Undergrowth swallows up forgotten military graves in central Dannhauser.
On the stones are the words 'Underwood D of the Royal Dragoons and J Wooder of the Hussars'. They died in May and June 1900, respectively.
The three lonely Anglo-Boer War graves in central Dannhauser – first highlighted by the Courier some years ago – are now completely hidden from view by a jungle of overgrowth.
The graves, which date back to 1900, were previously given some protection thanks to a steel railing. Three iron crosses also marked where the three soldiers died so many miles away from home.
However, time and vandals have seen both the railing and the crosses disappear.
Some years ago, Kevan Boman of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) was tipped off by the Courier about the existence of the graves and he managed to replace the crosses with clearly-marked plaques.
But he could not do more because the CWGC only deals with soldiers who fought in the First and Second World War, and these graves are of soldiers who fought in the Anglo-Boer War. The CWGC also only maintains graves where there are 10 or more bodies.
The tiny graveyard is situated adjacent to a rough footpath that straddles the fence around the Dannhauser Islamic Cemetery.
Anyone wanting to look at the graves will have a hard time finding them, such is the thick overgrowth and litter that has taken over the burial site.
However, if one is prepared to beat back the bush, you will see three green stones side by side.
On the stones are the words ‘Underwood D of the Royal Dragoons and J Wooder of the Hussars’. They died in May and June 1900, respectively.
‘Unknown British soldier’ is simply written on the third stone.
Stephen Watt – the late historian who wrote the novel ‘In Memoriam’, which lists every individual who died while serving with the Imperial forces in the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902, as well as those who died up to 1913 – believes that all three died of disease.
Dannhauser was occupied by Boers on their way to Dundee, where the Battle of Talana was fought on October 20, 1899. The Boers had already occupied Newcastle and named it Viljoensdorp. By the time General Erasmus arrived with his Boer commandos, the British had retreated to Dundee.
Dundee was relieved of Boer occupation in around May 1900 and the British then moved on to Newcastle, via Dannhauser.
It is assumed that a camp was set up in the town, after which these three soldiers died. Over 13,000 British troops died of disease during the Anglo-Boer War and it is assumed that these three could have easily fallen victim to either dysentery, typhoid fever or intestinal infections.
And so lie their remains buried under simple plaques and a jungle of weeds.
