TOPIC:

1899 - Boers seize Norval's Pont bridge, and invade Cape Colony and Zululand.
1901 - Kekewich captures Van Albert's laager.

From the diary of Colonel Kekewich:
The proclamations issued from time to time as to the prices fixed for meat and breadstuffs, and the quantities that each person is allowed to buy appear on the whole to work satisfactorily.

I have to-day issued a fresh one fixing the price of flour, Boer Meal and Bread – and directing that not more than 15 head of cattle be slaughtered per diem for consumption within the limits of Kimberley and Beaconsfield.

The orders as to water work well; the amount consumed daily comes to about 1/3 of that in ordinary times.

I have to-day directed that about 60 convicts at De Beers Convict station whose sentences have expired to be kept in safe custody until communications are opened. If released here they would have no means of gaining a living and would be a source of danger and under the circumstances mush as regret it, I have felt it necessary to take the course I have.

There was an explosion of dynamite at 24 pm. to-day at Dronfield. I much hope it is only the small magazine which is said to contain only about 102 cases.

Lt Col Scott Turner proceeded with a few mounted men during the afternoon to a point from which he got a good view beyond the Intermediate Pumping Station. He, and the men who went with him fear it is the large magazine which has been exploded.

Inspected the Artillery and Maxims this morning – all are now well horsed, and are sufficiently mobile to take to the field at once.

A separate report as to this will be forwarded.

In a conversation I had with the High Commissioner on 13 Oct by telegraph he asked me as to supplies I then said I had 2 months for all at Kimberley.

It is difficult for many reasons to make an accurate estimate, but after going into the matter carefully I calculate that there are now remaining for the inhabitants, civil and military about 70 days of both breadstuffs and meat. This is calculated on 30,000 inhabitants.

I much hope we shall be able to guard our cattle, but it will be a difficult job I expect.

There are only about 42 days forage; by mixing and an alteration of the scale, I hope to be able to make this last for 60 days. Of course there has been a large increase of horses, which were brought in from the District for the Mounted Corps.

There is about 20 days supply of water in the Kimberley Reservoir but as previously stated, water is now being pumped into it from the Premier Mine – this supply will be ample but it is of course contingent on communications with the Premier Mine and Kimberley being kept open, which might in certain contingencies be impossible.

All are in very good spirits, but with this large town to defend, and every member of the Town Guard on duty in the works every night, the strain is of course great.

Some cattle near the Intermediate Pumping Station were driven away by the Boers. I am afraid it will be very difficult to guard all our cattle.



The intermediate pumping station

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

There have been a few showers in the night, and it is raining now. Many folk are panic stricken, and have fled. Others are not so cowardly. But the general idea is “Sauve qui peut”. I don’t know when the bombardment is to begin, but somehow, I don’t think it will be so very terrible. The sailor’s battery has some thundering big guns, and they will join in the chorus. We have quite an army here, and something must be risked in desperate cases like the present. I suppose some of us will be killed, but we can not help that, you know. We must take the big guns, even if we lose severely. This is another favour for which we have to thank Gladstone’s cowardice, and England’s dilatoriness. We have been driven from the border to the very centre of Natal. Buller and his army should have been here two months since. By this continued delay, we have allowed the Boers, so to strengthen their positions, even close to Ladysmith, that our men are bound to lose heavily, before they can dislodge the enemy, and the longer we wait, the greater our loss will be. Today’s Witness, says the delay in sending the troops, is owing to General Buller himself. Also that on leaving England he declared our troops, would be in Pretoria in a month. That now he is at Cape Town, he will have the satisfaction of knowing that a very considerable body of our troops, horse, foot and artillery are already in Pretoria, as prisoners of war. Now he is at Cape Town, his army is still behind, on the water. — It is rumoured the Basutos have risen against the Free Staters, and that in consequence, the Free State army has had to return home, to defend their own country. I hope it is true, for we are losing from Cape Town, to this place, although we are unwilling to acknowledge it. I don’t believe the rumoured Basuto rising. We hear such a lot of lies reported as undoubted facts. For instance, three days since, I heard a most circumstantial account of General Buller’s arrival here, and yet, he has only just landed at Cape Town. Last night, half Ladysmith fled to Pietermaritzburg, as this town was most certainly to be bombarded today, yet not a shot has been fired on either side. There is a two day’s truce for burying the dead. By some mischance, the Gloucestershire regiment, Irish fusilleers and a mountain battery, marched into a Boer ambuscade. Half our men were killed and the rest taken. General White and the rebel chief, met, and agreed to a two day’s truce.

1899 - From the diary of Lt Col Park in Ladysmith

I and the regiment are all very flourishing, but there is rather a feeling of depression about the garrison since the fight of 30th, or rather since it became known that nearly all of the Gloucesters and Royal Irish Fusiliers had been captured by the Boers after having fired all their ammunition. It is a terrible blow in every way, both to the garrison and to the prestige of the British Army. The regiments were in no way to blame, and I believe did all that could be done till they found themselves without a cartridge and surrounded by thousands of Boers. They were absolutely cut off from the camp and from the rest of the force, having been sent off at night on a detached column. I can only say how devoutly thankful I am that the regiment was out of it. Nothing further has happened since, but we are now practically confined to the defence of Ladysmith for the present, and the whole garrison has been told off to different sections of the picket line, which runs in a horseshoe over the low hills round the town. I am in command of the extreme south-east end of the line. The regiment is encamped between the hill and the river, and has two companies on picket, one at each end of the hill, in little entrenchments of stones and sand-bags. The Boer positions are all round the outside of the horseshoe, from two to four miles distant. Captain Lambton, of the Powerful has brought up some heavy ship’s guns, and a heavy howitzer battery has also arrived, so that we ought to be able to silence the Boer guns when they open fire; and I don’t think they are likely to make a regular attack on the place as the Boer doesn’t care about fighting in the open, and is not much good except in position behind a rock or stone wall. They may try to shell us, and if that fails, they will probably wait and hope to starve us out; but we have heaps of provisions, and the line to Maritzburg and Durban is open, and trains running constantly, so we can carry on for a long time. We have had two hard days - yesterday moving all the camp from our old place in the town and taking up the posts here, and all today the whole regiment has been hard at work strengthening the posts, making roads to them, building walls and shelters, and putting the whole of our section in as good a state of defence as possible.

I have got two little 3-pounder quick-firers with one of my pickets, and I hope tomorrow to get a field battery as well. Hayley has been sent to Maritzburg. Gunning is still here; he is getting on slowly, but is very weak and quite unfit to move yet. Yule is getting all right again, but the doctors won’t let him off the sick list. I have been too busy to see them these two days, and can hardly leave my section. We are 11/2 miles from the middle of the town, which means quite an hour’s absence if one goes in.

I have been up since 4 a.m. and have been four times all round the whole picket line and up and down the hill, which is about 150 feet or 200 feet high, and one mass of rough rocks and boulders piled up one on another, and mighty bad going. I feel as if I had tramped about twenty miles.

It is funny that neither side has fired a shot today. The Boers are said to be hard at work strengthening their own positions for fear we should attack them again, and they certainly have not attempted to molest us in any way.

The regiment has earned a splendid reputation for both its behaviour under fire, and for the amount of hard work the men do, and do cheerily and willingly. I constantly get all sorts of complimentary things said to me about the regiment by every general and staff officer from Sir G. White downwards, and today, Colonel Knox, who visited the pickets about noon, was perfectly astonished at the amount of work we had got done since daylight this morning, and said he would not have thought it possible for the number of men to have done so much in the time. All this is very gratifying, and makes the men as keen and pleased as possible.

1899 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

Armistice up and no shelling today. It will mean another day's rest for our men and horses and time to erect the big guns that have arrived. Wilfrid was taken with another relapse of fever this morning, and was very bad for a few hours until the perspiration began. When he seemed relieved Dr. Rouillard came in to see us in the afternoon and had a look at him, and prescribed for him, but Wilfrid seems to think he doesn't understand his case. We have heard all kinds of rumours today. Among other things, the Boers were marching on to Maritzburg, and another that General Joubert said that if we don't surrender they will shell the town. Another rumour is that they have gone (as the Basutos have risen) to protect their Borders.

This morning after breakfast we went down to choose a place, or rather a nook to hide in on the bank of the river. Bert and Uncle William put a canvas awning up and it looks very comfortable, but I hope we won't have to resort to it. Mr. Nourse Varty came to dinner this evening. Everyone is gloomy and hopeless. They seem to think we are going to have an awful time. I still feel hopeful and put great trust in "Tommy" to help us through.

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

All Saints Day. Roused at 3.45 - under arms till 6 o’clock. Cleaning up picket lines, saddlery etc. - no special orders. Wrote Rose, Annie, Agnes and Alice.

1899 - From the diary of Major George Tatham, Natal Carbineers

All native servants dismissed, native girls sent away in charge of foods in view of coming siege.