Eduard Ernst van Bart, SV/PROG 1

Source: Eduard van Bart; Depot: TAB; Source: MHG; Type: LEER; Vol. No.: 0; System: 01; Year; Ref. No.: O/18478; and FamilySearch.org

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Oud-Schiedammer lê sy lewe af vir nuwe vaderland

Source: 23 October 1999, Die Burger

Genl. J.H.M Kock (middel) en sy staf op Elandslaagte. Naaslinks is dr. F.X. Elsberger van die Hollandse Ambulans, links sit lt.kol. A. Schiel, regs van Kock is sy seun, regter L.S. Kock, en langs hom graaf H. Zeppelin. Eduard van Bart (58), 'n regsgeleerde van Johannesburg wat as vrywilliger vir die ZAR gestry het. Die krygsgevangenes wat die Slag van Elandslaagte oorleef het op die eiland St. Helena afgeneem. Heel agter, naaslinks, is 'n swart agterryer wat nie, soos verskeie van sy makkers, met lanse doodgesteek is nie.

EEN van die Boere slagoffers in die Slag van Elandslaagte was my oupagrootjie Eduard Ernst van Bart, wat in 1841 in Schiedam, Suid-Nederland, gebore is.

Hy het as regsgeleerde in 1880 na Suid-Afrika gekom en aanvanklik in die Kaap en later op Colesberg gewoon waar hy 'n prokureurspraktyk gehad het. Kort daarna het hy na Transvaal verhuis en in Johannesburg gepraktiseer.

'n Opspraakwekkende hofsaak waarby hy as regsman betrokke was, was dié van die Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek teen die vrybuiter Kurt von Veltheim (Karl Kurtze), wat daarvan aangekla is dat hy Woolf Joel, broerskind van die mynmagnaat Barney Barnato, vermoor het. Hy is weens gebrek aan voldoende getuienis teen hom vrygespreek.

Eduard was getroud met Florence Sophia Rubidge, lid van die Britse Setlaarsfamilie van Wellwood, Graaff-Reinet. Die egpaar het nege kinders gehad ses seuns en drie dogters. Een van dié seuns, ook Eduard, was in 1895 sekretaris van die Johannesburg Mining Company.

In Desember van daardie jaar het laasgenoemde 'n telegram gelees wat Leander Starr Jameson aan die Uitlander Reformers gestuur het met die opdrag om onluste aan die Rand te begin aangesien hy (Jameson) met sy soldatemag die grens tussen Betsjoeanaland en Noordwes-Transvaal gaan oorsteek om die ZAR binne te val.

Eduard het dié inligting dadelik aan sy pa oorgedra, wat pres. Paul Kruger om sy beurt ingelig het. Jameson is op 1 Januarie 1896 op die plaas Vlakfontein in die skermutseling by Doornkop voorgekeer en gevange geneem.

Met die uitbreek van die AngloBoere Oorlog het Eduard sr. as vrywilliger in die Hollander Korps van tweehonderd man onder kmdt. J.P. le Grange Lombard en genl. J.H.M. (Johannes) Kock gedien.

Eduard se drie oudste seuns, Eduard, Arie en Egbert, is vir kommandodiens opgeroep. Arie is saam met sy pa na Natal, en Eduard en Egbert is na die Wesfront onder genl. Piet Cronjé. Arie het Elandslaagte as krygsgevangene oorleef en Egbert is by Paardeberg gevange geneem. Die twee broers sou later weer ontmoet as krygsgevangenes op St. Helena.

In die Slag van Elandslaagte (Natal) op 21 Oktober 1899 het die 58-jarige Eduard sy lewe vir sy nuwe vaderland en sy mede-vryheidstryders afgelê. Dié edelmoedige man was op daardie noodlottige dag saam met die groep burgers wat omsingel is deur 'n oorweldigende oormag Britse kavallerie van die Fifth Lancers en Dragoon Guards.

Die Boere het hulle heldhaftig teengesit, maar toe die oormag te groot word en hul ammunisie byna gedaan was, het Eduard besef dat dit selfmoord sou wees om langer weerstand te bied. Hy en sy mede-burgers het hul wapens neergelê en oorgegee.

Maar die Britse bevelvoerders was nie die edele here (gentlemen) wat dié Boere heel tereg van offisiere verwag het nie. Op ongenaakbare, wrede wyse is Eduard en sy ongewapende kamerade meedoënloos deur die lansiers met sabels en lanse deurboor of onthoof. Waar gewonde Boere bloeiend en sterwend op die grond gelê het, het die Britse soldate tussen hulle en ook hul swart agterryers deurgejaag en keer op keer met die lanse en bajonette gesteek.

Volgens 'n ooggetuie wat die slag oorleef het, is Eduard deur 'n Britse offisier met 'n sabel deurboor terwyl hy met sy hande omhoog gestaan het.

Hy is saam met die ander Boere gesneuweldes op die slagveld van Elandslaagte begrawe. In 1979 is hul beendere opgegrawe en in 'n helde-tombe van die Burger-monument op Platrand ter ruste gelê.

Die grafstene wat opgespoor kon word, is in die muur van die tombe ingemessel. (Lees ook Op die Voorgrond op bl. IV).

'n Gedenksteen van graniet met 25 name daarop, is op Elandslaagte opgerig waar dié Boere geval het en begrawe is (kyk foto op bl. IV).

Die verhaal van Eduard van Bart is deur my vader, Fred (85), van Muldersdrif, vertel. Hy het as jong man 'n oud-stryder van die Slag van Elandslaagte ontmoet. Dié Boer, ene Cruywagen, was 'n ooggetuie van die wyse waarop Eduard van Bart en sy makkers teenstrydig met die reëls van beskaafde oorlogvoering, die Volkereg en die Geneefse Konvensie vermoor is nadat hulle reeds oorgegee het.

In die insiggewende werk Briewe uit die Boere-oorlog deur wyle Carel Hollenbach is Die verhaal van Eduard van Bart, soos vertel deur Fred van Bart, opgeneem. Dit is verkrygbaar by Die Boeksentrum in Kaapstad, (021) 406-3161.

In die pas verskene boek Veg en Vlug, manne en vroue vertel hul ware verhale uit die Anglo-Boere Oorlog, saamgestel deur J.C. Steyn, Tafelberg, word in die hoofstuk Wil julle Boere sien wegloop deur J.D. du Toit (uit Die Huisgenoot, 22 Maart 1946) vertel hoe 'n Boere krygsgevangene, ene Van Bart, byna daarin geslaag het om uit 'n Britse oorplasingskamp vir Boere krygsgevangenens op Simonstad te ontvlug. Daardie Boer was Arie van Bart (die seun van Eduard sr.) wat die Slag van Elandslaagte oorleef het, maar gevange geneem is.

Dié boeiende boek is by onder meer Die Boeksentrum in Kaapstad, (021) 406-2161, verkrygbaar.

TRANSLATION OF AN ARTICLE BY MARTINUS VAN BART FROM AFRIKAANS:

TITLE: AN OLD "SCHIEDAMMER" LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS NEW HOMELAND.

Book Title: Vir Vryheid en Vir Reg.

My great-grandfather, Eduard van Bart, born in Schiedamm, South Holland was one of the 46 Boers who died at the battle of Elandslaagte due to the cruelty of the British soldiers who killed them after they had surrendered and laid their weapons down. Eduard and his brother, Ari, came to South Africa in 1880. Eduard lived initially in the Cape with his brother and helped him run a business there. Later, after establishing himself as a qualified lawyer he went to Colesburg where he ran a Conveyancer and Attorney practice. He was also an auctioneer and a member of the Town Council. In 1865 Eduard, a gifted piano player and also a smart cricket player, became a member of the Philippolis-Commando and fought together with Cmdr. Louw Wepener in the Battle of Thaba Bosigo against Mosjesj. He was commended for his bravery on the battlefield. After gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand, he and his family moved to the Transvaal. Eduard married Florence Sophia Rubidge, a member of the British 1820 Settler families from Bloemhof and Wellwood, Graaff Reinet. The Van Bart couple had nine children: six sons and three daughters. In 1895, one of the sons, also Eduard, worked as Secretary for the Johannesburg Mining Company. In December of that year, he read a telegram that Leander Starr Jameson sent to the capitalistic Rand Reformers in Johannesburg to begin the task of riots (?) because he (Jameson) needed an army at the border of Bechuanaland and North-West Transvaal so he could invade the ZAR (South African Republic) and perform a coup. Eduard immediately conveyed the information to his father who alerted Pres. Paul Kruger and the House of Assembly to the plot. On January 1, 1896 Jameson was stopped at the farm Vlakfontein during the Battle of Doornkop and on January 2nd taken into custody. His two Nordenfeldt cannons that were captured by the Boers were used by General Johannes Kock's artillery on October 21st, 1899 in the Battle of Elandslaagte, Natal. Eduard Sr. was one of these State Gunners in the Johannesburg Commando under Kmdt. Ben Viljoen. He reached an officer's rank. Eduard's four oldest sons, Eduard Jr. (20), Egbert Ernst (19), Arie Herbert (18), and William (Willem) Hendrik (16) also opted for war. Arie went with his father to Natal, Willem also fought in Natal, and Egbert went to the western front under Genl. Piet Cronje. Arie survived Elandslaagte as a prisoner of war and Egbert was captured at Paardeberg. Egbert and Arie would meet a year later-as prisoners of war on St. Helena. In the Battle of Elandslaagte on October 21, 1899 the 58 year old Eduard Sr. laid down his life for his new homeland and his fellow-freedom fighters. The valiant man was on that fateful day one of the approximately 800 citizens (the Johannesburg Commando and the Dutch and German volunteers) who were surrounded by the overwhelming masses of approximately 4,000 soldiers. The power came from British Infantry Soldiers (1,630 of the Manchester Regiment, the First Devonshire Regiment and the Second Gordon Highlanders with three machine guns), the Royal Field Artillery and the Natal Field Artillery (750 people with 18 seven-pound field cannons), the Cavalry coming from the Fifth Dragoon Guards, the Fifth Lancers, the Imperial Light Horse (1,314 riders with 3 machine guns) and the Natal Mounted Rifles under the command of General J.D.P. French and Col. Ian Hamilton. By sunset the Boers, who had bravely endured the pouring rain, found their ammunition spent. They realized that it would be suicidal to continue to offer resistance and white flags were raised. When the British approached, Eduard threw his weapon down and with hands lifted called out: "I surrender! I surrender!" But the British soldiers were not the noble gentlemen and signers of the Geneva Convention that he obviously expected. Instead, Eduard and his unarmed comrades were cruelly stabbed or beheaded. The wounded and moaning Boers lay bloodied and dying on the ground as the 5th Lancers and their brown and black rear riders stabbed them through again and again with their lances. The Infantry then descended on the dead and dying and relieved them of all possessions, clothes and even shoes. Even Genl. Kock, who in the heat of the battle ???? (unknown term) lay stark naked in the icy mud. He later died of pneumonia. Eduard did not die immediately of his terrible stab wounds. He was, together with other wounded, loaded into a train car and taken to Ladysmith. He died later in the train and together with other fallen Boers was buried at Elandslaagte. On the British side, there were 52 dead and 213 wounded. It gives one an idea how bravely the Boers fought against the colossus. In 1979 the remains of the fallen Boers were reinterred and put to rest in a hero's tomb of the Burger Monument at Platrand near Ladysmith. A gravestone piece that could still be recovered is inlaid in the wall of the tomb. A memorial stone of black granite with the names of the fallen engraved on it was erected at the location of the battlefield where they were first buried. In his last will and testament in his own handwriting, Eduard, on the farm by the Ingogo River, placed the care of his minor children with the church pastor of Langlaagte, Ds. Abraham Kriel. Resources: C.A. Hollenbach, Letters from the Boer War; A. Schiel, 23 Jahre Sturm und Sonnenschein; A. Scheibert

Database ID: 3176
Surname: VAN BART
First Name: Eduard
Age: 54
Address: Langlaagte
Commando: Johannesburg
Battle: Elandslaagte
Date: 21/10/1899
Buried: N/A