TOPIC:

1900 - Kimberley siege day 111 (89%). Ladysmith siege day 93 (78%). Mafeking siege day 113 (52%).
1901 - Cunningham unsuccessfully attacks Smuts at Modderfontein. Methuen leaves Taungs on the march to Klerksdorp.

In Kimberley:

Usual activity on Carter’s ridge – more mounted men than usual to be seen there.

Relief column big guns heard very distinctly early this morning and at about 9.15 am apparently one of the enemy’s magazines exploded. Balloon went up shortly afterwards. During the enemy’s guns at Schmidts farm fired several shells at De Beers workshops and at Kenilworth village. Enemy’s gun at Olifants Dam fired 5 shells at Premier Mine. Enemy’s patrols in Dronfield and Toll Pan direction appear to have been slightly increased.

I received the following by helio to-day:

“From Met to Kekewich. Feb 2nd No I 16. Message from Military Secty FM Cape Town begins. Communicate with Kekewich and say that President Orange Free State agrees to provide safe comfort through their lines for Mrs Maquire and ask him how soon the lady would be prepared to leave Kimberley in order that necessary arrangements may be made Boer authorities ends.”

I sent the following by helio and searchlight.

Feb 2nd. My original instructions were not to allow any telegrams in code subsequently banks authorized to signal sums of money in code consequently only private code massages forwarded from here are from banks they attach certificate on each A form to satisfy me remaining code works stop. Messages in Playfair cypher not addressed me have been received here but I decode same, should not such messages be addressed to me for communication.”

“From Int KB to Int MD. Feb 2nd No 159. yesterday’s news enemy sniping our cattle guard west town and also our piquet protecting coolie gardens at Wesselton, during morning enemy fired few shell into village Kenilworth and town Beaconsfield. After duck few shell fired into Town Kimberley. No casualties, no damage.”

“From Int KB To Int MD. Feb 2nd No 162. Refugee arrived here from Barkly this morning reports Dutchman informed him that place majority of Boer horses at Scholtz Nek have died poverty Veldt. Vryburg Trek is now at Schmidt’s drift. Englishmen just commandeered Barkly unwilling to fight for Boers expect to be sent to Scholtz Nek. Certain loyal Dutch have by force been brought to Kimberley by Boers. Transvaal and Free State Boers reported to be quarreling at Barkly. Few nights back Free State flag hauled down at Barkly it is said by a Transvaaler. Explosion in direction of Spytfontein about 9.30 to-day believed to be Boer Magazine. Two men seen coming from Boer laager towards Kimberley this morning believed to be deserting – they were fired at by Boers captured and taken back to laager.

“From Kekewich to Methuen. Feb 2nd No 164. Your I 16. Before communicating contents this message to Mrs Maquire wish to point out for information of Field Marshal lady is Times correspondent and also well acquainted with many important matters affecting garrison etc consequently as there are some here desirous bringing pressure to bear re military operations for relief of Kimberley it might be prejudical to interests of army to allow this lady to leave Kimberley at present, and communicate freely with outer world. I await further instructions.”

In Ladysmith:

After a misty dawn, soaked with minute rain, the sky slowly cleared at last, letting the merry sunshine through. At once the heliograph began to flash. I sent off a brief message, and soon afterwards the signal "Line clear" was sent from Zwartz Kop over the Tugela. The "officials" began to arrive, and we hoped for news at last. Three or four messages came through, but who could have guessed the thrilling importance of the first? It ran:—

"Sir Stafford Northcote, Governor of Bombay, has been made a peer."

The other messages were vague and dull enough—something about the Prince of Wales reviewing Yeomanry, and the race for some hunt cup in India. But that peerage! To a sick and hungry garrison!

We were shot at rather briskly all day by the enemy's guns. The groups of wandering horses were a tempting aim. The poor creatures still try to get back to their lines, and some of them stand there motionless all day, rather than seek grass upon the hills. The cavalry have made barbed-wire pens, and collect most of them at night. But many are lost, some stolen, and more die of starvation and neglect. An increasing number are killed for rations, and to-day twenty-eight were specially shot for the chevril factory. I visited the place this afternoon. The long engine-shed at the station has been turned to use. Only one engine remains inside, and that is used as a "bomb-proof," under which all hands run when the shelling is heavy. Into other engine-pits cauldrons have been sunk, constructed of iron trolleys without their wheels, and plastered round with clay. A wood fire is laid along under the cauldrons, on the same principle as in a camp kitchen. The horseflesh is brought up to the station in huge red halves of beast, run into the shed on trucks, cut up by the Kaffirs, who also pound the bones, thrown into the boiling cauldron, and so—"Farewell, my Arab steed!"

There is not enough hydrochloric or pepsine left in the town to make a true extract of horse, but by boiling and evaporation the strength is raised till every pint issued will make three pints of soup. A punkah is to be fitted to make the evaporation more rapid, and perhaps my horse will ultimately appear as a jelly or a lozenge. But at present the stuff is nothing but a strong kind of soup, and at the first issue to-day the men had to carry it in the ordinary camp-kettles.

Every man in the garrison to-night receives a pint of horse essence hot. I tasted it in the cauldron, straight from the horse, and found it so sustaining that I haven't eaten anything since. The dainty Kaffirs and Colonial Volunteers refuse to eat horse in any form. But the sensible British soldier takes to it like a vulture, and begs for the lumps of stewed flesh from which the soup has been made. With the joke, "Mind that stuff; it kicks!" he carries it away, and gets a chance, as he says, of filling—well, we know what he says. The extract has a registered label.

Under the signature of Aduncus Bea and Co. acute signallers will recognise the official title of Colonel Ward.

Since the beginning of the siege one of the saddest sights has been the Boer prisoners lounging away their days on the upper gallery of the gaol. They have been there since Elands Laagte, nearly four months now, with no news, nothing to do, and nothing to see except one little bit of road visible over the wall.

The solitude has so unnerved them that when the shells fall near the gaol or whiz over the roof the prisoners are said to howl and scream. On visiting them to-day I found that only seven real prisoners of war are left here, the others being suspects or possible traitors, arrested on suspicion of signalling or sending messages to the enemy. Among them is the French deserter I mentioned weeks ago. The little man is much reduced in girth, and terribly lonely among the Dutch, but he appears to grow no wiser for solitude and low living.

Among the twenty-three suspects it was pleasant to see one new arrival who has been the curse of the town since the beginning of the siege, when he went about telling the terrified women and children that if they were not blown to bits by the shells the Boers would soon get them. So he has gone on ever since, till to-day Colonel Park, of the Devons, had him arrested for the military offence of "causing despondency." He had kept asking the Devons when they were going to run away, and how they would like the walk to Pretoria when Ladysmith surrendered. There are about thirty Kaffirs also in the prison, chiefly thieves, but some suspects. They are kept in the women's quarters, for the kind of woman who fills Kaffir gaols has lifted up her blankets and gone to Maritzburg or Intombi Camp.

In Mafeking:

They began shelling later here to-day, so one's morning's ride was uninterrupted, but they are, however, now in full swing again. Sergeant Francis, B. S. A. P., died of wounds received at Cannon Kopje. Our usual shelling.

From the diary of William Watson, Ladysmith, February 1900:

No shells this morning. — It is officially notified to the public, that Lord Methuen has relieved Kimberley. We heard that in the middle of last November. The military powers, mix up a lot of by gone incidents of the war, and then serve them out to the public, as news! — Three months today since the siege began.

1900 - From the letters writer by Lt Col Park in Ladysmith

No news yet, but I hear that some later newspapers have come in, so I shall go to the Intelligence Office this evening in hopes of seeing some. Curry had luncheon at Headquarter Staff mess yesterday, and asked General Hunter straight out how long he expected we should be here. General Hunter said, “What do you think?”. Currie replied, “About three weeks”; on which General Hunter said, “Oh, I hope not more than half that time.” That is only an expression of opinion but from such a source it is worth knowing, and it is something to have even an idea of the time in the absence of real news. Poor Major Riddell got a message through this morning saying that his brother, who commands the 3rd K.R.R. was killed in Butler’s fight last week. He is most dreadfully cut up about it, poor fellow. I rather believe his death gives Algy Copley command of the battalion.

We have had three cold and rainy days and nights, which have been rather depressing; but we have got a bread ration again today, and yesterday Jacson got some new potatoes - enough to give us three fair-sized ones a-piece in the mess - and the excitement was great.

If it is really only a question of another ten days or so - and I pray God it may not be more - we shall all do well enough, but anything longer will be very, very serious; the worst part of all being that the medicines will all have run out, and think what that means with nearly 2000 sick and wounded to be doctored and nursed. The doctors and commissariat are hard at work boiling down horse-flesh and making a sort of Bovril. Our doctor says it is excellently done and very nourishing, and they are putting a good deal of herb flavourings and salt into it, which makes it taste very good. It is to be issued on days when biscuits and no bread are issued, and will be capital for all the dysentery and diarrhoea fellows of whom there are hundreds.

1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

Again a little shelling. Thankful to say Mama is looking and keeping better, able to walk about the room a little. Wilfrid does not look at all well. The Hospital is as full as it will hold. I am afraid poor little Nurse Dean is in for enteric.

1900 - From the diary of Trooper A J Crosby, Natal Carbineers

Cold damp morning up to 9 o’clock, when the sun shot through. Temp, down to 97. Want of strengthening food. Not feeling so well. Temp, in the evening rose to 99.6. Indifferent night, due probably to jotting down these notes.

The death in action of Lt-Col Buchanan-Riddell, 3rd KRRC, and about two dozen of his men was entirely due to another cowardly blunder by Buller at Spioenkop. After successfully attacking the Boer left flank as ordered, the 3rd KRRC were inexplicably ordered to withdraw, and another gallant action by the lions was nullified by the donkeys.

Brett