Pieter Daniël was die seun van David Stephanus van der Westhuizen en Johanna Aletta Hendrina Jacobs.
Sy naam kom voor in hulle ma se sterfkennis van 1897.
Heidelberg was one of the oldest camps and was
probably already in existence in October 1900, when families harbouring Boer
commandos were brought into the town, although there may also have been
substantial numbers of destitute Boers for whom the British had to provide. By
February 1901 there were over 1,200 people living there but the camp was never
very large. At the end of June 1901 there were only 751 inmates and the number
remained at under 1,000 for most of the period of the existence of the camp.
Later a number of the families were moved to the Natal camps. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Heidelberg/#)
Op 1 November 1901 word hulle na die Merebank kamp oorgeplaas.
Merebank camp could be described as a
test case, an attempt to create a camp which avoided the mistakes of the past.
It was established about September 1901, mainly to reduce the numbers in the
Transvaal camps and to bring down the terrible mortality which was sweeping
through the camp system. In some respects it could be considered a success for
deaths were considerably lower. But its history is fraught with contradictions.
For instance, with about 9,000 inmates, it was the largest camp in the entire system,
although it was divided into three parts, Windermere, Hazelmere and Grasmere,
each section housing about 3,000 people. This device made it possible to argue
that the camp was within the recommended size. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Merebank/)
A second inconsistency was its location. Merebank camp was based on the sub-tropical Natal coast, just south of Durban, in a climate which was very different from the crisp highveld air to which the Boers were accustomed. Humidity, strong winds and summer rains all contributed their discomfort, although cooler sea breezes helped to reduce the temperature in summer. Above all, it was built on low-lying, swampy ground, with sand blowing over everything and the floors and bedding constantly wet. Conditions were so poor that, after they had visited Merebank, the Ladies Committee recommended that the camp be moved. Despite this, Merebank remained where it was. The fact that it was on a railway line, close to Durban’s main water supply, on flat land, were all advantages which, in the eyes of the authorities, outweighed the potentially unhealthiness of the site. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Merebank/)
Accommodation was a third anomaly. Initially the
families were housed in the familiar bell tents and marquees but the climate
made such accommodation even less suitable for women and children than it was
in the Transvaal. As a result, wood and iron huts gradually replaced the tents.
Built in rows of six rooms, they were not ideal, however, for they were hot,
they lacked privacy and, by April 1902, they were leaking. In this subtropical
climate fleas, lice and mosquitoes abounded, adding to the discomfort of the
inhabitants. In some respects the staff were worse off. The teachers, for
instance, as late as March 1902, were in dilapidated marquees and their food
was cooked over an open fire outside. (
Education became a priority for the camps. Not only did schools keep the children occupied but they were also a means of inculcating the values of the British Empire into Britain’s future subjects. The Boers made some attempt to start their own schools, less vulnerable to imperial propaganda, but these were swiftly forbidden. Despite all the deficiencies, some children were able to prepare for national examinations. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Merebank/)
Wisely, the superintendent, Hugh Moberley Bousfield did not try to restrict the Merebank people too much. Permission was regularly given for visits to the beach and picnics, swimming and fishing all relieved the monotony of camp life. The women were able to see their men off when they were transferred to prisoner-of-war camps overseas and visits to the Umbilo prisoner-of-war camp were occasionally allowed. Concerts, bazaars and sports days also occupied their time, as they did in other camps. If life in Merebank camp was hard, it was probably less tedious than it was in the up-country camps. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Merebank/)
The first inmates arrived from Pretoria on 13 September 1901. It was often the trauma of the journey, in open cattle trucks, which the women remembered later, rather than life in the camp itself, both because of the discomfort and because of the fear of the unknown into which they were being sent. At least the food was better. Supply was much easier on the coast and fresh produce was readily available. Moreover, the Natal ration scale was always more generous than that of the ORC and Transvaal, and the Merebank inmates regularly received potatoes, onions and rice. Indian traders sold bananas and pineapples cheaply. But the meat was usually frozen and the children could not always get fresh milk. For some time there were no communal ovens and the women had to rely on open fires or the occasional primus stove. Eventually ovens were constructed in February 1902, making the cooking, which occupied so much of the day, more efficient. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Merebank/)
No attempt was made to isolate the new arrivals with the result that measles came with them into the camp. Fortunately many of the camp inmates had already acquired an immunity to the disease so the results were less disastrous than they were in the up-country camps. Measles mortality reached its peak in October 1902 but it disappeared rapidly after that. Respiratory diseases, which might have included the aftermath of measles, lingered on for some months, along with diarrhoea and dysentery. Enteric, though never so fatal, was harder to eliminate completely. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Merebank/)
Like many of their counterparts in other camps, the Boers received the news of the peace with mixed feelings. While they longed to return home, they found it difficult to accept that their leaders had laid down their arms. many responded with disappointment and confusion. The visits of General Schalk Burger early in June to explain why the Boers had made peace gave them only limited comfort. Repatriation was slow, partly because Merebank camp was used as an assembly point for returning prisoners of war. These men all had to be processed through the system, taking an oath of allegiance, before they could go home. The children were all issued with school leaving certificates and everyone was required to undergo a medical examination. The last group left on 10 December 1902 and the camp was finally closed in January 1903. (https://www2.lib.uct.ac.za/mss/bccd/Histories/Merebank/)
Personal Details
|
|
Name:
|
Mrs Peter Daniel van der Westhuizen
|
Born in
camp?
|
No
|
Died in
camp?
|
No
|
Gender:
|
female
|
Race:
|
White
|
Marital
status:
|
married
|
Nationality:
|
Transvaal
|
Occupation:
|
farmer
|
Registration
as head of family:
|
Yes
|
Unique
ID:
|
120795
|
Camp History
|
|
Name:
|
Merebank
RC
|
Name:
|
Heidelberg
RC
|
Age
arrival:
|
24
|
Date
arrival:
|
01/11/1901
|
Age
departure:
|
25
|
Date
departure:
|
10/12/1902
|
Reason
departure:
|
to farm
|
Destination:
|
farm
|
Tent
number:
|
854
|
Farm History
|
|
Name:
|
Schoongezicht
|
District:
|
Heidelberg
|
Relationships
|
|
Mrs Peter Daniel van der Westhuizen
|
|
is the mother of Master
Francois van der Westhuizen
|
|
is the unknown relationship
of Miss
Magdalena Dorothea Truter
|
|
Sources
|
|
Title:
|
DBC 59
Heidelberg CR
|
Location:
|
Transvaal
|
Notes:
|
p.W 09
|
Title:
|
DBC 60
Heidelberg CR
|
Location:
|
Transvaal
|
Notes:
|
p. 124
|
