https://www.facebook.com/bleskopmemorial/?ref=bookmarks
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
For The Greater Glory Of God
In Memory of the Men from this Valley who gave their lives in the Great War 1914- 1919
R.I.P
This WW1 Memorial commemorates the sacrifice of just 10 men from the Valley of Groot Drakenstein, Simondium, Wellington, Plasir De Merle, Pickstone Farms and Erin Vale. It is not known why only these 10 are on the memorial but it is believed that the Gray Family (who owned Plasir De Merle from 1943) were very much involved in the the memorial and we know that it was built by J. A. Clift of Paarl sometime in the 1920’s. It is also believed that there are strong links with Groot Drakenstein Games Club.
So far I have been able to identify 6 of the names on the Memorial with a level of certainty:
2nd. Lieutenant Basil George Hope Maclear MC, Grenadier Guards
2nd. Lieutenant Eric Percy Johnstone Touche, 1st. South African Infantry, Essex Regt, RAF
Gunner Stephen Geffrey Dahse, South African Field Artillery
Rifleman Kingsley Louis Strangman, Kings Royal Rifle Corps (Rhodesian Platoon).
Full details of the above are on this site.
I am struggling to identify the final 4, there are ones who could be them but with no clear link to South Africa there is no way of being certain:
R G S Wiltshire
P Turner
T Parsons
G Prichard
It is possible, as with A J Thrift, that the initials may not be correct on the Memorial.
It is known that the Memorial, see older photos, stood on higher ground than it does today. The Road was rebuilt in the 1960’s and in the 1980’s the Memorial was taken down and refurbished (possibly for WW1 70th. Anniversary).
Nicholas Browse Gray with his son, Douglas Wagner Gray and his Daughter Anna Sybella Louise Schelpe. This photo is from the Decker Collection which is maintained by the Paarl Heemkring – a local historical society.
This picture hangs in the Manor House at Bien Donne: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/facility/bien-donn%C3%A9-manor-house