Boer War Norval's Pont

[Ross Debenham]

Attached is 2 scans of a cover I picked up locally a few years ago. It is post marked with Army FPO marker with asterix. The stamps are also post marked with "straight line" Norval's Pont in mauve. The questions are is this "Norval's Pont" straight line stamp normally used in conjunction with the Army FPO from Norval's Pont. Secondly, as the cover is addressed to a solicitor in Sydney, would this cover be from Australian colonial troops who I believe were in the Norval's Pont area at this time of the war.

[Jim Mackay]

There was a Concentration Camp at Norval's Point, one of several for civilians held in very poor conditions. Perhaps the cover has some association with that.

[Peter Harvey]

Hi Ross,

This is straight from Wikipedia - In 1900 the 1st SAMR (South Australian Mounted Rifles) joined the 2nd Battalion of the Berkshire Regiment after the retreat to Arundel, and participated in the repulse of a Boer attack on 20 February, followed by sustained engagements through the next eight days, during which it lost a trooper killed on 21 February. During the advance of Clements' Column from Arundel beginning on 28 February, the squadron was again in the rearguard. It was sent to the front on 8 March when preparations for crossing the Orange River at Norval's Pont began, and engaged Boer troops until the column crossed on 15 March. The squadron participated in the subsequent march to Bloemfontein as part of the column of the Inniskilling Dragoons under Major Dauncey, on the right of Clements' force. The first and second contingents united at Bloemfontein to form the SAMR.

So there is every chance this was from an Australian and the Australian Army.

Peter

[Ross Debenham]

Thanks gentlemen