Koos de la Rey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jacobus Hercules de la Rey
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| Nickname(s) | Koos Leeu van die Wes Transvaal |
| Born | 22 October 1847 Winburg, Orange River Sovereignty |
| Died | 15 September 1914 (aged 66) Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Allegiance |  Orange Free State South African Republic Union of South Africa |
| Rank | General |
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| Spouse(s) | Jacoba Elizabeth (Nonnie) Greeff |
| Children | 12 biological 6 fostered |
| Other work | Member of the Transvaal Parliament, Delegate to National Convention, Senator |
Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey (born 22 October 1847 – died 15 September 1914) was a famous South African soldier. He was a general for the Boers during the Second Boer War. People often called him Koos de la Rey. He also worked in politics and strongly believed the Boers should be independent.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Koos de la Rey was born on Doornfontein Farm in the Winburg area. His parents were Adrianus Johannes Gijsbertus de la Rey and Adriana Wilhelmina van Rooyen. His family had roots from French Huguenots, Spanish, and Dutch people.
After the Battle of Boomplaats, the British took his family's farm. So, they moved to the Transvaal and settled in Lichtenburg. Koos did not get much formal schooling as a child.
Later, his family moved to Kimberley when diamonds were found there. As a young man, Koos de la Rey worked as a transport rider. He moved goods along the routes that served the diamond mines.
Marriage and Home Life
De la Rey married Jacoba Elizabeth Greeff, who was known as Nonnie. They lived on Manana, which was the Greeff family farm. Nonnie's father, Hendrik Adriaan Greeff, had founded Lichtenburg.
Later, De la Rey bought his own farm called Elandsfontein. He and Nonnie had twelve children of their own. They also looked after six other children whose parents had passed away. De la Rey was a very religious man. He often carried a small pocket Bible with him.
Military Service and Politics
De la Rey fought in the Basotho War in 1865. He also fought in Sekhukhune's War in 1876. He was not very active in the First Boer War. However, he took over the Potchefstroom siege in 1880–1881 when Piet Cronjé became ill.
He was chosen as the commandant of the Lichtenburg district. In 1883, he became a member of the Transvaal Volksraad (parliament). He supported General Piet Joubert's group, which wanted progress. De la Rey disagreed with Paul Kruger's rules against the uitlanders. These were foreigners who came to the Transvaal for the gold rush. De la Rey warned that these rules would lead to war with Britain.
The Second Boer War
When the Second Boer War began, De la Rey became one of Piet Cronjé's generals.
First Shots at Kraaipan
De la Rey led an attack that started the war at Kraaipan. They attacked a British armored train heading to Mafeking. The train was derailed. After a five-hour fight, the British soldiers gave up. This event made De la Rey famous. However, it also caused more problems with Cronjé, who was very cautious. Cronjé sent De la Rey to stop British forces trying to help during the Siege of Kimberley.
Battles at Graspan and Modder River
British forces, led by Lord Methuen, were trying to relieve the siege of Kimberley. They moved by train to Belmont station. There, they faced a small group of Boers. The British attacked and forced the Boers to retreat to Graspan.
At the Modder River, De la Rey used a new tactic. Instead of fighting from hills, he had his men dig trenches along the riverbanks. This was the first time trench warfare was used in the war. The plan was to wait until the British were very close before firing. This would make it hard for the British artillery to hit them.
The British advanced, and the Boers opened fire. The British troops took cover, and their artillery shelled the Boer trenches. The British pushed the Boers back. De la Rey led a counter-attack, which helped the Boers hold their ground until dark. Then, they quietly left. De la Rey was hurt in this battle, and his son Adriaan was killed. He blamed Cronjé for not sending help.
Victory at Magersfontein
After the Modder River battle, De la Rey had his men dig trenches at the base of Magersfontein hill. This was a very unusual tactic. On December 10, the British heavily shelled the hill, but it had no effect on the hidden Boers.
The next day, British soldiers advanced in close lines before dawn. They accidentally set off alarms, and the Boers opened fire. The British were stuck for nine hours, taking heavy losses. They finally broke and retreated. This battle was a big defeat for the British.
Boer Defeat and Guerrilla War
Despite the victory at Magersfontein, the British brought in many more soldiers. They slowly started to win. At Paardeberg in February 1900, Cronjé and his army were trapped and surrendered. Bloemfontein was taken in March, and Pretoria in June. Paul Kruger, the Boer leader, fled.
Only a small group of Boers wanted to keep fighting. De la Rey, Louis Botha, and other commanders met. They decided to start a new strategy: guerrilla war. This meant fighting in small, mobile groups.
For the next two years, De la Rey led a mobile campaign in the Western Transvaal. He won battles at places like Moedwil and Nooitgedacht. His forces caused big losses for the British. At Ysterspruit in February 1902, they captured enough supplies to help the Boer forces. At Tweebosch in March 1902, they captured Lord Methuen himself.
De la Rey's men were often hungry and wore ragged clothes. But they moved freely over large areas. They kept tens of thousands of British troops busy. Many believed De la Rey had a special ability to avoid ambushes. This was because a prophet named Siener van Rensburg was with him. De la Rey's commandos, with up to 3,000 men, stayed in the field until the war ended.
Chivalry in War
De la Rey was known for being honorable towards his enemies. For example, at Tweebosch, he captured Lord Methuen and many of his troops. De la Rey sent the captured British troops back to their lines. He did this because he could not feed them. He also released Methuen because Methuen had broken his leg.
Peace and Post-War Life
To defeat the Boer guerrillas, the British used a harsh policy. They destroyed Boer farms and put Boer civilians in concentration camps. Many people died in these camps due to sickness and bad conditions. These tactics slowly made the remaining Boer fighters want peace.
Peace talks began, and De la Rey took part. He strongly urged for peace. The Treaty of Vereeniging was signed on May 31, 1902. De la Rey and General Botha visited England and the United States later that year. The Boers were promised self-government later. They also received money to help rebuild. In return, they accepted that Edward VII was their ruler.
After the war, De la Rey traveled to Europe with Louis Botha and Christiaan de Wet. They raised money for the Boers whose families and farms had been destroyed. In 1903, he went to India and Ceylon. He convinced Boer prisoners of war there to return to South Africa. Finally, he went back to his own farm with his family. His wife, Jacoba, wrote a book about her experiences during the war.
Political Career and Death
In 1907, De la Rey was elected to the Transvaal Parliament. He was also a delegate to the National Convention. This meeting led to the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. He became a Senator and supported Louis Botha, the first Prime Minister. Botha wanted to unite Boers and British people.
In 1914, serious violence broke out when white miners clashed with police. De la Rey commanded the government forces, and the strikes were stopped.
Opposition to World War I
When World War I started, Louis Botha agreed to send troops to take over the German colony of South West Africa (now Namibia). Many Boers did not want to fight for Britain against Germany. Many also had German family roots. They looked to De la Rey for leadership. In Parliament, he said South Africa should stay neutral. He was against war unless South Africa was attacked. However, Botha and Jan Smuts convinced him not to cause trouble among the Boers.
The prophet Siener van Rensburg had visions. He saw the world at war and the end of the British Empire. On August 2, he described a dream. He saw General De la Rey returning home in a carriage with flowers, without a hat. A black cloud with the number 15 on it poured down blood. Boers thought this meant De la Rey would win. But van Rensburg believed it warned of death.
His Death
On September 15, 1914, Christian Frederick Beyers, a general and old friend of De la Rey, resigned from his job. He sent his car to fetch De la Rey from Johannesburg. They wanted to talk. The two generals then drove towards Potchefstroom military camp. General JCG Kemp had also resigned there.
They met several police roadblocks but did not stop. These roadblocks were actually set up to catch the Foster gang, a group of criminals. At Langlaagte, the police fired at their speeding car. A bullet hit De la Rey in the back, and he died. His last words were dit is raak (meaning 'It hit'). He returned to his Lichtenburg farm, just as van Rensburg's dream had seemed to predict.
Many Boers believed he was purposely killed. Others could not believe he would have joined a rebellion after promising peace. Soon after De la Rey's funeral, the Maritz rebellion broke out. Some Boer veterans took up arms again. But most of the army stayed loyal, and the rebellion was quickly stopped.
De la Rey was buried in the Lichtenburg graveyard. A bronze statue by Fanie Eloff marks his grave. His home on Elandsfontein was destroyed during the Boer War but was rebuilt in 1902. The Voortrekkers youth group placed a small memorial on his farm. There is also a statue of De la Rey on a horse in Lichtenburg's town square.
Images for kids
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Equestrian statue of De la Rey in Lichtenburg
See also
- Regiment de la Rey
