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Name: BOSMAN, Danie J.
First Date: 1925
Profession: Farmer
Area: Eldoret
Married: 1. In Kenya 1936 Elgonia Kruger b. 1914, d. 1991 (later m. Peter Swan); 2. Sue
Children: John (1937)
Book Reference: Red 25, Red 31, Hut, Stud
General Information:
EA Stud Book 1954 - Cattle - Ayrshires - D.J. Bosman, Kitale
?Donovan - Kenya Regiment 4467
Kitale School Mid-Year Newsletter 2023 At the Kakamega gold mines the Krugers met a young man from Middelburg in the then Eastern Transvaal by the name of Danie work on the gold mines in Kakamega. There he met Elgonia Kruger, born in 1914, whom he married in 1936. From this marriage a son John was born in 1937. Shortly afterwards Johnny Kruger and his son in law Danie Bosman bought a farm in the Ngare Dare district some 48km north of Nanyuki past Timau to a farm just north of Mount Kenya. The 14000 ft high Mount Kenya was always a beautiful sight with snow on the top, but down on the farm it could be hot.
Closer to the foot of Mount Kenya lived the Swan family with six sons and a daughter. Closer to Isiolo the Engelbrecht family lived. Soon after arriving at the farm, Danie and Elgonia’s ways parted, and John was left in the good care of his grandparents. In 1944 the Bosman family, now with a mother and Willie and Denkie van Deventer, built a house on the farm where a waterfall provided electricity and drove a saw mill. The soil below the waterfall next to the river was excellent for crop production.
There was a fair amount of game on the farm. The sheep were penned at night because of leopards. In the latter part of WW II many Italian prisoners were stationed in camps around Nanyuki. Father and son in law used to chase zebra on horseback, producing and selling biltong to the POWs. They used mules that could match the speed of the zebras.
In 1945 John and his father left for Eldoret by train for John to attend the Hill primary school.
During the latter part of World War II people on the farm were told to run for cover when war airplanes flew over. Some 1 km from the house a deep ditch was dug where everybody would hide till danger had passed. A discomforting phenomenon in the Ngare Ndare was the presence of small little jiggers. They would dig in under a person’s skin and host there, causing much itching. They would be visible and under protest could be dug out with a needle.
In 1948 Johnny Kruger and Danie Bosman sold the Ngare Ndare farm and both bought new farms in the Kitale district. Danie Bosman bought a farm 16 km on the Kitale road to Mount Elgon farming with maize, dairy cattle and pigs.
The Bosman family of Danie and Sue returned to South Africa in 1972 and decided to live in Middelburg where Danie was born and where his family still lived. They have both passed away. Daisy Kruger returned to South Africa with her daughter. Peter has a waterworks business, travelling and erecting many of these units all over South Africa. Peter and Marissa have been to Kenya on several occasions during the past 15 years. They are friends with Tony Dyer who lives on the old farm of Johnny Kruger and Danie Bosman. After 63 years the water mill is still [2023] in good condition and being used. They recommend a visit to Kenya because “it is still a beautiful country”.
There was a fair amount of game on the farm. The sheep were penned at night because of leopards. In the latter part of WW II many Italian prisoners were stationed in camps around Nanyuki. Father and son in law used to chase zebra on horseback, producing and selling biltong to the POWs. They used mules that could match the speed of the zebras.
In 1945 John and his father left for Eldoret by train for John to attend the Hill primary school.
During the latter part of World War II people on the farm were told to run for cover when war airplanes flew over. Some 1 km from the house a deep ditch was dug where everybody would hide till danger had passed. A discomforting phenomenon in the Ngare Ndare was the presence of small little jiggers. They would dig in under a person’s skin and host there, causing much itching. They would be visible and under protest could be dug out with a needle.
In 1948 Johnny Kruger and Danie Bosman sold the Ngare Ndare farm and both bought new farms in the Kitale district. Danie Bosman bought a farm 16 km on the Kitale road to Mount Elgon farming with maize, dairy cattle and pigs.
The Bosman family of Danie and Sue returned to South Africa in 1972 and decided to live in Middelburg where Danie was born and where his family still lived. They have both passed away. Daisy Kruger returned to South Africa with her daughter. Peter has a waterworks business, travelling and erecting many of these units all over South Africa. Peter and Marissa have been to Kenya on several occasions during the past 15 years. They are friends with Tony Dyer who lives on the old farm of Johnny Kruger and Danie Bosman. After 63 years the water mill is still [2023] in good condition and being used. They recommend a visit to Kenya because “it is still a beautiful country”.