TOPIC:

1899 - Ladysmith invested and bombarded. Plumer, attacked at Rhodes Drift, retires on Tuli. Canada offers a second contingent.
1900 - Boers attack Smith-Dorrien at Van Wyk's Vlei.

The Kimberley diary:
A railway culvert near Dronfield was blown up by the enemy his morning.

Inspector Barrange, Sub Inspector Davies, 2 NCOs 18 men and 25 horses Cape Police arrived from Upington which place they left on 21 October.

I reduced the ration for the troops to-day to: ¾ lb of meat; 6 oz of Mealie Meal or Samp.

To-day’s state of the artillery shows: Its state of mobility is due to Mr Rhodes.

RA - 6 x 2.5" guns, 2 maxims, 4 officers, 90 men, 27 horses, 54 mules, 6 wagons, 3 carts and 1 water cart
DFA - 6 x 2.5" guns, 0 maxims, 5 officers, 98 men, 62 horses, 30 mules, 3 wagons, 0 carts and 0 water carts
Maxim Battery - 0 x 2.5" guns, 6 maxims, 0 officers, 32 men, 26 horses, 10 mules, 1 wagon, 3 carts and 0 water carts

Some dynamite was found by the Police under the Railway Bridge – in centre of town. Such places will be carefully guarded in future.

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

6.30 a.m. The cannonade has just begun. A shell has burst close to my house. My daughter picked up a piece weighing about half a pound. — A kaffir killed in the middle of the town, by a fragment of shell. The artillery continue firing at intervals, but there does not seem much of a battle in other respects. The town is said to be surrounded by Boers in small parties of two or three thousand each. — Shops all shut. Yesterday the same. We shall soon be at starvation point. The bakers send out no bread, and the butchers no meat. Meat is 1/6 a pound, when by extraordinary good luck, it can be had.

1 pm. The fifth dragoon guards occupy my garden, as the rebels are shelling their camp. The garden is a nice shady place, as it is full of fruit trees, syringas, and other large trees, but it will be a warm corner if the Boers find out where the soldiers are sheltering. — The artillery has been all but silent for the last two hours, but they are at it again now. — We are rumoured to have had some small success to the north west. Our men are said to have come to close quarters with the enemy. If this is so, we have doubtless won the fight, but the rebel’s main army is still as lively as ever with their 40 pounders, and our men make no way. Our machine guns have been pretty noisy today.

4.30 pm. Another “whistling Dick” as the 40 pound shells were called in the Crimea, has just landed near the English church, in the middle of the town. It has wrecked lawyer Carter’s house, a fine, new, red brick building. Luckily no one was in the house at the time. Mrs Barker, the Arch deacon’s wife, had been there shortly before the shell came. Things are getting warm. David Sparks, a Lieutenant in the carbineers, tells me they cut up the Free Staters finely this morning. He could not tell me the number killed, but he said they lay very thick. He also said the Free State cannon had been destroyed (6 guns). Sparks tells the truth to the best of his ability, and does not lie. 

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

Roused 2.30. Marched out some 4 miles on Colenso road, taking up position with artillery - 2 guns unlinked in front, and after firing 5 shots retired. We returned to camp shortly after to find the town being shelled. We were taken to the river bed, off-saddling for some time. The banks of the river were lined with refugees from town. Shifted camp to end of town, taking up all the gardens etc. suitable. Communication cut off by Boers who are advancing to Colenso.

1899 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

We were up by daylight, at least we dressed by candle-light. Uncle George was called at 2 o'clock, and then it seemed very soon after Aunt Fanny said crowds of women and children are passing with lanterns to take shelter under the banks of the river. So we all dressed and had breakfast and were ready to start when Wilfrid was taken with the ague again. Mr. Normand (an Officer in the ILH who was wounded in the shoulder at Elandslaagte, and is staying with us), Bert and I remained at the house, and didn't we have a time of it. His attack was long and bad. Fortunately Dr. Rouillard came in, and it was comforting even to know he was here. We poulticed his stomach and tried other remedies but he was very sick. Mama and Ada came up for a few minutes before lunch and they all say the sight down there is worth seeing. Crowds and crowds of women and children, horses and cattle, in the shelter of the bank. I am sure Melton Prior will not have a complete collection without a picture of that kind for the paper he illustrates. He was here the other day looking at a Mauser and bandoline full of cartridges that Wilfrid has. He sketched it. The boom of cannons started at about half past six and kept up until almost dusk this evening, a good many of them falling in the town. The town has a public holiday look about it, especially when all the men, women and children return from their refuge in the river banks, -with their baskets, chairs and kettles. It is marvellous how used you get to the boom of the cannons. We heard one very loud report from the "Umbulwana" at about 5 this evening and then the bursting of it very near here. We thought in the Church, but heard shortly afterwards it had entered Mr, Carter's beautiful new house, so we walked up to have a look at it. It had gone through the lower part of his study door facing the street, the floor was strewn with splints and all over the table, and one picture was on the floor broken, but the damage was by no means as serious as it might have been. But if anyone had been passing along the street opposite at that time it would have been rather bad for him. A large crowd had come to see it, amongst others Col. Rhodes. A little further up the street one fell earlier in the day in someone's back yard and ploughed a hole big enough to bury anyone.

We also looked at that. Just before we went up the balloon was put up in the next street and passed in front of this house. It did look so weird. There was rather a strong breeze and it was swaying about, the basket with the man in swinging from side to side, and he calmly looking through his telescope. When he got higher up he threw out "despatches" we called them, and sometimes spoke through a trumpet thing.

We heard him say "Haul down."

I don't think I mentioned on Tuesday we sent Dolly down to her father in Durban for safety. Poor little thing cried bitterly and wanted to take little Pepeta with her. We only had a charter of an hour's notice, thought it a good opportunity as Archie had to take Loan Securities down, so sent Lee with him. Very good thing she went as today the line is torn up and the wires cut. Dr. Hyslop was here this morning. He wants us to have the carrier pigeons here.

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

Rail stopped. Christopher left for Pietermaritzburg.

Many women and children left, others declined to move unless order was general. Wife and Mrs. Craw and two girls decided to remain and we laid in a stock of provisions etc. for a few weeks. This order of wife's I told Messrs. Sparks Bros, to duplicate, feeling sure that we should be shut in for a month or two. Went out with about 500 volunteers, a small lot of Lancers and a battery of Artillery round End Hill. At 4 p.m. saw Boer Commando from O.F.S. out-spanned near Table Hill (Grobler's Kop). Fired a few shots at them and were ordered to retire. General French was in charge and left Ladysmith that night by last train.

Source: Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Thursday, 2 November 1899

Very sad affair happened last night. Lieutenant Murchison, who was in charge of all our artillery, deliberately shot the war correspondent of the Daily Chronicle, named Parslow, in the head, killing him instantly. The two had been dining together at the hotel, and over their wine commenced arguing about the shooting of the seven-pounders on the day previous. Parslow started chipping and telling him he did not know how to shoot; this was kept up for some considerable time, eventually Murchison got very annoyed and told Parslow he was only a young fool, and he was to clear out and leave him alone. They went across the Market Square together, and had just entered Dixon’s Hotel, Parslow chaffing Murchison all the time, when suddenly Murchison drew his revolver and, as I previously said, turned round and shot Parslow through the back of the head. Murchison is now in jail, in the hands of the civil authorities. They will never get another man as good as he for the artillery, as he seemed always to be able to place a shell wherever he wanted to within range.

We have been pretty well tied to our dugouts all day as shells and Mauser bullets have been continually flying about. As a rule the enemy’s big gun Creetje (as we have called her) has given us a good-night shell and we have generally waited for it, but tonight they have let us off.