TOPIC:

1899 - General attack on Ladysmith repulsed.

Kimberley:

Nothing particular during the day except in the afternoon when the Mounted Troops guarding the cattle were returning the enemy fires two shells at them from near Felsted.

Most of our mounted patrols are fired on daily, at very long range, by the enemy.

Sorry to say that almost all, if not all the 2000 natives sent out from Premier Mine have returned having been driven back by the enemy. It is a great pity they did not get through as it may have a bad effect on the natives generally, and there are 10,000 here.

Mr Rhodes is doing much in the shape of relief work for natives. In addition to those employed at Kimberley it is hoped to give employment for 1000 at Beaconsfield from to-morrow. They will get 1/6d a day, and white men to superintend them 4/-. It is of course very important to keep all natives employed.

There appear to be 27 Reservists here, but I have only ordered 3 of them to join the 1/Loyal North Lancashire Regt. The remaining 24 are most usefully employed in the Kimberley Light Horse Police, Town Guard, etc and I am confident it would be a great mistake to make them join the colours at the present moment.

I have called in all arms that were in accordance with the Martial Law proclamation registered. I hope to re-issue arms to, many who I will arrange to be selected, and I will form these gentlemen into a second Div of the Town Guard, who will take the oath, but will not receive payment for their services.

Another company of the Town Guard is being formed mainly with the view to the improvement of the defences at Kenilworth, and the guarding of the cattle.

Ladysmith:

A day of furious and general attack. Just before five I was wakened by a shell blustering through the eucalyptus outside my window, and bursting in a gully beyond. "Lady Anne" answered at once, and soon all the Naval Brigade guns were in full cry. What should we have done without the Naval guns? We have nothing else but ordinary field artillery, quite unable to reply to the heavy guns which the Boers have now placed in position round the town. Yet they only came up at the last moment, and it was a mere piece of luck they got through at all. Standing behind them on the ridge above my tin house, I watched the firing till nine o'clock, dodging behind a loose wall to avoid the splinters which buzz through the air after each shot, and are sometimes strangely slow to fall. Once after "Long Tom" had fired I stood up, thinking all was over, when a big fragment hummed gently above my head, went through the roof and ceiling of a house a hundred yards behind, and settled on a shell-proof spring mattress in the best bedroom. One of the little boys running out from the family burrow in the rocks was delighted to find it there, and carried it off to add to his collection of moths and birds' eggs. The estimate of "Long Tom's" shell has risen from 40lbs. to 96lbs. and I believe that to be the true weight. One of them to-day dug a stupendous hole in the pavement just before one of the principal shops, and broke yards of shutter and plate glass to pieces. It was quite pleasant to see a shop open again.

So the bombardment went on with violence all the morning. The troglodytes in their burrows alone thought themselves safe, but, in fact, only five men were killed, and not all of those by shell. One was a fine sergeant of the Liverpools, who held the base of the Helpmakaar road where it leaves the town eastward. Sergeant Macdonald was his name, a man full of zeal, and always tempted into danger by curiosity, as most people are. Instead of keeping under shelter of the sangar when the guns on Bulwan were shelling the position, he must needs go outside "to have a look." The contents of a shell took him full in front. Any of his nine wounds would have been fatal. His head and face seemed shattered to bits; yet he did not lose consciousness, but said to his captain, "I'd better have stopped inside, sir." He died on the way to hospital.

A private of the Liverpools was killed too. About twenty-four in all were wounded, chiefly by rifle fire, Captain Lethbridge of the Rifle Brigade being severely injured in the spine. Lieutenant Fisher, of the Manchesters, had been shot through the shoulder earlier in the day, but did not even report himself as wounded until evening.

After all, the rifle, as Napoleon said, is the only thing that counts, and to-day we had a great deal of it at various points in our long line of defence. That line is like a horseshoe, ten to twelve miles round.

The chief attacks were directed against the Manchesters in Cæsar's Camp (we are very historic in South Africa) and against a mixed force on Observation Hill, two companies of the Rifle Brigade, two of the King's Royal Rifles, and the 5th Lancers dismounted. The Manchesters suffered most. Since the investment began the enemy has never left them in peace. They are exposed to shells from three positions, and to continual sniping from the opposite hill. It is more than a week since even the officers washed or took their clothes off, and now the men have been obliged to strike their tents because the shells and rifles were spoiling the stuff.

The various companies get into their sangars at 3 a.m., and stay there till it is dark again. Two companies were to-day thrown out along the further edge of their hill in extended order as firing line, and soon after dawn the Boers began to creep down the opposite steep by two or three at a time into one of the many farms owned by Bester, a notorious traitor, now kept safe in Ladysmith. All morning the firing was very heavy, many of the bullets coming right over the hill and dropping near the town. Our men kept very still, only firing when they saw their mark. Three of them were killed, thirteen wounded. Before noon a field battery came up to support the battalion, and against that terrifying shrapnel of ours the Boers attempted no further advance. In the same way they came creeping up against Observation Hill (a barren rocky ridge on the north-west of the town), hiding by any tree or stone, but were completely checked by four companies of Rifles, with two guns and the dismounted Lancers. They say the Boer loss was very heavy at both places. It is hard to know.

In the afternoon things were fairly quiet, but in walking along the low ridge held by the Liverpools and Devons, I was sniped at every time my head showed against the sky. At 4 p.m. there was a peculiar forward movement of our cavalry and guns along the Helpmakaar road, which came to nothing being founded on false information, such as comes in hourly.

The great triumph of the day was certainly the Royal salute at noon in honour of the Prince of Wales. Twenty-one guns with shotted charge, and all fired slap upon "Long Tom"! It was the happiest moment in the Navy's life for many a year. One after another the shot flew. "Long Tom" was so bewildered he has not spoken since. The cheering in the camps was heard for miles. People thought the relief division was in sight. But we were only signifying that the Prince was a year older.

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

A very scanty supply of water, no fuel, (tor the rebels hold our coal fields) and food in daily rations, as I have said before. The river water is altogether unfit for drinking or cooking, owing to the great number of troops encamped on its bank.

5 a.m. The bombardment has begun earlier than usual. 9 a.m. Lots of cannon firing, also a hot fusillade, which sounds close to the town. It sounds as if the rebels were attacking the town on the north east. They have impudence enough to do so. The rebel machine guns are also in action.

1 p.m. The rifle firing has died away. Only an occasional shot is exchanged. This, being the birth day of The Prince of Wales, there has been much cheering and singing “God bless the Prince of Wales” in the volunteers camps

5.30 p.m. I think the row is over for today, as the people are returning from the caves, and the guns have been silent for the last half hour.

9 p.m. I have just been told that the rebels lost a crowd in killed and wounded this morning. I believe this is authentic news, for the man who told me, did not pretend to accuracy as to numbers, and he is employed at the soldiers’ camp. There were three battles simultaneously. — We shall not go to the caves in future, we will take our chance in town.

1899 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

The boom of Long Tom woke us at a quarter to five this morning. We jumped out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible. They came quick and right into the town. We packed our basket while Mama made some scones. We find it difficult to keep in with bread, none to be had in town. Bert came in to hurry us down to our cave, and got into a rage when he saw us baking scones, stamped about, then left us. We popped the porridge into a basket with milk etc. and then made for the river with all speed like a lot of rabbits.

A shell had just fallen and ploughed a hole in the road two or three yards from where we burrow. Then they went on all round us thick and fast. One went into a bank quite close to us, so near that it sent a shower of dust into us. Another fell in the river right into a lot of cattle drinking. One of them fell, hit in the back. It could not walk, but after some assistance they got it on its legs. It has a big wound on the back. I don't know what became of it eventually.

We had a long and most anxious day as the musketry and artillery firing went on all round us, besides these siege guns playing over our heads and all round us.

At one time we thought the Boers would be in any minute, but after a time it sounded further away. (One thousand and thirty-one shells fell during the day, over eight hundred of which being the Boers'.) One Officer told us while passing that the Boers had made an attempt to get in, but we were ready and had driven them away, then we had them to advantage. Our Artillery was waiting at the top end of the town commanding a flat which the Boers crossed to get to their main column and played into them. I believe our pickets counted a hundred and fifty horses lying dead there this morning. No one knows the Boer loss, but it is estimated at being pretty heavy. Our losses yesterday all day is said to be 8 dead and thirteen wounded. At one time I thought from the firing every man we had out was being killed, so really it was very light. We were told again later that only two were dead and 8 wounded - that is better still if true.

The man in the balloon at noon today said he sighted the relief Column from Colenso ten to fifteen miles away. Also one from Pretoria coming to the Dutch.

Ours will have to fight their way through. They say General French is bringing them. I hope he gets through alright.

After we got home this afternoon, what a relief to get out and away from the warren and have a bath and clean up, Wilfrid, Bert and I went up to town to see the damage done. Illing Bros, store had a shell through one door and wall, not much damage done. Then we walked round to the late Government School. Shells had burst all round there. The ammunition is stored there but no damage much. A chimney gone and a few holes through the corrugated iron fence. Next door Dr. Rouillard's stable, one wall was completely levelled. From there we passed the General's House. What a change from when Mrs. Adams lived there, tents pitched all round and everything looking lively, horses and soldiers standing round. Where we should cross a little bridge below Mrs. Christopher's gate, we noticed it all barricaded and heaped up with bales of forage. We crossed through the dip below and saw it was meant for a burrow for someone. Mrs. Christopher's Place looked all serene. I picked some mignonette and roses and geraniums. We went into the house and her old kitchen boy greeted us. He had everything looking nice and clean, and all the plants well watered. The table was laid for six - it has been commandeered like most unoccupied houses by some officers. I put some of the flowers in vases on the table and took the rest home. From there we went to the Sanatorium. A lot of damage has been done there, a wall down, the flooring and ceiling boards of one of the rooms all in splinters, a hole through the roof and glass from the windows everywhere. Then we went to Mr. Bertie Murray's nice new home. A shell went through a tank, down a passage and out of a bow window at the end of the passage, taking a verandah post out, all strewn on the ground outside. It is also occupied by some officers. From that hill you command a view of the town and all the surrounding country. The Boer guns are on all the hills around us and we seem to be in a basin. While we were on the hill we heard musketry firing in the distance. Ladysmith has such a deserted look. All the stores and places of business closed. Under Greenacres and Stephens verandahs these Indian bearers lying asleep. We had to step over some of them yesterday, with their hammocks for bearing the wounded beside them covered with green canvas. They lie down wherever they can find shelter. The market square is covered with Ambulance wagons. It is the Prince of 'Wales' birthday today. We heard cheer upon cheer from the different camps today.

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

Saddled up at 3.15 - moved off to Thorns at 4. Boers opened up fire at daybreak, mostly falling lower end of town. Dummy balloon ascended for the Boers to fire at at about 5 o’clock. Musketry firing commenced about an hour later, pouring in volley upon volley in rear of Tin Town (Military Camp), where our men attacked the Boers who were creeping up too close inflicting heavy losses. A great number of Z.A.R.P. were reported to have been killed. Our losses were light. Shelling as usual without much damage.

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

Musketry and shelling from three sides commenced about 5 a.m. Attempts made by Boers to enter the town failed though we counted the total shell fire - 1031 - from Boer guns. Our 4.7 returned this fire but on a very moderate scale and with doubtful results.

Source: Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Thursday, 9 November 1899

Creetje opened fire upon us this morning very early at 3.30. Smaller guns following suit, they kept this up till nearly breakfast-time.

The Boers have been very hard at work all night and have dug a very large trench to the eastward. They work nearly every night.

Very hot rifle-fire all round about all the morning.

At 6 o’clock this evening Court martial sat for the purpose of trying Lieutenant Murchison but adjourned until tomorrow evening.

About 8 o’clock, Creetje sent the best-aimed shell I have yet seen: it struck a large corner store, went through the iron roof ceiling, two brick walls, outside through a thick tree, through another wall and finally right through a piano. The noise was terrific. Mr. Friend and myself were walking within fifteen yards when we heard the bell, and both were laying flat in the road, and afterwards thanked God we escaped what appeared for the moment [to be] certain death. I have had three or four narrow escapes but this capped the lot.

The first official letter from the outside world was received this morning, and read out by Lord Edward Cecil on the Market Square. It gave us good news about Elandslaagte and tells us that Commandant Kock and Colonel Schiel have been taken prisoners. He says he expects the troops will arrive in the Colony about 14 days from tire sixth of this month, that means the 20th. It doesn’t look very well for our relief.