Rosalie Angeline Enstrom

Harry Rosalie Angeline Enstrom

Harry Enstrom, an adventurous boy of fourteen years old, left home early one morning, and enrolled as a deck boy at the Shipping Office in Landskrona, Sweden. He would bravely roam the deep and dangerous seas of the Antarctic, the Pacific and Indian Oceans during the whale catching era. Arriving in South Africa he packed his bags and left the boat. He ultimately enlisted in the Anglo Boer War in October 1899, as Trooper 289, Bethunes Mounted Infantry. Harry was involved in the skirmish which took place at Scheeper's Nek near Vryheid, on May 20, 1900. As he lay injured in the dust, he experienced the mayhem and confusion. The orange flashes of Mauser fire and the whizzing and whining of bullets ricocheting all around him, listening to the screams and yells of fellow troopers. He was subsequently taken Prisoner of War. The Pioneer of the Enstrom family in South Africa lived his life dangerously and to the fullest. The war had left him a legacy of pain, suffering and sacrifice. To his family he left a legacy of bravery, fearlessness, and valor. Seventy years later his Grandson, Aubrey, left the shores of South Africa. As the ship sailed from Durban harbour, the Bluff, where Harry had settled, loomed in the background. The Pioneer of the family in Australia would experience the adventurous life which his Grandfather had longed for. He would enjoy the opportunities and freedom; live on board a forty-foot yacht for five years cruising the east coast of Australia, everything which his beloved grandfather had yearned for. As his Grandfather before him, Aubrey would ultimately succumb to heart failure. He too would leave a legacy of moral integrity, courage, and heroism.