11 NOVEMBER 1899 - KIMBERLEY (OTTO’S KOPJE)

[archie777]

Pte Algernon Parker died on 11 Nov 1899, after being wounded in a lesser known Kimberley skirmish. In "The Siege of Kimberley" (p47) mention is made of "a brisk little encounter with the enemy near Otto's Kopje… One of the men of the Cape Police, Division 2, named Parker, was mortally wounded..."

In "Kimberley under Siege" (p77) the incident is also briefly mentioned: "...Mounted troops, under Col Scott-Turner, engaged the enemy near Otto's Kopje about 4 pm and did damage. Our losses: one killed (Trooper Parker, Cape Police), one wounded..."

 

However, the circumstances surrounding Parker's demise is forcefully brought home by the entry for 11 November in Nurse Francis Wookey's diary, as published in "Summer of 1899" (p133): "At 10.30 pm the 
ambulance came up, bringing a Cape policeman.

 

The first thing he said when he was put on the operating table was 'I wish you would let me die at once'. He is shot right through the body and cannot live long. Every few minutes he asks how much longer he has to suffer. It is terribly sad".

 

My father and mother-in-laws stayed opposite Otto's Kopje. There were an old diamond mine and through the years, it filled up with water.

 

Many people commited suicide by jumping into the mine and while serving in the South African Police, we had to recover many bodies. 

 

With all the old mine dumps, a company started to started sifting the dumps and recover thousands of diamonds and worked the dumps back into the old mine. It took quite some time, but was filled up completely

 

Edited May 29 by archie777