The traces of our past in other countries are sometimes visible, such as public monuments. Others are less evident, and perhaps for that reason more surprising and exciting. This month we commemorate a heroic act at the Cape of Good Hope of 252 years ago.

The heroic deed

This story begins on 20 October 1772. On this date, a sailing ship called De Jonge Thomas departs from the Netherlands with the purpose of trading in Asia. The ship, built in 1764, is undertaking its fourth voyage and is under the command of Barend de la Main. It belongs to the Dutch East India Company (DEIC) – the Dutch company that runs trade and trading posts like the Cape. It is an “East Indiaman”, in other words a sailing ship with three masts that is quite large and clumsy because it has to transport as much goods as possible, for example porcelain and spices from the East, to Europe. It also has cannons on board to ward off enemy ships such as pirates.

To sail from Europe to Asia, it must first round the Cape. On 28 March 1773, it arrives in Table Bay, where it has to stay for a while to take on fresh water and supplies, while the sailors can recover from the long sea voyage before sailing on. It must then also wait for suitable winds to be able to sail further. This voyage of De Jonge Thomas has been anything but good to date, as by the time it arrives in the Cape, 70 crew members have already died and 41 are seriously ill.

As a result, De Jonge Thomas is still anchored in the bay two months later. Now the crew realises why the other name of this place is “the Cape of Storms”, because on 31 May 1773, a north-westerly gale rages there. This causes the ship’s anchor to drag and the next day it runs aground on a sandbar near the mouth of the Salt River. When the main mast breaks off, it becomes clear that there is no hope for the ship. Some of the people and cargo begin to wash up on the beach and soldiers of the DEIC guard the goods to make sure that nothing will be stolen. More sailors are trying to reach land – they are clinging to pieces of wreckage and desperately calling for help.

This is the scene that the spectators on the beach are witnessing. One of them is a man named Wolraad Woltemade. When he heard about the stranding of De Jonge Thomas, he rode to the beach because his son, Christiaan Ludwig Woltemade, was one of the soldiers guarding the washed-up cargo. Wolraad known that his child will be cold and hungry and is bringing him something to eat.

The cries for help from the surviving crew members clinging to the hull of the ship are too much for Wolraad. Although he is already 65 years old, he jumps into action to try to save them. First, he throws them a rope, but the wreck is about 300 meters from the beach and the plan does not work. Some of the men who had already tried to swim from the wreck to the shore were swept away by the strong currents at the mouth of the river and drowned in the icy sea. Although the wreck therefore is relatively close to the beach, the rest are trapped on it. Finally, Wolraad decides to brave the stormy sea on his horse and try to save as many men as possible. They swim to the wreck seven times and each time bring two men safely back to the beach. By the eighth time the wreck is beginning to disintegrate and the panic-stricken survivors rush to him and his horse in an attempt to save themselves. Their weight is too much for the tired man and horse, and both disappear with the group beneath the waves.

Wolraad’s body, as well as that of De la Main, washes up on the beach on 2 June 1773. Wolraad is buried in an unmarked grave on 4 June, which unfortunately means that we do not know where to locate it.

The records of the disaster are not very accurate, but it seems that more than a hundred sailors drowned. Only 53 survived, of whom fourteen were saved by Wolraad.

Who was this hero and what do we know about him?

Wolraad’s surname, meaning “cheerful disposition”, is also recorded in some records as Woltemathe or Woltemate. He was born in Schaumburg (Germany) in 1708, where he grew up as a farmer’s son. He and his wife, Janna Charlotte, had two sons. Like many others, he entered the service of the DEIC for adventure and income. His son, Christiaan Ludwig, later followed in his footsteps and that is how they both ended up at the Cape.

Wolraad served at the Cape twice. In 1749 he arrived as a soldier, was eventually promoted to corporal, and returned to Europe in about 1755. In 1770 he entered the service of the DEIC again, returned to the Cape and was stationed as a corporal at Muizenberg.

Later he farmed dairy cattle on Malta Farm near the present-day Observatory. He also looked after the dairy cattle and other animals of the DEIC. He was known as a hard-working and conscientious man who was exceptionally skilled to handle animals.

It is claimed that Klein Zoar (built in 1710) was his home. The house still stands today, although it is currently not in a good condition.

Local and foreign traces

Initially, the DEIC officials said that Wolraad drowned because he was stupidly arrogant and therefore no compensation was paid to his widow.

However, two Swedish explorers, Carl Peter Thunberg and Anders Sparrman, did not leave the matter there. Thunberg, who lived at the Cape from 1772 to 1775, recorded the story of the shipwreck and Wolraad’s heroic deed. Sparrman followed this example in his travelogue and thus the heroic deed became known in Europe. The public pressure on the DEIC that this resulted in ensured that his widow eventually received a payment from the DEIC. Furthermore, a ship under construction at that time, was named De Held Woltemade. Wolraad and his horse’s rescue attempt was depicted by the sculptor Hendrik van Velzen on the artwork that adorned the ship’s stern. Other depictions followed, as did a poem by Paul Strick van Linschoten written in 1806.

The Union of South Africa’s Royal Medal for Bravery, instituted in 1939, featured a depiction of Woltemade’s heroic deed on the obverse. In 1970, the Woltemade Award for Bravery was instituted as the highest civilian decoration for bravery in South Africa. It was replaced in 1988 by the Woltemade Cross for Bravery. The award was discontinued by the ANC government in 2002.

In 1956, a bronze statue of Wolraad by the artist Ivan Mitford-Barberton was unveiled in Pinelands, and a cemetery and a train station in Cape Town were named after him. A set of stamps were also issued in 1973 with him as theme and his name was given to the S.A. Wolraad Woltemade, one of a few tugboats built in 1976. At the time, these were the most powerful tugboats in the world.

For the younger audience, there is an Afrikaans cartoon about the life of Wolraad Woltemade in the “Klein Helde” series on AfriForumTV (afriforumtv.co.za).

Pieces of the wreck of De Jonge Thomas still lie under the sea. It is being preserved by the South African Heritage Resources Agency.

Most remarkable of all, the ship’s ledger has survived and is kept in the Dutch National Archives. It can even be viewed online. It contains, among other things, an inventory of the goods that were on board the ship, the auction record of salvaged goods of unidentified persons, and the estate accounts of goods of those identified.

Similarly, there are many other treasures in archives around the world that tell the stories of our ancestors and are waiting to be discovered!