MAJOR J.G.W. LEIPOLDT, D.S.O. : A PORTRAIT OF A SOUTH AFRICAN SURVEYOR AND INTELLIGENCE OFFICER, 1912-1923

Abstract

J.G.W. Leipoldt (1877-1945) joined the fledgling Union Defence Forces in 1912. He had previously qualified as a land surveyor and as such undertook a number tasks for the Department of Defence. He was, furthermore, the first Permanent Force officer to head a permanent Intelligence section at Defence Headquarters; the formulator of what was to develop into "Plan Z"; something of a military historian and a painter; and he led at least three old-fashioned adventures into the heart of central Africa. Despite a colourful career he fell very much in the shadow of his younger brother, the writer-poet, C.Louis Leipoldt.