Port Elizabeth of Yore: Business acumen of Frederick Korsten assessed

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

Korsten possessed the temperament to succeed as an entrepreneur in spades, yet as will be shown, he was not necessarily successful in every venture which he tackled. In comparison with his friend Samuel Hudson, he was less dogmatic and more disciplined, but ultimately only marginally more successful.

Samuel Eusebius Hudson was a friend Korsten of long standing who was also an entrepreneur at heart. From his diary one is able compare their management and business styles and divine the flaws in each’s business character.

Main picture: Cradock Place painted by Walford Arbouin Harries in 1870

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Military Record of John Gilfillan Bunton in WW2

By Dean McCleland in Opinion Pieces, Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

Just over a century ago, the name Bunton was well known in Port Elizabeth as John’s father and grandfather in their day were both owners of the Grand Hotel in Belmont Terrace. When John’s father, Henry, changed careers in 1927 and went farming in the Selbourne district near Kirkwood, the name Bunton would never again resonate with the residents of Port Elizabeth.

John would attest to serve in the artillery. Later his younger brother, Peter, would join him in the same unit. It was during the opening stages of the battle of El Alamein on the 13th July 1942 that John would be mortally wounded, and Peter, who served in the same unit, would see his brother for the last time as he was stretchered away never to be seen again by him.

Such is the madness and futility of war.

Main picture: John Bunton in North Africa

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Military Record & Life of Henry Bunton

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 1 Comment

Henry Arthur Bunton was the son of Walter Bunton and Marie Louise Pfeiffer. Their son, Henry Arthur Bunton, was born in July 1883 making him only 17 years old when the Anglo Boer War erupted in October 1899 yet at the age of 19 he joined Gorringe’s Flying Column.  This force was raised by Lt Col G F Gorringe in 1901 and served in Cape Colony against numerous Boer Commandos.

In 1916 Henry would again participate in a war but this time it would be during WW1 fighting not in the trenches in France but would serve in the South African Heavy Artillery Regiment.

Main picture: Henry aka Harry Bunton with his wife Grace on honeymoon

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Visit by John Campbell in 1862

By Dean McCleland in Opinion Pieces, Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

Recollections of the town by visitors especially in its early days, provides an indelible record of how they viewed the town but more importantly, how it operated. Some of the descriptors relate to the residents’ industriousness and the consequential hustle and bustle whereas others refer to the stark bareness of the hill especially prior to the planting of trees.

These recollections of John Campbell, a surveyor, and passenger aboard the Eastern Province who visited the town from the 25th February 1862 to the 17th March 1862, adds a fresh layer of depth to the understanding of this bustling town.

Main picture: The first breakwater around 1866

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: Willows – An Alternative View

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 4 Comments

For me Willows is a special place as it has all my holiday memories wrapped up in it. The only holiday that the McCleland family took was to spend the Easter holiday at Willows. My brain is crammed full with happy almost long forgotten recollections which include activities such as catching mullets in the pool and building huge dams around the water from the spring running through the shower. Amongst my pack of memories there is only one negative experience. This happened one hot weekend when my canoe capsized and I was trapped in it, fortunately only momentarily.

Main picture: Willows in the 1950s

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: HMS Good Hope: Royal Navy training base at Seaview

By Dean McCleland in Opinion Pieces, Port Elizabeth of Yore 2 Comments

South Africa’s declaration of war against Nazi Germany on the 6th September 1939 would have a profound impact on South Africa. Among the vortex of events would be the establishment of a Royal Navy training base at Seaview being the only Royal Navy training base outside the United Kingdom.

Main picture: The interesting thing about this picture is that it is pre-1934. They started construction on the hotel in 1934 from the right of the hotel as you looked at it with the ocean behind you. The giant Norfolk pines are not yet even visible, the two structures that are visible are on what would become hotel land.

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