Start My Family Tree Welcome to Geni, home of the world's largest family tree.
Join Geni to explore your genealogy and family history in the World's Largest Family Tree.

Anglo Boere Oorlog/Boer War (1899-1902) STANDERTON Kamp/Camp

Project Tags

view all

Profiles

  • Martina Elsie Koch (c.1899 - 1901)
    British Concentration Camps of the South African War 1899-1902
  • Johannes Philippus Jacobus Koch (1894 - d.)
    British Concentration Camps of the South African War 1899-1902
  • Anna Sophia Koch (1897 - d.)
    British Concentration Camps of the South African War 1899-1902
  • Margaretha Cornelia Koch (1868 - 1932)
    British Concentration Camps of the South African War 1899-1902
  • Willem Wouter Jacobus Viljoen (1859 - 1937)
    Personal Details Name : Mr Willem Botha Johs Viljoen Date of birth : Born in camp ? No Date death : Died in camp ? No Gender : male Race : white Marital status : married Nationality : Trans...

Standerton

http://www.eggsa.org/library/main.php
Photo's with thanks to eGGSA

People in this camp

1242

People who died in this camp

1068

Few camps can have had as miserable a start as Standerton. The camp was probably begun about December 1900. Before it was handed over to the civilian administration in February 1901, the local district commissioner had put Mr van Musschenbroek in charge but the camp was left ‘(more or less) to run itself’. There were no records of arrivals or departures as families poured in, while some were deported to Natal or transferred to other camps. A small camp which had been started at Platrand was also amalgamated with Standerton, although a black camp remained there. These movements took place in the bucketing rain in which the local black pot clay dissolved into a ‘deep thick glutinous mud’. General Superintendent Goodwin reported in February 1901 that the condition of the people was ‘pitiable in the extreme’. To add to the woes, Dr Leslie, who had been sent from Cape Town, took one look at the camp and refused to take up his duties, causing ‘considerable inconvenience’.1

It was hardly surprising that the Boer families were bitter and Standerton remained a disaffected camp for many months. The people complained that they had been taken from their homes with no time to collect any belongings. Goodwin was sceptical. He admitted that it was probably true in some cases but many families brought a considerable quantity of furniture with them. The people were also incensed about the food, for the system of restricted rations to the families whose men were on commando was at first implemented in Standerton. However, Goodwin took the decision by the end of February 1901 to move everyone in the Transvaal camp system onto Scale A, with Scale B (which lacked meat) used as a means of punishment of the ‘unruly and troublesome’. This, he believed, ‘materially assisted in obtaining a better feeling throughout the various camps, and encouraged both the men and women to be more helpful’. At first W.K. Tucker, a capable man who soon became General Superintendent of the Transvaal camp system, was sent to Standerton as superintendent to straighten things out.2

But Tucker did not remain long. He was replaced temporarily by Richard Moffatt and later by Frank Winfield. Winfield was something of an enigma. His bland, confident reports suggest a man who was in control of affairs, but he was much disliked by the Boers and later inspections of the place revealed a parlous state of affairs. Winfield was not entirely to blame, for Standerton’s harsh climate, relative isolation and heavy clay soil all made for great discomfort. The Vaal river was heavily polluted and Standerton village was dirty and insanitary, contributing to the endemic typhoid which plagued the camp. Throughout its life tents were ragged and in short supply. The place made a poor impression on visitors and Lucy Deane of the Ladies Committee described the place as ‘hideous and simply a Charnel-House! of dead cattle’, many of them scattered along the banks of the river
http://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Standerton/

Blue names Geni Profiles

Black names Not on Geni Yet

They survived

A

B

D

E

F

Karel Jan Fischer 1901-06-09 to 1901-09-13

G

J

L

O

P

R

S

Z

They died in Standerton Camp

A

B

J

  • Cause of death: Pneumonia
  • Cause of death: Measles & Pneumonia

L

  • Cause of death: Measles & Pneumonia

R

  • Death notice in NASA Pretoria.
  • Research and photo Judi Marais-Meyer
  • Farm History:Kranspoort,Ermelo
  • Farm history:Kaffirspruit, Ermelo
  • Unique ID 17822

S

How to Participate

If you have an ancestor who was in the ABW Standerton Concentration Camp:

  1. Get yourself added as a collaborator
  2. Navigate to your ancestor's profile
  3. Under the "More Actions" link choose "Add to Project"
  4. Select the ABO ===Standerton===" project

How to add a link is explained in the attached document - Adding links to Geni profiles to projects.

Optional:

  • Include in the "About Me" section of each person a brief biographical sketch of their lives. Also include their Settler party and ship name and arrival date if known
  • Include a photograph/painting of your ancestor if one exists.
  • Your ancestor's profiles should be marked as "public" and not "private".
  • All included profiles should include full identifying information including birth and death dates as well as birth and death locations. It would also be very helpful if the immediate family of your pioneer ancestor, (their parents, siblings and children) profiles were public profiles also.
  • Do not make public any profiles of living people. NOTE: All POW included on this project will have their profiles editable by other geni.com collaborators of this project. The object of reproducing the list here is to see if these people can be located on Geni and perhaps develop trees from them. To take part in any project - you do need to first be a collaborator - so join the project. See the discussion Project Help: How to add Text to a Project - Starter Kit to get you going! How to Participate • Please add only the profiles of people that are linked to this project. This is easily done from the profile page using the Add to project link. • If you have any queries related to these ABW people, please start a discussion linked to this project. (See the menu top right). • Please add related projects to the menu on the right. • If you have links to related web pages that would be of interest to others please add them in the relevant section at the bottom of the page. In order to do this use the drop down menu at the top left of the screen and Join the Project. If this option is not available to you then contact a collaborator and ask to be added to the project. As a collaborator you will be able to edit this page. • Add any documents of interest using the menu at the top right of the page, and then add a link to the document in the text under the heading below. If you do not know how to do this please contact one of the other collaborators to assist you. How to add a link is explained in the attached document - Adding links to Geni profiles to projects.