Sousa (João Francisco de)
Madeiran infantry officer, law graduate and senator for Ponta Delgada who was killed in action in southern Angola in 1915.
This Madeiran was born on 19 August 1868 and enlisted in the army on 22 January 1884, being commissioned second lieutenant of infantry on 15 March 1900. He was an officer risen from the ranks, but also a bachelor (bacharel, university graduate) in law from the University of Coimbra (Universidade de Coimbra), having completed his secondary studies at the Funchal lyceum (state secondary school). He was senator for the constituency of Ponta Delgada (the Azores), and formed part of the column that left for southern Angola in 1915. He died, as a captain of the 17th Infantry, at the battle of the water-holes of Mangua (Cuanhama) on 19 August 1915, while going along the firing line encouraging the soldiers.
On the heroic part played by Captain Sousa in this Cuanhama campaign, one should read the notable article by Lieutenant-Colonel José de Oliveira Duarte published in the Funchal Diario de Noticias of 19 August 1945, on the thirtieth anniversary of the death of this distinguished Madeiran.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 05-
João Francisco de Sousa was born.
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João Francisco de Sousa enlisted in the army.
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João Francisco de Sousa was commissioned ensign of infantry.
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João Francisco de Sousa was killed at the cacimbas of Mangua, Angola.
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José de Oliveira Duarte's commemorative article on João Francisco de Sousa appeared in the Diário de Notícias.
Place
Places mentioned · 03
- Angola
Destination of the 1915 military column.
Portuguese overseas colony which served as a place of exile for those condemned for the 1668 and 1834 disturbances in Madeira and by the Alçada of 1823. It was governed by Vasco Guedes, Sebastião Xavier Botelho and D. Lourenço de Almada. It was also the main source of the P.O.J. sugar-cane varieties imported from 1933 onwards.
- Ponta Delgada
Portugal. Electoral circle for which Sousa was senator.
Ponta Delgada is an Azorean city, district and port, ranked second among the ports of the Adjacent Islands; its customs house once had Funchal as a delegation. It was the birthplace of Gaspar Frutuoso, holds the corrected copy of Saudades da Terra and Agrela's genealogy manuscript, and is linked to several figures who studied or held office there.
People
People mentioned · 02- João Francisco de Sousa1868–1915
Madeiran infantry captain and senator for Ponta Delgada, killed at the cacimbas of Mangua during the 1915 Cuanhama campaign.
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Lieutenant-colonel who wrote a 1945 newspaper article on Captain Sousa's heroism.