[Jan Kemp, Boer War general.] Autograph Letter Signed ('J. Kemp'), in Afrikaans, to the British officer commanding at Olifants Nek, regarding Lord Kitchener's permission to General Botha to obtain medicines.
1p, 4to. Written in pencil on a piece of tissue paper, stamped in one corner with leaf number 675. Aged and wrinkled, with fraying to edges, but text clear and complete. Folded twice. A scarce survival, such thin paper, used for security reasons, not faring well in the passage of time. The signature is Kemp's, the rest of the document being in a secretarial hand. An interesting document – which would seem to indicate that the British were employing a more conciliatory approach following Emily Hobhouse's revelations in her June 1901 report on British concentration camps. An English translation of the document reads: 'In the Field | 1 August 1901 | The Hon the Commanding Officer of His Majesty’s Forces at Olifants Nek | Dear Sir | In connection with the permission [granted] by Lord Kitchener to Commandant General Botha to obtain medicines, I wish to send a representative of the Red Cross to you to obtain the necessary supplies. | I remain | J. Kemp | Vecht Generaal | Krugersdorp, Rustenburg & Pretoria'.