TOPIC:

Good morning Meurig,
The published casualty roll, suggests that the Scots Guards might have been holding this position before the 20th of July, so are we saying that its name has come from its original owner, perhaps a English or Scotsman, who settled there long before the war?
If so, the name was certainly a most notable coincidence for the Scots Guards.
Regards Frank

SWB wrote: Hello Richard

I suspect it is this place:

Sebastopol Farm
[2828: 2822-2840] a farm in the Orange Free State (Bethlehem district; Free State), 40 km south-east of Bethlehem. On 20 July 1900 the Vrede (Cmdt F.J.W.J. Hattingh) and Harrismith (Cmdt C.J. de Villiers) commandos with three guns were positioned on the farm, a combined force of some 1,500 burghers. Times IV pp.325-326 (map facing p.342).

From A Gazetteer of the Second Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902, HM & MGM Jones (Military Press, Milton Keynes 1999)

Regards
Meurig

Hello Frank

I can't answer your question I'm afraid. As you well know SA is such a melting pot the name could have come from anywhere.

Regards
Meurig

Hello Meurig,
Well, perhaps just a coincedence then, but, the two just go together so well!
Regards Frank

SWB wrote: Hello Frank

I can't answer your question I'm afraid. As you well know SA is such a melting pot the name could have come from anywhere.

Regards
Meurig

Hello Meurig, Thank you for the information. I used the LAT/LOG.coordinates and found the location of the farm which is still there.I used the [get a map .net south africa] which places the farm just to the SW of KESTELL which is approx. 40ks SE from Bethlehem. I have now succeeded in my quest to find the place. Its been a bee in my bonnet for years. I managed to get into the S.A. MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY WEB JOURNALS and Sebastopol is mentioned in them. The original book I read it in must have mis-spelt the name. Thank you once again. RICHARD

Richard,

The SAMHS article you mentioned says:

Bruce Hamilton, as yet unaware of the reinforcements that were being sent to him, moved forward on 29 July with his small force of the 1st Cameron Highlanders (600 men), four guns of the Royal Field Artillery, and the 7th Mounted Infantry (250 men). The country was difficult and the Boers opposed his advance. However, he was re-inforced at midday by the Royal Sussex Regiment and gained a bivouac at Eerste Geluk, some five miles (8 km) north of Solomon Raath's farm at Klerksvlei. He had two stiff fights at two neks near the farm Sebastopol. The mounted infantry under Lt-Col Bambridge showed vigour in clearing the Boers offthe hills on the left flank, but the brunt of the fighting fell to the Camerons. It was during these operations that Captain E Q Robertson, 1st King's Own Scottish Borderers, was killed on 29 July 1900. His grave, seen for many years alongside the stream below the farmhouse on the farm Uitkyk, has now been moved to Bethlehem.

Looking at the information on E Q Robertson, his obituary says "He was killed in action at Stephanusdrai, July 29th, 1900".

I cannot find Stephanusdrai on a modern map. Is that anywhere to be found on the location you identified?

Regards
David

Richard - my pleasure.

David

From the Gazetteer:

"[2828: 2824-2843 not named] a farm in the Orange Free State (Harrismith district; Free State), ten kilometres south of Kestell. In attempting to close the Golden Gate* exit from the Brandwater Basin*, Maj-Gen B.M. Hamilton's force fought its way eastwards from Davel's Rust* on 28 July 1900 and bivouacked on the farm that night before moving on. HMG III p.303 (map no.53)."

The Gaz. is out of print but I have a hardback and a softback versions if anyone wants their own copy.

Regards
Meurig