Did You Know?
The Deëlfontein Imperial Yeomanry Hospital pump house, located near De Aar in the Northern Cape, dates to the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). It was part of the Deëlfontein camp, which served as a major British military hospital and convalescent depot for the Imperial Yeomanry, established in 1900. The pump house was a critical water supply infrastructure, drawing water from a well or spring to support the hospital's needs, including sanitation and medical care for wounded soldiers. The site reflects the logistical challenges of maintaining a large field hospital in the arid Karoo region, where water was scarce. De Aar itself was a key railway junction and British base during the war, and Deëlfontein became one of the largest military hospitals in South Africa at the time, treating thousands of soldiers.
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