An item referred to a letter dated 7 April and which was written by a Dutchman on board of the Mongolian.(1) He was by the British taken as prisoner of war at Elandslaagte.(2) After a relatively tolerable stay on shore were the prisoners of Elandslaagte joined by a large number of men commanded by Cronje (3) embarked don board of the transport Mongolian where the living conditions were even worse of that earlier on the Catalonia and Manilla was. The prisoners were literally crashing each other. The food was worse and scarce and it was not possible to clean your clothes. On deck it was hardly to bear and between decks is was stinking, sultry and teeming the pests. Sleeping in a hammock was an illusion. Visits even of the Dutch consul general were not allowed and requests had been useless until now.
Notes
1. The website http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/SSMongolian.html mentioned that she was build in 1891 for the Allan Line (Montreal Ocean Steamship Company) at the Clyde in 1891 with a gross tonnage of 4,838 tons as a royal mail steamer. Sold to the Royal Navy in 1915 was she on 21 July torpedoed on a distance of 5 miles south-east of Filey Brig causing the death of 36 men. The website http://www.theshipslist.com/pictures/mongolian1891.htm shows a picture of her. The website reports that’s he was launched on 13 November 1890 at the shipyard of D.&W. Henderson Limited at Glasgow with as dimensions 400 x 42.5 feet and that her maiden voyage started on 12 February of the next year and sold in 1914 to the Royal Navy..
2. The Second Boer War found place between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902 and ended in a defeat of the Boers and regaining British sovereignty of the Orange Free State and South African Republic (Transvaal). In 1920 became the Union of South Africa part of the Commonwealth. The battle of Elandslaagte on 21 October 1899 was a British victory. General Johannes Kock was among the dead and 181 of his men were taken prisoner. Two days earlier had Kock occupied the railway station at Elandslaagte. His forces were joined by German, French, Dutch, American and Irish volunteers. The Dutch prisoner on board of the Mongolian was apparently one of Kocks’ volunteers.
3. Pieter Arnoldus Cronje (4 October 1836 Colesberg, Cape Colony-4 February 1911 Potchefstroom, Transvaal), he surrendered on 27 February 1900 after his defeat during the Batle of Paardeberg and was imprisoned in St. Helena Island until 1902.
Notes
1. The website http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/SSMongolian.html mentioned that she was build in 1891 for the Allan Line (Montreal Ocean Steamship Company) at the Clyde in 1891 with a gross tonnage of 4,838 tons as a royal mail steamer. Sold to the Royal Navy in 1915 was she on 21 July torpedoed on a distance of 5 miles south-east of Filey Brig causing the death of 36 men. The website http://www.theshipslist.com/pictures/mongolian1891.htm shows a picture of her. The website reports that’s he was launched on 13 November 1890 at the shipyard of D.&W. Henderson Limited at Glasgow with as dimensions 400 x 42.5 feet and that her maiden voyage started on 12 February of the next year and sold in 1914 to the Royal Navy..
2. The Second Boer War found place between 11 October 1899 and 31 May 1902 and ended in a defeat of the Boers and regaining British sovereignty of the Orange Free State and South African Republic (Transvaal). In 1920 became the Union of South Africa part of the Commonwealth. The battle of Elandslaagte on 21 October 1899 was a British victory. General Johannes Kock was among the dead and 181 of his men were taken prisoner. Two days earlier had Kock occupied the railway station at Elandslaagte. His forces were joined by German, French, Dutch, American and Irish volunteers. The Dutch prisoner on board of the Mongolian was apparently one of Kocks’ volunteers.
3. Pieter Arnoldus Cronje (4 October 1836 Colesberg, Cape Colony-4 February 1911 Potchefstroom, Transvaal), he surrendered on 27 February 1900 after his defeat during the Batle of Paardeberg and was imprisoned in St. Helena Island until 1902.
