ORR-EWING – JAMES ALEXANDER

Note:
IN HIS BOOK – TRADER ON THE VELD – ALBERT JACKSON SAYS THE FOLLOWING ABOUT MAJOR ORR-EWING – “WHEN THE COMMANDER OF THE CHESIRE YEOMANRY, MAJOR ORR-EWING, A WELL KNOWN ENGLISH SPORTSMAN, BROUGHT A STRING OF RACE-HORSES FROM INDIA, REGULAR RACE MEETINGS ON MY FARM BECAME THE ORDER OF THE DAY. AT ONE MEETING I WAS EVEN TALKED INTO RIDING MY OWN HORSE – THE FIRST AND LAST TIME THAT I TRIED TO TAKE PART IN SUCH AN EVENT. SOME TIME AFTERWARDS A FREE STATE COMMANDO CROSSED THE ORANGE RIVER AT KHEIS NEAR THE BUCHUBERG, AND MAJOR ORR-EWING WENT OUT WITH A PATROL TO RECONNOITRE. AN ENGAGEMENT ENSUED , IN WHICH HE WAS KILLED, AND THAT MARKED THE END, NOT ONLY OF A GALLANT OFFICER BUT OF ALL RACE MEETINGS AT DRAGHOENDER.” JACKSON DESCRIBES KHEIS AS A FARM INHABITED BY AN ENGLISHMAN, KEMP. STEVE WATT SPECIFIES MAJOR ORR-EWING AS HAVING BEEN BURIED IN THE BOEGOEBERG DISTRICT, BRANDBOOM (PRESUMABLY A FARM NAME). MAJOR ORR-EWING WAS THE 4TH CHILD OF SIR ARCHIBALD ORR-EWING, 1ST BARONET OF BALLIKINRAIN.