Septimus (Sep) Heyns Ledger was one of that rare breed of Springbok rugby players that not only never lost a test that he played, but was also a member of a team that achieved the Grand Slam in defeating all five Northern Hemisphere nations, this in the South African tour of 1912 – 1913.

“Sep”, as he was commonly known, was born in Kimberley on Monday 29 April 1889, one of seven children to Fred Ledger and Elizabeth Friederike Ledger (nee Knobel). Fred came from Oxford, England originally and Elizabeth from Colesberg. The siblings of “Sep” were August, Bertie, Florence, John, Kathleen, and Samuel Ledger.

Educated at the Kimberley High School, he worked for De Beers Consolidated Mines after leaving school in their Head Office as a clerk.

But it is at rugby union that he is best known. He played as a lock forward for the Pirates Rugby Football Club after leaving school, when the club’s home was the old Eclectic Cricket Club grounds (Hoffe Park) in the Public Gardens. With Pirates he won the Grand Challenge Shield in 1909, 1911 and 1914, and he was a member of the victorious Griqualand West side that won the 1911 Currie Cup. His brother John also played for Griqualand West in that famous Currie Cup victory.

The success of that Griqualand West team of 1911 was expected, as in 1910 they had defeated the touring British Isles side twice in Kimberley – 8-0 and 9-3. Sep had played in both those representative matches.

Selected as a lock for the Springbok team to tour Great Britain and France in 1912/1913 Ledger played in four of the five tests, the Springboks in those games beating Scotland 16-0, Ireland 38-0, England 9-3, and France 38-5. He also played in 11 other matches while on tour, and according to reports on the tour, “Ledger was outstanding”.

In World War I, he joined the 2nd South African Infantry, and landed in France on 25 July 1916, joining his battalion on the 31st that same month.

He was soon promoted to Sergeant and saw much action, sadly being killed on Friday 13 April 1917 in the advance on the Rouex village railway station. His name is recorded on the Arras memorial.

One of the many Kimberley men to pay the supreme sacrifice in the Great War. May he RIP.