THE SWISS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA 1652-1970 - swissroots-za.ch

Dutch army. His grandson served as Aide-de-Camp to General Janssens, Governor of
the Cape 1803-1806.
On average 13 000 Swiss served at any one time in Swiss regiments in the
Netherlands. Assuming each gave nine years service, then over 103 years from 1693 to
1795, 150 000 Swiss served in Swiss regiments in the Netherlands. In comparison the
estimated 16 000 who served the VOC in its overseas territories, is very small. Swiss
also emigrated to the Nerherlands to seek employment in the private sector. An example
is Stucki, a bookkeeper of Obermeil ZH, who settled in Utrecht. Two of his grandsons
emigrated to South Africa, where one distinguished himself as a pioneer in the field of
education.
WHAT WERE THE ATTRACTIONS OF EMPLOYMENT BY THE VOC?
Adventure: the chance of travelling to far away, exotic spice islands.
Security: Permanent employment for a contract period of five years plus the travelling
time. The contract could, on completion, be extended at increased pay. The pay could
either be accumulated or transmitted home to support the family left behind.
Good pay: Initially men were engaged as common soldiers on a monthly salary of nine
florins (raised to fl 11 in the latter part of the eighteenth century) plus rations. However,
there was the possibility of advancing to a better paid job. A carpenter or mason
received fl 14 and a sergeant fl 18.
/ 1 Rial: Die Schweizerischen Regimenter in den Niederlanden; 2 Albach: Die
Schweizer Regimenter in holländischen Diensten.
Various tables were compiled to facilitate the examination of the numbers of Swiss
brought to the Cape by the VOC, their origins and, in broad outline, their achievements.
Table 4 (p. 14) shows the number of Swiss recorded at the Cape, their Canton of origin
and the date of arrival. In the 143 years from 1652 to 1795 a total of 453 Swiss were
recorded, not including the members of the Swiss Regiment Meuron brought to the
Cape in 1783. Had no Muster Rolls had been missing, the total might well have
exceeded 470. Canton Berne which then included the Cantons of Vaud, Aargau and
Jura, supplied the major portion of mercenaries for the Swiss regiments in Dutch
service, and has the strongest representation amongst the Company servants, making up
36,8%. Notable is the small but steady influx of men from Basel, while in proportion to
its population, the largest number of men probably came from Appenzell. Few came
from the catholic cantons. Overall the numbers show a growing tendency, the
fluctuations peaking when the Cape was under threat of attack from the French during
the War of Spanish Succession 1701-1714 and the War of Austrian Succession 1740-
1748, and from the English during the American War of Independence 1776-1781.
Table 5 (p. 16) analyses the activities of the Swiss stationed at the Cape. It shows that of
the 453 Swiss recorded on Table 4 (p. 14), eighty were sick men left behind to recover
before resuming their voyage to the East on other ships. Of the remaining 373, thirteen
arrived as free settlers and 360 were stationed here as Company servants.
Table 6 (p. 18) tabulates the Swiss according to the highest position attained at the
Cape.
HOW LARGE WAS THE PROPORTION OF SWISS IN THE COMPANY’S WORKFORCE?
In Tabe 7 the number of Swiss at the Cape was determined every tenth year and
compared with the total for all Company servants on that year’s Muster Roll. The
weighted average works out to 1,6%. The Swiss thus formed one sixtieth of the
Company’s workforce at the Cape. Using this figure some interesting guesstimates can
be made. If the Swiss made up one sixtieth of the one million company servants
transported overseas then 16 000 Swiss served in the Company’s overseas stations, of
whom only 30% or 4 800 returned to Switzerland.
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