SH0009

Did You Know?

The Genl De La Rey Shell hole in Lichtenburg, North West Province, is a small heritage feature associated with the aftermath of the First World War. The site commemorates General Jacobus Hercules de la Rey, a prominent Boer military leader during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). De la Rey was accidentally shot and killed on 15 September 1914 at a police roadblock near Johannesburg, not during combat, but his legacy remained deeply significant among Afrikaner communities. The 'shell hole' refers to a depression in the ground, likely created by an artillery shell or explosive, and was preserved as a local memorial site, though specific details of its exact origin or use in 1918 are not widely documented. The year 1918 aligns with the end of the First World War, a period when many South African towns erected war memorials or commemorative markers, often linked to local military or veterans' clubs. Lichtenburg itself was established in 1873 and became a centre for farming and later diamond prospecting in the 1920s, but the shell hole site appears to be a modest, locally maintained relic rather than a major national monument. The Military Veterans Club association suggests the site was used for gatherings or remembrance by former soldiers, reflecting the broader post-war culture of honouring military service in South Africa.

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