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Old 20-01-24, 02:43 PM
Andy-Buchanan's Avatar
Andy-Buchanan Andy-Buchanan is offline
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Default 2nd South African Infantry Delville Wood Naudes Scouts - Pte Vlok

I thought i would upload load this photo, which i researched, turned out to be very interesting, as he received 2 of the highest awards

I bought it from someone in the States, and is an origianl press photograph, with all the stamps,

Note in the photo his right arm is in a sling, where he was shot at Delville Wood

His name is Nicolas Johannes Vlok, and was 2nd in command of Naudes Scouts, see link, makes some interesting reading, it even mentions his funeral in this article, clearly a man that carried alot of weight in his community

http://issuu.com/hennieheymans/docs/...a_naude_jj_maj


I went as far to get his service records from the Archives in Pretoria, and after getting service records for hundreds of medals, this was by far the biggest file and in depth information i have ever come across,

Nicholaas Johannes Vlok was born in Calvinia in the Eastern Cape 1877 and was a Descendant of an Admiral
And later in life became a farmer and also working on the mines in the Orange Free State
He was married with 4 children and he fought during the boer war.

During the Boer war he fought against the British in the capacity as a "Veldkornet" field-cornet, which later resulted in him being awarded the Dekoratie for Trouwe Dienst for his Boer war service "D.T.D Medal the highest award bestowed upon a Boer soldier*

During WW1 when the call to arms came he enlisted with the famous "Naudes Scouts" and was 2nd in Command of this specialised unit of 50 men hand selected spies by Jacobus Naude, below is a link in great detail about this unit, and another photo of Vlok is shown here it says he was a Captain and 2nd in Command, of this unit, serving in the German South West Africa Campaign,

After being demobilised 28th February 1915 he then later reattested on the 10th August 1915 with the 2nd South African Infantry Brigade as a Private for the expeditionary force and was off to England arriving on the 4th October 1915, he then qualified as a brigade sniper, they were then sent to Egypt to squash the Senussi Rebellion, he is well documented in books about this campaign.

It was here where he was mentioned twice in dispatches by the Commander in Chief for operations in Egypt on the 16th of March 2016 for evacuating Lieutenant Tatham while under enemy fire. and was awarded the distinguished conduct medal D.C.M

He then went to France and fought in the famous battle of Delville wood and was shot in his right arm and leg on the 15th July 2016, he is on the Delville wood roll call, also i have an extract, and another photo of himself from a book that was written in the 20s,

Also in his military file is alot of letters between commanding officers, basically saying they bneed to treat his disability case with kid gloves, due to the area he resides in, and has not to upset anyone they way he is being treated, truly an amazing photo and story behind this man
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File Type: jpg VLOK1.jpg (59.2 KB, 25 views)
File Type: jpg VK.jpg (41.9 KB, 20 views)
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Old 21-01-24, 07:36 AM
Alex Rice Alex Rice is offline
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Amazing story, thanks.
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