East Rand – Blogging while allatsea

Rand Revolt Casualty List

JA

13/02/2018

East Rand, Heritage, Johannesburg, Rand Revolt, South Africa

[ Braamfontein Cemetery ] [ Brixton Cemetery] [ East Rand and Elsewhere ]
[ Anzac Memorial in Brakpan] [ Casualty List ]

This list is really an attempt to make sense of the casualties of the Rand Revolt. It includes suicides, judicial executions, soldiers and civilians and is a work in progress. Each name links to the applicable South African War Graves Project page. There are 84+ names in this list.

Known casualties (graves and memorials)

South African Police.

Special Police (Anzac Memorial Brakpan)

Lieut Vincent Frederic. Brodigan
Special Const. S.J. Combrink
Special Const. T.H. Jordaan
Special Const. W.T. Corrigan
S/Const Combrink, SJ
Special Const. Smit FH

ANZAC Memorial (Civilians)

Martin, H (Mine Official)
Phillips. L (Mine Official)
Momsen, AB (Mine Official)
Lowden GW (Mine Official)

South African Air Force

Capt. William Warren Carey-Thomas MC. (Voortrekker Hoogte)
Air Corporal W.H. Johns

Permanent Force

Lieut. G. Gordon-Gray (Voortrekkerhoogte)
Lt Adrian Duck (SAMR)
S.M Instructor. T. Notman

Mass Grave Transvaal Scottish – Brixton

Capt. Henry Werner Backeberg
Lt. Ethelbert Guy
Cpl. Angus MacLeod
Pte. Lawrence Froneman
Pte. ES Goddard
Pte. GF Ireland
Pte. Richard Bateman Machan
Pte. FB Marshall
Pte. Richard Blackstock Ovens

Transvaal Scottish not in Brixton mass grave

Lt. Gregorowski. Lennox Fyfe (Thaba Tshwane No1 Military Cem)
Major GAF Adam (Brixton Cem)
Sgt. Henry Hough Roux (Transvaal Scottish)
Pte Frederick Vasey Adams Ross (Braamfontein)
Lt George Ross (Roodepoort old cemetery)
Pte G Brown (Primrose Cemetery)
Pte A.V. Higham (Primrose Cemetery)
Pte. James Leander Freeman (Brixton)

Imperial Light Horse

Lt. WH Heeley (ILH) (Braamfontein)
2nd Lt. Francis Horwell (Pietermaritzburg Commercial Rd Cem)
Cpl WA Kirsten (ILH) (Braamfontein)
Tpr L.W. Dallamore (ILH) (Brixton)
Tpr Harold Henry King (Cape Town, Wynberg)

Other Military.

Gnr MLC Walsh (THA) (buried in Brixton Cem, grave not found)
Lt. E.L. Bawden (Railways and Harbours Brigade) (Brixton)
Pte Tjaart Johannes Van Der Walt (Railways and Harbours) (Primrose Cem)
Henry Joseph Grinyer (SA Medical Corps) (Brixton)
Gnr Thomas Perridge (THA) (Brixton)
Sidney George Beal (Primrose/Benoni Cemetery)

Caught in the Crossfire.

Eleanor Jane Berry (Brixton)
Sarah Louisa Diffenthal 10/03/1922 (Brixton)
James Oliver Grey Hall (Brixton)
JE. Redelinghuys (Standerton Cem)

Shot while trying to escape (16/03/1922)

Marthinus Wessels Smith (Brixton)
Petrus Albert Hanekom (Braamfontein)
Johannes Petrus Hanekom (Braamfontein)
Barend Daniel Hanekom (Bramfontein)
Lucas Johannes Rautenbach (Brixton)
William Edward Dowse (Brixton)

Found Guilty and Executed

Taffy Long 17/11/1922 (Brixton)
Herbert Kenneth Hull 17/11/1922 (Brixton)
David Lewis 17/11/1922 (Brixton)
Carel Christian Stassen (burial place not known)

Suicide

Percy Fisher 14/03/1922 (Brixton)
Harry Spendiff 14/03/1922 (Brixton)

Benoni Rynsoord

L/Sgt Hooper, Frederick William (police)
Const. Hannant, Benjamin (police)
Const. Howe, Frederick Henry Ludwig (police)
Const. Jordan, Addison Ridley (police)
Const. Kruger, Nicholas Andries Cornelius (police)
Dennis Higgins (civilian)
Horace William Adcock (civilian)
Gert G Van Rooyen (civilian)

Rebecca Street Cemetery

Lt Rupert William (Twentyman) Taylor (Military Intelligence)

No further information or unconfirmed

Special Const. E.H.S. Smith (No details)
Carr, Henry Herbert 13/03/1922 (Braamfontein) May not be a casualty
Sergt. A.J. Haviside (no details)
Gnr. M.J. Lourens (no details)
Corbitt. Patrick (SA Army) (no details)
Const. P. Kanyile (no details)

Derelict War Memorial in Springs

JA

03/07/2017

East Rand, Extinct Memorials, Heritage, South Africa, World War 1, World War 2

Since I first started photographing memorials I have been of the opinion that war memorials on the East Rand are really wasted. The only exception to the rule was the former Brakpan Roll of Honour that was claimed by the Cosy Corner MOTH Shelhole in Brakpan.

The latest in extinct war memorials was found by a correspondent; William Martinson, who kindly sent me images of what is left of what may have been a memorial erected by a MOTH shellhole in Springs.

The clue here is an inscription that is left on the structure.

Naturally I wanted to know more, so have mailed off my contact in the area to see whether he can shed any light on it. There is a Honey tank in Springs and she does not seem to have a a context in the place where she is now (being stripped while nobody is looking), and I could not help wondering if she was not the gate guard from there. I did a blogpost on her recently, and this may be part of the puzzle.

The next question is: just where is this structure. It took me some time but eventually I found it on Google earth. The co-ordinates are roughly -26.246636°, 28.429237°.

I was very curious about the area that the derelict is in, from GE you can see a large parklike area with lots of trees shaped like a cross. You can see the trees in the image below, the white arrow points to the derelict.

The cemetery can just be seen in the top centre of the image. Historical images on GE date back to 2008 and it appears as if it was a wreck even then. My own thoughts were: “Why build a war memorial there anyway?” From a 2017 perspective it makes no sense, but immediately after the 1st world war it was a totally different story, the memorial being erected in the 1930’s. The other derelict war memorial in Springs pretty much sums it up. A change in demographics, less money for maintenance and more for mercs, a culture of neglect for history and the never ending quest to cut costs so that the suits will have more to spend on salary increases in spite of them never earning one in the first place.

Many years ago the MOTH was a thriving organisation, with shellholes in most cities, but the decline in their membership, and a policy of declining former national servicemen membership really put the nail in the coffin. Witness the closure of the former headquarters in Johannesburg and the abandonment of the war memorial in “Remembrance Square”

Whatever the reason for the state of this structure, had the inscription not remained it would really have been worth ignoring, but the words “Mutual Help, Comradeship and Sound Memory” really are a farce in this case.

My thanks must go to William Martinson for his images. He also sent me a link to the Artefacts site that has an entry on the memorial. The link also provides an answer to the cross shaped trees in Olympia Park. It is a pity that no images have surfaced that could show how this structure looked when it was originally inaugurated, perhaps the answer is in the local library in Springs? assuming one exists in the first place.

I am hoping that somebody will be able to add to the history of the structure. If you do have any information I would love to hear from you.

Update 07/07/2017

My contact had the following to say: “I managed to track down that this structure was a cenotaph and garden of remembrance for the Springs Dugout of the MOTHs during the early 30s. There are no longer any Shellholes in Springs. The last one to close was Mudhook which was situated diagonally across the road of the new Springs Civic Centre. The Shellholes in Spings were Mudhook, Black Cat and Seven Seas. We have the Bell from Seven Seas Shellhole at Cosy Corner, There are supposedly two field guns standing close to the public swimming pool that used to stand next to the wall of Remembrance,I will make a plan and go and check it out. The park as far as I know is called Olympia Park.”

The monument also featured in an article about illegal dumping in the Springs Advertiser of 6 August 2015.

So there we have it in a nutshell. The MOTH shellholes closed down and the memorial was left behind. The field guns? who knows. I have not forgotten this memorial though and will keep an eye open. Somewhere out there must be an image of some information.

The Art of Cemetery Statuery. (3)

JA

20/03/2016

Cemetery, East Rand, Heritage, Personal, South Africa

Following on my posts about Cemetery Statuery in December 2011, I decided to devote another post to some of the statues I saw in Primrose Cemetery early in February 2012. This cemetery has some magnificent statues in it, but there does seem to be a concerted effort to vandalise as many of them as possible and a lot of the smaller angels have lost their limbs. However, the statues that remain are wonderful, and there are just so many. I am also covering a few of the one offs that I saw in other cemeteries in South Africa, so technically this post should not be very long.

The oldest areas of the cemetery are the closest to the entrance and when I was there the grass had just been cut and it was looking wonderful.

I do not understand the mentality of those who would push a gravestone, or a statue off its pedestal. Unless the family makes a plan this poor angel will remain like this.

There are a lot of smaller cherubs and angels in Primrose, but they too have suffered under the vandals and weather. But some are still intact.

The little china angel is sadly nearing its end, unless something is done about the cracked base it too will join the ranks of the broken.

This grouping is unusual, and both are in a good condition.

Of course statuery is not limited to angels and cherubs, many headstones are elaborate creations too. Nature still provides the best statues around, and in spite of all the marble and granite beauty I cannot help but think that the trees are really the best examples of beauty that you can find.

Primrose is the grand dame of Germiston. She has many moods and there is just so much to see and experience here. This cemetery is not just a resting place, it is an archive of history, and a glimpse into a different age altogether.

Moving further afield, in Bethlehem I found this beaut, and it is the first time I have seen one like it.

Closer to home is Burgershoop in Krugersdorp, and it had a lot of children’s graves in the one section, and they had been decimated by vandals.

Its not all doom and gloom though as some statuery has survived in this neglected place.

And that was Burgershoop.

The final cemetery I am visiting is Heidelberg Kloof. This grand old lady is wonderful, and she popped up a few surprises too.

I have always thought that this angel is slightly miffed at having been dislodged from their perch.

and Mariana Botha will be the last of this iteration of the art of Cemetery Statuery. I moved to the UK in 2013, and the angels I saw there are just as unique and beautiful as those I saw in South Africa. In fact, some were the same! which goes to show that you could buy them out of a catalogue.

The cemetery angels are often of museum quality, and all evoke their own reactions in a visitor. I enjoy seeing them, because they just add to the beauty of the cemetery, and some have been watching over the graves for over a century, and hopefully will watch over them just a bit longer.

Hennenman Air Crash Memorial (Alberton)

JA

03/02/2016

East Rand, Heritage, South Africa

This memorial was photographed by Clinton Hattingh in 2016 and is at the site of the former Newmarket race course.

A Dakota, on its way to Johannesburg crashed near Hennenman in the Free State on 12/04/1988, killing 13 South Africa jockeys and 10 trainers and horse racing officials.

The former Newmarket race course has since been demolished and a race course themed mall now occupies the site.

There is also a memorial at the Turffontein Race Course.

John Francis David Shaul VC.

JA

03/01/2015

Boer War, East Rand, Heritage, Military, Personal, South Africa, Victoria Cross

The grave of John Francis David Shaul. VC. may be found in Boksburg Cemetery. Google Earth co-ordinates for the cemetery are: 26° 13.227’S 28° 16.531’E.

(77) J Shaul VC.

Born on 11th September 1873 at King’s Lynn, Norfolk and died on the 16th September, 1953 at Boksburg, South Africa. The VC was gazetted on the 28th September, 1900. The Citation, recorded in the London Gazette of 28 September 1900, Issue: 27233, Page: 5966, reads:

“Highland Light Infantry, Corporal J. Shaul.

On the 11th December, 1899, during the Battle of Magersfontein, Corporal Shaul was observed (not only by the Officers of his own Battalion but by several Officers of other regiments) to perform several specific acts of bravery. Corporal Shaul was in charge of stretcherbearers; but at one period of the battle he was seen encouraging men to advance across the open.

He was most conspicuous during the day in dressing men’s wounds, and in one case he came, under a heavy’ fire, to a man who was lying wounded in the back, and, with the utmost; coolness and deliberation, sat down beside the wounded man and proceeded to dress his wound. Having done this, he got up and went quietly to another part of the field. This act of gallantry was performed under a continuous and heavy fire as coolly and quietly as if there had been no enemy near.“

John Francis David Shaul. VC.

Boksburg Cemetery.

Germiston Cenotaph

JA

13/10/2014

cenotaph, East Rand, Extinct Memorials, Heritage, ROH, World War 1, World War 2

I spotted the Germiston and Districts War Memorial purely by accident after taking a wrong turn on my way home on 14 November 200. The Memorial is on the corner of Odendaal and President Strs. Germiston, in front of the former Carnegie Library. Sadly though it had been desecrated and defaced and was used as a drinking spot as well as a posterboard for abortions. Ironically, Remembrance Day was only a few days before, and it was doubtful whether any remembering was done in Germiston that year, or for a few years before or afterwards.

Germiston and Districts War Memorial

WW2 Face

The Memorial on the corner

WW1 Face

In 2013 I received reports that the plaques had been removed from the memorial and nobody knew who or why they had been removed, the area was also fenced and my instinct said that some sort of development was going to happen but nobody could inform me what it was or whether the plaques were in storage. I feared the worst. Unfortunately the war memorials on the East Rand and a travesty of remembrance, and it seemed as if yet another extinct memorial was in the offing.

However, an interesting article appeared on the Heritage Portal which leads me to believe that there may be hope at the end of the tunnel for the derelict Carnegie Library and the memorial. In the article it confirms that the plaques were stolen in 2013. The Memorial will be restored as part of the project with replica plaques and “…commemoration of the African contribution to the war effort of the First World War be added to the extant memorial.” Work on the new theatre is due to commence in November 2014, although I am always sceptical about these things. But, I live in hope.

The derelict former Carnegie Library

However, until such times as I know otherwise, this memorial is considered to be extinct.

Update: As at 29/10/2015 the link to the Heritage Portal article redirects to a front page only and no longer to the article. The article has been moved to the following location: http://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/rebirth-germiston-carnegie-library

Miscellaneous Trains

JA

17/08/2014

East Rand, Heritage, Reefsteamers, Trains & railways, West Rand

Trains spotted here and there in South Africa, often loco’s and sometimes oddities and peculiarities. Special thanks to Ronnie Lovemore for images of the Class 91 Diesels.

34-019. Randfontein	Overhead line vehicle Newclare	Sheltam 16 Randfontein
Sheltam 3011 Randfontein	14-001 Pretoria	6E-1678 Hamberg
34-404 Millsite	36-002,117, 026 Newclare	Metrorail sub Hamberg
Tshwane Business Express. Pretoria	36-295, 292 Pretoria	14-110, 106 Pretoria
38-047, 044 Hamberg	18-197 Germiston	6E1’s Maraisburg
5m Sub Maraisburg	Metrorail subs Germiston	10M EMU Germiston
18-406 Germiston	18-405 Germiston	E163 Germiston
E1228 Germiston	E1416 Germiston	A trio of 6E1″s Germiston
36-087 Germiston	35-426, 441 Germiston	Shunters wagon Germiston
E1267 Germiston	DE 1207 Reefsteamers	8E Shunting Locos Koedoespoort
The old and new Pretoria	Diesel shunter Pretoria	Mainline saloons Pretoria
91-007 Apple Express Port Elizabeth	91-002 Apple Express Port Elizabeth	91-001 91-007 Apple Express Port Elizabeth
Vapour Clarkson Braamfontein steam heater depot	Vapour Clarkson Braamfontein steam heater depot	Premiere Klasse Randfontein

Class 12AR-1535 “Susan”

JA

17/08/2014

East Rand, Heritage, Reefsteamers, South Africa, Trains & railways, transportation

My favourite locomotive; Susan, was a regular on my daily trips to work when I was stationed at Germiston Telecomms Depot during 1985/86. She usually lived on a short spur at the end of the mainline platform and served as the pilot loco for Germiston. When I left the railways I also left Susan behind, never considering that one day she too would face possible extinction.

I was very glad to hear that she still survives, and was fortunate enough to see her make her debut at Reefsteamers after a long period of being “unroadworthy”. She is still a perky loco, and as shiney now as she was in 1986. I hope that she lives for much longer, and that the effort put into her by Reefsteamers does prove to be worthwhile.

She was built in 1919 as a 12A by North British Locomotive Works for service for heavy coal trains on the Germiston to Witbank line. Along with her sisters she was reboilered a few years later with a new boiler (Her current boiler was installed in 1955) and redesignated 12AR. Susan eventually fortunately found employment in the 1980’s as the Germiston Station pilot, which was where I saw her many years ago. Unlike many other steam engines she never really retired, but was withdrawn from service with long standing issues. Reefsteamers repaired and returned her to steam in 2009. She was recertified in June 2012 which gives her a few years of life before major work is required in 3-6 years.

She is the last remaining class 12AR in the world (and the only one), and is the second oldest operating mainline locomotive in South Africa. She a firm favourite with everybody, and is a tribute to those who built her, and those who maintain and drive her. Long may she grace us with her presence.

Update: Susan celebrated her 100th birthday in 2019, sadly shortly thereafter it was announced that the Board of Directors voted that Reefsteamers be placed into voluntary liquidation, with the depot closing on 16 December 2019.

Back in steam. 2009	Back in steam. 2009	Back in steam. 2009
2009.	2009	2009
Maraisburg Stn	Vlakdrift	On Shed
Old stomping grounds	Depot pilot	Magalies trip
Hard pull away	boiler plate	Depot day
South_African Class 12A 4-8-2 Wikipedia page

East Rand and Elsewhere. Rand Revolt Graves

JA

08/05/2014

Cemetery, East Rand, Heritage, Johannesburg, Rand Revolt, South Africa

[ Braamfontein Cemetery ] [ Brixton Cemetery] [ East Rand and Elsewhere ]
[ Anzac Memorial in Brakpan] [ Casualty List ]

The images in this gallery are mostly taken in Primrose Cemetery and Benoni Rynsooord Cemetery with some others that we have managed to pick up along the way.

: Brown G, AV Higham AV – Primrose (03/1922)

: Beal SG – Primrose (12/03/1922)

: Van Der Walt TJ – Primrose (11/03/1922)

: Joubert PP – Primrose (11/03/1922)

: Carey-Thomas WW – Voortrekkerhoogte (10/03/1922)

: Gordon-Gray G – Voortrekkerhoogte (11/03/1922)

: Taylor RW – Rebecca Str. PTA (10/03/1922)

: Hannant B – Benoni Rynsoord (10/03/1922)

: Higgins D – Benoni Rynsoord (10/03/1922)

: Hooper FW – Benoni Rynsoord (12/03/1922)

: Howe FHL – Benoni Rynsoord (11/03/1922)

: Adcock HW – Benoni Rynsoord (10/03/1922)

: Kruger NAC – Benoni Rynsoord (10/03/1922)

: Van Rooyen G – Benoni Rynsoord (11/03/1922)

: Roux HH – Benoni Rynsoord (03/1922)

: Milne J – St John, Walmer (13/03/1922)

: Ross G – Roodepoort Old Cem (13/03/1922)

The derelict war memorial in Springs

JA

09/02/2014

East Rand, Extinct Memorials, Heritage, ROH, South Africa, World War 1, World War 2

When I originally visited Palmietkuil War Cemetery in 2007 I saw that there was a war memorial in Springs marked on my streetfinder. When I finally got to Springs I could not find it, but then I was expecting something like a plaque or small plinth. However, there was one odd structure that I took a few photographs of that I was not too sure about.

That was on an traffic island on the intersection of Boksburg Street and 1st East Ave, (Google Earth co-ordinates: -26.248567° 28.440126°) almost on the edge of the town, and that structure was a mess. Surely something like that was not a war memorial? At the time I did not even write it up for the web page.

I finally was able to confirm that this is the “War Memorial”, although it is totally unrecognisable as being anything like a memorial. Erected in 1965 I believe that underneath the dome there was a tripod of rifles, the interior of the dome having “Their Name Liveth Forevermore” inscribed on it. Concrete panels lined the pathway to the dome, and on these were the lists of names of the fallen. A fountain burbled in the background and Remembrance Day Parades were regularly held there. That was in the past.

Scroll forward to December 2011, and only the basic structure remains. The rifles are long gone, the names are long gone, the fountain, which was working in 2007 was no longer in operation, and the promise inside the dome about never forgetting can be vaguely read as dim outlines on the walls. Homeless people have made this their new home and litter abounds.

In between Nov 2007 and Dec 2011 apart from gardening nothing had changed or been improved. Its too late for the memorial, but I would have thought the town council would have at least done something with this derelict structure. Sadly, this memorial is now extinct.

In 2014, I was contacted by Joe Borain who informed me that they were stealing the copper off what was left of the dome. The image below being taken in February 2014. It was also announced that the council would be “restoring” the memorial, but whether that ever happens remains to be seen.

Following a discussion on facebook, I learnt that there is another war memorial in the Springs Civic Centre, and that too has been vandalised/neglected. It seems as if Springs is really not interested in their heritage at all.

*Update 29/12/2016*

A number of articles about the state of the memorial appeared in the Springs Advertiser in 2014. http://springsadvertiser.co.za/88042/war-monument-is-a-haven-for-the-homeless/

http://springsadvertiser.co.za/89294/ekurhuleni-will-not-demolish-the-war-memorial/

http://springsadvertiser.co.za/101303/very-sad-there-is-no-respect-any-more/

http://springsadvertiser.co.za/104715/hope-stripped-war-memorial/

The local council promised that they were going to restore the memorial, part of the restoration would be the removal of what was left of the copper on the dome and plastering and painting it, as well as replacing the lost panels. The upgrades were meant to be completed by May 2015.

http://springsadvertiser.co.za/112318/memorial-to-be-fixed/

The dome was cleared and replastered by Aprl 2015 but whether anything has been done further is not known.

Joe Borain sent me images of the “progress” so far, still no plaques, although the grass has been cut. It was as expected though, not much changes in small dorpies like Springs. (images are from 30/12/2016)

Special thanks to Diederik Cloete for the information and Joe Borain for the updated pics

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Category: East Rand