The Anglo-Boer War Diaries Of Jan Geldenhuys

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Jan Geldenhuys was called up in October 1899 to serve in the Kroonstad Commando under Commandant Martinus Schoeman on the Western Front and deployed for the Siege of Kimberley. He fought at the Battles of Belmont, Graspan, Twee-Riviere (Modder River), Magersfontein and several other minor skirmishes. He was captured in April 1902 [a mere two months before the end of the war] and banished as a prisoner of war to Umballa, India, where his experiences till Thursday, 20th November 1902, were documented. He shared a tent with his father-in-law and later met up with his father and brother who were POW's at Bhimtal. His diaries, written in high-Dutch, are lodged with the Anglo-Boer War museum in Bloemfontein. The author's grandmother, Lizzie Preller, having published her "Oorlogsherinneringe", provided the motivation and inspiration to research and to add this addition to African history. Jan Geldenhuys and Lizzie Preller were buried on Rustpan, the family farm between Bothaville and Kroonstad in the Orange Free State. The author followed his grandfather and father's footsteps and joined the military - serving as a pilot for the duration of the Rhodesian War. Like his grandparents, he has published his war experiences.