Description
Queen’s South Africa Medal, 3 bars, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, South Africa 1901 Trooper Peter Schonberg Lund, South African Light Horse. Said he was 18, but was actually 16. Father from Denmark, Mother from an old Boer family.
Officially impressed: “26588 Tpr P.S. Lund. S.A. Lt Horse.”
Confirmed on the medal roll as issued with CC OFS 2 bars, and the SA 1901 followed afterwards.
The medal has a silk ribbon sewn together for wear, the top bar fixed by 2 pins through the ribbon.
Peter Schonberg Lund, was born in Cape Town on 12th March 1884, baptised on 2nd April 1884.
Son of Danish Peter Schonberg Lund (born 5th July 1859, Skodborg, Haderslev, Jylland, Denmark) and South African “Dutch Boer” Wiepkje Ulena Van Geems Lund.
Most of the Danish Lunds from his family had gone to Iowa and became Americans in the late 1800s, almost all his brothers had lived in Iowa, with one in New Jersey.
His father Peter (Sr) came to South Africa as a young man, marrying a local girl when he was only 21 and she was 15 in 1881.
Her family the Van Geems, were old Dutch Boers who had come to South Africa from Amsterdam, Holland hundreds of years before.
However his father Peter divorced his mother and ran off to the family in Iowa, USA, where he died during 1902, marrying another young lady named “Lillian Belle Helm” from Sioux, Iowa, the first of 3 marriages for the unlucky lady.
During the Boer War, Mr Lund attested for service on 11th January 1901, with the South African Light Horse.
He stated he was 18, and had worked as Cart Driver, next of kin being his mother in Cape Town Mrs Lund.
However, he was not even 17 yet, about 16 years 10 months old at the time of enlistment.
If he had waited until he was actually 18 he would have almost missed the entire war.
He saw service from 11th January 1901 until 3rd September 1901, being discharged as Time Expired.
During this period the 2nd Phase of the Boer War had begun, with the unit being employed mostly in the Orange River Colony.
A small extract of their services in this period from Angloboerwar.com’s page on the South African Light Horse:
“In January 1901 the SALH was constantly in touch with the enemy, and on the 16th, in the Murraysburg district of Cape Colony, a detachment acting as advance guard became engaged with a strong force of the enemy.
Captain Fitzherbert and 5 men were killed, and Lieutenants H C Fleming and Venables and 13 men were wounded. In February De Wet himself with a considerable force got into Cape Colony, but being hotly and constantly pressed by numerous columns, including Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry and the SALH, he was driven out again on the 28th February minus 200 prisoners, all his guns, waggons, and ammunition.
The SALH remained in Cape Colony during March and April and did much hard work. Lieutenant E H Barker was killed at Kaliesfontein on 6th March. Both regiments were brought back to the Orange River Colony, and in May four squadrons of the Light Horse, under Major Gogarty, captured 31 armed burghers with their horses at Luckhoff. On the 21st Lieutenant J Alexander and 2 men were killed.”
After the war peter married on 26th October 1908 to Mary Ann Perks.
He died at the age of 78 on 8th August 1962 in Goodwood, Cape Province.
Occupation: “Retired Crane Driver” Allowances: “South African Railways SAR 84558 and War Veterans Pension 61523”
