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7SAI was established on October 1, 1973 at Bourke's Luck under command of then Commandant (Lt Colonel) Eddie Webb. The RSM was WO1 V Coleman. The battalion received its first NSM intake in 1974. In 1998, 7SAI contributed forces to Operation Boleas, the often-criticised intervention in Lesotho to restore order in the face of a mutiny by part of the Lesotho Army. 7SAI deployed to Burundi in 2002 in support of peace efforts there (Operation Fibre). The unit emblem is a Rooikat (caracal) superimposed on a Maltese cross. The Rooikat is common in the area and is known for its aggressiveness, shrewdness, alertness, boldness and preparedness, attributes befitting the infantry and promoted at 7SAI. The cross is in memory of two gold crosses commissioned by ZAR President TF Burger and presented to two Bourke’s Luck ladies for their help in caring for and nursing wounded Boer commandos during the Sekhukhune War. The crosses were made in Germany from gold mined at Bourke’s Luck.
by Leon Engelbrecht
THE BURGERS CROSS
President Burgers in 1874 had three of these crosses struck out of Pilgrims Rest gold and presented them to three ladies. The first cross was given to Mrs Tom ( Emma) Maclachlan (Her husband owned the farm Geelhoutboom where gold was found and the Mac Mac fields started. She was given the medal in recognition for her sterling work in nursing men at the diggings who were suffering from malaria and blackwater fever.
The second medal was presented to her ward Miss Maria Espach, later to become Mrs. D. Austin, for her work in nursing men who had been wounded during the Sekhukhune war.The third medal was presented to Catharina van Rees, for composing the ZAR national anthem "Kent gij dat volk".The medals to both Mrs MacLahlan and Austin were accompanied by a letter from the president dated 25 August 1874 saying, "My Dear Madam, In handing you over the accompanying "Burgers Cross" as a token of sincere respect and acknowledgment on behalf of myself and the public of the Goldfields for your kind and devoted services rendered to those who were in distress, I feel that I express the feelings of all when I say: May God reward you for your noble self denial! Trusting that you may be spared many years to enjoy the fruits of a noble work ably performed. I remain my dear Madam your obd servant. Thos. Burgers, State President S.A. Republic" Further information from Mr. Arthur Radurn on the Burgers Cross which I find very informative and is not freely available, is the fact that there are also at least two uses of the Burgers Cross in local heraldry:
1.) In the coat of arms of the (now defunct?) Transvaal Department of Public Works in Pilgrim's Rest.
The value of these medals lies not only in their rarity but also in the amount of gold they contain. These photos are by courtesy of Terry Hack from the book Pilgrims Rest a Pictorial History (Transvaal Provincial Administration library & museum service) |
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