TOPIC:

The link is to an account of the Gun Hill raid written by a Colonial historian.
samilitaryhistory.org/vol146mc.html

Brett

I think the events on this day must certainly have broken the monotony, for at the very least, those engaged, can you begin to imagine what it must have actually been like, on a day to day basis, for a great many typical Thomas Atkins, to be stuck in Ladysmith during that wretched siege.
The spasmodic shelling and sniping, moreover, as a direct result, not being ever, really safe from enemy fire, in particular, if you were actually engaged on picquet duty, for several hours at a time, as so many were, all the time, with so little news being filtered from outside and what did, was so often contradictory and confused.
Truly appalling!

1899 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Friday, 8 December

Usual bombardments. One of the big shells bursting in the P.R. fort literally tearing one man to pieces and wounding two others, half the body of the man that was killed was found on the next roof and pieces of him picked up all round the neighbourhood.

Another white flag sent out to the Boer lines today; am told that we have sent out some stimulants to one of our wounded now a prisoner with the Boers. Three white flags of truce were passed between ourselves and the enemy today, and it is officially stated that the following was B.P.’s message : "Proclamation giving free pardon by the Queen to any man who surrendered and came into Mafeking with his horse, rifle, saddle, and bridle, by noon on Monday next.” A promise was also made that any man so acting would be "released from the ban of rebellion and their property not confiscated”. This proclamation we are told is general and has been sent out from all quarters of the army to the enemy.