The Memorable Order of Tin Hats (M.O.T.H)

 We paid a visit to the Platberg Shellhole. It is believed that it was founded in 1928. The Shellhole lapsed rather towards the 1930s. With the 2nd Great War, there was a great influx of returned servicemen, all keen to carry on the true ideals of the Moths.

In 1962 the building in Stuart Street Harrismith was purchased as a Shellhole.

The Flag was hosted it waved in the slight breeze. The dark blue of the naval service, red for the army and light blue for the air force. The Tin Hat and lighted candle remind of the sun which rises and falls over the world’s battlefields, above all known and unknown graves.

Then you walk into the door and the emblem greets you.

The emblem with the tin hat and lighted candle signify the comradeship of the front line. The two rifles with fixed bayonets are leaning as if thrust into the battlefield soil, they are crossed to signify sacrifice and are revered in a token of remembrance. A circle of stars denoted the eternal universe forever that has no end. The twelve stars as in a clock indicate the hours of the day reminding us that every hour presents opportunities of harmony among mankind through tolerance and help.

On entering there is a beautiful collection of a uniform and tin hat.

The members stopped in front of the uniform and show a moment of silence and honour to the fallen soldiers.

“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them”

The Shellhole is dedicated to preserving the military history and the people of Harrismith has donated to keep it updated. The display dates back from the Anglo Boer War to modern-day warfare.

 On the day of our visit the Shellhole was giving honour to the battle of El Alamein that took place from 8 – 12 November 1942.

 

  During this battle more than 100 000 men were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. The Shellhole was decorated according to the theme.

During the battle of El Alamein my uncle Ignatius (Natie) Barlow was one of the fallen soldiers. Early 1942 they were first to retreat to a little railway station called El Alamein. They were supposed to patrol the desert. On 6 July 1942 Nati and two of comrades were blown away by a German bomb that hit their panzer car. They died instantly. Their temporary burial ground would be the desert. After the battle, they were re-buried in El Alamein Military Cemetary. 

“Where the tree has fallen let it lie”

During the war, the Cartoonist, Bruce Bairnsfather’s Old Bill sketches boosted the morale at home and on the front line. The trench humour, cubby pipe-smoking British “Tommy” during the First World War. A weary Old Bill, pictured top left is also part of the Platberg Shellhole.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the guns fell silent – we will remember

We all know about the poppies on Remembrance Day. In the spring of 1915, John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies growing in battle-scarred fields and he wrote that famous poem – Flanders Fields. After the First World War, the poppy has adopted a symbol of Remembrance.

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow

 Between the crosses, row on row,

 That mark our place; and in the sky

 The larks, still bravely singing, fly

 Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

 We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

 Loved and were loved, and now we lie

 In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

 To you from failing hands we throw

 The torch; be yours to hold it high.

 If ye break faith with us who die

 We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

 In Flanders fields.

One minute of memory of the fallen,

One minute in gratitude for survivors.

You can read more on the long table sheephead banquet here  

https://deoudehuize.blogspot.co.za/2014/06/the-moths-sheephead-long-table-banquet.html

Till next time

Hennie & Sandra

things I love

the past six months were filled with joy and laughter.  

midwinter in July 

the wonder of awakening in September 

the full burst of summer in December 

In July we posted our hand knitted face cloths. 

These little treasures are still favourites.

These are easy to knit.  Cast om 50 stitches.  Knit 100 rows in your favourite pattern. 

Then we posted our hand made quilts.  You can read more here
These treasures keep everyone warm in winter when the temperature drops to below 12oC and the snow covers the landscape.  

I have collect antique pieces of lace to use as decorations on the quilts.  

As Spring started to draw closer the patio was given a make-over.  
A ceder wood server is the showplace of an antique collection.  The old grape press forms the centre.   

An old butter churn, a scale, some shoe moulds, and a grape press.  

We live in the shade of Platberg (Flat mountain) and you were taken on the beauty of what the mountain offers. De Oude Huize offers beautiful views of the mountain. There is to read here 

What you will experience when visiting Platberg.  

Spring is our season that is filled with preparation and love.  Read more about the preparations for Summer in the garden 

Little garden displays 

The peonies stole our hearts.  Watch them blooming here.  

De Oude Huize was filled with the wonderful blooms for weeks on end.  

Love from South Africa 

Sandra 

Harrismith and Stuart Street

Stuart Street Harrismith as Autumn sets in

We are part of the street as much as we are part of the town.

Our house address is 17A Stuart Street.

You will find it in the little orange block right on the right-hand side.

De Oude Huize Yard was built in 1860!

First Title Deed of De Oude Huize Yard

The name Stuart relates to two possibilities.

 *Major Warden named all his children after the Royal house of Stuart. Rumours were that he was an unofficial grandson of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

 * Stuart Jacobus, 1803 – 1878, author, diplomatic agent and advocate of emigration, took part in the Sand River Convention in 1852.

Stuart Street in 1904 with a Rickshaw left wide sidewalk right and a railway line. Horses pulled the wagons (or coco-pans “coco pans”).

After the Boer War in 1904, the British had a huge camp on Kings Hill. Here they broke many stones, cut and trimmed it to be used for building purposes. To get these stones in the town a track was laid from Kings Hill to the town. Some of these stones were used when the Townhall was built. This information probably also explains the existence of many houses and buildings in Stuart St, which were built of stone. There were also traces of the track in Vowe and Bester streets.

The first public building in Harrismith was the Courthouse, serving the community as a venue for the school, public meetings, bazaars and entertainments. All church services were held in the Courthouse until 1879 when the first church, the Dutch Reformed Church, was built on the site of the present Moederkerk. (Hawkins 1982)

Stuart street on a peaceful Sunday morning. The traffic light is situated on the corner of Stuart and Piet Retief Streets

The early magistrates were Bester, Chauvin, Theron, D Cloete, J De Kock, Bramley, (that was accused of high treason), Canisius, J N Boshoff, J Z de Villiers, F W van der Riet, Charles Warden. (Steytler 1932)

Mr Joseph De Kock resides at De Oude Huize Yard from 23 July 1861 till 23 April 1903 almost 42 years.

The corner of Stuart and Retief streets. The Court House on the Left. The trees planted in a square at the foot of Platberg were planted by the “konsentrasiekampkinders” and the indication where the Concentration camp was. The people of the Camp were then transferred to “Tin Town” in Ladysmith

 Corner of Stuart and Piet Retief streets today. The Court House made room for the new Post Office. The trees have grown and where the Concentration Camp used to be is now the town goal.

 Concentration Camp at the foot of Platberg

 An almost mad Kitchener was tormented by the Concentration Camp women and children when they did not show respect when the funeral procession of Dr Godfrey Reid pass them. Instead, a hissing sound was made. Reid was killed during the Groenkop battle on Christmas day. 

 The women and children were then moved to “Tin Town” close to Ladysmith. Some were transported in open train carriages and the lucky ones in a proper passenger car.

This picture was taken on the morning of 8 August 1900. A very interesting photo with a significant history. On this morning more than 200 burgers of the Harrismith Commando came into town by horse, by “kapkar” and even Spiders. They were ready to hand in their weapons and take the consequences. In front of the Court House, the Boer’s were ready to sign the neutralizing document. The horses were tied to the railings. The name hendsoppers was given to the Commando members. Some came to town in their best Sunday outfits and hard hats while some came in worn-out clothes. One of them was the Member of Parlement – Commandant Piet Maree.

The guns that were handed in was demolished and was loaded onto a “bok”. There it was transported to the courtyard of the Court House. Here the 5th Coy Royal Engineers destroyed the weapons with a 16 pond-hammer on an anvil and hit to pieces.

The house on the left was the home of the Sieberts-family on the corner of Stuart and Mauritz streets. The building on the right was a private school.

Further down Stuart street is the Harrismith Club. This is still standing but been looted.

 Sandstone curbs in Stuart Street

Stuart street with 42nd Hill in the back

Thank you to Leon Strachan, Nico Moolman en Biebie de Vos for their contribution

Till next time

Hennie & Sandra

The Castles of the veld

Blockhouses that look like fanciful little castles of the South African War in 1899-1902

They were all intended to keep the ever-mobile Boers from accessing British supply lines. 

On a road trip through South Africa you'll often come across these little castles, 

standing in a field or on the outskirts of a town or on a hill overlooking a highway. 

Life in a blockhouse generally consisted of a few British soldiers under a hot tin roof. 

More than 90% of their time was spent in boredom. 

The soldiers kept themselves busy with gardening and the cleaning of equipment. 

Then there was that 10% of white-hot action, when the Boers came visiting.

For the purposes of this blog post a 'masonry blockhouse' is a structure of mortared 

stonework or concrete, one to three storeys in height, with a roof of timber and 

corrugated iron, with rifle ports, windows and doors protected by loopholed 

steel plates and with or without steel machicouli galleries.

 A machicouli had a ‎Post-medieval use for through objects onto the enemy 

It took 30 Royal Engineers all of 30 days, on average, to cut the stone and
construct one at a cost of £900. 

Royal Engineers built a total of 441 masonry blockhouses through out South Africa during the War.   

We would like to introduce you to the Reservoir Blockhouse at Harrismith

The Reservoir Blockhouse exhibit a gabled roof, with vertical corrugated cladding on the gable ends and the roof is cut back over the machicouli galleries. There is loopholes on each side of the entrance at first floor level. The small monopitch roofs and vertical cladding covering the galleries on the Reservoir Blockhouse at Harrismith represent another original variant to the design.

The oldest photo we could find of the Reservoir Blockhouse after completion 

A photo taken during the War of the Blockhouse and its occupants.
They kept animals for companion and planted gardens 
You can see this soldier and his dog  

Today the blockhouse is a National Monument and it can be reached by foot in the 

Platberg Eco Reserve.  It is almost a 2 km walk  

A sign showing the way 

A steep route of up and down to the blockhouse 

A sign asking for respect 

The Gallery 

A little bench to sit an take-in all the detail 

Close-up of a rifle portholes

Some of the graffiti on the walls read

J Rickup 4 M. Riffles 

David Hunter Brisbane 

F W Difield 

C Clark 1037 

The roof construction

I hope that you have find something interesting in the history of South Africa  

Lots of Love 
Sandra