“MADE THE BOER A FRIEND"

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 254, 27 October 1939, Page 7

“MADE THE BOER A FRIEND"

BRITAIN’S COLONISATION PROOF OF IT IN CAREER OF COLONEL DENYS REITZ Writing in the Evening Post, Sir Hubert Ostler, who is well known in Wanganui as a Supreme Court Judge and has often visited South Africa, gives an interesting account of the life of Colonel Denys Rci'z. the South African Minister, who has arrived Io confer with Britain in London. His father was President of the Orange Free State, then Chief Justice of its Supreme Court, and shortly before the Boer War he became one of the State secretaries in Kruger's Transvaal Government, Sir Hubert has written. When the war broke out in 1899, Denys Reitz was only seventeen years of age, but he and his three brothers immediately joined the Boer forces and fought against the British throughout the war. During this period he kept a diary, and some six or seven years ago he wrote a book from it which he called “Commando,” one of the best books of adventure that I have ever read, packed full of exciting incidents on every page. After the Peace of Vereenigmg his father, although he signed the Peace Treaty, refused to take the oath of allegiance to the British Crown, and preferred to live under some other Hag. Denys had no bitterness against the British and was quite ready V: take the oath of allegiance, but felt that to do so would be to let down his father, and so the whole family settled in Madagascar, In that feverstricken country Denys and hl: brothers struggled for some years tc make a living as transport riders When self-government was granted tc South Africa, Mrs. Smuts wrote anc persuaded the family to return anc help her husband build up a new nation by a fusion of the British anc Dutch races. The family accepted Ihe invitation, and have been loyal to thal ideal ever since. Denys’ father died in 1935, while . was in Africa, and I he newspapers reflected the universal esteem in whicl he was held by the best element: among both the British and the Boei races. Campaigning in Africa Denys Reitz studied law, and became a solicitor ana was practisiu; at Heilbron when the Great War be gan in 1914. He bad earned the re spect of the Boer farmers in his dis trict, but when Hie war broke ou he discovered that almost to a mat they were in favour of rebelliffi against the Government and settill; up an independent republic. He tin his best to counteract this feeling, bu it was too strong for him, and hi linally escaped from Heilbron lymi Hat on his galloping horse wbil bullets from the rifles of his bes clients whistled around his ears. H joined the forces raised by Botha am Smuts and took part in the mililaioperation which put down the rebel lion. He then joined the forces whicl were dispatched for the conquest o German South-west Africa. Al've lighting through that campaign, h then joined the Dutch forces whic were taken up to East Africa wbe Smuts was appointed to command th forces in the East African campaigr He gave distinguished servic throughout I hat difficult campaigr and when it looked as though vo Lettow-Worbeck had been linally de feated »nd the Boer troops were sen back to South Africa, still not havin had enough of lighting, he rushed o: to London to enlist. In t.he Ea; African campaign he had held t’l rank of colonel, but without lakin any advantage of this he enlisted '■ a private. “Too Good to YVoste'* I He had been accepted a* a prival' when, walking along the Strand, h met General Botha, who asked hii what he was doing in London. Upo . being told that he had just enlistei General Botha said that he would ni allow so good a man to be wasted c a private, and he at once saw th ■ authorities at the War Ollier. 31 result was thal Denys Reitz was give a commission of lieutenant-colonel i the British Army in France and give command of a Scottish battalion. I: : at once took up his duties, and lougl : for nearly two years in the front lin ■■ being wounded twice, and being mei tinned a number of times in dispatchi for his distinguished services. He wi a born scout, and he never let h regiment attack without first persoi ally reconnoitring the ground. I-i used to spend hours crawling out : No Man’s Land getting an accural picture in his mind of what 1 wished his battalion to do. He w; adored by the whole of the office and men in his battalion. He h: written another book giving an a I count of his fighting, called "Trekkir On,” which can also be procured New Zealand. He tells his story vei 1 modestly, but it is the story of ' hero. 1 An English Wife 1 He married an Englishwoman pi both he and his wife became mer - bers of Parliament in South Alric i He became a Minister in the Hertzo. - Smuts Coalition Government and h. I been a Minister ever since. I > acknowledges Smuts, however, as h 1 leader, and never had any sympatl with the views of General Hertzo He has striven manfully to heal ti differences between Briton and Bee «nd to make one race of South Aft cans, loyal to the Empire. 1 saw great deal of him when in Sou Africa in 1935, and thought him 11 finest man I met in that country. Mrs. Denys Reitz is a member f< oe of the Johannesburg constitue: cies, which is overwhelmingly Britii in sentiment. Denys Reitz is a men r ber for a country constituency in tl e Transvaal, composed mostly of - farmers. I sat in Parliament oi ' afternoon and heard Colonel Rei J make a speech in defence of a trai agreement which he had recent s made with Southern Rhodesia. Tl - agreement had been attacked by L 1 Malan, the leader of irreconeilab s Boors, as being injurious to the Boi farmers who were growing tobacc - Dr. Malan had spoken in the taal, bi 3 Denys Reitz replied in English ai -vigorously castigated the parochi » outlook of his opponent. It can be said confidently that tl - interests of the Empire are sate t the hands of such a man, and that t! s assistance of the party which he re j resents will not be confined to me: lip loyalty.