A recent chat with fellow researchers on the death of Lt T.D.
Pilkington 1st Royal Dragoons raised the question, “Where is Kaalboschfontein?”.
Lt Pilkington was killed 11 July, 1900 when attached to the 2nd
Dragoons. The official casualty rolls show the place of death as Kaalboschfontein.
This was copied into his entry by Mildred Dooner for the The Last Post, her biographical register of officer (and others) killed in the war. All other sources,
including an epitaph on a memorial erected by his family show he was killed at
Zilikat’s Nek (or Uitval’s/Nitral’s Nek). A British camp was overwhelmed, guns
and soldiers were captured from the 2nd Dragoons, Lincolnshire Rgt and O
battery RHA. Interestingly, Dooner’s entry for another fatality at Zilikat’s Nek,
Lt T. Conolly 2nd Dragoons, states he was killed at
Kaalboschfontein.
Only one other casualty is recorded in the official rolls at
Kaalboschfontein; Trpr E.M. Sheppard French’s Scouts also killed on the 11
July, 1900. Trooper Sheppard is the unit’s only casualty on that day. French's Scouts were not known to be involved at Zilikat’s Nek. According to Watt In
Memoriam, Sheppard has known grave. Turning to the newspapers, they
only show Kaalboschfontein for the 11 July, 1900 listing Trpr Sheppard, not Lt Pilkington or Conolly
but Cpt C.J. Maxwell, 2nd Dragoons who was severely wounded. [Morning
Leader 16 July, 1900] Cpt Maxwell was wounded at Zilikat’s Nek as confirmed by
the official casualty rolls. It is clear there was some confusion in compiling
casualty returns that were published and made available to the newspapers.
Sheppard’s entry on the medal roll gives another location for his death, “Oliphantsfontein”.
This unlocks the location of Kaalboschfontein. The war correspondent, Bennett
Burleigh, writes about a fight at “Oliphantsfontein south of Irene” on 7 July
1900 involving the Imperial Light Horse and Canadian Mounted Rifles. [Warwick
and Warwickshire Advertiser 14 July, 1900] The
official casualty rolls use “Rietfontein” and “nr Rietfontein”. The Gazetteer [Jones & Jones 1999] has an entry for a Witklip (2) for an
action on 7 July, 1900 matching that described by Bennett Burleigh. The Gazetteer entry for "Rietfontein" is Rietfontein (6) south-south-east of Pretoria from where the British column involved
on the 7th started. There is also an entry for Olifantsfontein (2) in
the same area for a contact on 11 July which could account for the single
casualty, Sheppard. Both Witklip (2) and Olifantsfontein
(2) are south-east of Pretoria, Zilikat’s Nek is due west of Pretoria.
According to the Alphabetical Index to the Farms of the Transvaal which
was published in 1904 but uses Jeppe’s pre-war 1899 maps of the South African
Republic there is only one farm called Kaalboschfontein. Situated at latitude
26.00 South and longitude 28.30 East it is south of Rietfontein (6). When casualty rolls were compiled in the field
the location is often the place where the list was compiled and not the true
location of the action that led to the casualty.
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| Based on Map 38, Official History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902 (Maurice & Grant, 1906) |
