Diyatalawa Camp, Ceylon

Diyatalawa Camp Ceylon
Diyatalawa military base and Training facilities, Ceylon. Coloured image #IMG73

Date: 1910 – 1920’s
Photographer/Publisher: The Colombo Apothecaries
Location: Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka.
Boer war prison camp Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka (ceylon)

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Looking for Boer war prisoner information?

“Anyone looking for details of their relatives who were Prisoners of War in a Ceylon Boer POW Camp please contact Robin A Woodruff on waldmeister1@aol.com who will try to assist.”

94 thoughts on “Diyatalawa Camp, Ceylon

  1. I came across many articles about boers in SL archives and in the National Museum.SL army marksman school is also collecting data on boers.

  2. I need info on Michiel Christiaan Eloff born 13.11.1855 and taken prisoner on 02.06.1900 at Standerpoortjie. Thereafter transported to Ceylon Prisoner no 11695.
    Kindly assist with more info.

  3. My great grandfather Johannes Marthinus
    Maritz was interned at Diyatalawa. He passed away in 1907. I am trying to work out the connection between him and manie maritz.

  4. I have a great-great granfather who died in Diyatalawa. Pieter Andries Hendrik Grobler . He died in the camp.

    Any info regarding him would be appreciated.

  5. I’ve lived in Diyatalawa since my birth. There is a road in Diyatalawa named after Boers! It is said that the Boers had contructed it. There are descendents of Boers living in & arround Diyatalawa. But they do not know that they are descendents of Boers! If someone can do a proper survey or a research interesting facts would come out!

  6. I have a ebony walking stick the handle is shaped as a horses hoof and written on the shaft say Boar camp Ceylon 1902. It has been handed down from my grandparents and I have know ideas where they got it from. If anyone has any information regarding prisoner carving I would be very interested

  7. I POSESS A SMALL BOX THAT WAS CARVED WITH A
    KNIFE BY BERGH TERBLANCHE.
    IS IT POSSIBLE THAT
    YOU CAN GIVE ME MORE INFOMATION ABOUT THIS POW AND IS HE PERHAPS ON ANY PHOTOE

  8. Hello Ma’am,

    I hope this email finds you well. I saw your name on a website concerning
    persons researching the history
    of relatives who were Boer prisoners in Ceylon. I hope that you can help me in
    my search.

    I can tell you what I know from the papers of my Great-Grand Father though some
    facts are sketchy:

    His name was William Frederick Karsten.
    He served in the Boer Kommando credited with blowing up the train on which
    Winston Churchill was riding as a
    young man. His Kommando also captured Mr. Churchill during this attack.

    William became a prisoner later in the war and was sent to Ceylon, where he
    resided for many years (up to eight years?). He was
    placed in one of the camps there saved for “less-cooperative” prisoners, maybe
    called “Diyatalawa”?. His journal was signed by members of his camp including
    Americans, Italians and Irishmen. They may have been referred to by the British
    as “foreign volunteers or fighters”. From the journal it appears that all of
    them were extremely anti-British in their feelings.

    According to his papers, he and many others were “forgotten” on Ceylon and kept
    by the British on Ceylon long after the war was over. Again, according to his
    journal, My Great-Grand Mother appealed to the wife of “Oom-Paul”(spelling?) or
    Paul Krueger for help. His case was presented through Oom-Paul or Paul Krueger
    to Queen Victoria, who interceded on their behalf and ordered their release.
    Mention was made of these “special” prisoners being given a small bag of gold in
    compensation by the British upon their release. He was then transported by a
    German ship potentially to England, from where he immigrated to the United
    States.

    These journals and oral histories have long been passed down by my relatives and
    have been the source of great interest.

    I would be eternally grateful for any help you could provide me in my search for
    information concerning my Great-Grand Father.
    I would also be more than willing to share with you copies of his journals,
    drawings and pictures. They may aid others in their search.

    Thank you for your consideration and best wishes:

    Todd Cole
    6541 Shady Brook Lane ste 5109
    Dallas Tx 75206

  9. I’m fascinated by the story of Hendrik Engelbrecht. The boer POW who refused to swear allegiance to the crown. Does anyone have any information on him?

  10. There is a wonderful big 415 page Afrikaans book: BANNELINGE IN DIE VREEMDE by Elria Wessels, available from proteaboekhuis.com.

    Erina

  11. Roughly translated, the Afrikaans book: BANNELINGE IN DIE VREEMDE means Exiles in foreign parts/places. The book is about the lifes of the exiles in the camps. There is 316 photo’s of which some have never been previously published.

    The author of the book is Elria Wessels, Historian at the Anglo-Boer War Museum in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

    Those of you who are looking for a certain prisoner of war can search at http://www.anglo-boer.co.za in the Database Index, Section: Prisoners of War.

    Erina

  12. Hi
    I have an old wooden post letter opener if you can call it that… (Gedaehtenis Van Diyatalawa Kamp Ceylon 1901) crafted out on the wood… any info on this…?

  13. Radie Ferreira posted a message two years ago about copies of the “Strever” from the Diyatalawa Camp in Ceylon. I am currently doing research on the history of the “Streevers Vereeniging” in South Africa and the activitites of this society in the camps during the Anglo Boer War. My research is being done in collaboration with a Church Historian from the University of Miami from where the so-called “Endeavour Society” came to South Africa. I would very musch like to make contact with Radie. If anyone can help, my e mail is: Rikus.Fick@nwu.ac.za

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