TOPIC:

1899 - General Buller lands at Cape Town. Boer attack on Mafeking repulsed.

From the diary of Colonel Kekewich at Kimberley:

The health of the troops continues to be excellent, but I am sorry to say a member of the Town Guard is reported to-day to have small-pox. Another analysis of the water from the Premier Mine is, I am glad to say, most satisfactory.

Lt McClintock RE who was wounded in the side on the 24th inst came off the sick list to-day – a wonderfully quick recovery.

A strong reconnoitering party (about 250 men) under command of Lt Col Scott Turner examined the ground in the vicinity of Hull’s Farm and Susannah. Colonel Turner saw a large number of Boers, and is of the opinion that the enemy is now appearing in some force on all sides of Kimberley. The Boers fired about 20 rounds of shrapnel from the Kopje about 600 yards from Fenn’s Farm at a position of the force, really out of effective range. Col Turner says only 2 gunes fired and he thinks they were probably 4 pounders.

From the diary of William Watson, Ladysmith, October 1899:

5.45 am. The first gun has just been fired from the bluejacket’s battery, and replied to by the rebels. At present, it is only a duel between the naval brigade and the rebel’s big guns.

2 pm. Not a sign of war anywhere. There is a truce, to bury the dead. Rumour says the town will be shelled tomorrow, and some of the most timid of the women, are clearing to Pietermaritzburg, and other places. We can not clear if we would, and we would not if we could. We have a crippled man, and some children, and two women. Besides, we have lived here all our lives, and have no acquaintance outside the town. We must just put our trust in Providence, and accept the fate the Gods provide. If the town is actually shelled, the general will have to rush those big guns, even at the cost of some lives. Several shells past over my house yesterday, making a noise in their progress, like the rising of a lot of big birds, a covey of partridges for instance. Rumour says Joubert has summoned General White to surrender the town and army (probably 10,000 men) or else he will bombard us. Very pretty indeed.

1899 - From the diary of Trooper A J Crosby, Natal Carbineers

Saddled up at 4 o’clock, returning to stables at 5.30. Remained in camp all day. Terrible dust storm followed by rain. On horse guard.

1899 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

Nothing today. We thought this morning we were going to have another most exciting day. "Long Tom" sent one shell. We returned fire. After about three shots each all was silence again. We heard later the Boer Commander sent in to ask for a 24 hours Armistice to bury their dead. We are very much afraid it means they are going to move their guns and take up better positions.

Source: Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Thursday, 31 October 1899

The enemy opened fire this morning at 3 a.m. and immediately it was daylight bombarded Cannon Kopje from three different points, and as soon as it was light enough they attacked this fort in very strong numbers and opened out in skirmishing order. It was the hottest fight we have had, and to the townspeople the most sad, as after the Boers were beaten off, it was found that some of our best and well known were killed. These included Captain D. H. Marsham, Sergeant-Major Curnihan, Trooper Burroughs, Trooper Martyn; other very seriously wounded have since died during the day, Lieutenant Pechell, Sergeant-Major Upton, Trooper Lloyd. These will be buried together this evening. Amongst the seriously wounded was [sic] Sergeant-Major Butler, Corporal Cooke, Trooper Newton and Trooper Nicholas, all shot with Mauser bullets. It is indeed a sad day for all of us as most of the killed are our particular and intimate friends. During the fight many plucky incidents occured. Some of the enemy got within three hundred yards of the fort. One of our seven-pounders was run out to the bottom end of the town in charge of Lieutenant Murchison. This gun very materially assisted in driving back the enemy, as at a distance of two thousand yards they managed to place one of their shells right amongst the enemy on the kopje opposite. Major Godley also managed to get to the Boers with his Maxim on the refugee redoubt. It is a very trying time indeed for the men in the fort, as they had to stand up to the sandbags with their rifles to reply to the attack, whilst the enemy’s shells were flying from all quarters, in front, in the rear, on the sides, and if it had not been for their plucky stand Cannon Kopje would have fallen and the town itself would have been made untenantable [sic] by the Boers. One cannot speak too highly in praise of the courage of the little group of between thirty and forty of the B.S.A.P. who held the enemy at bay all the time. The Boers must have lost very considerably as three or four of their ambulances could be seen going over their ground. Poor old Marsham, who was one of the old B.P. officers, was one of the most popular men in the district; he was a good sort and always had a kind word for everybody. After the enemy had retired their big gun sent three or four 94-pounder shells; one burst in the Salvation Army barracks not doing much damage.

A native came in from Vryburg today and told us that the Boers there say that Mafeking is in flames, and that they expect every moment to see the white flag hoisted.