Military History Tours          On Tour - Boer War in South Africa 6 June 2016

Our tour is going well, brilliant sunshine.

We took our leave of the Forever Resort, Gariep Dam with a great breakfast and headed into Colesberg.

First stop was the Norvalsport concentration camp cemetery. Very well kept but with no ages against the names, the impact was not as great as other such places we have visited.

Thence to the Colesberg Boer War Cemetery where we saw the graves of the First New South Welshman, Victorian and South Australian to be killed in combat. The granite cross also noting the cemetery is the burial place of the first New South Wales Lancer to die of wounds.

Thereafter to the Colesberg Museum where the collection covering the history of the town and its time during the Boer War was of great interest.

At Slingersfontein John H detailed the incident that took place on 17 January 1900 when an Australian patrol was ambushed, TSM Griffin and CPL Kilpatrick (the first NS Welshman, and first NSW Lancer respectively) losing their lives.

Our visit to Coleskop was fascinating, driving to the other side you could see where the British guns in 1900, and telecommunications equipment today is hoisted to the top.

Sadly we also saw women with their head-top loads of firewood making their way to their shanty town that had no electricity.

Lunch was at a restaurant in Colesberg. Really great food.

Our 250 km drive to Bloemfontein followed.

A later start tomorrow, all the sights we are to see are in Bloemfontein.