A forgotten hero

Jakob Morengo was without doubt one of the real heroes of the struggle against the Germans after 1904. Called the Black De Wet by a Cape Town newspaper for his daring guerrilla raids, with only a handful of supporters he tied down more than 12,000 well equipped German troops for over two years.

His success was based on an intimate knowledge of the local mountain and gorge environment and a policy of lightning raids and cleverly organised hit and run tactics. Edward Presgrave enters the official records towards the latter days of Morengo’s long guerrilla campaign against the Germans.

Working in and around the town of Upington Presgrave was regularly traversing the Cape/German border to the north of the town. It was here that his destiny would ultimately be determined and it was here that he would ally himself to Morengo’s epic struggle against the Germans.

There is evidence to suggest that Presgrave went and lived with Morengo and his supporters in the rugged Karasberg Mountains in the early part of 1905. There is a reference to him taking photographs of Morengo’s laager and supporters but regrettably none seem to have survived. He also appears to have acted as a “secretary’ and advisor to Morengo helping maintain relationships between Morengo and local settler families on the British side of the border.

Why Presgrave allied himself to Morengo is not known perhaps it was a search for adventure, the thrill of the frontier, support for the underdog, or just for economic gain. Quite possibly it may well have been some combination of all of these. Whatever it was during 1905 and possibly earlier, Edward Presgrave was actively supporting Jakob Morengo and his supporters, supplying them with arms, ammunition, food and livestock. In mid 1905 he was also actively involved with Morengo in three major encounters with German forces.

In late September 1905, Presgrave was lured across the German border by two Boers on the pretext of buying some cattle. Once across the border the Boers attempted to capture him and in the ensuing melee Presgrave was shot and left for dead amidst the sand dunes. The next morning a German patrol found him and delivered the coup de grace.

There is little doubt that the Germans had long harboured concerns about Presgrave’s support for the rebels for some time and had organised for the two Boers to attempt to capture him. At its height Presgrave’s death at German hands caused a diplomatic incident marked by a flow of cables, despatches and official reports between London, Berlin, Cape Town and Windhoek.

Believing him to have been unlawfully murdered the Cape Government pressed the British Colonial and Foreign Offices to pursue the case with the German Government. In addition, Presgrave’s mother in Sydney managed to get the Governor of NSW to forward a petition on her behalf to the British Colonial Office calling for the German Government to pay compensation for what she termed the unlawful killing of her son.

For almost two years the ‘Presgrave Affair’ as it became known, rumbled on until the British Government decided to wash its hands of the matter and accept the German defence that Presgrave was trespassing in German territory and actively supporting the rebels. Interestingly, only then did the British Colonial Office decide to formally inform the Australian Government.

For Edward Presgrave it was a very short life but in only a handful of years he managed to leave an important legacy. He was a young Australian who embraced a cause and struggled against overwhelming odds without thought of personal risk. He should not be forgotten.