BRITS – COENRAAD JACOBUS (COEN)
| Born: 1868/04/19 Rank: GENERAL. Regiment: WAKKERSTROOM / STANDERTON COMMANDO’S GPS: S26°56.989 E29°15.115 |
Reason for death: DIED Place of death: STANDERTON Date of death: 1932/07/17 Memorial: STANDERTON – OLD CEMETERY |
Note:
COEN BRITS WAS BORN ON THE FARM TWEEPOORT IN THE WAKKERSTROOM DISTRICT. WHEN HE WAS THREE MONTHS OLD THE FAMILY MOVED TO THE FARM LEEUKRAAL IN THE STANDERTON DISTRICT. HE DEVELOPED INTO A VERY STRONG MAN, WELL OVER SIX FOOT TALL.
WHEN THE BOER WAR BEGAN, HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE WAKKERSTROOM COMMANDO, PARTICIPATING IN MANY OF THE EARLY BATTLES. LOUIS BOTHA, RECOGNISING HIS ABILITY AND RELYING HEAVILY UPON HIM, APPOINTED HIM AS THE ASSISTANT COMMANDANT GENERAL COMMANDING THE AREAS OF STANDERTON, BETHAL AND PARTS OF THE MIDDELBURG DISTRICT. HE BECAME KNOWN AS LOUIS BOTHA’S RIGHT-HAND MAN. GENERAL BRITS FOUGHT THROUGHOUT THE ANGLO-BOER WAR. HE TOOK PART IN THE INVASION OF GERMAN SOUTH-WEST AFRICA IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR, AND ALSO BECOMING, ON THE 14TH FEBRUARY 1916, BRIGADIER GENERAL, IN THE BRITISH ARMY, OF THE SECOND BRIGADE IN EAST AFRICA.
ON THE 7TH JANUARY 1917 HE WAS APPOINTED AS THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE UNION DEFENCE FORCE, AND SERVED UNTIL RETIREMENT IN 1925.
GENERAL BRITS ATTENDED THE FUNERAL OF LOUIS BOTHA, A MAN WHO WAS HIS GREAT FRIEND AND COMMANDER, AND WHICH IS REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE LOW POINTS IN HIS LIFE. THE RAND DAILY MAIL NEWSPAPER RECORDED IN A PUBLICATION ON 18TH JULY 1932 “SO GENERAL BRITS WILL LIVE IN THE POPULAR FANCY AS THE MAN WHO COULD LAUGH IN THE FACE OF DANGER”
THE NEAREST ACCESS ENTRANCE TO THE GRAVE IS LOCATED AT S26°56.977 E29°15.102
