1899 - Kimberley siege day 65 (52%). Ladysmith siege day 47 (39%). Mafeking siege day 67 (30%). Lord Roberts appointed Commander-in-Chief in South Africa with Lord Kitchener as Chief of Staff. Government allow twelve battalions of Militia to volunteer for service abroad. Yeomanry contingent accepted.
1901 - General Dartnell attacked by de Wet at Tigerkloof Spruit. Agreement concluded with Portuguese for recruiting natives in their territory.
In Kimberley:
At daybreak this morning it would appear from the position of the enemy on the Kimberley side of the Intermediate Pumping station that he expected to be attacked. About 150 of them occupied a long ridge in extended order. They retired into the Intermediate Pumping Station at about 6 am.
I suppose I have no right to grumble but for months I have done my best to supply daily all intelligence information that I considered might be useful, but I have never furnished with an intelligence report, or with any information except on one occasion when I notified that unless I was supplied with some details as to the military situation I should not be able to answer the question as to the garrison considered necessary to leave in this place. Of course I expect these have been sent to me from time to time but have miscarried.
I notice a large number of white looking flags are now being used by the enemy. I see them with the telescope on almost every hill, and in some cases they appear to be used for signaling. I fancy the enemy must be very short of water. Several galvanized iron water tanks have been seen in the far distance on waggons. How I wish I could cut these off or block their going in any way, but the roads they send them on are all many miles distant and I fear it would be impossible. Water has regulated the enemy’s disposition much in this siege; if by any chance I had been able, as I attempted, to take away part of the pumping machinery at Riverton, no water could have been pumped by the enemy into the Pan to North of the Intermediate Pumping station, and I doubt much if he could in consequence have kept sufficient troops out the north side to cause us any serious bother, or in any case to have stopped us grazing our cattle, etc. Also if some of the wells such as those at Carter’s farm, MacFarlanes, Felstead, and Webster’s had been filled in the enemy would have had great difficulty in so closely investing the town.
The relief column balloon (a small one) was seen this morning, and some say they heard rifle firing.
Major Fraser reports that there are very few waggons and carts on the move between Olipants Dam and Scotz’s Neck. He calculates that there are not many of the enemy at Alexandersfontein, and about 200 on Wimbledon Ridge.
I sent the following messages by search light signal this evening:
“Dec 18th 7 pm No 33. Last written despatch received from South yours Dec 10th No 46. Stop. Have received Cape Argus Dec 11th 12th and 13th which gives only information my possession re military situation, South Africa. Stop. Natives report enemy total numbers about 500 mounted men moving in small bodies all last night from direction BOSHOF and Bloemfontein to hills about Spyfontein. Stop. Other natives report that large force now advancing from North on Kimberley they may however also intend proceeding further South. Stop. Enemy’s spies numerous here and probably in all our camps hence every movement about to be executed at once communicated to enemy. Stop. MICHAN and MARITZ colonists reported captured by you denounced as rebels here, fair graounds to believe statements concerning them to me. Stop. DE KOCK of Belmont also denounced as rebel. Stop. Enemy’s supply convoys move in three columns from Olipnatsfontein to Schotz’s Nek and wimbledon siding rarely accompanied by escorts unfortunately out of range operations possible from here.”
I received the following messages. The dates should be carefully noted:
“Dec 16th G 35 your 26. You should economize rations to last till 15th January.”
“Dec 18th G 49 Reference my telegram G 355 and your 26 you are ? commence economize food to last till thirteenth January not till 15th January as originally stated.”
“from Metheun to Rhodes. Dec 16 K 6. Please inform Rhodes I do not consider it necessary to forward his message to High Commissioner of 10th dec regarding Mafeking which is purely a military matter.”
“From Metheun to Kekewich. Dec 16th G 36. What gun ammunition will you require when Kimberley relieved. Describe guns state caliber and number of rounds required for each description of gun.”
In Ladysmith:
How is one to treat an indeterminate situation? The siege is already too long for modern literature. It was all very well when we thought it must end by Christmas at the furthest. But since last Sunday we are thrown back into the infinite, and can fix no limit on which hope can build even a rainbow. So now the only way to make this account of our queer position readable will be to dwell entirely in the glaring events of adventure or bloodshed, and let the flat days slide, though the sadness and absurdity of any one of them would fill a paper.
We have had such luck in escaping shells that we grow careless. The Bulwan gun began his random fire, as usual, before breakfast. He threw about fifteen shells, but most of us are quite indifferent to the 96lb. explosive thunder-bolts dropping around us. Indeed, fourteen of them did little harm. But just one happened to drop in the Natal Carbineer lines while the horses were being groomed. Two men were killed outright and three mortally wounded. A sapper was killed 200 yards away. Three others were wounded. Eleven horses were either killed or hopelessly disabled. All from one chance shell, while fourteen hit nobody! One man had both legs cut clean off, and for a time continued conscious and happy. Five separate human legs lay on the ground, not to speak of horses' legs. The shell burst on striking a horse, they say (it was shrapnel), and threw forwards. While the Carbineers were carrying away one of their dead another shell burst close by. They rightly dropped the body and lay flat. The only fragment which struck at all almost cut the dead man in half. Another shell later in the day killed a Kaffir woman and her husband in a back garden off the main street. Several women have died from premature childbirth owing to shock.
Most of my day was again spent in trying to get a Kaffir runner for a telegram, but none would go. My last two had failed. All are getting frightened. In the evening I rode out to Waggon Hill and found "Lady Anne" and the 12lb. naval gun had gone back to their old homes. They are not wanted to keep open the approach for Buller now, and perhaps Captain Lambton was afraid the position might be rushed.
In Mafeking:
A quiet day; except on the western front, where their five-pounder keeps pegging away; however, no one takes any notice of it, as our new gun-pit is not yet completed. To-morrow we hope to have another lively morning. The Boers have been drilling, apparently practising an attack formation, somewhat late in the day, however, and not of much use now, as they could not get in if they tried, and they are not likely to make the attempt. As l before said, Colonel Baden-Powell has collected some thirty lances and armed a troop with them, so that, if the enemy depart hurriedly, we may be able to speed them on their way. Went sniping in the evening; they fired the one-pound Maxim and a good deal of musketry fire. Our troops in the advance trenches had quite good shooting all day.
