12 JULY 1901 - ONBEDACHT

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During July 1901 Cmdts Scheepers and Schalk Pypers had made their base in the most rugged part of the Camdeboo Mountains. One camp was on the farm Langfontein and the other on Middelplaas.

 

(It was known from an intercepted letter that Scheepers at this stage had 240 men with him, of whom 40 were Free Staters, the rest being Cape rebels.) Frequent raids were being made from these two camps by small Boer patrols on the neighbouring farmers whom they compelled to bring wagonloads of grain and lucerne to the laagers.

 

Then, on 12 July Gen French came to Graaff-Reinet and mobilised four columns under Sir Charles P Crewe, G Wyndham, Col Beauchamp Doran and Scobell as well as the Cape Mounted Riflemen to try to trap Scheepers. 

They surprised a body of Boers at Onbedacht in the Camdeboo (50 km west of Graaff-Reinet), but Scheepers and Pypers, who were at Middelplaas with the Rebel Commando, managed to elude French’s net and escaped via Morgenzon, fleeing southwards. 29 of Scheepers’ men were captured and were brought into Graaff-Reinet. 

Six were OFS men and were sent to PoW camps. The remaining captured rebels were tried, found guilty of High Treason under arms and other war crimes and sentenced to death. Twelve of them were executed while the sentences of the rest were subsequently commuted to life imprisonment on Bermuda.
(T & D Shearing: “Commandant Gideon Scheepers and the Search for his Grave”)