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Archiver > BOER-WAR > 2000-04 > 0956084189


From: "Marthie Bredenkamp" <>
Subject: [BOER-WAR] FW: military records
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2000 20:56:29 +0200


Hello
Is it possible to help Leo
Marthie

-----Original Message-----
From: Leo Rampen [mailto:]
Sent: 18 April 2000 12:38
To: Marthie Bredenkamp
Subject: military records

Hello Marthie,

Thank you for responding so promptly. That was most kind of you.
My ggggrandfather was an oficer in the Dutch colonial cavalry and I am
looking for aspects of his voyage to Java. The story may be somewhat
complicated so please bear with me.

In the last months of 1802 and possibly as late as January 1803 a
shipload ( maybe even several ) of men were sent from Europe to Java.
They may have come from La Rochelle in France. The Netherlands were
closely linked with France at the time. The men may have come from the
Austrian armies, defeated shortly before by the French in the southern
Netherlands. Their names are German, Slavic and Hungarian mostly. They
may have stopped over at the Cape and the records of the Harbour master
might indicate the ships, their cargo and their provenance. If these
were troops I imagine that they were taken on shore while the ships were
prepared for the ongoing sailing to Java. So there might me records of
military nature showing the lodging of these troops and possibly even a
list of names.

My ancestor's name has come down to us as Leopold Weijnschenk ( his name
written also as Weinschenk and Wijnschenk ). He is noted in military
records as a lieutenant in the dragonders. Until now I have never found
a record of his arrival, though recently I found a letter ( of Jan. 1803
) to a commander in central Java which list a troop of about a hundred
men, all with names of central European origin, among which there is a
Leopold Weinhengst - a sergeant. This Leopold is the only other Leopold
I have found in the Dutch records of the time. It may have been that the
name of my Leopold was badly copied from an Austrian document originally
written in old German script.

So, would you please see if there is a record of ships ( French or Dutch
ones) with troops ( from La Rochelle maybe ) and if there is a list of
these men, either on board or as they were assigned quarters at the Cape
( maybe among the records of the garrison, or of the commander of the
fort ). The period would be November Decembr 1802 and maybe January
1803. Would you see if there is a mention of a Leopold Weinschenk or
Weinhengst. It would be a great wonderful help !

Many, many thanks in advance.

Leo Rampen

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