Pair: Sapper J. Bergan, Royal Engineers, who survived a 'desperate encounter' with the...

Pair: Sapper J. Bergan, Royal Engineers, who survived a 'desperate encounter' with the Boers, and another life-threatening moment involving a fellow Sapper, before dying of disease at Wynberg on 22 August 1902 Queen’s South Africa 1899-1902, 3 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State, Transvaal (29517. Sapr. J. Bergan. R.E.) engraved naming; King’s South Africa 1901-02, 2 clasps, South Africa 1901, South Africa 1902 (29517 Sapr: J. Bergan. R.E.) minor edge bruising, nearly extremely fine (2) £260-£300 --- Joseph Bergan, a tailor by profession, was born in Accrington in 1875 and attested for the Royal Engineers as Sapper on 10 October 1895. In contrast to the experiences of many soldiers during the Boer War which are now lost to history, Bergan made sure to write religiously to his brother Mr. Harry Bergan, publican of the King's Arms in Accrington. These letters were subsequently passed to the local press, an excerpt from The Gazette of 20 September 1902 noting:  ‘Mr. Bergan served right through the war in South Africa in the 11th Field Service Corps, Royal Engineers. He went out three years ago next month in the “Aurania,” the first ship that took troops out to South Africa. He was in many engagements with Generals Methuen, Smith-Dorrien, Rundle and French. He was the only one of his company who went right through the campaign. He once had a very narrow escape from being killed. He and seven of his company were left to bury the dead. They missed the company, were lost about six weeks, and marched 150 miles. They were fired on by the Boers. They had a desperate encounter, and six of them were killed. Only Sapper Bergan and the sergeant escaped alive, and after a long and dangerous march they reached Pretoria. One morning he was in a tent with two comrades when the camp was attacked by the Boers. His two companions were shot dead by his side, but he escaped unhurt…’ Having survived the best efforts of the Boers to kill him, Bergan had a second particularly close call on the night of 25 May 1902 when a fellow Royal Engineer ran amok with his gun amongst the rows of neatly arranged tents in camp. Bergan's account was subsequently published in The Haslington Gazette on 26 July 1902: ‘I regret much to say that one of my company was murdered in the tent next to me the Sunday before peace was proclaimed. It was very hard lines, seeing that the murdered man had been all through the war right from the commencement. The murderer has been found insane, and that is no doubt a proper verdict.’ The most likely suspect proved to be 27854 Sapper R. Roe of the 11th Field Company; medal roll entries for this man note ‘Lunatic to Prov. Co. R.E. 22/8/02’ and ‘discharged’. His medals were later returned. Second Corporal C. Jackson - the victim - rests in an unmarked grave in the Vryburg Cemetery. Having survived the entire campaign apparently unscathed, Bergan travelled to Cape Town and waited to be allocated a ship in which to return to England. It was in these days between the cessation of hostilities and the embarkation for home that his health began to fail him; struck down by an abscess on the liver and pleurisy he was sent to Wynberg Hospital where he died on 22 August 1902 at the age of 27 years.