Frederick Schermbrucker

Born in Schweinfurth, Bavaria in 1832 as Friedrich Schermbruecker, he volunteered and fought in the Crimean War in his youth, as part of the German Legion, and earned distinction in the trenches of Sevastopol.

In total, the list of varied careers which he pursued included: teacher, interpreter, auctioneer, editor, army officer, cabinet minister, and company director among others.

He returned to the Cape Colony in 1877 to lead a mixed force of German and African levies in the frontier war of 1878.

This policy resulted in the Basuto Gun War, and when the Sprigg Government fell, Schermbrucker temporarily retired.

In his book, The Old Cape House, parliamentary clerk and writer Ralph Kilpin described Schermbrucker's amusing but very successful style of politics: His wit was not nimble; his success in his new role lay rather in drollery and ponderous loquacity, which, combined with his knowledge of the rules of debate, made him at once a prince of obstructionists, the torment of Speakers and the idol of the gallery.