eGGSA Graves - Eastern Cape

Cemetery information:- 'From the earliest British administration, fortifications were planned. Colonel Graham instituted a series of frontier posts from which patrols could guard the drifts across the Fish River. They were first manned by burghers (civilians) from George and Swellendam, and later by troops. These posts were either rehabilitated farmhouses of wattle and daub, or stone-built shelters enclosed by primitive earthen redoubts. Van Aardt’s Post, near the present Longhope siding, was the furthest north and was the recognised crossing place for communication between the colonialists and the Xhosa. Three other posts were the abandoned farm of Conraad Buys; Kranz Drift near the present Pigot Bridge, and Old Kaffir Drift Post, which was later called Cawood’s Post. This was about an hour’s ride from Upper Kaffir Drift Post, established about two years later on the heights overlooking the actual drift, and is not to be confused with Lower Kaffir Drift, about 3 km further down the Fish River and about 13 km from the mouth. (Source: Strategic Military Colonisation - Robson & Oranje)

Photographs by Beverly Young & Robert Speirs/Peter Moll

Album complete. eGGSA captions by: Annel Meyer, Cecile Schlebusch.

The GGSA Cemetery DVD only has information on the cemetery location. Cemetery ID: 5883 Google Earth Cemetery Initiative Information:- GPSID: 7050 GPS: Approximately -33 24.835, 26 55.743

There are 21 graves without inscriptions except for the words “Unknown soldier of the British Forces,” examples of two are shown. Just one grave has an inscription that identifies the person buried there. (Rob Speirs)