TOPIC:

1899 - Kimberley siege day 62 (50%). Ladysmith siege day 44 (36%). Mafeking siege day 64 (29%). Battle of Colenso.
1901 - Capture of Commandant Badenhorst by Colenbrander. Kritzinger crosses the Orange at Sand Drift and enters Cape Colony.

Boer trenches at Colenso


Eyes and ears of the press watching the battle of Colenso


Memorial to Lt Freddie Roberts


In Kimberley:

Heavy firing took place this morning from daybreak until about 9.30 am in the direction of Spyfontein Ridge. The enemy of about 150, made an attempt to cut off two waggons sent out beyond Wesselton to Van Drutens Garden for vegetables.

Major Fraser with about 50 of the Beaconsfield Town guard turned out, and the enemy retired.

At 11.35 enemy commenced shelling, No 2 Redoubt Beaconsfield with a RML 9 pounder – they fired only 5 shells at the redoubt and 14 at the Premier Mine the guns of which had opened on them.

Major Fraser could only see about 30 of the enemy at Alexandersfontein and 200 on Wimbledon Ridge.

We have very few oxen left and shall soon have to commence killing cows which is a sad pity.

The registering of names in connection with the removal of inhabitants is proceeding satisfactorily. I trust that there will not be as much difficulty in the matter as I anticipated.

I sent the following message by search light signal this evening.

“dec 15 No 28. Last message giving information your movements your 11th Dec 99 No 1 have only very small force Imperial Troops only portion of which can be employed beyond lines of defence here. Respectfully request may be kept closer touch your movements otherwise am likely to lose opportunities of striking enemy in localities where success may be indirectly assist your advance as I now hold my mobile troops for movement to directly assist your advance, have cold storage now ready for 150 carcasses.”

“From Rhodes; To high commissioner. After relief column retires from Kimberley you must send coal for water supply and electric light. We must also keep mines dry. If they flood will destroy works for a year. This takes 400 tons weekly. You should send coal at once to Modder River a large portion of our coal has been used for military purposes.”

I sent messages this evening to Mafeking and Karumen congratulating them much on their gallant defence, and giving them all the information I could as to the situation.

I received the following messages:

“From Metheun to Kekewich. KI, only a delay but for how long I cannot tell you I will as soon as I know for certain.”

“From CSO to Kek: K” following received from Director of Supplies begins Dec 12th R 495 agent offers to put 50 or 100 head of cattle into Kimberley weekly through enemy’s lines stop. Ask Kekewich shall we try and arrange. Stop. Probable result very uncertain ends.”

I answered:

“From Kekewich, To CSO. December 15th No 29 yours K2 in answer Director of Supplies December 12th R 495 proposal not worth risk at present.”

I received:

“From CSO To Kekewich. K4 your message of 14th FOCUS Cape Town not passed by censor owing to it being code which cannot be understood here could you inform me contents.”

It appears Mr Rhodes’ message of this evening to high commissioner did not all get through owing to shutter of search light breaking.

In Ladysmith:

In my own mind I had always fixed to-day as the beginning of our deliverance from this grotesque situation. It may be so still. Very heavy firing was heard down Colenso way from dawn till noon. Colonel Downing, commanding the artillery, said some of it was our field-guns, and it seemed nearer than two days ago.

The Bulwan gun gave us his customary serenade from heaven's gate. He did rather more damage than usual, wrecking two nice houses just below my cottage. One was a boarding house full of young railway assistants, who had narrow escapes. The brother gun on Telegraph Hill was also very active, not being so well suppressed by our howitzers as before. When I was waiting at Colonel Rhodes' cottage by the river, it dropped a shell clear over Pavilion Hill close beside it. Otherwise the Boer guns behaved with some modesty and discretion.

In the morning I rode up to Waggon Hill, and found that "Lady Anne" had at last arrived there, and was already in position. She was hauled up in the night in three pieces, each drawn by two span of oxen. Some thirty yards in front of her, in an emplacement of its own, stands the 12lb. naval gun which has been in that neighbourhood for some days. Both are carefully concealed, even the muzzles being covered up with earth and stones. They both command the approach to the town across the Long Valley by the Maritzburg road, as well as Bluebank or Rifleman's Ridge beyond, and Telegraph Hill beyond that.

While I was on the hill I saw one mounted and four dismounted Boers capture five of our horses which had been allowed to stray in grazing.

In the afternoon a South African thunderstorm swept over us. In a few minutes the dry gully where the main hospital tents are placed, as I described, became a deep torrent of filth. The tents were three feet deep in water, washing over the sick. "Sure it's hopeless, hopeless!" cried unwearying Major Donegan, the medical officer in charge. "I've just seen me two orderlies swimmin' away down-stream." The sick, wet and filthy as they were, had to be hurried away in dhoolies to the chapels and churches again. They will probably be safe there as long as the Geneva flag is not hoisted.

In Mafeking:

Later. I was somewhat previous in my remarks, they have just placed a shell within a hundred yards of the hotel.

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

Roused at 4, Horse exercise, inspection of arms. Off duty till evening. Took “Kitty” to town to be shod. Met several old acquaintances. Market master gave me the following prices for produce sold this morning: Eggs 9/- to 10/7 a doz., Potatoes 14 lbs. 23/-, also 30 lbs. 42/-, Tomatoes (unripe) 4/3 dozen, Jam 3/6 per lb. Heavy cannonading heard from Colenso Heights which is about 5 miles from the village. Thunderstorm in the evening following the intense heat, raining for about 1 and half hours. Retired 8.30. Norton Smith went to Hospital.

1899 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

More bombarding again today, both this was and Golenso We hear today that there has been an engagement there either yesterday or today and report has it our losses were 150 killed and wounded, and the Boers three thousand. I daresay we will hear more facts tomorrow. Uncle George was with Colonel Royston on Caesar's Hill this morning and they were told that some shells from our Relief Column were seen exploding in tills direction. We hear there are 27,000 Boers round us between this and Colenso.

Uncle George says they saw them in great numbers all round. Folks seem to think the Boers will make an attack on Ladysmith tomorrow, Dingaan's Day. We hear good news this afternoon. Mr. Gill brought it. News of Lord Methuen again victorious near Kimberley, a glorious victory, he said, three thousand Boers killed, 70 with one Lyddite shell.

I think I am right in saying that the anniversary of the Battle of Colenso passed unnoticed in South Africa, December 15 1899 was another sad day in the history of the British army, and it no doubt contributed to the realisation by the British high command, and Britons in general, that the Boers were an enemy unlike any other that they had faced in many decades. Colonel Park was one senior officer in the field who would soon be revising his estimates of when Ladysmith would be relieved and the war would end. Miss Craw would have been shocked had she known the truth about the high number of British, and the low number of Boer casualties, on that day.

Below are pictures of the medals of two of the British soldiers wounded in action at Colenso - an Imperial soldier in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and a Colonial one in the Imperial Light Horse.

Brett

Quite Frankly Brett, I have never really understood why the enemy chose a preemptive strike into our Colonies, why and what did they hope to achieve, in particular, as the use of their modern weapons favoured defence, did they really think their silly slogans could become reality, Cape Town or Bust, the perennial favourite, Bananas in Durban and so on, they certainly did not have the numbers needed to do so from inception, nor, for that matter, did they use enough force, their war was lost as soon as they crossed their borders, their destiny was decided from the very moment they started shelling hospitals, women and children.
Very nice and scarce medals you have there.

Sadly, the placement of the flag on a particular building had the reverse effect of what had been intended, shelling became an all too frequent occurrence during the sieges, there has never been any doubt in my mind whatsoever that it was quite deliberate and intended.

djb wrote:

In the afternoon a South African thunderstorm swept over us. In a few minutes the dry gully where the main hospital tents are placed, as I described, became a deep torrent of filth. The tents were three feet deep in water, washing over the sick. "Sure it's hopeless, hopeless!" cried unwearying Major Donegan, the medical officer in charge. "I've just seen me two orderlies swimmin' away down-stream." The sick, wet and filthy as they were, had to be hurried away in dhoolies to the chapels and churches again. They will probably be safe there as long as the Geneva flag is not hoisted.