Joachim Christoffel Fourie

Early life

Fourie was born as one of the eight children of Christiaan Ernst Fourie (Grahamstown, South Africa, 14 June 1815 – Blauwkop District, Ermelo, South Africa, 11 March 1897) and Catharina Hendriena Lucasina Espach (Plaas (Farm) Goedehoop, Grahamstown, 12 February 1820 – Plaas Valharts, Ermelo, 24 August 1886). The Fourie family are the descendants of Huguenot immigrants to South Africa. Joachim Fourie grew up in Lydenburg, married Aletta Elizabeth de Clercq (Transvaal, 20 June 1849 – Carolina, 5 July 1902) and had four sons and one daughter by her. He fought as a field cornet for Lydenburg in the First Boer War (1880-1881) and various Native wars afterwards. Fourie represented the district of Lydenburg in the Volksraad of the South African Republic in 1893–1894. Fourie fought several battles, including at Modderspruit (Afrikaans: Slag van die Twee Riviere (Battle of the two rivers), 28 November 1899), Spion Kop (Spioenkop, 23–24 January 1900), and Witrand - Dalmanutha (Bergendal, 21–27 August 1900). On 7 November 1900 he was killed in action at Witkloof Farm, Carolina, in the Battle of Leliefontein near his house and was buried there the next day at Welgevonden Farm.