10 Dec 2009 - "The Link Between Girvan and Natal" & Social Evening

Following an excellent pre-Christmas meal at the Horizon Hotel, we were entertained to an illustrated talk explaining the link between Girvan and Natal, South Africa, given by Sheila and Andrew Dinwoodie.

During the society's recent transcription of the Doune Cemetery in Girvan, Andrew noticed a rare Boer War memorial. This piqued his interest so, after research into the various local militia companies that served in South Africa, they decided a visit the Boer War battlefields would make a good addition to their proposed holiday. Their tour provided the groundwork for the extremely interesting talk detailing some of the important battles of the war. The home link was finally made with two of the names on the Girvan memorial being found on the war memorials out there. No doubt more research will follow on this little-documented period of local family history.

John Weston