Kwazulu-Natal

Maria Ratschitz Mission was established by the Trappist monks in 1888. The mission is set on 3200 hectares of land and nestles in the fertile Nkunzi valley at the base of Hlatikulu Mountain.

The spire of the beautiful church can be seen from great distances and the peal of the church bells can be heard throughout the valley.

Maria Ratschitz Cathedral (Talana Museum)

In 1886 two silent Trappist monks from the Marianhill monastery chose the site for the mission station as it reminded them of the Bavarian area from which they originated.

Maria Ratschitz was a daughter house of Marianhill, outside Pinetown. The mission was established on the farm Boschkloof in the Biggarsberg, which was purchased by Father Franz Pfanner for approximately ₤6 000. It was named Maria Ratschitz after the Marian shrine in Leitmeritz in northern Bohemia.

The original church (Talana Museum)

The two monks lived in a simple wattle and daub cottage. The framework for this cottage was made from two huge yellowwood trees from the forest. They worked with dedication to create a model farm with fine Friesian herds and superb vineyards.

An important aim of...

Nita Meyer and her husband, Izak, farmed at “Twyfelfontein” near Laffnie’s Drift on the Buffalo River. Her original diary, written in high Dutch and covering hundreds of pages, is held at the Talana Museum archives.

Izak was a burgher of the Utrecht Republiek and a brother of President Lukas Meyer of the Nieuwe Republiek at Vryheid. Nita was the daughter of Doctor Aveling, of Harrismith. They had two children, Marthie and Izzie.

Prior to the outbreak of the war, commando members were mustered and their families banded together for self protection. Sina Uys and her four children, as well as Minnie Van Rooijen and her four children, all came to stay together at “Wydgelegen” with Nita.

The personalities from the Uys family, mentioned below, came from a tragic line of forebears. The patriarch Piet Uys and his son, Dirkie, were killed by the Zulus at Italeni in April 1838. The second generation Piet Uys was killed by Zulus on Hlobane on 28 March 1879 while fighting for the British forces. The third generation Dirkie was one of the first burghers to be killed at Talana on 20 October 1899.

The first excerpt from the diary...

Just prior to the outbreak of the Boer War, the small mining and railway village of Hattingspruit, only a few kilometres north of Dundee, grabbed some reflected limelight. This was due to the incredible physical exertion of 7 000 Zulu workers who walked from the Witwatersrand Goldfields back to their homes in Zululand.

The logistics of this march were organised by John Sydney Marwick. At 24 years old he was a fluent Zulu linguist, and the Johannesburg Agent for the Natal Native Agency, responsible for the recruitment and personal affairs of several thousand Zulu workers employed on the mines. His Zulu nickname was “Muhle”.

John Sydney Marwick

The discovery of diamonds and gold and the subsequent mining operations had revolutionised the country. There were far reaching changes in the social, political and economic life of the country and its inhabitants. A cheap and constant supply of labour was needed and by 1899 100 000 Africans were employed on the gold mines.

Once it was clear that war was going to break out and that the closure of the gold mines was imminent, the question arose as to what would happen to the mine workers Many of the mines shut down and 78 000 workers sought refuge outside the Transvaal.

According to Thomas Pakenham’s The Boer War:

In terms of...

Excerpt from his book 'We Wander the Battlefields'. Submitted by Pam McFadden, Curator of the Talana Museum. Should you wish to read the entire book it is available here.
 
In 1978 an English / American film company, Samarkand came to South Africa to make the film Zulu Dawn, about the worst military defeat ever suffered by a white British army at the hands of a black army in South African history. This happened at a place called Isandlwana in Zululand in 1879.

Isandlwana (Talana Museum)

Unfortunately nobody on their production staff had any knowledge of the Zulu War or of this battle. I had contacted them because I was concerned that they would fly the incorrect flag in the battle sequence, which was not the Regimental flag of the 24th Regiment. This was incorrectly painted by the Victorian painter Alphonse De Neuville in his painting The Last Sleep of the Brave.

Last Sleep of the Brave (Wikipedia Commons)

It was the Queen’s Colour, the Union Jack which had been taken to Isandlwana, the Regimental Colours remained with HQ staff at base camp...

Sotondose’s Drift on the Buffalo River is not really a drift at all. Situated at the bottom end of an upside-down triangle with Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift comprising the other angles, access is down very steep rocky hillsides on either flank. At low water it consists of a difficult boulder-hopping crossing for foot traffic only. It is marked by a curiously shaped so-called “coffin rock’.

Coffin Rock (Talana Museum)

A couple of hundred yards upstream there is a large flat deep-water pool which is easily swimmable. That is, if one can swim in the first place, and is not dragged down by heavy clothing or equipment. I have always crossed the river here with my tour groups after a hot-and-sticky hike over the eight miles of the Fugitive’s Trail. Of course, we also took the precaution of rigging a lifeline across the river and had a Zodiac with an outboard motor and life jackets in case any person either got into difficulties or preferred a ride.

Curiously enough, there is also another large rock in the middle of this pool which, at full water level, also protrudes like a coffin. Readers who have watched “Zulu Dawn” will recognize the spot as where Lieutenant Vereker, lying pinned under his horse, makes a miraculous shot at a Zulu, triumphantly carrying off the Queen’s Colour, on the opposite bluff...

It’s always a thrill to meet up with someone who has specifically come thousands of miles to the KZN battlefields to trace where their ancestors fought so long ago. On 17 February 2016, I had the privilege of meeting the Michell family, from Edington in Somerset. Simon Michell was born in Zimbabwe, which gave us immediate commonality. But even better, Simon’s ancestor, Captain Charles Michell, had fought in the Zulu War of 1879, and Simon had the campaign medal and a studio portrait of Charles wearing it to prove it. Simon and Bridget’s purpose was to visit the place where Charles’ unit, the 3/60th Rifles (King’s Royal Rifles), had seen action.

Alas, the KRR did not fight anywhere in the Dundee area during the Zulu War. They arrived just in time to be part of the southern column, which fought at the battle of Gingindlovu on 2 April 1879, on their way to relieve the garrison, which had been bottled up in the mission station in the town of Eshowe for some months. We thus did not have the time to visit the actual site of the battle, but had a great day out at Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift none the less.

Old photo of Isandlwana Hill (Talana Museum)

Simon provided the basics. Charles Michell was born...

Amelia Mary Siedle, Town Councillor in Durban for 7 years, was the founder of the Addington Children’s Hospital. In 1923 she brought forward her resolution in the Council Chamber advocating for the erection of a Children’s Hospital in Durban. She proposed that the Council grant £14,000 with the Provincial Council providing £14,000. The additional £14,000 would be raised by the public.

At that time, the only facility available for children was at Addington Hospital in close proximity to adult patients. The Corporation granted a site of 3 and a half acres on South Beach. Mrs Siedle quickly raised the required sum. The Natal Provincial Council, in addition to providing its agreed share, also undertook the administration and maintenance of the Hospital.  

Many people donated sums of £100 and upwards for the privilege of naming a cot and in some instances of endowing an entire ward. The public ended up donating £27,000 which enabled the hospital to purchase better equipment.

An old tile still to be restored and relocated (Alison Chadwick)

The Countess of Clarendon formally opened the hospital in July 1931.

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“An increasing number (of horses) are killed for rations and today 28 were especially shot for the chevril factory”.  HA Nevinson war reporter for The Daily Chronicle.

Chevril Label (Talana Museum)

So often with history it is the main events that are carried down through time. The logistics to keep armies moving tend to be overlooked and the animals that suffered in wars also tend to take a back seat.

Horses played a vital role during the Anglo-Boer War. 360,000 horses out of a total of 519,000, were imported to South Africa including 50 000 from the United States and 35 000 from Australia – most of them landing in Port Elizabeth. 106,000 mules and donkeys out of a total of 151,000 were also brought into the country for the war.

Horse in transit (Talana Museum)

A variety of breeds of horses were used during the war. Many Boers used Basuto Ponies, that were well adapted to the rocky, mountainous terrain and were known for their endurance. The Boer horses were exceptionally hardy and nimble and could survive in all types of terrain and weather conditions.

War...

Always in search of historical South African photographs, the author recently obtained a photograph album from an antique dealer in Johannesburg containing images of largely a singular theme, namely the world’s most popular sport - fishing (at least back then).

The album, which was not up for sale, surfaced from a back room with the dealer announcing: “I do not know what to do with these”.

Nor did the author know what to do with them, in that the underlying theme of the album content initially seemed dull and insignificant. The album was also not in a good condition. This is probably why the album was discarded in the first place in that family members, who probably ended up with the album, also could not relate to the narrative portrayed by the images.

On studying the content of the album, it soon became clear that there is some significance to the album in that:

• The original owner, KT Lilliecrona, authored the book Salt-water fish and fishing in Southern Africa (1966), which until today is being referenced by scientists and researchers;
• KT Lilliecrona’s father, who is also featured in the family photograph album, was the brainchild behind the garden design of the village settlement of Uvongo.

Book Cover

Konrad...

As early as 1873 a Colonial government commission had been set up to investigate the establishment of laagers for defensive purposes in the Newcastle Division. They recommended that 2 laagers be built, one on Newcastle town lands and the other not that far from where Fort Pine stands today. In 1874 £5 000 was allocated for the construction of laagers and armouries throughout the Colony of Natal.

By 1877 nothing had happened and in December of that year Messrs HSD Coetzee, JJ Gregory, A Jansen, DC Pieters and CG Willson, acting on behalf of the Biggarsberg residents, met at Dundee to petition the government for the construction of a laager.

By this time the government had decided to build a post for the Natal Mounted Police at Dundee and on 18 December 1877 the Colonial Secretary wrote to the Colonial Engineer, enquiring how long it would take to finish a wall enclosing the proposed barracks. He wanted this done as soon as possible as the post would also serve as defensive laager for the Biggarsberg district in case of emergency.

In January 1878 the Colonial government sent a party of about 70 labourers to quarry stone and to prepare for the building. A contract to construct the wall was entered into with a local contractor, John Marshall of Kelvin Grove.

Capt Hime, the Colonial Engineer selected the site. An inspector, David Smith, reported that he considered it to have an insufficient water supply. John Marshall suggested alternative water sources and this...