1900 - Kimberley siege day 79 (63%). Ladysmith siege day 61 (51%). Mafeking siege day 81 (37%). French attacks Boers at Colesberg. Colonel Pileher captures Boer laager at Sunnyside. Surrender of Kuruman.
1901 - Colonial Defence Force called out in Cape Colony.
1906 - General election in Great Britain.
In Kimberley:
Artillery firing was heard during the morning from about 8 am to 10 am in the direction of Spyfontein.
I am sorry that owing to careless watching 13 of our cattle were captured by Boers beyond Alexandersfontein Rd. They were private property. If the animals belonging to individuals were herded together and placed under the cattle guard it would mean far too much distance for them to go daily to and from the grazing ground. The danger is that all the good grass is eaten, and the cattle naturally graze outwards towards the better grass. Up till now we have lost none in this way, so on the whole must consider ourselves lucky.
I sent out 150 men this morning under the command of Col Peakman to reconnoitre from Carter’s ridge to West of Lazaretto and also to act as a covering party to some natives cutting bush which at present might enable the enemy to creep through and snipe the cattle guards and cattle. About 60 of the enemy advanced to near Carter’s farm and at one time appeared inclined to attack, and I sent 100 additonal mounted men. Two of the enemy were seen to fall; and the afternoon an ambulance was seen moving from spitxkof towards Alexandersfontein. We captured a water on Carter’s ridge. The enemy fired 5 shells at very long range at the mounted men on Carter’s ridge from wimbledon ridge. We had no casualties and the force returned to Kimberley at 3 pm.
Artillery firing was observed on Spytfontein direction at 5 pm and the reief column shrapnel appeared to be bursting over Spytfontein ridge.
I sent the following messages by search light this evening:
“From Kekewich, to General Metheun. Jan 1st no 65. Reference my 63 of yesterday natives suffering from Scurvy reported too ill to send out.”
“From Int K B to Int M D. Jan 1st 7 pm No 66. Native arrived here from enemy’s lines suspected of being spy states first Boers sent Colesberg Dec 19th have returned to Schotz Nek secondly only 200 Boers have come to Schotz Nek from Natal. Third De la Reys Laager is West of Scotz Nek, fourth Cronje also at Scotz Nek, fifth he has not heard of any movement from Scotz Nek to Deaar.”
I received the following:
“From Metheun, To Kekewich. Queen to all troops in South Africa including Kimberley and Ladysmith and if possible Mafeking message begins “Wish you all a bright and happy New Year. God bless you V R I. Message ends. Please communicate this to Mafeking if possible.”
“From General M D to Kekewich, 1st Jan G 170 I think right to let you know that Railway may not be ready to put supplies into Kimberley before end of Feb? You should consider this in estimating your daily consumption until then and also in deciding whether natives should be kept in Kimberley referred to in your No 63.”
“From CSO To Kekewich. 1st Jan No H 261. Your No 60 Dec 31st. Do not understand does it refer to a message from us.”
In Ladysmith:
The Bulwan gun began the New Year with energy. He sent thirty of his enormous shells into the camps and town, eight or nine of which fell in quick succession among the Helpmakaar fortifications, now held by the Liverpools.
Three or four houses in the town were wrecked by shells, the most decisive ruin being at Captain Valentine's. The shell went through the iron verandah, pierced the stone wall above the front door without bursting, and exploded against the partition wall of the passage and drawing-room. Throwing forward, it cleared away the kitchen wall, and swept the kitchen clean. Down a passage to the right the expansion of the air blew off a heavy door, and threw it across the bed of a wounded Rifle Brigade officer. He escaped unhurt, but a valued servant from the Irish Rifles got a piece of shell through back and stomach as he was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. He died in a few hours. His last words were, "I hope you got your breakfast all right, sir."
The house had long been a death-trap. Perhaps the Boers aim at the telegraph-office across the road, or possibly spies have told them Colonel Rhodes goes there for meals. The General has now declared the place too dangerous for habitation.
In the afternoon we were to have had a military tournament on the Islington model, but the General stopped it, because the enemy would certainly have thrown shells into our midst, and women and children would have been there. At night, however, the Natal Volunteers gave another open-air concert. In the midst we heard guns—real guns—from Colenso way. Between the reflected flash on the sky and the sound of the report one could count seventy-eight seconds, which Captain Lambton tells me gives a distance of about fifteen and a half miles. All day distant guns were heard from time to time. Some said the direction was changed, but I could hear no difference.
The mayor and councillors relieve the monotony of the siege with domestic solicitude. To-day they are said to be preparing a deputation to the General imploring that the first train which comes up after the relief shall be exclusively devoted—not to medical stuff for the wounded, not to food for the hungry troops and fodder for the starving horses, not to the much-needed ammunition for the guns—but to their own women.
In Mafeking:
had anticipated a quiet day, as this is a Boer festival. I presume they thought we anticipated this, for they commenced early with a heavy bombardment and experimented with incendiary bombs, which however were of no success. A valuable member of the garrison, one of our few carpenters, Slater by name, was killed.
