Wolraad Woltemade facts for kids

Wolraad Woltemade (born around 1708 – died June 1, 1773) was a brave dairy farmer from the Cape Dutch area. He is remembered for a heroic act: he died while saving sailors from a shipwreck. The ship, called De Jonge Thomas, crashed in Table Bay on June 1, 1773. A Swedish scientist named Carl Peter Thunberg was in South Africa then. He worked as a doctor for the Dutch East India Company and shared Woltemade's story.

Who Was Wolraad Woltemade?

Woltemade was born in Schaumburg. This area is now part of northwestern Germany. He moved to Cape Town (Kaapstad), a Dutch settlement. There, he worked for the Dutch East India Company. He was a soldier first. Later, he looked after the company's animals or worked as a dairyman. Many early European colonies were started by companies. They were not always started directly by governments.

The Shipwreck of De Jonge Thomas

On the morning of June 1, 1773, a big storm hit Table Bay. It was the start of winter in the southern part of the world. A sailing ship named De Jonge Thomas was pushed onto a sand bar. This happened near the mouth of the Salt River. Many people died as the ship broke apart. But many survivors were still holding onto the ship's hull.

The ship was not far from land. Many sailors tried to swim to shore. Most of them did not make it. The water was very cold. Also, the current from the nearby Salt River was too strong. Most swimmers were pulled out to sea. Only the very strongest could reach the shore.

A crowd of people gathered on the beach. Some came to watch the disaster. Others wanted to help. Some even hoped to steal cargo washing ashore. Soldiers were there to keep order among the crowd. Wolraad's youngest son, Christian Ludwig Woltemade, was one of these soldiers. As daylight came, Wolraad left his home, Klein Zoar. He rode his horse, Vonk, to bring food to his son.

A Heroic Rescue

When Woltemade reached the beach, he felt very sad for the sailors. They were stuck on the broken ship. He saw that people on the beach could not help. So, he got on his horse, Vonk. He rode the horse into the rough sea.

As they got close to the wreck, Woltemade turned the horse around. He called for two men to jump into the water. He told them to grab the horse's tail. After a short pause, two men jumped in. They held onto the horse. Woltemade then urged Vonk forward. The horse pulled the two men safely to shore.

Woltemade rode out seven times. Each time, he brought back two men. In total, he saved fourteen sailors. By this time, both he and his horse were very tired. As they rested, the ship began to fall apart even more. Woltemade decided to go one more time. He urged his horse back into the water.

But now, the sailors were desperate. They saw this as their last chance to escape. Six men jumped into the sea at once. They all grabbed onto the horse. This was too much weight for the tired horse. All of them, including Woltemade and Vonk, were pulled under the waves. They all drowned.

Woltemade's body was found the next day. His brave horse, Vonk, was never found. Out of 191 people on the ship, only 53 survived. Woltemade saved 14 of them.

Remembering Wolraad Woltemade

Statue of Wolraad Woltemade at Old Mutual Headquarters in Pinelands, South Africa.

Woltemade was not seen as a hero right away. The ship's captain, van Lammeren, got a big funeral. But Woltemade did not. Some people thought he was foolish for losing his life. In the first report to Holland, his name was not even mentioned. The report focused on 18 boxes of money that were saved. This gold was why the ship was in Table Bay. Moving it by land was too risky.

However, Karl Thunberg, who saw the rescue, did not forget Woltemade. Neither did Anders Sparrman, who wrote a famous book about his travels. The Dutch East India Company eventually helped Woltemade's family. But it took a few years and public demand.

The company later named a ship Held Woldemade after him. A railway station in Cape Town is also named after him. In 1939, the Union of South Africa King's Medal for Bravery was created. It showed Woltemade's heroic act. In 1970, the Woltemade Decoration for Bravery became South Africa's highest award for civilian bravery. This was replaced in 1988 by the Woltemade Cross for Bravery. The Woltemade Cross was stopped in 2002. This happened as South Africa created a new system of honors.

One of the most powerful salvage tugs in the world was built in 1976. It was named the S.A. Wolraad Woltemade.

Images for kids

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  Klein Zoar is said to have been Woltemade's house.

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  Heroic death of Woltemade at the Cape of Good Hope, 1773

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  Heroic death of Woltemade at the Cape of Good Hope, 1773