TOPIC:

Road to the Nelhoegte Pass
At the top of the Nelhoegte Pass
Barberton
Action near Hekpoort covering left flank of General Clements' advance, Sept 6th, 1900
Damhoek
Trooper of the Imperial Light Horse taking a last look at a comrade's grave

The Memorial erected in Waltham Abbey
The Badge of the Regiment

CHAPTER XXXIII - 72nd and 79th Companies with the Imperial Light Horse.

We have already seen that 72 and 79 Companies returned from different parts of the Transvaal to Pretoria about the middle of October. Here it became known that a number of the officers were leaving, and the men were offered the chance of joining either the Cape Mounted Police or some other Yeomanry. They did not care about this, however, and as they had been constantly working with the Imperial Light Horse, they asked if they might be allowed to join that body. Special permission was obtained from Lord Kitchener, and the Rough Riders felt very pleased at being allowed to join so distinguished a corps.
The Imperial Light Horse were a fine body of men, raised principally from the British refugees from the Rand The ranks of this regiment were full of wealthy men, and men of education, who had been driven from their peaceful vocations in Johannesburg. Colonel Chisholm, a Lancer, had fallen with two mortal wounds at the head of his Regiment at Elandslaagte, where also many of his men fell. From that fight at the beginning of the war until this date the Imperial Light Horse had been engaged in the most serious fighting—Ladysmith, Kimberley, Mafeking, Wepner, to mention only a few actions—and had sustained terrible losses At Ladysmith (Wagon Hill) alone, ten of their officers and more than half the men were down but their extraordinary courage and grim determination, according to Sir George White, " saved Ladysmith on that occasion" On October 16th seventy men of the two Companies (72 and 79) left Pretoria, under the command of Lieutenant Johnson (79th Company) in order to join the Imperial Light Horse under Colonel Wools Sampson, at a place near Krugersdorp.

News had been received that severe fighting was going on down the Klerksdorp—Johannesburg line, and the nearer the Rough Riders approached the more frequent became the reports of big engagements The situation was briefly as follows:—De Wet after having been chased at headlong speed from the Vaal River to the Magaliesberg Mountains, retreated to the north of the Orange River Colony, where he lay for nearly two months refitting and gathering fresh forces He then suddenly made a dash northwards towards Fredericksstad with two thousand men in the hope of cutting off the British. General Barton was at the time patrolling the Krugersdorp—Johannesburg line, with a strong force, consisting of Scots and Welsh Fusiliers, five hundred mounted men (Imperial Light Horse and Fife Light Horse), the 78th Battery R.F.A., three pom-poms, and 147 naval gun. As this force moved along the line they came into contact with De Wet's force, and frequent sharp engagements took place with the commandos of Douthwaite, Liebenberg, Van de Merwe, and others Casualties constantly occurred on both sides during this march. When the men of 72 and 79 Companies reached Welverdiend Station, they were informed that the Imperial Light Horse under General Barton were very heavily engaged. Accordingly the Rough Riders were hurried off with all possible speed to the assistance of their new comrades Darkness had already fallen, when the order was received and everything had to be detrained The horses were fresh ones, the saddles were new and stripped and the force had to be ready to march at 4 am. The men had just had an uncomfortable and tiring railway journey, but nevertheless they worked splendidly all through the night unloading horses, fixing up saddlery and kit, and at the appointed hour everything was ready, and the men rode off in high spirits.

When Lieutenant Johnson, with his men, arrived at the scene of action, De Wet was already pressing his attack upon General Barton, who Was entrenched on hills to the S.E., and to the north of Friedricksstad Station As the Yeomen rode up, shells were bursting on an adjacent kopje, called Gun Hill, where the Boers were vainly trying to put out of action the 4.7 naval gun which was posted there. The Rough Riders halted pending definite orders and tried to snatch some food and a short rest but there was to be no rest for them yet as the Imperial Light Horse were being driven in by the Boers, and instructions came for Lieutenant Johnson and the Yeomanry to move off immediately, and cut off a strong party of the enemy who were endeavouring to occupy a ridge overlooking the camp. Without any delay the Rough Riders galloped off at a rapid pace, and the Boers were forced to retreat The ridge was saved, and the Yeomen were afterwards complimented Upon the success of their work.

Meanwhile, however, General Barton's main force was gradually being driven back, and towards evening they were obliged to retire under cover of the guns to the wooded country below Gun Hill By the time they arrived there night had fallen, and then the British found that they were surrounded Affairs had taken an unexpected turn, and the position was not by any means a pleasant one. There was only sufficient food for a very short time, and the supply of ammunition was small The surrounding cordon was drawn gradually tighter, and the investment continued for six days During all these days the troops were shelled continually, and subjected to an incessant rifle fire. Runners were sent out to endeavour to break through, but these were either killed or captured The Boers held strong positions on the E., S, and N.W., and were now feeling round for a point where an assault might be made.

Sir A Conan Doyle, in his book, " The Great Boer War," describes the position on October 25th, the sixth day of the siege, as follows:—

"The Scots Fusiliers held a ridge to the south. General Barton, with the rest of his forces, occupied a hill some distance off. Between the two was a valley, down which ran the railway line, and also the spruit upon which the British depended for their water supply. On each side of the line were ditches, and at dawn on this day it was found that the enemy had occupied them during the night, and that it was impossible to water the animals."
The British found it absolutely necessary at all costs to turn the burghers out It was, of course, work for infantry, and so the Rough Riders, with their comrades, the Imperial Light Horse, were not called upon About noon several companies of the Scots and Welsh Fusiliers advanced from various points in extended order upon the ditches. A terrific fusillade greeted them as they pressed forward and Captain Baillie, three times hit, was one of the first killed Six of his men were also struck down and found dead on the field A mile of flat open veldt had to be crossed by the Fusiliers without any cover whatever, but the rush of the men was irresistible, and they rapidly closed in upon the ditches. The Fusiliers then surged into the trenches, driving the enemy out.

Conan Doyle continues:—"The scene that followed has not often been paralleled About one hundred and fifty burghers rushed out of the trenches streaming across the veldt upon foot to the spot where the horses had been secreted Rifles, pom-poms, and shrapnel played upon them during this terrible race. . . . One of the survivors has described how awful was that wild blind flight through a dust cloud thrown up by the shells. For a mile the veldt was dotted with those who had fallen."

Intermingled with the bodies were blankets, boots, rifles, coats, and various other articles of kit which had been carried by the Boers, and thrown away during their wild retreat Thirty-six Boers were found dead on the veldt, thirty more were wounded, and another thirty were taken prisoners.

If the Imperial Light Horse had charged the retreating enemy at once probably not a single fugitive would have escaped. For various reasons they were prevented from doing this One part of the Imperial Light Horse, however, had a most exciting time. They had just passed a party of Boers who had surrendered, and were hurrying on after their comrades "On this," says Conan Doyle," the prisoners seized their rifles again and fired upon their captors. A fierce fight ensued, with only a few feet between the rifles. Three Boers were shot dead, five wounded, and eight taken. Of these eight, three were shot dead next day, by order of court-martial, for having resumed their weapons again after surrender."

Considerable reinforcements now reached General Barton, including the Dublins, Essex, Strathcona's Horse, and the Elswick Battery, together with some very much-needed ammunition. An attack was made upon De Wet's force, which was driven back and defeated and he was finally compelled to hasten off and seek refuge in his favourite haunts.
During the engagements General Barton's force lost about one hundred men The Rough Riders, who were now equally distributed among the squadrons of Imperial Light Horse, were very fortunate in having no one hit although they were under fire all the time. The next few weeks were occupied in driving the Boers back towards the Vaal River. De Wet escaped by Shoeman's Drift but was then further harassed by General Knox, who captured two guns Backwards and forwards the columns trekked from Welverdiend to Fredricksstad Potchefstroom, and Klerksdorp. At the latter place they received a most enthusiastic and cordial reception from the British residents, women and children coming out to meet them with flags and banners, etc

Christmas Day was spent at Potchefstroom, where it was hoped that a few days rest might be obtained At 11 o'clock that night, however, the Imperial Light Horse received orders to set off at once under General Babington for Ventersdorp, where the Boers had assembled for Christmas. The force arrived at this place on the morning of Boxing Day, and General Babington rapidly dispersed the enemy in all directions. He then made Ventersdorp his headquarters and from it as centre made a series of forced marches chiefly at night, during which some thousands of cattle were captured There were many small encounters with the enemy, and in one of these, at Rooi Kraal on December 31st Corporal Noble was wounded He recovered sufficiently to be able to resume his duties soon afterwards
These little fights were as nothing, however, compared to the big action at Naauwpoort, or Zandfontein, near the Magaliesberg, which occurred on January 5th, during one of these inarches, and in which the Imperial Light Horse suffered very severely at the hands of De la Rey.

The Boer Commandos which had been driven into the mountains by Generals French and Clements during the latter part of December, were on the look out to strike a blow at any British force which might expose itself. The columns of Colonels Kekewich and Gordon were acting in conjunction with General Babington, and on the morning of January 5th, 1901, there was a very heavy mist, during which General Babington and Colonel Gordon met, and actually turned their rifles on each other. Fortunately, however, no casualties occurred But a more deadly encounter awaited them a little later on the same day. The following account of it is quoted from Conan Doyle's " Great Boer War ":—

" A force of Boers was observed as the mist cleared making for a ridge which would command the road along which the convoy and guns were moving. Two squadrons (B and C) of the Light Horse, under Colonel Wools Sampson, were instantly detached to seize the point They do not appear to have realised that they were in the immediate neighbourhood of the enemy, and they imagined that the ground over which they were passing had been already reconnoitred by a troop of the 14th Hussars It is true that four scouts were thrown forward but as both squadrons were cantering, there was no time for these to get ahead. Presently C Squadron, which was behind, was ordered to close up on the left of B Squadron, and the 150 horsemen in one long line swept over a low grassy ridge. Some hundreds of De la Rey’s men were lying in the long grass upon the further side, and their first volley, fired at a fifty-yard range, emptied a score of saddles It would have been wiser, if less gallant, to retire at once in the presence of a numerous and invisible enemy, but the survivors were ordered to dismount and return the fire. This was done, but the hail of bullets was terrific, and the casualties were numerous Captain Norman, of "C" Squadron, then retired his men, who withdrew in good order. "B" Squadron having lost Yockney, its brave leader, heard no order, so they held their ground until few of them had escaped the driving sleet of lead Many men were struck three and four times. There was no surrender, and the extermination of " B " Company added another laurel, even at that moment of defeat, to the regiment whose reputation was so grimly upheld. The Boer victors walked in among the litter of stricken men and horses ' Practically all of them were dressed in khaki, and had the water bottles and haversacks of our soldiers. One of them snatched a bayonet from a dead man, and was about to dispatch one of our wounded, when he was stopped in the nick of time by a man in a black suit, who, I afterwards heard, was De la Rey himself. . . . The feature of the action was the incomparable heroism of our dear old Colonel Wools Sampson' So wrote a survivor of " B " Company, himself shot through the body. It was four hours before a fresh British advance re-occupied the ridge, and by that time the Boers had disappeared. Some seventy killed and wounded, many of them terribly mutilated were found on the scene of the disaster."

After the retirement the remnants of the Imperial Light Horse formed up, and advanced again, this time in extended order, and the enemy were finally driven off. That the losses were very heavy in these two squadrons, B and C, is apparent from the comparatively large number of casualties among the Rough Riders, some seventy of whom were divided between the six squadrons of the Imperial Light Horse. They were chiefly attached to " B " Squadron.

KILLED IN ACTION.
Trooper T. Gollan, A J. Bywater. W. W. Chinnock, A Wright, J. Blake, P. Clarke, G. A Raynor.
DIED OF WOUNDS.
Trooper C. Rex.
SEVERELY WOUNDED.
Trooper N. J. Wighton
Bugler Wells

After this reverse General Babington continued to trek about the mountainous districts of the Magaliesberg, with Klerksdorp as his base.

Sir A. Conan Doyle continues:— "On March 21st he had reached Haartebeestefontein, the scene, not long before, of a successful action by Lord Methuen. Here he was joined by Shekleton's Mounted Infantry, and his whole force consisted of these, with the ist Imperial Light Horse, the 6th Imperial Bushmen, the New Zealanders a squadron of the 14th Hussars a wing each of the Somerset Light Infantry and of the Welsh Fusiliers, with Carter's guns and four pom-poms With this mobile and formidable little force, Babington pushed on in search of Smuts and De la Rey, who were known to be in the immediate neighbourhood As a matter of fact the Boers were not only there, but were nearer, and in greater force than had been anticipated. On the 22nd three squadrons of the Imperial Light Horse, under Major Biggs rode into 1,500 of them, and it was only by virtue of their steadiness and gallantry, that they succeeded in withdrawing themselves and their pom-pom without a disaster. With Boers in their front and Boers on either flank they fought an admirable rearguard action So hot was the fire that "A" Squadron alone had twenty-two casualties They faced it out, however, until their gun had reached a place of safety, when they made an orderly retirement towards Babington's camp, having inflicted as heavy a loss as they had sustained"

The Rough Riders had two casualties in this action, Trooper D. Paterson being killed and Lance-Corporal and Squadron-Sergeant-Major W. F. Loveland being severely wounded
During the fight Lance-Corporal Loveland performed a very gallant action. Although wounded in five places he continued to advance and wave his comrades on until the Boers finally galloped over him. For this he was recommended and was made King's Sergeant by Lord Kitchener. It is pleasing to be able to record that although he had been so very severely wounded he speedily recovered and when a few weeks afterwards Quarter-Master-Sergeant Hockin had the pleasure of presenting him with Lord Kitchener's letter, he was much surprised to find him sitting up in bed as cheerful as ever, and well on the road to complete recovery.

After the action on March 22nd General Babington pushed on, and next day passed through Kaffir Kraal, driving the enemy before him. On the 24th his force encountered the Boers once more, and this time the Rough Riders attached to the Imperial Light Horse were privileged to take part in one of the most important and successful incidents of the war. That morning the New Zealanders and Bushmen formed the advance guard Very soon a large Boer commando, with many guns and wagons, was seen advancing in the open straight towards General Babington's force. This was almost the only time in the long war in which a considerable force of each side found themselves in the open face to face. All the mounted troops were immediately ordered to advance, and in one magnificent charge they galloped straight for the enemy and right into the midst of the moving mass of horsemen and guns. All instantly became confusion and the Boers did not even attempt to stand but turned and fled incontinently. Only a few of the better mounted escaped the general annihilation. Some of the Boer riflemen who had been far out on the flanks rode round to the rear of the British convoy and sniped at it but these, too, were quickly driven off. In this action two field guns, one pom-pom, six maxims fifty-six wagons and 140 prisoners were captured and the Boer casualties, killed and wounded amounted to fifty.

This was the last fight of any importance that the men of the 72nd and 79th Companies took part in, while they were with the Imperial Light Horse. They continued to trek with General Babington until the beginning of April, when they finally took leave of their comrades at Vendersdorp. A few of the men still stayed on with the Imperial Light Horse, and afterwards gained promotion and distinction. Amongst these was Corporal Osmond The rest of 72nd and 79th Companies accompanied by Lieutenant Johnson, marched from Vendersdorp to Potchefstroom, where they were to entrain for home. Even on this last little trek they had a final skirmish with the enemy, but fortunately came out scatheless. Lieutenant Johnson had served with the Rough Riders throughout all these months and by his courage and ability had much endeared himself to the men. In the action at Fredericksstad he had so distinguished himself that Colonel Wools Sampson broke through the rule of the regiment, and allowed him to stay on as an officer of the Imperial Light Horse.