official although he could well have been born in England.

During the 1930’s Watson’s unmarked grave was pointed out to me however when I was there recently, I was totally disorientated and couldn’t identify the mound of soil. The bullet that hit him struck the door of the school building and the bullet hole is still visible. The school in question and other buildings are in a dilapidated state and it’s only a matter of time and they will all be gone and the top and bottom of the door, lay around on a rubbish heap. The owner of the farm entrusted the door to me for restoration which will now be undertaken. 

 

Blessings

 

Alphonzo