TOPIC:

The trenches the day after the battle. The view i from the main trench looking east to Aloe Knoll and Twin Peaks. The trench in the foreground is the current communal grave.
The outlying trench is on the skyline, it no longer exists. I believe this was the trench which surrendered. I predict it would be C and F companies, Lancashire Fusiliers, who were in it.

Communal grave after the war, before it was raised. The remains of the dead will be only a few cm below the surface.

The main trench in the 1960s. Bones and .303 cartridges appear through the surface after the rains.
Since then, the side walls and soil over the grave have been raised.

As you say Rob, we'll probably never know for certain, but personally I would be happy to concur with your conclusion about which companies are most likely to have surrendered. This is very interesting information you have posted and great photographs. Thank you

There are a couple of similar views of the outlying Lancashire Fusiliers trench, showing 3 dead soldiers smashed by artillery fire. They were taken by van Hoepen who is, I think, the Boer photographer shown above in the Lund brothers' view.

Rob, I have a transcription of a letter home by one of the men on your list, but while that particular paper did sometimes give the man's company, in this case it didn't. At present, this is the only letter of his which I've seen published.

Writing to his parents, who reside in Blackburn, from Honing Spruit, under date July 18th, Private A. Walsh, of the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers, Provisional Batt., says:—"I received your letter on the 29th of May when I was a prisoner of war at Pretoria. I have not had time to write to you before so you must excuse me. We have been very busy since I was released from prison. No doubt you will have read about the Spion Kop affair when my regiment got cut up and I, along with others, was taken prisoner by the Boers. We had to march thirty miles a day, foot sore and with nothing to eat and only dirty water to drink. I was in prison four months and then Lord Roberts arrived in Pretoria and liberated me. . . . "
The Blackburn Times, Saturday 18th August 1900


The following letter has been sent by Private W. Wilkinson, of A. Company, 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, South African Field Force . . . . "We fought until the 24th, on which date we had to take a hill called Spion Kop. . . . . I was taken prisoner but escaped. . . "
The Haslingden Guardian, Saturday 17th March 1900

Tom Levett/Levitt was also a Haslingden man.


5365 Lance-Corporal J. Harrop is likely to have been an Earlestown/Newton-le-Willows man.

Private William Naylor, of the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers, has seen a lot of service. He received two medals at Omdurman, and has served in Crete, India, Egypt, Malta, &c. The following has been received by his brother in Earlestown:— . . . . "We drove them back to Spion Kop and rested for the night, but it was bitterly cold. When the roll was called next morning we had lost 130 killed, wounded and missing. Tell Ned Harrop their Jack has been taken a prisoner to Pretoria. . . "
Newton & Earlestown Guardian, Friday 16th March 1900


Five Burnley men of the Lancashire Fusiliers, who were captured at Spion Kop, were held prisoner at Pretoria - Private C. Aspden, Private J. Clamp, Private T. Ingham, Lance-Sergeant McWhinney, and Private John Thompson.

Sergeant J. Holmes was from Padiham (James Arthur?).

The following prisoners were released from Pretoria - Aspden, Clamp, Ingham, McWhinney, Thompson, and Holmes.