Image: Christiaan de Wet4

Description: Christiaan De Wet (1854–1922), Boer general, politician and rebel leader. The photo was taken in Potchefstroom on the 27th of August 1900, six days after he and his commando of 246 men escaped from near encirclement north of the Magaliesberg. He is posing with a restored rifle that was handed in to the English by one of many "hensoppers". This was usually done in return for having their property and farms spared by the enemy. De Wet wrote of this photo:   Potchefstroom was not at that time in the hands of the English. I rode over to the town, and then it was that the well-known photo was taken of me that has been spread about everywhere, in which I am represented with a Mauser in my hand. I only mention this so as to draw attention to the history of the weapon which I held in my hand. It is as follows:– When the enemy passed through Potchefstroom on their way to Pretoria, they left a garrison behind them, and many burghers went there to give up their arms, which forthwith were burnt in a heap. When the garrison left the dorp the burghers returned. Amongst them were some who set to work to make butts for the rifles that had been burnt. "This rifle," I was told by the man who showed it to me, "is the two hundredth that has been taken out of the burnt heap and repaired." This made such an impression on me that I took it in my hand, and had my photo taken with it. I am only sorry that I cannot mention the names of the burghers who did that work. Their names are worthy to be enrolled on the annals of our nation.
Title: Christiaan de Wet4
Credit: [1]
Author: Reinhold Thiele
Permission: Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1926. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights. https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/PDMCreative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0falsefalse
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License: Public domain
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