Boere Krygsgevangenes in Ceylon - Boekmakierie.co.za

that chap is an international boxer” was the oft repeated remark, so ordinary looking was
‘Jim’ with not the slightest appearance of any swagger about him. “You can make sure I
am coming back to Ceylon” was Holloway’s final remark. “I only want to make a little
money first … I like Ceylon.” Those who knew him well accepted the sincerity of his
declaration. One wonders whether he kept his word.
As each lighter moved off handkerchiefs were briskly waved and shouts and cheers were
given by the Boers. Seven sick Boers from the General Hospital were also embarked on
board this vessel.
Contrasted with this imposing send-off, the two departures which followed were of a
quiet nature. The S.S. Dunera, which sailed for Durban and Cape Town in the afternoon
of the 16 th December, took 900 Boers away. Dr. V Van Langenberg proceeded, with this
draft as Medical Officer. The last batch which left five days later by the S.S. Ionian also
consisted of nearly 900 Boers.
In between the massed departures the prisoners-of-war of foreign origin, and the
naturalised Burghers of the late South African Republic who were able to find their way
home at their own expense, had been leaving these shores in small numbers. In July
1902, a German steamer the Oldenburg, took away 8 officers and 48 German
mercenaries who were to be disembarked at Bremen. A week later, the Marquès
Bacquehem bound for Trieste eliminated the Austrian mercenaries; Frans Muller,
Giovanni Bussanich, Arthur Clemens Cernice, Alois Ortner and two others. About the
same time an American-Boer was repatriated to Boston.
A party of 76 Hollanders, late belligerents in South Africa who were held a prisoners-ofwar
in Ceylon, were also repatriated in July. As no steamer proceeding direct to Holland
was due for some time, they were put on board the Rotterdamschi Lloyd S.S. Selak which
was proceeding to the Straits and the Dutch Indies. The were able to be transhipped at
Padang on to a Dutch liner which goes direct to Holland without touching any port east of
Suez. The party included 65 men from the Ragama Camp. The officers were Capt. Van
Hoogstaaten, who took command of the draft on board, Lieut. Keulemans, formerly of
the Staats Artillery and a Mr. Funke, who was one of the leading men among the
prisoners at Diyatalawa. Despite the great deal of trouble the Ragama element gave the
authorities, they embarked very quietly but insisted on flying the Dutch tricolour on the
steam launches which took them on board. There were about 30 other Dutch prisonersof-war
who were sent home by the same circuitous route about 2 months later, in a Dutch
mail boat “Princess Sophie”, which arrived from Amsterdam and left for Batavia.
The imprisoned Dutch Ambulance Staff which was detained and sent to Ceylon for
carrying “war letters”, left direct for Holland in July. Dr. Coster, interviewed on arrival
at the Hague, referred to the rare consideration with which he and his medical colleagues
were treated in Ceylon, and described their ‘parole’ as ‘elastic’. He made special
mention of the full facilities afforded them to use the laboratories and prosecute their
studies.