(Sourced from Belinda Gordon)
In February 1901 Captain Wynne laid out the Norval's Pont Concentration Camp, about 1,6 km from the station on a slope surrounded by hills.It was a well-laid out camp with rows and streets.
Each family was housed in a bell-tent that was numbered. The camp authorities provided each tent with a wooden bed, mattresses, tables etc. The very able and consientious superintendent , Mr Cole-Bowen, who was later replaced by Captain Du Platt Taylor, regretted that he had more people sleeping on the ground than he liked .
The camp housed many true refugees, i.e. English-speaking South Africans, who either came to the camp of their own free will , or were told by English authorities to vacate the town in which they were living . There were also many single men who had either surrendered or taken an oath of allegience . Their numbers were increased by prisoners-of-war who were housed in a fenced off portion of the camp . The bulk of the inhabitants, however were woman and children who were removed from their homes and either taken by ox-wagon or train to the camp. Sometimes they had to walk
.In April 1900 the camp already had 1596 inhabitants. By August of that year the number had inceased to 3215. while the camp was run by the military authorities , it was guarded by sentries. However by March 1901 the camp was under civilian administration that meant that a sentries were withdrawn .The camps sanitary arrangements were excellent . The inhabitants bathed in the Orange River while water was laid on from a spring for cooking purposes. Ex-teachers and teachers soon established a private camp school . Their salaries were paid by the parents of the pupils . This school was eventually replaced by a school established by the authorities .
The inhabitants in the camp recieved the same rations as in all the other camps established in the period namely : ¾ lb of either meal, rice or potatoes , 1 lb of meat twice weekly , 2 oz of coffee (daily),2 oz of sugar (daily), and a ½ oz salt (daily) - this was for adults and children who have family members on commando.Children who were under six years of age recieved ½lb of meal daily. ½lb of meat twice weekly ,¼tin of milk daily (daily),1 oz sugar daily and ½ oz of salt daily.
Three hundred and sixty-six inhabitants died in the camp . Of this number there were 267 children under the age of fifteen and 90 over the age of fifteen. The main cause of death among the children was a measles epidemic with its complications that swept through the camp from July to October 1901.Other causes of death were diphtheria, typhoid fever, diarrhea, dysentery and whooping cough.
The British humanitarian , Emily Hobhouse visited the camp twice , namely in February and March 1901.The camp was finally closed in October 1902.
