GIVEAWAYS: (4) e-book copies of A GHOST AND HIS GOLD
The four forts surrounding Pretoria
Background
After the Jameson Raid in 1896, Pres Paul Kruger of the “Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek” decided to protect Pretoria by constructing forts in strategic places. Eight forts were to be built initially, but due to a shortage of funds, only four were completed. Germans designed three of the four forts, of which Fort Schanskop in Groenkloof, Pretoria is one.
Fort Schanskop was completed in 1897 and was built in such a way to avert possible attacks on Pretoria from the Johannesburg and Lourenco Marques railway line, as well as from the Johannesburg road. By mounting revolving artillery on the embankment of the fort, attacks from all directions could be warded off. Schanskop was armed with one 155 mm Creusot gun (Long Tom) and two Maxims (Pom-poms) by 1899. The soldiers included one officer and 30 privates from the Transvaal State Artillery.
At the outbreak of the war the soldiers and armament were transferred to the Natal front, leaving the fort undefended.
After the invasion of Pretoria by Gen Roberts, the British occupied the forts on 7 June 1900. The 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers occupied Schanskop.
The above is an extract from The Voortrekker Monument site here: https://vtm.org.za/en/fort-schanskop/
The abandoned forts are featured in A Ghost and His Gold.
Photograph by Robbie Cheadle of Fort Schanskop
Photograph by Robbie Cheadle of the front gate of Fort Schanskop
A short extract from A Ghost and His Gold featuring the forts:
““Pieter, I’m confiding in you as one of my most loyal and trusted citizens. The government has decided not to defend Pretoria against the Khakis. I’m preparing to leave the city shortly with several my advisors. We’ll establish a provisional capital in Machadodorp.”
“Why has this decision been made, Oom [Uncle] Paul? We have our four forts that were specifically built to defend the city. Why are they not going to be used?”
Oom Paul’s shoulders slumped, and his large frame seemed to crumple momentarily. Then he pulled himself upright and straightened his shoulders. “The government fears that the British will destroy all our beautiful buildings in a bombardment if we attempt to defend the city. For this reason, we have decided to abandon the city, as was done with Bloemfontein. Johannesburg will not be defended for the same reason and is expected to fall imminently.”
Pieter thought it was a strange decision, but he smiled at the elderly president. “I understand, what do you need of me?”
“I want you to take this, Pieter,” Oom Paul said, pointing to the two heavy sacks on the floor. “The Boers in your area will need it to rehabilitate themselves after the war, whatever the outcome.””
BOOK BLURB:
After Tom and Michelle Cleveland move into their recently built, modern townhouse, their housewarming party is disrupted when a drunken game with an Ouija board goes wrong and summons a sinister poltergeist, Estelle, who died in 1904.
Estelle makes her presence known in a series of terrifying events, culminating in her attacking Tom in his sleep with a knife. But, Estelle isn’t alone. Who are the shadows lurking in the background – one in an old-fashioned slouch hat and the other, a soldier, carrying a rifle?
After discovering their house has been built on the site of one of the original farms in Irene, Michelle becomes convinced that the answer to her horrifying visions lie in the past. She must unravel the stories of the three phantoms’ lives, and the circumstances surrounding their untimely deaths during the Second Anglo Boer War, in order to understand how they are tied together and why they are trapped in the world of ghosts between life and death. As the reasons behind Estelle’s malevolent behaviour towards Tom unfold, Michelle’s marriage comes under severe pressure and both their lives are threatened.
AUTHOR BIO:
Roberta Eaton Cheadle is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.
Roberta has short stories and poems in several anthologies and has 2 published novels, Through the Nethergate, a historical supernatural fantasy, and A Ghost and His Gold, a historical paranormal novel set in South Africa.
Roberta has 9 children’s books published under the name Robbie Cheadle.
Roberta was educated at the University of South Africa where she achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and a Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1997. She was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.
Roberta has worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and has written 7 publications relating to investing in Africa. She has won several awards over her 20-year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Robbie Cheadle
Website
https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
Roberta Eaton Cheadle
Website
https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
Blog
https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19631306.Roberta_Eaton_Cheadle
https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour
AMAZON OR OTHER PURCHASE LINKS:
TSL Publications:
https://tslbooks.uk/product/a-ghost-and-his-gold-roberta-eaton-cheadle/
Lulu.com:
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!
Another fabulous stop on Robbie’s tour. I love those spooky googly eyes. 🙂 And the photos help bring the history alive. Thank you for hosting, Karl! Best wishes to Robbie!
HI Jan, it was lovely to visit this fort even though it was after this book was published due to the lockdown. I appreciated the visit even more having read up about it during my research.
Hi Robbie, Hi Karl,
Robbie, it is amazing that the forts are still standing. They must have been built to stand for ages.
I love reading about the history of old forts.
Karl, thank you for hosting Robbie on your blog today.
Wishing you both a nice day.
Shalom aleichem
Hi Pat, these buildings were built to be permanent defences. They are nowhere near as old as what you have in Germany though. I’d love to visit your adopted country one day and see all the places I’ve read about. Thanks, Pat.
I find it fascinating that you actually visited the place. That must have been cool. Great excerpt, Robbie! Thanks for hosting, Karl. 🙂
Hi Yvette, It was a great place to visit. I am a ‘visitor’ of historical places of note. I love touring old buildings and learning the history and that comes through in my writing too. Thank you for all your support of my tour, Yvette. Hugs.