Walking stick : General Cronje : Boer War

WOODEN WALKING STICK, REPUTEDLY OWNED BY GENERAL CRONJE. CARVED ON THE STICK ARE THE WORDS: GE MAAKT IN BOEREN KAMP CELON. 1901." THE HANDLE OF THE STICK TERMINATES IN A CARVED EBONY FIST.

This walking stick was presented to the donor's father by Mr. Maurice Hannigan who, it is stated, was General Cronje's custodian when he was taken prisoner.

The attribution of the stick to General Cronje causes some difficulties: Combat-General Andries Petrus Cronje was captured, but was held on Bermuda.

While it is possible to discount Coronje's possession of the stick in Ceylon, there may well have been an as yet unknown connection between Mr Hannigan, who worked with the Imperial Military Railways in South Africa, and General Cronje.
It is also possible to speculate that if such a connection existed, the passage of time and dimming of memories has conflated Hannigan's ownership of the stick with Cronje.