Poultney Family History
The
following set of articles appeared in The Old Edwardian magazine in
August, October and December 1989. Old Edwardians are the old boys of King
Edward VII School in Johannesburg. William Henry Poultney was my
great-grandfather and Gordon was my grandfather. Both my father – Harold – and
my brother – David – attended KES.
Unfortunately there is no record of the name of the editor to acknowledge for
this reproduction. Gordon Keith Poultney
WILLIAM HENRY POULTNEY - FIRST CHAIRMAN OF THE SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY
1907-1912
For as long as most Old Boys can remember two large portraits have hung in the
School Hall. Originally they were at the back of the stage in the School Hall,
but when the School received a large full-length picture of King Edward VII from
the
Pietermaritzburg
Museum in 1978, the two portraits were moved to the back wall of the Hall above
the gallery. The one portrait is of Harry Hofmeyr, first appointed to the
Governing Body in 1907, becoming Chairman in 1912 and remaining Chairman for
almost twenty-five years until his death. In his will Mr Hofmeyr left a Trust,
the income on which was paid to his widow, and after her death the capital sum
was paid over to the School and formed the basis of the Harry Hofmeyr Bursary
Trust which to this day provides bursaries for matriculants to enable them to go
to University. The other portrait is of W.H. Poultney, First Chairman of our
Governing Body. We knew little about the Poultneys, however, until recently,
apart from the fact that W.H. Poultney's three sons attended the School.
THE POULTNEY STORY
It took me a while longer to complete my research but that is now complete and
in this and in succeeding issues the full story will be told of a truly
remarkable family so closely associated with important events in the history of
our country from the late 19th century until the period following the First
World War.
This story is compiled from Thelma Gutsche's history of the Witwatersrand
Agricultural Society "A Very Smart Medal" and Dora Ortlepp Poultney's
autobiography "Dawn to Dusk" published in 1936. As mentioned in the first
article permission has been obtained from the copyright holders to quote from
these two works, and I am also indebted to Mrs Rosemary Dowdle (nee Poultney)
for the two photographs which she made available to me – one of her grandfather
in the last days of the Free State Republic, and the other of her grandmother
and aunt when they were presented to King George V and Queen Mary at Buckingham
Palace before the First World War.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Dora begins her autobiography in the early 1850s with a story about her
mother-in-law Elizabeth Sephton who was then 18 years of age. Elizabeth's father
was a missionary and she grew up and had her early education at mission schools.
She spoke several native languages fluently. That year she loaded up a wagon
with trade goods (probably blankets and pots, although this is not mentioned)
and went to trade with the "cannibals" who lived among the Basuto high in the
Drakensberg - the Mountain of the Dragons. Her escort consisted only of two
native drivers and her fifteen year old brother. "It was apparent that the
natives she visited had never seen a white woman before. They swarm eagerly
around their beautiful visitor, touching her clothes and shoes, showing their
amazement by dancing around her in a circle and chanting. They thought she was a
goddess from on high!" The trip was financially successful, but she was never
allowed to go on another one.
She was not only talented, but a good handywoman and a keen gardener. Two days
before he was killed in the Battle of Thaba Bosigo the great Boer leader Louw
Wepener had breakfast with her and in the war Elizabeth nursed the wounded and
the sick as she did for her family and neighbours in later years. Three or four
years later Elizabeth used the money she had earned .to finish her schooling in
Grahamstown, then stayed on for another two years as a teacher. During this time
she had several proposals of marriage but she turned them down, and on her
return home to New England in the North-Eastern Cape, she married Tom Poultney,
the oldest son of James Poultney who had come out from Britain about the time of
the 1820 settlers (whether he was one of the settlers or not is not mentioned).
At the time our story begins James Poultney was a farmer and although they had
many horses, sheep and cattle, the family lived in a large cave on the farm
Eagle's Crag. "On the bitterly cold winter nights when snow lay up to six feet
deep in the drifts, the Poultney family's livestock shared the huge cave with
them! Their simple food was cooked on open fires made of wood and cowdung, and
the comforts and refinements of civilization they did not have at all. Most of
their footwear was made of skins of animals, tanned In huge leather troughs,
using the bark of certain wild bushes in the process. Soap was made of boiling
sheep's fat with another variety of wild bush and jam of such things as wild
berries and pumpkin. The wool shorn from their sheep was taken by oxwagon to
Aliwal North - about one-hundred miles away. "Tom was unfortunately a rolling
stone. He would work a farm for a few years and then sell up and move on. Each
time they moved
Elizabeth
would repair the buildings and layout vegetable and flower gardens. Eight
children were born of this marriage of whom Willie (the W.H. of our story) was
the oldest. Up to age of thirteen Willie's education was partly at Aliwal North
and partly at the mission school run by his missionary uncle, a Mr Giddy. He not
only learned to read and write well, but also learned several native languages
which he spoke as fluently as English.
In 1873 Tom and Elizabeth loaded up their worldly possessions in their great
tented wagon and set off for the
Transvaal
with their children and their livestock. The six hundred miles journey took
three months until they arrived in the Groot Marico district, but they only
stayed there a short while and then moved across to Zeerust where they acquired
a farm. Elizabeth put down her foot - she was not going to move again, and that
farm is to this day still in the possession of the Poultney family.
The farm was very fertile and Tom and Willie laboured for fourteen hours a day
to clear the land, plough and plant maize, much to the amusement of their Boer
neighbours who only planted enough for their own needs. That summer was a good
one and they reaped a good harvest. The only market place was Kimberley - two
hundred miles away. The only trouble was that every farmer had a good crop and
by the time they reached Kimberley there was a complete glut, so that in the end
they had to sell their maize for a mere song and returned home poorer but wiser.
Most of the money they had brought with them from New England was now gone and
they had a hard struggle rearing and selling cattle.
BACK
TO TOP
WILLIE BECOMES A MAN
One night after spending a tiring day trying to get their wagon out of the mud,
Tom and Willie lay down under the wagon after a frugal meal of dried meat and
biscuits, when Tom turned to Willie and said: "Willie, you are fourteen years
old today - you are now a man and must accept the responsibilities of manhood".
This story is really the story of how well Willie did just that. When Willie was
about eighteen he decided to trade with the many native villages in the area. He
loaded the wagon with blankets, pots, beads and other "kaffir truck" and trekked
for weeks from village to village bartering these goods for livestock. Since he
could speak English and Dutch as well as several native languages he got on well
and prospered, using his profits to help his parents bring up their young
family. It was a lonely existence but Willie spent his spare time reading the
Bible and Shakespeare as well as any other good books he could obtain.
Then came the first Anglo-Boer War of 1880/81. Although there was no fighting in
the Western Transvaal, Tom Poultney was so disgusted at the attitude of the
British that in the years after the war he became a loyal subject of the
Transvaal Republic and became an intimate friend of President Paul Kruger. He
served with the Boer forces in the Second Boer War (1899/1901), was seriously
injured when thrown from his horse while on commando, then went to nurse the
sick in a malaria stricken region and in the end succumbed to this dread
disease.
Willie's trading came to an end with the outbreak of the war but he nearly lost
his life on two occasions. On the first occasion he and his father received news
that the Boers were going to round up all the arms owned by the "English"
settlers. Since every farmer had to keep arms, Tom and Willie rode to their
various friends' and neigbours' farms, told them to hide their arms, so that
when the Boers arrived on Christmas morning they found no arms anywhere. They
were infuriated, rounded up the English settlers and took them to the Court
House in Zeerust where they threatened to shoot them if they did not disclose
where they had hidden their weapons. Among those rounded up was a Mr Moffat, a
Native Commissioner, who was a brother-in-law of David Livingstone. He was
ordered to hand over his funds, but he refused, saying that only the Queen of
England could give him instructions. One fiery young Boer raised his rifle and
said: "Dan sal ek jou skiet”. Willie Poultney knocked up the rifle which
discharged harmlessly. Eventually, realising that they could get nothing from
their "prisoners", the Boers let them go and they went home to a very belated
Christmas dinner!
Shortly after that Willie decided to distribute the English newspapers which
were smuggled into the
Transvaal.
It is not clear whether the papers were "The Friend" from Bloemfontein or "The
Diamond Fields Advertiser" from
Kimberley,
but Willie wrapped the papers around his body and rode from farm to farm
distributing them. One day a local Commandant told Willie that orders had been
received to shoot any English who were found distributing these papers and added
"Willie you might just bear this in mind." The Boers were convinced that Willie
was the culprit and they were still incensed at the events of the previous
Christmas. His mother got word that a party of Boers was on its way to "get"
Willie and she begged him to flee. Mounting his horse he went by a round-about
way to Zeerust where he was given shelter and remained in hiding until peace was
declared a few weeks later and he could return home. Most of Tom's horses and
quite a few cattle had been commandeered during the war, but he received no
compensation and after peace was restored there was no money for Willie to
resume his trading. They were times of great depression and the family was
almost penniless.
CIRCUIT COURT INTERPRETER
Then Willie's mother saw an advertisement in the Bloemfontein "Friend" saying
that the High Court of the Free State was looking for an interpreter and she
begged Willie to apply. He rode to Bloemfontein where he knew nobody but he was
interviewed by Judge Reitz, the Chief Judge who was apparently greatly impressed
with this young man who spoke both English and Dutch fluently in addition to
four native languages. He gave him the position, his pay being £800 a year
including travelling expenses. Willie was then about 24, tall (6'0'), good
looking, carried himself well, was a good dancer and became a good cricketer and
tennis player and was also one of the fastest runners in the Free State. He also
had a good voice and sang both solos and in choirs. Throughout his life he never
smoked, drank nor gambled and became very popular with all he met. In the course
of time he became the Honorary Secretary of the Bloemfontein Agricultural
Society and among his friends he counted as his best friend President Steyn and
also General Hertzog and other leading figures of the day.
He travelled around the country with the Circuit Court, the entourage consisting
of two advocates in addition to the Judge and the interpreter. From the outset
Advocate Marthinus Theunis Steyn was one of the advocates and some years later
Advocate Hertzog was also one of them. It was Theunis Steyn who became his best
friend. Dora then tells an amusing story of what happened when the court was
hearing cases in a small town where - in Willie Poultney's opinion - the place
needed "wakening up". That night Willie and Theunis sneaked out of their hotel,
went to the local gaol where they rang the bell which was only rung when a
prisoner had escaped. They scampered off with Willie shouting to his friend
"Run, Theunis, the police are after us". In actual fact there was only one
policeman who lived some distance away and did not even wake up when the bell
tolled. The policeman did not wake up, but the magistrate did for he lived next
door to the gaol, and he was not amused. In accordance with custom on the last
night that the court sat, the local magistrate would lay on a party for the
judge and his party. When Willie arrived the magistrate who suspected him as the
perpetrator of the outrage, said in solemn tones "The bell shall not ring this
night”. To be quite sure that nothing happened, the magistrate had put his
gardener on duty. near the bell. Suddenly the bell tolled and the magistrate
rushed outside to find a terrified gardener who swore that nobody had been near
and that ghosts were responsible. The magistrate told him to fetch the policeman
and told them both to remain awake. An hour later the bell tolled again and this
time the magistrate found the policeman and the gardener huddled together
swearing that nobody had been near the bell. The mystery was solved the next day
- after the Circuit Court personnel had departed. Willie had tied a cord to the
bell and led the cord over the branch of a tree and into the window at the side
of the magistrate's house from where he had rung the bell!
BACK
TO TOP
DORA ORTLEPP
Dora then tells the story of her early life. She was born in Colesberg in the
Cape Province. Her paternal grandfather had been a German missionary and her
mother had been a Miss Roos. As a child she had been sent to stay with
Grandfather Roos who owned a store on the banks of the
Orange River
and he also ran the ferry over the river since there were no bridges at that
time. He had a lucrative business, and Dora relates how, when she was a child
and the
Orange River was in flood scores of wagons and carts with vast numbers of
livestock of every kind would be encamped on both sides of the river waiting to
cross. There was considerable excitement when Sir John Brand, President of the
Free State arrived and had to stay for a few days as the river was in flood.
Then the Government built a bridge across the river some distance away - the
ferry was no longer needed and the people no longer came to the store which was
closed down. Dora's father tried to make money from the Colesberg Kopies Claims
at the time when diamonds had been discovered around Kimberley but the venture
failed and the family moved to the small town of Philippolis. With a family of
nine children, times were very hard and Mrs Ortlepp had a struggle to make ends
meet, taking in boarders, and selling flowers, fruit and vegetables from the
garden.
Primary education was cheap and after Dora had finished there she won a bursary
which enabled her to go to Eunice High School in Bloemfontein for a few years,
passing her lower education certificate - equivalent to the present day Form
III. Then she returned home and taught in Philippolis for the next three years
helping her mother financially as far as possible. Although she only taught the
lower classes she had pupils whose ages ranged from 6 to 17 ! The area was
fairly prosperous and when the Circuit Court arrived twice a year to hear cases,
the town was "en fete" until they left.
Dora writes in her book: "The leading citizens often rode out some distance
along the road to meet and escort the Judge and his retinue into the town and
never shall I forget a certain June morning when Tibbie Fraser (my best friend)
and I stood and watched the gay procession of Cape Carts drawn by beautiful
horses trotting briskly down the main street towards the Court House. Little did
we dream that within a short while I should be married to the handsome new
interpreter and she to his friend sitting beside him, Advocate Marthinus Theunis
Steyn, the future President of the Orange Free State who was destined to
sacrifice his life for his people and to become one of the most revered and
beloved of South Africa's national heroes."
MARRIED LIFE BEFORE SECOND BOER WAR
Dora and Willie were married on his 26th birthday on June 28, 1886, and started
north in his shining Cape Cart drawn by four fine horses. They intended visiting
among other places the
Witwatersrand
gold fields, not yet proclaimed, but as it was merely a rough and ready mining
camp with no hotels, they went instead to see the diamond mines in Kimberley,
then on to Mafeking and so to the family farm for the rest of their honeymoon.
Initially they travelled together with the Circuit Court but then they settled
down in
Bloemfontein
where they lived for the next thirteen years. Their six children were all born
there, but in spite of their growing family they had an active social life and
Dora says she shared in Willie's reflected glory for he was one of the most
popular men in Bloemfontein. The future President of the
Free State
and his wife lived near them and they were constantly together. Next door to
their house lived the Hertzog family when he was Justice Hertzog and the
friendship between the two families lasted the rest of their lives.
Among their other close friends were Sir John Brand who was President of the
Free State for 25 years, President Reitz who succeeded him and who as Judge
Reitz had given Willie the job as interpreter and who many years later became
first President of the Senate of the Union of South Africa in 1910. He was the
father of Colonel Deneys Reitz, politician and author.
Yet another good friend was Chief Justice Melius de Villiers who was said to
have been a greater expert on Roman-Dutch law than his more famous brother, the
first Lord de Villiers. When Willie and Dora's oldest son was five he was taken
by his father on circuit - they were travelling with Justice de Villiers. As
they sat at the camp fire that night the famous judge turned to young Harold and
said: "What are you going to do when you grow up?" Without hesitation the small
boy replied: "Chief, when I grow up I'm going to be Chief Justice, so I wonder
what you'll do then?" "Oh, perhaps you'll let me be our chief clerk, Hallie"
replied the Judge laughingly. It was Willie's greatest hope that his son would
eventually become Chief Justice of South Africa, but as the story later relates
Harold who had had a brilliant scholastic career and who had been called to the
Bar before the outbreak of the First World War, died tragically in 1915.
Among the people they met were President Kruger whom they liked and Cecil Rhodes
whom they did not like. Another was a distant relative Mr Poultney Bieglow, a
well known American author and historian whose father had been American
ambassador to Berlin, and who himself had been a playmate of the last German
Kaiser when they were boys - a friendship that lasted until long after the
Kaiser's exile after the First World War. They met Mark Twain the American
author who tried to recoup his financial losses by going on lecture tours, and
also the founder of the Salvation Army, General Booth. To show the intense
loyalty of the Free Staters to their Republic Dora tells the story of how, when
the announcement was made that the Public Debt was £200 000, they reduced the
salaries of civil servants and increased taxation until the debt was wiped out!
There was not a murmur of protest. How times have changed !!
BACK TO TOP
FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP
In 1893 Willie and Dora went on their first trip overseas. Dora says she does
not know how they scraped together the money but they did - they had three
children at the time and these were left with Willie's parents. Willie was at
that time Grand Master of the Free State Good Templars and a congress was being
held in
America
that year. They sailed from Liverpool in the Majestic, the largest and most
luxurious liner in the world at that time. The First Chicago Exhibition was
opened in June 1893-the first World Fair. The tiny Free State Republic had a
stand at the Exhibition and Willie and Dora were very proud that their country
was represented. Dora writes that they marvelled at the buildings in New York -
the tallest at the time was 22 storeys! Of all the places they visited
Washington impressed them most. The highlight of the visit there was their visit
to the White House where they met President and Mrs Cleveland - she was a very
beautiful woman while he was a strict Prohibitionist and consequently very
interested in learning about the Temperance Conference they had attended. Dora
says that when they visited the Smithsonian Institute they were taken to a room
where Wilbur and Orville Wright were normally working - they were trying to
invent a machine heavier than air and which could fly. Their guide was very
amused at this stupid idea! Dora relates how in about 1909 she met the Wright
brothers in Rome and later saw the plane in which Bleriot made the first flight
across the English Channel. In Des Moines in Iowa they met James Corbett the
world heavyweight boxing champion, while in Chicago they also met Advocate Jaap
de Villiers who ultimately became Chief Justice of the Union and one of their
best friends.
They returned to
London
just in time to see all the festivities associated with the wedding of Prince
George, son of Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, and grandson of Queen Victoria to
Princess Mary of Teck. Little did Dora realize then that twenty years later she
and her one daughter would be presented to King George V and Queen Mary at
Buckingham Palace. There was a night of gala festivities and they saw the great
soprano Albani in "Les Huguenots" at
Convent
Garden. Then Willie became ill and only the brilliant work of Sir Michael Banks,
the leading surgeon, saved his life.
On the way home on the Dunnottar Castle the eighty year old Duchess of Cleveland
sent for them and remarked that her family name was Poultney and she wondered
whether they were related. It turned out that they were, for Willie's
grandfather was one of two brothers who had had a row with their family - one
had been traced to America but James had disappeared - he was Willie's
grandfather. It appeared from subsequent investigations that the original
Poultney had been "de Poultney" who had come over to
England
with William the Conqueror. Another passenger on the ship was Olive Schreiner
whose book "Story of an African Farm" won world acclaim.
After the excitement of the trip they settled down again in Bloemfontein
enjoying the pleasant life there. The next exciting event was the election of
their great friend Marthinus Theunis Steyn as President of the Free State in
1896. Dora mentions an amusing event which occurred on the day of the
inauguration. She and Mrs Steyn (her friend Tibbie Fraser) were lookalikes.
Tibbie asked her if she would leave the ceremony early and go to the Residency
to see that everything was in order as all the burghers and been invited to a
garden party and a huge crowd was expected. Dora agreed and in due course was
driven to the Residency in her carriage. When she got there the guard would not
let her in, but an officer said to him "Open up, can you not see that this is
the President's wife". How he imagined that the President's wife would return on
her own has never been explained but Dora said that when the gates were opened
she smiled and waved to the guests who were lining the driveway, laughing all
the time to herself. In the excitement of the day she completely forgot to ask
Tibbie whether there had been any reaction when the President and the real Mrs
Steyn arrived.
THE ANGLO-BOER WAR (1899-1902)
Then came the tragedy of the Second Boer War. When war broke out between Britain
and the Transvaal Republic, the Free State Volksraad had a long debate on what
they should do. There were no political parties in the
Free State
and each elected member could vote according to the dictates of his conscience
on any issue being debated. Opinions varied but in the end they decided that
they had to support their good neighbours and so the Free State declared war on
Britain - a tiny Republic against the mightiest nation on earth. In spite of
their English background, the Poultneys had long been burghers of the Free State
Republic, and like their fellow English speaking burghers they joined the Boer
forces.
President Steyn appointed Willie as Joint Chief of the Free State Commissariat
with Mr (later Senator)
John Brebner.
On the day before Lord Roberts entered
Bloemfontein
from the South, the President went North with his staff and a commando. They
suffered a great deal and were chased from pillar to post by the British troops
who greatly outnumbered them. These hard times broke the President's health but
he not only survived the war but made a great contribution to uniting the four
provinces into the Union of South Africa.
On commando Willie often shared a tent with General Hertzog who was one of the
kindest hearted men he had ever known. Willie was put in charge of British
prisoners of war, and when food and supplies ran short Willie would send native
carriers to go and get supplies from shops in Basutoland. Since they were so
short themselves, they eventually took away their arms and ammunition and sent
them back to their regiments.
It was while they were resting near Fauresmith after being on the run for weeks
that a scout rode into town and told the President that several thousand troops
were busy surrounding the area. The President gathered all the fit men and
managed to escape through a mountain pass which was not yet sealed off. Willie
was unfortunately confined to bed and could not ride, so that he was captured.
Later a Colonel Brookfield was put in charge of the escort which was going to
take the prisoners and the President's wife who had been with her husband
throughout, to
Bloemfontein.
It must be remembered that this was the last of the "Gentlemen's Wars", and
during the journey Willie and the Colonel became good friends. The Colonel asked
Willie to look him up if ever he came to England after the war. Many of the Boer
prisoners were shipped to Ceylon, but Willie was sent to Durban. A week after he
was sent away Dora received a notification to the effect that the house was
being commandeered. She packed her belongings and went with her children, some
of whom were still recovering from typhoid fever, by train to Cape Town where
the baby died, and thence by troopship to
Durban
where the family was reunited.
BACK TO TOP
TWO YEARS IN EXILE
Then Willie's health deteriorated and it was recommended that he should get away
from Durban's
heat and humidity. The opportunity came when a prosperous Free Stater, MrGregor,
who was in bad health had to go to Britain and required someone to accompany
him. Willie was paroled for six months and accompanied him, enabling him to
receive expert medical treatment in England. When he had recovered he asked to
be sent back to South Africa, but the British Government had ruled that any Boer
who voluntarily came to Britain could not be sent back. In despair, Willie
remembered Colonel Brookfield, and was delighted to find that he had been
discharged from the army and had taken up his seat again in Parliament. He went
to see him. The Colonel was delighted to see him but after a fruitless .attempt
to have an exception made he said to Willie: "You must write to Lord Roberts
(Commander In Chief) and demand that your family is sent here to join you." Then
he added: "Don't ask! Demand".
Willie was apprehensive of demanding anything from so exalted a person as Lord
Roberts, but since there was no alternative, he wrote to him. Less than a month
later a British officer called on Dora in Durban and instructed her to pack her
belongings and prepare to sail with her family. They were to travel on the
troopship Orion.
They were treated with the utmost courtesy and friendliness and since Dora was a
fine pianist, she spent many an evening on the long voyage playing for the
officers in the First Class lounge. The children became very popular with the
troops, and young Gordon, then only three, with blond curly hair was tormented
when he was told that he could not be a Boer with such hair, but he stoutly
maintained that he was a Boer!
Willie met them in
Southampton
and they settled in
London. There were
many people in
Britain
who were completely against the war, and felt that Britain had provoked the
dispute. They met many important people, among them Mr W.T. Stead, the famous
editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, and he adored playing with the children on the
carpet in his lounge. They met Conan Doyle, the author, Lord Bryce and Prince
Kropotkin, the renowned Russian author and anarchist, as well as Felix
Mendelssohn Noscheles, godson of the composer. Mr Stead was a remarkable man who
was often interviewed by heads of state who sought his opinion on political
issues - he had told King Leopold of the Belgians about the atrocities in the
Congo, and the King took corrective action. When King Edward VII came to the
throne he invited Mr Stead to lunch with him on a Sunday but Mr Stead said he
never accepted invitations on the Sabbath, and the King then enquired which day
of the week would suit him!
Living in
London was
very expensive and the Poultneys had limited funds, so they obtained permission
to go and live in Berlin where they obtained a small flat. Dora said they found
a place where they could get "kartoffel bouiflon" for the equivalent of a penny,
and other food was also cheap.
One day a Gratin van Brokedorf called, said she had heard of them, and enquired
about her brother Baron van Ahleveld who had emigrated to South Africa, but from
whom they had not heard since the outbreak of the war, and she enquired whether
the Poultneys had ever heard of him. To her delight Willie was able to tell her
that the Baron was a great friend of theirs, that he had been with the Boer
forces and he had seen him off at the Durban docks when he was sent to
Ceylon
as a prisoner-of-war. He added that the Baron had married the sister-in-law of
Willie's brother. The Grafin was so delighted that the Poultneys were invited to
all her receptions as long as they were in
Berlin
and they met many famous people there. On another day the German Kaiser and the
Kaiserin sent his secretary, his aide-de-camp and two of her ladies-in-waiting
to interview Willie and Dora and to learn from them of conditions in the two
Republics. They would have been invited to the palace to meet the Kaiser, but as
King Edward was his cousin, it would not have been diplomatic for him to meet a
Boer prisoner-of-war.
Early in the summer the heat in Berlin became oppressive and Willie was advised
to go somewhere where it was cooler g - but where? Fortune smiled on them.
They had become friendly with a Gratin van Beroldingen who, when she heard of
their problem, insisted that they should go and stay in her castle Schloss
Hochberg in Wurtemberg where the climate was milder. She had not used the castle
since her husband's death, but many friends stayed there. Dora says they spent
the next seven months there. It was an old castle, at least one thousand years
old, with walls six feet thick, with a moat and drawbridge, dungeons and massive
underground passages, and in the' days of the feudal barons it had withstood
many a siege. The rooms were filled with priceless treasures collected over the
centuries. The Grafin also owned vast tracts of land and several villages and
when she visited the area she stayed in a comparatively small nearby villa,
while the penniless Poultneys lived in luxury in her castle. Thirty years later
after the devastation of the First World War Dora visited the castle again but
it was vacant and forlorn.
The mild climate and the invigorating air of the Schwaben Hills benefited
Willie's health and the children had a wonderful time. As the war in South
Africa came to an end, Dora decided to see as much of
Europe
as she could. She went to Bayreuth, heard many Wagneriar1 operas, visited
Vienna
and saw the aged Emperor Francis Joseph in religious procession to the gorgeous
St. Stephen's Cathedral. While in Brussels she met General de Wet and General de
la Rey who had come over on a Reconstruction Mission, and she went with them to
Paris, saw operas and plays in which the immortal Sarah Bernhardt appeared and
was royally entertained by Countess de Gosselin whom she had met previously. She
was taken to see General Noix, the Governor of the Invalides who personally
conducted them to Napoleon's tomb and presented Dora with a small piece of the
flag which Napoleon had captured at
Sedan
"in honour of the heroic men of the two Republics". In Switzerland she stayed
with President and Mrs Steyn who had gone there for health reasons. Soon after
her return the Poultneys obtained a passage on a ship back to South Africa.
Penniless and with five children to feed, clothe and educate, the prospects were
grim as Willie had no profession and owed a good deal of money. Willie saw the
family settled at Somerset Strand and then left for Johannesburg to find
employment.
THE POST-WAR YEARS
Because he was fully bilingual and had fought with the Boers he soon found
employment with a company which was buying mineral rights from farmers, and
Willie proved to be a good negotiator. About a year later Willie's prospects had
improved so much that he felt justified in bringing the family to Johannesburg
where they rented a small house in
Bellevue
- a wood and iron structure, but an improvement on the small cottage in which
they had lived in the Cape. Conditions continued to improve, Willie became
Managing Director and a major shareholder in National Options Syndicate, and he
felt he could not only repay the last of his debts but could afford to build a
suitable house. He erected a fourteen roomed house - a double storeyed house "on
the slopes overlooking Orange Grove" and called it "Melorani", as , Orange Grove
was becoming a fashionable suburb. The name was taken from a farm they had once
owned. There was a major boom on at the time and Willie estimated that he was
now worth £30 000 - a sizeable fortune in those days. (Editorial note: The house
was situated in Mons Road and later became well known to many King Edwards
boarders as Chaka's Kraal. There was a short note in the School magazine of
December 1919 to the effect that "Chaka's Kraal", originally established in
Mountain View has been moved to Mons Road, the School having taken a lease on
this house from Mr Poultney".)
Then came the inevitable slump, brought about by the withdrawal of Chinese
labour from the mines as the experiment had proved a failure. The syndicate
collapsed and the only income the Poultney’s had was £13.8.3 consisting of the
tiny pension Willie received from the Free State plus £4.0.0 paid to them by a
nephew who boarded with them, and Dora writes that he never even got his money's
worth. A tram ride into town was considered an unnecessary luxury.
BACK TO TOP
WITWATERSRAND
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
Willie tried several jobs but none of them offered any prospects. He then had
the idea of resurrecting the Witwatersrand Agricultural Society of which he had
become a member in 1903 although it was then dormant. He thought that if he
could become Secretary and help to build it up he could have a good position. He
found however that the Society owed £12 000 and the majority of Dutch farmers
detested
Johannesburg
and wanted to have nothing to do with the Society. Mr Lionel Phillips (later Sir
Lionel) the head of the biggest mining house in South Africa was also keen to
get the Society active again. On July 19th 1906 he was elected Chairman and
immediately started planning to hold the first show since 1899, the following
year. The Society had advertised the post of Secretary and two days after Mr
Phillips took over Willie Poultney was appointed at a salary of £70 a month. It
is interesting to record that he never received an increase in the thirteen
years he was employed, although he received various bonus payments.
Apart from W.H. Poultney one other person had applied, but Willie had the
advantage of being bilingual, of having been Honorary Secretary of the
Bloemfontein Agricultural Society for ten years and was very popular with the
Dutch farmers not merely because he had been a farmer himself, but he had fought
on their side in the war. Nevertheless there was a cruel joke which made the
rounds that Mr Phillips had given Poultney the job because Mrs Phillips was a
cousin of Mrs Poultney, and he was in dire financial straits. Once he took over,
however, he became a tower of strength and did much to break down the animosity
of the farmers against the Society.
Years later Willie wrote: "Our newly acquired showground consisted of an
abandoned brickyard and dump, was indebted to the Government and the Bank for
£12 000, the membership had dwindled to 37 and the assets were an old safe
without a handle and some damaged wood and iron." Mr Phillips certainly got
things going and Willie added to his notes: "For the first few years I worked
almost single-handed, even my typist being a part-time employee, and I could
never have coped with the work had I not pressed my wife and family into the
service to assist me in work such as translating, proof-reading, addressing
Prize Lists and circulars, etc. often working until midnight. During the period
when I was allowed no typist I could only get through my correspondence by
dictating letters at night to my daughter Elfie who did the typing at home
without remuneration." He also commented on the fact that the office
accommodation was frequently changed and for the most part was inadequate.
(Editorial Note : During my research I was privileged to obtain on loan the W.A.S. minute book
covering the period 1906 - 1909, confirming all these facts, except one. Elfie
was actually appointed "clerk and typist at £12.10.0" for the time being
according to a minute dated 15/8/1906. In November a typewriter was bought for
her for £28.12.0. On 11/1/1907 Dora was elected a member.)
THE TIES WITH OUR SCHOOL
From the above one would have thought that Willie had no time for anything else,
but this was not the case. When the family returned to Johannesburg in 1904 the
two older boys Harold and Trevor were enrolled as pupils at Johannesburg College
- Gordon followed a few years later, but it is more than likely that he was a
pupil of Miss Lillian Sprigg whoso 1ittle private school became the Preparatory
school for the college, becoming King Edward VII Preparatory School in 1910.
In 1905 Lord Milner, Governor of the
Transvaal
appointed a Commission to find suitable sites for schools. One of the schools
which had to find a new site was Johannesburg College, as the Barnato Park
property was considered more suitable for a Girls' School and after we left,
became the Johannesburg High School for Girls, and our sister school.
The Commission recommended that the school should be moved to a four acre site
to the East of the
Johannesburg
Hospital and just below the Fort - a rocky slope, quite unsuitable and with no
room for playing fields. Part of the story of "The Battle of the Fort" is told
in A.P. Cartwright's book, "Strenue", but this part of the story has not
previously been told. Willie Poultney got word of the "plot" as Dora described
it, rallied the support of other parents and with the assistance of General
Smuts, Mrs Lys and Mr H.J. Hofmeyr, a newly elected town councillor, who had the
proposal squashed by a unanimous vote of the Town Council, the plan was dropped.
In 1907 the Transvaal received responsible government and after the elections
General Louis Botha became Prime Minister with General Smuts Minister of Justice
and Education. It was decided that all schools should have Governing Bodies or,
in the case of Primary Schools, School Committees. From the notes in the School
magazine it would appear that the new Government appointed the first Governing
Bodies. It was no doubt due to his friendship with both Generals that Poultney
was appointed the first Chairman of the School's Governing Body, a position he
filled capably and with dignity until ill health forced him to retire in 1912
when he was succeeded by Mr H.J. Hofmeyr, who had been appointed a Governor when
a vacancy later occurred in 1907.
In 1905 the oldest Poultney boy became a member of the First Cricket XI and in
1908 he became captain. He was a brilliant scholar and at the end of 1908 he was
presented with a special medal for academic achievements. Harold went to the
University in
Cape Town,
passed law degree (B.A., L.L.B.) with honours, returned to Johannesburg where
before the First World War he was called to Bar. It appeared as if his father's
ambition that his son would one day become Chief Justice of South Africa might
be realised, but alas it was not to be. When war broke out, Harold enlisted and
fought in South-West Africa under General Botha, and on the conclusion of the
campaign returned home to the family farm on leave before joining a regiment due
to sail for Europe. The December 1915 magazine had the following notice: "It is
with deep regret that we have to record the death of Harold Ortlepp Poultney
under tragic circumstances. While out shooting he received fatal injuries from
the accidental discharge of his gun.”
In the June issue that year the magazine contained an interesting letter which
had a Poultney association. It was from a parent who wrote: "Robert Moffat has
joined the 2nd Imperial Light Horse. Bobbie is a great grandson of Rev. Robert
Moffat, D.O., the well-known missionary, and grand-nephew of Mr David
Livingstone. His father is a Lieutenant in the 11th Mounted Infantry.” The
interesting part about this letter is that Bobbie Moffat had been at school with
the Poultney boys while his father was the man whose life Willie Poultney had
saved on that Christmas morning in Zeerust in 1891 In spite of all his duties
with the Agricultural Society, it was Willie Poultney who played a major role
after the acquisition of the site on the Houghton Ridge and who must have been
consulted on and been involved in the building of the original buildings on the
site. He would also have played a major role in the idea of asking for
permission from the Lieutenant Governor for the School to be renamed King Edward
VII School after the death of King Edward, but it is my belief that the idea
probably was the brain child of Desmond Davis.
BACK
TO TOP
DORA IN PUBLIC LIFE
While all these things were going on, Dora was busy creating a niche for herself
in South African history. In the first years after the Boer War The South
African Women's Federation had been formed under the auspices of Mrs Saul
Solomon and Mrs Louis Botha, the wives of two leading statesmen, the idea being
that they would work to provide relief for those stricken and impoverished by
the war. In June 1905 Dora Poultney was elected President of the Johannesburg
Branch and made her first public speech. Miss Emily Hobhouse, that remarkable
daughter of a Minister of religion who had come to South Africa during the war
to investigate the hardships in the Concentration Camps, stayed on to work
tirelessly to alleviate the hardships. After the war she returned to England,
merely to raise funds with which she bought spinning wheels, looms and brought
these back with teachers and money to buy raw materials. Soup kitchens had been
established to assist those impoverished; now they set up workshops to teach the
women to make blankets and cloth for garments, so that they could earn some
money.
Dora set up such a workshop in a big wood and iron building in the backyard of
their home to assist in this work. Dora relates an amusing experience they had
when they had woven a heavy fabric and they persuaded all the leading citizens
to have suits made - to be worn at the opening of the 1907 show. It proved to be
a very hot day, and Mr Harry Hofmeyr came to her and said: "Mvr Poultney, ek Iy
vir my land!"
For that first Rand Show of the resuscitated Society, Dora had organised a
wonderful display of Home Industries, particularly bottled fruit and vegetables,
which thereafter became one of the features of the Rand Show. She also
instituted fund-raising Tea Tents staffed by the prettiest girls in town. This
too became a Show institution, according to Thelma Gutsche. Thelma Gutsche wrote
of Mrs (later Lady) Phillips: "Before and after her marriage Florence Ortlepp
had lived in very harsh conditions among her own people and was, in her own
words, 'very closely acquainted with poverty'. Her heart went out to her
countrymen cut to their knees and poverty and depression, particularly in the
Pietersburg district where her own farm lay. In Phillips' scheme for the
Agricultural Society she saw the means of realising her own impulse to help her
people."
In this work her staunchest ally was her cousin Dora Ortlepp Poultney. Together
they put the Home Industries Section on a sound footing, and after the 1936
Empire Exhibition this section was transferred to a series of Cape Dutch style
buildings which had been erected for that great Exhibition. Early in 1907
responsible government came to the
Transvaal,
and with it the first elections. As a great friend of General Botha Dora worked
hard for Het Volk, of which he was the leader. They won a great victory much to
the delight of the Boers and to the dismay of the English speaking voters. The
election campaign had been an acrimonious one and afterwards there was a good
deal of bitterness. Dora persuaded the Women's Federation, a completely
non-political organisation, to hold a post-election reception at the Carlton
Hotel to which they invited all the candidates, both the victors and the
vanquished, and in a speech fully reported in the "Star", she appealed to
everyone to forget the past and to work together for a better and happier South
Africa. The colours which the ladies wore were the combined colours of the
various parties. As far as is known this was the first and only time in our
country's history that such a reception has been held!
By the following year Dora was completely exhausted and Willie arranged for her
to go on holiday to England together with her two daughters. They travelled via
the East Coast and saw Egypt and sailed down the Nile. While in London a
delegation arrived from South Africa, including President Steyn, General Botha,
General Smuts, General Hertzog and many more leading citizens who had come to
finalise the details of the South African Act of Union. She was invited to many
receptions. The only major delegate she had not met before was the renowned "Onze
Jan" Hofmeyr, the Afrikanerbond leader from the Cape. She was glad to meet him
since he was a cousin of her mother. At Covent Garden she heard Caru80, Nordica,
Calve, Albani, and other famous singers.
DORA THE SUFFRAGETTE
During her stay she came under the influence of Mrs Pankhurst and met quite a
few of the women fighting for the cause of Women's Suffrage. She became
enthusiastic about the movement and one day General Smuts said to her: '"see I
shall be getting a cable from my friend Poultney one of these days asking me to
get you out of prison!"
She and her daughter Mirri joined the Militants, presented petitions to members
of parliament, took part in meetings, wrapped the Suffragette colours around
themselves and sold "Votes for Women" in the streets of London. She was shocked
at the brutality of the police who were breaking up meetings, and although she
kept out of trouble she came back convinced in the justice of women getting the
vote.
Willie's health was deteriorating again. In mid 1913 Mr J.G. Torrance was
appointed Assistant Secretary, but only a month later he and W.H. were appointed
Joint Secretaries, a position which continued until 1 September 1918
when
Torrance
became Secretary, a position he held until 1943. W.H. was called "Organiser" for
a year and then until his death in 1931 he was called "Society Agent", although
he retired officially in 1919.
BACK TO TOP
SECOND TRIP TO
ENGLAND
In 1913 Dora again travelled to England, this time just with Mirri. To afford
the trip they rented their house with the understanding that Willie and the
other children would board there.
The highlight of that trip was the time when they were presented to the King and
Queen at
Buckingham
Palace. Dora was thrilled at the prospect but worried how they could afford the
required "Court" dresses. A good friend, a titled lady, came to their rescue by
engaging a seamstress who made the necessary garments at a very reasonable cost.
Dora's cousin, Lady Phillips and her daughter lent them their trains and a few
simple but appropriate pieces of jewellery. Dora described the presentation in
detail- of the splendour of such a spectacle in an era of wealth and opulence.
When her turn came and the door to the throne room was opened Lord Sandhurst
announced "Mrs W.H.Poultney, presented by Lady Harcourt". She walked quietly up
until she reached the foot of the platform where the King and Queen were seated
on chairs of state. She made her solemn curtsy, and then walked past the
ambassadors, cabinet ministers and members of the royal family. She says that as
she reached the far door she looked back at this unforgettable spectacle and her
mind went back to the days long distant when her husband's family had lived in a
cave in the Drakensberg range, and she had travelled through the dusty lonely
Free State
on oxwagons and horse drawn carts. Sumptuous refreshments were served in a large
banqueting hall after the King and Queen had passed through the room at the end
of the presentations. The next day she was a guest at the home of Lord and Lady
Harcourt, who had arranged her presentation. Another splendid meal was served,
but she comments that she could not enjoy the wonderful food as she had been
seated next to Lord Buxton who had just been informed that he was to be the next
Governor General of
South Africa.
Throughout the meal he kept plying her with questions about the country and the
people.
(Editorial Comment: Lord Buxton served throughout the First World War and towards the end established The Governor General's Fund to raise money for the children of men who had lost their lives, including the establishment of boarding houses. Our own Buxton House was one of the houses bought for this purpose and the earliest boarders were boys who had lost their fathers in the war.)
BACK TO TOP
They went to the Derby,
the Henley Regatta and to a reception where she met Prince and Princess
Alexander of Teck, later to become better known as The Earl of Athlone and
Princess Alice. More is written of her meeting them when he was Governor General
in South Africa and when she met them later in
London.
Mirri could not always accompany her mother as she first attended elocution
classes at Tree's Academy, and later appeared in two plays at the Haymarket
Theatre where she appeared with such famous persons as Lilly McCarthy, Dame May
Witty and Godfrey Tearle.
In 1913 Willie was asked by Lord Kylsant to go over to Holland to make
arrangements for a tour of that country by fifty leading South African
agriculturists. The original arrangements were bungled, so that W.H. had to go
over himself to London where he met Earl Grey, Foreign Secretary who arranged
for him to meet Holland's Prince Consort and the Minister of Agriculture. The
arrangements he was able to make were even better than he had expected, but he
had to return to South Africa and he arranged for Dora to join the delegation In
his place. Quite a few wives accompanied their husbands and spent time
sight-seeing. One day they were invited to the Palace of Het Loo - the home of
Queen Wilhelmina. At tea Dora was seated next to Professor Mansveld who had been
Director of Education in the
Transvaal
during President Kruger's time. While they were conversing they saw the queen
and Princess Juliana, then five years old, walk past the open door and they
regretted that they could not meet her. To their delight the Lord Chamberlain
came in and announced that the Queen would like to meet them, but she could not
see them all but she would like to meet the women in the party - individually in
her Audience Chamber. When Dora told the Professor that she had a diploma in
High Dutch, he told her to address the Queen in Afrikaans. When Dora's turn came
the Queen addressed her in perfect English, but when Dora told her that she was
fluent in High Dutch but in South Africa it had become Afrikaans the Queen said:
"Then we shall converse in Afrikaans". The Queen made her explain the evolution
of Afrikaans and at the end she expressed her regret that they no longer spoke
High Dutch. Dora's audience lasted far longer than any of them.
By then the First World War was threatening and so they hurried back to London.
Dora and Mirri remained in
England
for a while longer, Mlrrl working as a farm girl, while Dora worked in a
hospital for wounded soldiers, some of whom were Belgians evacuated to Britain,
and since some only spoke Flemish Dora served as interpreter for them. Dora
returned in 1915 only a few months before the death of their eldest son Harold.
The second son Trevor saw service in
East Africa.
DORA IN POLITICS AGAIN
After the formation of the Union of South Africa when General Louis Botha became
Prime Minister, Dora became Vice-President of the Women's South Africa Party in
Johannesburg.
Her greatest thrill was when General Botha requested her to go into the country
districts and form branches of the Women's S.A. Party. She usually traveled
alone but she had one amusing experience while on tour with Lady Beck. They had
arrived at a small town called Strydenburg (town of Strife). She was told by the
men who met her on arrival that the women in the town were against women in
politics and they would not agree to form a branch there. The meeting was held
and when the motion to form a branch was proposed by Dora and seconded by Lady
Beck, there was not one vote in favour. Puzzled but not dismayed for they had
had great success elsewhere, the explanation came out the next morning when she
was preparing to depart. Several people had come to bid her farewell, when one
man said that he had predicted that she would be unsuccessful since the women
did not want politics in their town. His wife then turned on him and said
indignantly: "What, it is not that we are against politics, but you men had
ordered us to vote against a Branch."
Dora often stayed with the Bothas both on their farm "Rusthof" and at Groote
Schuur. She had to give up her political work when they went to the Cape on
Willie's retirement, staying part of the time at Lady Phillips' farm.
Nevertheless she remained very interested and actively supported the annual
private member's bill advocating "Votes for Women". The bill was thrown out each
year. In 1924 her old neighbour of the
Bloemfontein
days and life-long friend General Hertzog won the election and, became Prime
Minister. She waited until the following February and then headed a delegation
to see the Prime Minister. She said to him: "General Hertzog, do you remember
this day,23rd February, is the anniversary of the birth of our beloved Republic
which we Free Staters used to celebrate before the Anglo Boer War? We beg you
now to commemorate this great day again by giving the women of South Africa
their full political rights." He replied: "I have not forgotten the day, but the
time is not yet ripe for the vote". Dora knew it was no use arguing with him.
(Editorial Comment: In her autobiography "Time Remembered", Bertha
Solomon, second woman advocate to be admitted to the Bar, M. RC. and long
standing member of parliament tells the story of how the women in South Africa
eventually got the vote. Mr D.M. Brown, M.P. for Three Rivers in Natal, was the
member who regularly tabled the private member's bill in Parliament. By the
beginning of 1929 he had sufficient support in the House to be successful. It
became evident from the debate that the bill would be approved, but then General
Hertzog rose and appealed to his side of the House to drop their support. 1929
he said was an election year and if he was successful he would personally
introduce such a bill in the House the following year. The bill failed, but true
to his word, the Prime Minister introduced the bill the next year and in 1930
the women of South Africa finally got the vote. It is interesting to record that
In 1918 Lloyd George, the British Prime Minister, had given the women over the
age of 30 the vote in appreciation of their war work, but it was not until 1928
that the franchise was extended to all women over 21.)
W.H. POULTNEY RETIRES
Thelma Gutsche in her book “Very Smart Medal" described Willie Poultney in 1919
as "an old man of 58 who had ruined his health in rattling around the country on
rough farm tracks in an open Ford (which he himself bought in 1918 for £25.2.9)
endlessly talking in English and Dutch in pursuance of the Society's aims. His
'pull' as contact man was still immense but diminishing." Then he finally threw
in the towel- he could not carry on. The attendance at the show that year had
been 61 931 and a good profit had been made. John Roy who was acting President
in the absence overseas of Sir Lionel Phillips, wrote to Poultney proposing a
pension of £30.0.0. a month. Poultney replied that he thought that half his
salary, namely £35.0.0. would be suitable! The Society offered to make him
"Society's Agent" for life, but as the Constitution made no provision for
pensions, none could be granted. Poultney, thoroughly embittered by now, drew
attention to the vast sums of money he had personally been able to raise when
the Society was struggling and to his thirteen years of devoted service. He also
drew attention to the vast number of new members he had enrolled. In the end on
Christmas Eve 1919 when staying in Somerset West with his wife's cousin, Lady
Phillips, he accepted the Society's offer. A Testimonial Fund was started and
although Sir Lionel personally contributed £250, the fund only totalled £560,
probably because of the widespread poverty in the immediate post-war period. In
1923 Willie Poultney was honoured by the King with the C.B.E. in recognition of
his services to South African agriculture.
By 1925 his health had become so bad that he had to move to his farm "Oliphantsvlei"
near Zeerust where he had to be nursed all the time by members of his family. He
died there on July 31st 1931, a few days after his 71st birthday, surrounded by
his children and grandchildren. Considering his many years of poor health it was
surprising that he had survived so long but he often said: "Creaking doors swing
longest".
The funeral was held at the farm on Sunday, 2nd August. After the many friends
had left, towards sunset the family was gathered in the dining room, once the
small children had been put to bed, when flames were seen shooting out of the
dining room chimney. With the help of a friend, the Poultney's second son Trevor
climbed onto the roof and attempted to beat out the flames with a piece of sheet
iron and then buckets of water were passed up to him, but all to no avail. Then
Trevor shouted “The house is on fire, save what you can". Everyone rushed around
trying to get out what they could. Panic ensued as they tried to make sure that
all were out of the house. "The tension was so great", wrote Dora "that I felt
that my nerves would snap, but the tension subsided when it was found that
everyone was out". They gathered under the stars, contemplating the desolation
that a few minutes had wrought. No one spoke and they were in the depths of
misery. Then suddenly Trevor sat down at the rescued piano and started to play
"Happy days will come again. . ." For a moment everyone seemed dumb-founded, and
then with one accord all joined in the chorus. The awful tension relaxed and
Dora says “soon we were discussing our misfortunes as if we were real Stoics.
Although the place
was insured, our financial loss was considerable, but worse still was the loss
of many irreplaceable things, such as some beautiful furniture which had been
handed down from generation to generation, and which we had refused to sell even
in the days of our dire poverty, diaries, albums of photographs collected
through a lifetime and more things that neither time nor money could replace."
What manner of man was Willie Henry Poultney? The whole story of his life is
that of a man who made many friends, yet never had an enemy. He was a man people
knew that they could trust and on whose work they could rely. We shall never
know just how great his contribution was to our school, but his friendship with
Generals Botha and Smuts, his close ties with the administration in Pretoria -
so clearly demonstrated in Thelma Gutsche's book “Very Smart Medal" show that he
was a brilliant organiser and negotiator. Just as he was everlastingly dashing
over to Pretoria to negotiate tricky problems associated with the resuscitation
of the Agricultural Society, so did this quality stand him in good stead while
Chairman of the Governing Body in the days when a new site had to be found for
the school, in the planning and erecting of buildings and eventually in the
school changing its name.
His success in enrolling many Afrikaner farmers as members of the Society is
mentioned repeatedly by Thelma Gutsche. Within 18 months the membership had
risen to 800, and continued to rise. Thelma Gutsche wrote about the immediate
post-war period just prior to Willie's forced retirement due to ill health :
"South Africa was fundamentally divided. and Poultney found it increasingly
difficult to enrol farmer members in an organisation revived and sustained by
professing imperialists. The war too had taken its toll. There had been 2008
members after the 1917 show, but in 1918 there were only 1656. By the middle of
the year Poultney had collapsed. He suffered a severe haemorrhage in the middle
of an exacting motor tour, took a month's leave, and failing to recover, was
given three months leave provided he rested completely and did no Society work."
In the end he had to retire, completely worn out. Immediately after his father's
death Trevor Poultney wrote to Mr Torrance, the Society Secretary, and asked
"whether in the light of her lengthy and essential voluntary services, Mrs
Poultney might receive a small pension or a presentation of £500", wrote Thelma
Gutsche. "The Society had paid him £5000 as agent in most difficult times, but
no money could equal Poultney's pioneering work. The Society was precluded by
its Constitution from so doing. Torrance wrote sympathetically, and sent a
cheque for Poultney's August salary. The gentilities of 'the last of the old
Colonial gentlemen' no longer had a place in the great commercial organisation
which the Society had become. The image it projected now bore the impress of
cold efficiency. Dora stayed with friends while the house was rebuilt, and then
in March 1932 she went on her last voyage to Europe, travelling up the East
Coast and joining a cruise of the
Mediterranean
on the Queen Mary. She became very friendly on the voyage with Lord Conway,
scientist, writer and authority on art and Italian architecture.
BACK TO TOP
DORA'S LAST OVERSEAS TRIP
After arriving in London Dora decided to go to Kensington Palace, the home of
the Earl of Athlone, whom she had known when he was Prince Alexander of Teck,
brother of Queen Mary, and who had recently arrived back from South Africa where
he had been Governor General for eight years. As she was signing the visitors'
book in the foyer, a footman came along and said that the Earl would like to see
her in his study. Very surprised at his knowing she was there she followed the
footman and as she entered the room the Earl came forward, took both her hands
in his and promptly started questioning her about South Africa and many of the
people he had known so well there. In reply to her enquiry he explained that he
had been looking out of his study window and had recognised her walking up the
pathway. Apart from meeting him several times in Pretoria, she and her husband
had once invited him to attend and open a Farmers' Week in the Western
Transvaal, near their farm. After the opening the Earl and Princess Alice proved
to the local farmers that they were both first class shottists. They judged the
children's sports and fancy dress competition and horseback riding, while their
children - Lord Trematon and Lady May Cambridge mingled freely with the
spectators.
Dora wrote "Like our old friends the Selbornes (the Earl of Selborne as Governor
of the Transvaal had opened the Show annually from 1907 to 1909), they had fully
grasped the fact that in South Africa there are practically no class
distinctions at all and they endeared themselves to the people wherever they
went".
(Editorial Comment: The Earl opened the show in 1929 when the King Edward's
Efficiency Platoon put on a display in the main ring. He inspected the platoon
and afterwards sent for Captain “Jock" Chalmers to congratulate him on our
display - I was in that platoon.)
The Earl then took Dora to Princess Alice's boudoir, on the walls of which hung
many South African paintings and she showed Dora a box containing soil taken
from the
garden of
Government House and whenever she felt nostalgic about our country, she would
let the soil run through her fingers. Right until very shortly before her death
many years later, Princess Alice visited South Africa almost every year,
especially after the death of the Earl.
Dora was invited back to Kensington Palace and was taken to see Lady May
Cambridge and her week-old baby. Princess Alice told Dora that she was related
to Grafin von Beroldingen in whose castle the Poultneys had stayed for seven
months during the Boer War when they were in exile. She attended a Royal Garden
Party that year and again met many leading personalities of the day. She was
also invited by Mrs Corbet-Ashley, President of the Women's British Commonwealth
League, to represent South Africa at a conference they were holding and
addressed the gathering in English and Afrikaans. She was thanked by the
President and when Dora enquired from her how she had understood the Afrikaans,
Mrs Corbet-Ashley who spoke half a dozen languages fluently told her that with
her knowledge of High Dutch and Dora mentioning General Smuts and
General Hertzog,
she tied these remarks with what Dora had told her at lunch the previous day. At
a reception given by the League for the women members of the British parliament
she heard brilliant speeches by Lady Astor and the Duchess of Athol whom she had
met thirty years previously during the Boer War with her husband the Marquess of
Tullibardine. Lady Ryder invited her to attend a performance of "Hiawatha"
performed by a thousand actor singers, and although he was not at this
performance, they were seated in the Prince of Wales' box. The performance was
at the Albert Hall.
On the return sea voyage Dora became very ill, and was in fact invalided for
many months. She was looked after partly by Mrs Patrick Duncan whose husband had
come out to
South Africa
in 1901 as Lord Milner's secretary, settled here, became a member of our
parliament, was a cabinet minister and as Sir Patrick Duncan became Governor
General in 1936. Towards the end of her book she wrote about the home in which
she and her husband had lived: "My husband who lived for our home and our
children lies buried in a lovely place nearby Where the steps of those he fought
for, And the sounds of those he wrought for Echo around his grave for evermore."
When she wrote the autobiography (1935/36) it had become evident to all the
world that the League of Nations established with so much hope after the First
World War had proved a failure, and her final paragraph was almost prophetic:
"There remains only one glimmer of light that I can see, and that is for a
greater League to arise like a phoenix out of the dead ashes of man's futile
efforts at collective security; a League which will, in the fullness of time,
become the World Commonwealth of Nations, outlaw war and banish poverty for ever
from the earth. It seems through only this can civilization be saved from the
horrors and suffering which are beyond the imagination of man to conceive."
(Final comment: When after the Second World War the United Nations was
founded it was her friend General Smuts who drafted the preamble to the Covenant
of this organisation. There has been no major war, but many minor ones, but
grinding poverty still exists worldwide.)
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