Harry Wolhuter’s first taste of warfare

Wolhuter was commandeered and forced to fight in the Magato war in the Zoutpansberg. In 1899 after his return from a hunting expedition, Wolhuter learned that the Boer War had begun. During that time, Harry had friends on both sides of the war. It was then that he and some others decided to trek to Portuguese East Africa.

Whilst the war was up in full force, Wolhuter met two elephant hunter brothers at Nkomati named, ‘Pump’ and ‘Clinkers”. Wolhuter told the brothers about the war being in process. Soon after, they heard of a volunteer corps being held by Lieutenant von Steinaecker at Nomahasha, near the north-eastern border of Swaziland.

The two Willis brothers together with Wolhuter decided to join where Wolhuter enlisted in SH on 12 November 1900 in Komatipoort.

Wolhuter’s first assignment in SH was to supervise a group of natives building a road from the Komatipoort bridge to Mateveskom.

After the completion of the road, Wolhuter was then stationed at Sabi Bridge at the end of the Selati railway’s distant outpost. He helped erect a blockhouse for containment of native police.

Major Gardyne ordered Wolhuter to take 2 white men & 30 natives on patrol to Olifants River where they needed to identify a suitable location to station pickets.

Harry Wolhuter and Malaria

During the above-mentioned patrol, Wolhuter got malaria as well as blackwater fever and ended up in a hospital at Komatipoort and then finally on a hospital ship in Delagoa Bay. Wolhuter was the only one to survive out of nine other blackwater cases.
After his recovery, he returned to Komatipoort where he erected another picket post along the border.

On 20 August 1902, Wolhuter’s discharged time expired at Komatipoort. He qualified for the QSA medal with clasp Transvaal and KSA and the two date clasps was issued from the SH roll.

James Stevenson Hamilton appointed Harry Wolhuter as a game ranger in the Sabi Reserve

After a meeting with Major J. Stevenson-Hamilton, Wolhuter agreed to become a ranger in the Sabi Game Reserve (later part of Kruger National Park) and he dedicated the rest of his life to this calling.

James Stevenson Hamilton offered him a portion of the reserve in which he preferred to operate. Because he had spent much of his earlier life in the neighborhood of Pretoriuskop, and as it was higher & healthier than the reminder of the Low Country and free from Malaria, he chose this as a station.

This area is now known as Number One Section in Kruger National Park. It is also here in Pretoriuskop where he built his home and headquarters.

The tale of Wolhuter killing a lion with a knife

It was not long after his incident that he narrowly escaped suffering a similar fate. In August 1903, he was returning from one of his many usual patrols on the Olifants. On the second day after leaving camp, his objective was a certain waterhole on-route, at which he intended to spend the night, but when he reached it, he found that the pool was dry. It was now about 4pm and the only thing that he could do was to push on to the next waterhole a couple of miles further.

Accompanying Wolhuter were three policemen riding donkeys which carried all the possessions as well as three dogs. Harry instructed the men that he would ride ahead along the path with one dog to escort him. The sun set and it became very dark but Wolhuter pushed on, as he traveled at night during the Boer War to avoid the heat.
It later became too dark to see, and he soon heard a rustling in the grass. He expected it to be reedbuck, but to his surprise, he heard the noise approaching him rather than running away from him which was quite an odd thing for antelope to do.

Soon, two figures appeared that soon became clear to that of lions wanting to hunt. Wolhuter had his rifle but had no time to shoot. He urged his horse to turn around and run away so that they could get away from the lions. But the approaching lion was already too close and before the horse could get into a stride, Harry felt the impact behind him as the lion tried to get on top of the hindquarters of the horse.
The terrified horse started bucking, causing the lion to lose hold and causing Harry to fall off of the horse. Fortunately for Harry, he manages to fall right onto pot the lion that was in front of his horse. Harry had gotten hold of the lion’s head. Had he fallen otherwise, the lion would have gotten hold of his head and throat and the outcome would have been fatal.

Nevertheless, the lion gripped his right shoulder tightly in his jaws and started to drag him off. Fear and terror set in as Harry thought about his final moments and what the lion will do to him; eat him alive, or strangle him and then feast on him. Even though in great agony, he finally realized that he had a sheathed knife in his position.
It took him some time and effort to finally get to the knife whilst having limited movement whilst being dragged by a lion.

Harry thought that it would maybe save his life if he can plunge the knife into the heart of the lion. Carefully Harry felt for the lion’s shoulder to find the position of the heart. The task was a difficult one.

He struck the lion in the heart twice and then in his throat with it severing the jugular vein. The lion finally released its hold on Wolhuter and he was free.

Read more here about other Famous Historical Figures that played a part in the history of Kruger National Park

History of Joao Albisini

About Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger – PAUL KRUGER

History of James Stevenson-Hamilton

History of Sir Percy Fitzpatrick

History of Jock of the Bushveld

The 3 founders of Kruger National Park

About J.H. Orpen and Eileen Orpen

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Our area of operation covers Nelspruit and surrounding areas, White River | Malelane | Hazyview | Komatipoort | Marloth Park | Kruger National Park | KMI Airport | Skukuza Airport.

Please contact us if your accommodation falls outside of our area of operation.

We also conduct safari tours in the North of Kruger upon request and need. You also have the option to hire the safari vehicle privately, email us to find out more. Additionally, you have the option to add your Kruger entrance/conservation fees when you make your booking so you don’t have to go to the office on the morning of the safari to make payment for entrance fees.