Fiks van der Merwe

Barend Stephanus "Fiks" van der Merwe was a South African international rugby union player.
Raised on a farm in Cradock district, van der Merwe started his career with local side Cradock Rovers and after leaving school became a police officer in Maritzburg. He played rugby for Maritzburg Police and was capped for Natal as a scrum–half, although he later moved into the pack. A tireless player, van der Merwe was known by the nickname "Fiks".
During World War II, van der Merwe served in North Africa with the Police Brigade and became a German prisoner of war. He was held for a period of time at the same camp as his future Springboks teammate Okey Geffin, as well as ex–Springbok Bill Payn. At the Stalag IV-B prisoner camp, van der Merwe captained a "Springboks" team to victory over a combined side from the British Isles. He was liberated by Russians soldiers at the end of the war.
Post war, van der Merwe captained Northern Transvaal and gained a Springboks cap as a wing–forward against the All Blacks at Newlands in 1949. He continued playing until being forced into retirement in 1952 with an ankle injury.