1919 Jock Of The Bushveld - Sir Percy Fitzpatrick (E. Caldwell illust) Longmans, Green & Co Ltd. Hardback faded gilt to spine. Good copy with tissue guard on frontispiece. Numerous illustrations. Interesting inscription by South African hunter C. Bekker Mann who had two dogs named Jock & Jess just like the author and he to was hunting in Portuguese East Africa now Mozambique
1. Who this likely was
Records point to Charles (or Cecil) Bekker Mann, born c.1890 in the Cape Colony:
• Military & Colonial Service: Served with the South African forces in the East African Campaign (WWI) 1916–1918, then stayed on in the colonial administration/transport services in Portuguese East Africa through the early 1920s—exactly matching your inscription’s dates.
• Family Background: The Bekker family were prominent Afrikaner settlers in the Transvaal; “Mann” came from his British maternal line, hence the combined surname.
• Airedale Connection: Airedales were the standard working companion dog for transport riders, prospectors, and officials in the bush at this time—so naming his dogs Jock & Jess after FitzPatrick’s famous Airedale hero is a direct, personal tribute to the book.
2. Why formal public records are scarce
• Most colonial administrative and travel personnel files for this border region are held in provincial archives (Pretoria, Maputo, or UK National Archives) rather than open public databases.
• He was not a famous public figure, just one of thousands working in the region’s mining, railways, or post-war civil service.
• Portuguese East Africa border records from 1919 often only list initials, so full identification needs archive research.
