Boer War Gold cache

Howdee all.
I do recoveries for people all the time and my success rate is 99% and that's because one is incomplete. It's a gold and monster diamond ring that has been in the ground for 50 years. I will get to that later.
Now I have been contacted by a gentleman who's family owns a farm that used to belong to his great great grandfather. It seems that this farmers sister lived on the farm with her husband and children.We are talking late 18 to early 1900's during the Boer war.
So this brother-in-law of the farmer ...let's call him John....so John was the local school master and a Commandant in the Boer army.
After Bloemfontein was captured by the British the commandos went back to their farms and destroyed most of their weapons and ammo, not wanting it to land in the hands of the British.
It seems that there was a decision made by the boer generals at the time to go at it one more time and the Boer men where called back to duty. I think it was the battle of Reddersburg that they went to.
Anyway that day his wife saw him walk off into the bush with his savings and valuables which she said was around 300 gold coins(probably sovereigns as I have found other references to captured Boer ladies stashing them.)She said he buried it but didn't tell her exactly where.And You can probably guess the rest.
I am going on this hunt soon and would welcome any help or tips as to tricks that the old timers used to hide stuff.
I am using T2+.Apparently he didn't have much time so I don't think it can be that deep if buried.The bush is mostly knee height African grass and a few trees here and there....pretty sparse though. I have also seen some rocks in the pics I have been shown, also very here and there.
Okay so I HOPE YOU GUYS RUN WITH THIS! I would really dig some help..... pun pun.
Regards
Viking in South Africa
 


Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,18246.msg118178.html#msg118178

Thanks GoldDigger.
The farm was in use till the 1950's, thereafter it has only been used occasionally by the family as a getaway and hunting farm. I guess that it may be gone along time already but, the man was a school master and a leader of men in the war. Would someone of this caliber really do something as foolish as letting them see
him? My guess is that he was a thinker and strategist! However the defeat at Bloemfontein could have taken it's toll and the fact that he was probably thinking about the battle to come and the safety of his family surely had him in an unfamiliar place.
Thank you for your feedback .I am leaving on the 6th of October and I would love to chat about the possibilities  and maybe some help with the T2 if there are any users out there.
Viking
Ps You obviously figured out that he was killed in the war and did not return.It appears that his children died in the Springfontein concentration camp.
 

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,18246.msg118206.html#msg118206

Thanks Xavier
I agree the grass is a pain in the butt. There are a few buildings on the farm. The school building is also on the farm or what remains of it anyhow. The British apparently occupied the farm house during the war and when they left, they put all the corn and sheep inside it an then duly torched it.All that remains is the foundation. Furthermore there is a stone kraal for the cattle, dry packed stone walls. I was thinking that it may be a good place to look. Is there any evidence of stuff being stashed in stone walls?
Also I thought that the kraal would have made an excellent place to bury the loot as the ground would have been continuously disturbed and it would hide a recent burial pretty well.
Then the rocks...my line of thought is that it may be under a large rock barely movable by one man, this would give a better chance of it being left alone.
I don't know really ....is my train of thought on the right track?
Thanks again.
Viking
By the way it was the school building that was torched not the farm house.
Okay thanks.
Viking

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,18246.msg118322.html#msg118322

Hello Viking

Thanks for the interesting post.

It is not much to go on. Is there any traces of the original farm fencing boundary line or large trees on the property that may of been around in 1900?

Hardluck

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,18246.msg119500.html#msg119500

Hi Charles
The site is about 1000km
From my location.We are still trying to sort out a date as
business obligations keep putting a spanner in the works.
Will keep you posted though
Viking

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,18246.msg150897.html#msg150897