HOEV / HEHA Article 6: British Fort – Harties.net
BRITSE FORT: “BARTONS FOLLY”
DATUM Januarie 1901
SAEA BESKERMING: ja
GPS data:X27.37.15 Y –25.55.02
PAD: R563 vanaf Hekpoort suidwaarts rigting Krugersdorp. 2,8 km vanaf T-aansluiting lê fort op linkerkant van pad.
EIENAAR / KONTAKPERSOON:
Kaart met posisies van forte en linies teen einde 1901 uit V. Carruthers: The Magaliesberg.
Map with forts and blockhouse lines at the end of 1901. V. Carruthers: The Magaliesberg
Die fort vanaf die moot gesien. Die skietgleuwe van die borsweringsmuur steek duidelik teen die lug af. Die sinkdak wat daaroor was, is verwyder. Die hoogte van die ysterdeur en die skietgate daarnaas wys dat die onderste verdieping van die fort met sy plankvloer sowat 1,5 meter bo grondvlak was.
The fort as seen from the valley side. The castellation of the parapet are clearly visible. The corrugated iron roof over these has been removed after the Peace of Vereeniging. The height of the iron door and loop holes shows that the (wooden) lower level floor of the fort was about 1,5 m higher than the ground.
Die eerste stap was om op koppies en in passe of by brûe stewige forte of blokhuise van klip te bou. Hiervoor het Kitchener ‘n magdom klipkappers en messelaars ingevoer en die eerste aantal forte is nogal indrukwekkende netjiese bouwerke met dik klipmure, mooi houtvensters en stewige deure en luike van 12mm dik staalplaat. Die forte was meestal dubbelverdieping met ‘n beton boonstevloerblad en ‘n sinkdak bo-oor die tweede verdieping. Baie het plankvloere op die onderste verdieping gehad en almal was van skietgate op alle strategiese plekke en skietgleuwe op die boonste verdieping voorsien wat hulle soos middeleeuse Europese kastele laat lyk. Hierdie romantiese voorkoms was egter nie die doel van die forte nie maar wel hulle praktiese militêre waarde. Maar hierin het die klipforte gefaal. Hulle was te duur en het te lank geneem om te bou en daarby was hulle nie teen kanonvuur bestand nie. In díe opsig was die Boere se forte rondom Pretoria met hulle grondwalle beter.
In ons omgewing is die fort bo-op die Kosmosberg ( kyk 094) die opvallendste. Daar is ook op Kommandonek (kyk 094) naby die pad ‘n goed behoue klipfort en by Broederstroom naby Klipdrif (kyk 019). Die fort op Hekpoort is nie net skilderagtig en goed behoue nie maar hy is beroemd weens sy verkeerde plasing en heet “Barton’s Folly” omdat dit deur generaal Barton se toedoen daar gebou is.
Die forte is per telegraaf met die hoofkwartier verbind wat in hierdie omgewing die Baden Powell-kamp op Rietfontein was. Verder is die forte deur ‘n sig-sag gang met doringdraadversperring aan weerskate verbind. Aan die doringdraad is blikkies gehang wat ‘n geraas gemaak het as iemand snags daarteen sou raak. In so ‘n geval sou die troepe blindelings van weerskante met die gang af skiet. Die sig-sag het dus verhoed dat die wagte mekaar skiet.
So het die Britte oor die hele land uteindelik ‘n forte-en-draadheining-stelsel opgebou wat derduisende ponde gekos het, baie troepe in beslag geneem het en tog nie baie effektief was nie want die Boere het óf ‘n gekonsentreerde aanval op een fort geloods en dan met gebuite ammunisie en voorrade deur die linie gebreek, óf net eenvoudig die linies vermy en hulle aanvalle elders uitgevoer. Die Britte se volgende stap was om plaashuise af te brand en die vrouens en kinders in konsentrasiekampe te hok waar duisende weens ondervoeding en haglike onhigiëniese toestande gesterf het.
BRITISH FORT: “BARTON’S FOLLY”
DATE January 1901
SAHRA PROTECTION: yes
DECLARED MONUMENT: yes
GPS data: X27.37.15 Y –25.55.02
ROAD: R563 from Hekpoort south direction Krugersdorp. 2,8 km after T-juction fort lies on left hand.
In June 1901 the Lincolnshires built blockhouses, five in all, on Kalkheuvel guarding the entrance to the route through to the Moot, followed by another one at ‘Orange Grove’ on the hill overlooking the farm Klipdrif (see 019) guarding the exit into the Moot.
Much time and effort at this time was spent in rounding up snipers, ever active. On the morning of 23rd July two companies, which had marched out from Rietfontein (Baden Powell’s military camp), were sniped at Scroobys’ Farm, but had no casualties. The Scrooby family still live in the area and the barn with Lincolnshire bullet holes has been preserved (see 011). On the night of 6th October Pte L Thurgood ‘who was a sentry on a trench at Rietfontein (see 053) was sniped and severely wounded. His leg was amputated next day from which he died shortly afterwards.
Two men in the Rietfontein cemetery (see 054) were killed by lightning and in October lightning struck one of the Kalkheuwel blockhouses (see 019). ‘Several rifles were damaged, but no men injured’.
A great deal of activity occurred in the Rietfontein area after August 1901 when a series of forts was built to guard each neck along the Magaliesberg in order to limit Boer movements North and South of the mountain range. There were 5 forts at Horn’s Neck, 3 at Smit’s Neck, 7 at Silkaatsnek (062). There were 5 at Commando Neck (094); four of these were stone two story buildings. A handsome zigzag mule track leads up to the single blockhouse on the western buttress. Stone was plentiful and quarried on site. There were between 3 and 7 forts at all the other useful passes along the Magaliesberg such as Castle Gorge and Nooitgedacht (007). To assist the Lincolns in manning these posts there was a detachment of 200 SA Constabulary, mostly Canadians raised by Baden-Powell. The defences at Rietfontein (053) itself were probably upgraded by building Rice Pattern forts at the same time. The remains of two forts on Camp Hill and four on ‘Gun Hill’ have been identified. This became essential in order to guard the heavy guns on ‘Gun Hill’ (053) at the western end of the complex. There was one 4.7-inch gun at the eastern end pointing at Silkaatsnek according to a diary description, confirmed by ground survey, aerial photography and a very poor photograph in the Lincolnshire archives. An inscribed piece of shale or ‘slasto’ was found within the gun hill complex and had probably been a topping stone of one of the walls. Along with another two names E B Olive 14 Coy W.D. RA had made his mark [WD – Western District]. I4 Coy WD existed from 1st July 1889 to 1st January 1902. In 1897 14 Company moved from Jamaica to Cape Town. The camp was occupied and the hospital in use until May 1902. On April 17th the Officer Commanding Pretoria District visited Rietfontein, Commando Nek, Fort Anderson (039) and South Hill to inspect the defences. General Barton however got his name attached to the fort guarding the Hekpoort pass, perhaps in a less than complementary way since it is called ‘Barton’s Folly’. It is the only fort in the area nearly complete with (concrete) roof. Orange Grove (named after the local produce of the time) is complete except for the roof. All other forts in the region have been partially demolished after the war in terms of the Treaty of Vereeniging. Forts in the Moot at Skeerpoort and Hekpoort have disappeared.
After the peace Treaty in 1902 much of the metal sheeting, barbed wire and metal posts were distributed to or taken by the surrounding farming community and most of the masonry blockhouses were supposed to be blown up. In our area the one on Kosmos Mountain and Barton’s Folly at Hekpoort are the most conspicuous, whereas the latter is the best preserved.
Die binnekant van die fort. Die konstruksie van die betonblad van die dakplatform is hier duidelik sigbaar. Dit bestaan uit staalbalke waartussen gebuigde sinkplate span. Hierop is die beton gegiet.
The interior of the fort shows the construction of the roof slab. Steel beams span from wall to wall. The gaps between the beams are closed with curved corrugated iron over which concrete was cast.
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