BOER AND BRITON

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2447, 28 April 1915, Page 8

BOER AND BRITON

AN INCIDENT IN SOUTH AFRICA. ' Little las been heard since tie Boer War of Captain De Meillon, whose tragic death in German South-West Africa is just announced, writes "Luipaardsvlei" to the editor. His somewhat strange and romantic life casts an interesting light on how the mind of the fighting- Boer in the individual as in the aggregate is subject to fluctuation of racial passion. De Meillon fought against the British with . conspicuous tenacity. The termination of the Boer AVar by no means brought a softening of. his ill-regard for the British. Rather than take the, oath of fealty, he went into voluntary exile— strangely enough into German SouthWest Africa. Meanwhile he had a taste of German justice and equity. A little more than'a year ago re returned to the Transvaal, and learned exactly what Great Britain had done for South Africa, and how the Dutch wore faring under the new ' regime. He was convinced; he saw the folly of racialism. It resulted in histaking the oath of loyalty to South Africa and His Majesty the King, and when the conquest of Gorman South-West Africa was decided upon there was 110 0110 keener in the ijnion forces than De Meillon; 110 one keener, moreover, in the success of the British arms everywhere. The erstwhile Boer officer and anti-Briton subsequently became Chief of Intelligence to the Botha forces. Bowled over by a German bullet in September, he recovered and later performed some magnificent services for the Anglo-South African forces. It was at Aus where ho met his death. With a handful of Hottentots he was ambuscaded, and fell riddled by German bullets.