Welcome to all those who have joined the list since I last wrote.

It is some time since I last sent a message so, first of all, to update you on the database. For some months I have been entering the data for Standerton camp. The first volume, DBC 96, is complete and I have almost finished DBC 95 which, despite the numbering, is a departures register. There are still two remaining registers. DBC 97 appears to be a register of returning prisoners- of-war which, in conformity with our existing policy, I will not enter until the entries up to 31 May 1902 are complete. I am hoping that the final register, DBC 98, is a duplicate of earlier registers.

Books on the camps continue to appear. One of the most recent is a volume by Trudie Venter on Bethulie camp. It is entitled Bethulie en die Anglo-Boereoorlog (Bethulie, The Author, 2011). The author lives in Bethulie and knows the area well, so her book contains the kind of intimate detail which only an insider can produce. For instance, she has details on the farms and their inhabitants which greatly enrich our understanding of the area.

Although the book is about the war as a whole, there is a substantial section on the camp, which is one of the most significant. There is a much more information than I could include on this website and, for anyone who is interested in Bethulie, the book is well worth reading. It can be obtained from the author and, if anyone is interested, I will send details.

I feel that the time has come for this website to be opened up for wider participation and exchange. I have approached our web manager about this but it may take a little time for something to materialise.

Elizabeth van Heyningen
27 September 2012