Heidelberg History: Who was Heri Slegtkamp?
Henri Slegtkamp was a valuable asset during the Second Anglo Boer war.
A Street in Rensburg, Heidelberg was named after Henri Slegtkamp, born on April 19, 1873, in the Netherlands.
Slegtkamp is the son of Hendrik Slegtkamp and Elizabeth Veniet.
His family relocated to South Africa when Henri was still young. They moved to Middelburg, then to the Eastern Transvaal.
During the Jameson Raid (1895 and 1896), Slegtkamp was part of the Middelburg Commando.
When the Second Anglo-Boer War started, Slegtkamp was in Swaziland. As soon as Slegtkamp heard about the war breaking out, he rushed back to be part of the war.
On September 30, 1899, Slegtkamp was sent to the Natal border under Commandant PF Trichardt and later under Veld Cornet HU von Quitzow of the German Volunteer Corps.
Slegtkamp did not get along with the Germans and returned to the Middelburg Commando. He took part in the battle of Colenso on December 15, 1899.
Slegtkamp also did important scouting work for the Boers near the Tugela River.
On December 19, 1899, he joined the Scouting Corps of Captain WM Edwards.
During the battle of Tabanyama in January 1900, Slegtkamp received special recognition. Slegtkamp, Albert de Roos and Jack Hindon climbed a mountain close to the British Forces to spy on them.
Slegtkamp was second in charge when Jack Hindon was appointed leader of a new 50-man corps. The corps had to derail the train tracks so that the British could not be transported by train. Since then, Slegtkamp was known as an explosive expert and saboteur.
When Hindon surrendered to the British, Slegtkamp became the leader of the corps.
The end of the Second Anglo-Boer War was declared not long after that. Henri Slegtkamp died on February 2, 1951, in Middelburg.
Ref: Wikipedia, Afrikanergeskiedenis.com
