TOPIC:

1900 - Kimberley siege day 103 (83%). Ladysmith siege day 85 (71%). Mafeking siege day 105 (48%). Buller commences withdrawal of his force across the Tugela.
1901 - Free State leaders assemble at the Doornberg. De Wet decides to invade Cape Colony.
1902 - Capture of Ben Viljoen near Lydenburg. Offer of mediation from the Dutch Government.

In Kimberley:

Enemy kept on firing into the town during the night. Probably about 50 in all fell during the hours of darkness.

Shelling continued until about 11 am. About 100 being fired from 5 am until that hour; over 100 were fired by the Wimbledon guns in Beaconsfield.

Enemy continued shelling at intervals during the afternoon and at about 4 pm burst some time fuze shrapnel near the Market place.

In all about 150 shells were fired from midnight to midnight.

I received the following message by helio:

“From Chief Paymaster, to OC Troops, Kimberley. DP 200. Please keep me informed of the state of your bank balance and future requirements.”

I sent the following by helio or search light to-day.

“From Int KB to Int MD. Jan 25 No 133. Kindly repeat I 127 of yesterday last part not understood.”

“From Kekewich, To General Methuen. Jan 35th 10 am No 134. Enemy continued heavy bombardment yesterday throughout daylight, again during night occasional shots were fired into centre of town. Bombardment has again resumed daylight to-day. Enemy’s object apparently destruction of life and property. Enemy’s guns are being fired at their extreme ranges, and shell are falling in every part of town. Further casualties reported women and two children. Russell Harding struck by shell, and elder girl not expected to live. Will send condition Mrs Harding to-night.”

From Int KB to Int MD. Jan 25 No 135. Your I 121 of yesterday. Yates cannot be traced here men of that name left Kimberley for Bulawayo just prior to siege.”

“From Int KB to Int MD. Jan 25th No 136. Native who escaped from Boers last night states Piet Cronje is at Kamfersdam. Cannot say how many Boers with him. States six hundred Boers are at Peddiefontein. This laager is hidden from our view. Informant states at one redoubt our shells yesterday killed three Boers, also that enemy expects further reinforcements here from Transvaal. Boers have armed Kaffirs and Basutos for employment at night only; these armed natives accompany all patrols. Numbers Boers and natives each patrol being equal. Informant was in Boer lines during yesterday’s bombardment, states Boers avoid redoubts during our artillery fire, and scatter in bush.


Am of opinion enemy’s numbers round Kimberley and South have been augmented by nearly two thousand men since Jan 7th composed rebels and practically last leave Transvaal.

Second letter received from Barkly requesting advice concerning latest issue commandeering notices to Britishers by Boers. Writer states three hundred Englishmen affected chief cause their anxiety arisen from fact all wagons horses long ago commandeered and they cannot send families to Hope-town.”

“From Int KB To Int MD. Jan 25th 5 pm No 137. During first 24 hour bombardment enemy fires about 500 shells in to Kimberley and Kimberley – there were no further casualties. Stop. Early hours to-day bombardment was heavy, but slackened off about noon, occasional shot still being fired. To-day hundred and fifty shell fired since daybreak. Mrs Webster her two children wounded by same shell. Elder child since dead. Pope Kimberley contractor wounded hand and foot.”

“From Int KB to Int MD. Jan 5th No 123. Dutch report here Boers intend attack us after three days bombardment. Idea prevailing horse flesh diet has reduced our staying powers. Let them try it.”

I received the following.

“From CSO to Kekewich. Have deposition mentioned in your message 29th Dec re charges against MICHAU been got.”

“from Int KB to Int MD. Jan 25th No I 130. Your 133 of to-day. My 127 of yesterday begins please deliver following message Cummings to Fynn No boys available here and none arrived. Would suggest if possible sending BARALONGS and BECHUANAS.”

In Ladysmith:

Before 6 a.m. I was on Observation Hill again, watching. One hopeful sign was at once obvious. The Boer waggon-laagers were breaking up. The two great lines of waggons between the plantations near Pinkney's farm were gone. By 6.30 they were all creeping away with their oxen up a road that runs north-west among the hills in the direction of Tintwa Pass. It was the most hopeful movement we had yet seen, but one large laager was still left at the foot of Fos Kop, or Mount Moriah.

The early morning was bright, but a mist soon covered the sun. Rain fell, and though the air afterwards was strangely clear, the heliograph could not be used till the afternoon. We were left in uncertainty. Shells were bursting along the ridge of Taba Nyama, on the double peaks and the Boer tents below. Only on the highest point in the centre we could see no firing, and that in itself was hopeful. About 8 a.m. the fire slackened and ceased. We conjectured an armistice. Through a telescope we could see little black specks on the centre of the hill; they appeared to be building sangars. The Naval Cone Redoubt, having the best telescope, report that the walls are facing this way. In that case the black specks were probably British, and yet not even in the morning sun did we get a word of certainty. We hardly know what to think.

In the afternoon the situation was rather worse. We saw the shelling begin again, but no progress seemed to be made. About 4 p.m. we witnessed a miserable sight. Along the main track which crosses the Great Plain and passes round the end of Telegraph Hill, almost within range of our guns, came a large party of men tramping through the dust. They were in khaki uniforms, marched in fours, and kept step. Undoubtedly they were British prisoners on their way to Pretoria. Their numbers were estimated at fifty, ninety, and 150 by different look-out stations. In front and rear trudged an unorganised gang of Boers, evidently acting as escort. It was a miserable and depressing thing to see.

At last a cipher message began to come through on the heliograph. There was immense excitement at the Signal Station. The figures were taken down. Colonel Duff buttoned the precious paper in his pocket. Off he galloped to Headquarters. Major De Courcy Hamilton was called to decipher the news. It ran as follows: "Kaffir deserter from Boer lines reports guns on Bulwan and Telegraph Hills removed!"

It was dated a day or two back. To-day both guns mentioned have been unusually active. Their shells have been bursting thick among us, and the sound of their firing must have been quite audible below. Yet this was the message.

Eggs to-night fetched 30s. 6d. per dozen; a sucking pig 35s.; a chicken 20s. In little over a week we shall have to begin killing our horses because they will have nothing to eat.

In Mafeking:

There was a good deal of firing to-day round the western trenches. In the evening a native convicted as a spy was executed. He had been sent in to obtain full information as to the stores, forts, their garrisons, and the general disposition of the forces of the town. He quite acknowledged the justice of his sentence, but only seemed to think that it was hard lines that he should be executed before he had had time to procure any information at all. This is the third native spy executed, and the various native contingents are detailed in turn for the duty.

From the diary of William Watson, Ladysmith, January 1900:

Buller routed the rebels yesterday, and took their strong position. They have retired some five or six miles, in the direction of their own country. — A good many of my beautiful trees are down. This is bad enough, but they are generally allowed to fall on the top of my fruit trees, which is worse. Some of my Syringas weigh two or thee tons, so the small peach trees, are completely crushed to atoms. Another reason for blessing that dear old party, Gladstone, who has caused this war. —- Sunset, lots of shells, 8 p.m. Signal rockets from Buller’s army.

1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

I brought my diary up with me this evening thinking I would write it up during some of the intervals of the long night. I was dreading tonight more than any I have yet spent here, because I had had so little sleep during the day, and I went for a ride in the evening and felt fearfully tired, and imagined the long hours of the night trying to overcome those fearful heavy sleepy fits. But at about 8:30, gust after the nurses had left Major Eyslop and Dr. Currie came in. They did not stay long. About half past nine Dr. Currie returned to write a note to go out to Indombi in the morning. After he had finished he came and sat with us for a long time, but Oh! he was so sad and low.

He is worrying about the sickness here and the little he can do, for medicines are run out and there is no nourishing food for the convalescents. They simply go out of hospital to return again in a few days. I have felt miserable ever since he left and feel we ought to have made a bed up for him here. He has a most marvellous memory, for he started quoting poetry and it brightened him up for the time being. I went to give Nurse Addison her milk and when I came back he was fast asleep with his head on his arms on the dresser in the kitchen. I had to wake him and tell him to go home to bed at ten minutes to one. He is a real brick and all his men love him. He brought me a tin of potted ham and chicken for supper which he has been hoarding up during the Siege. I felt like a robber taking it.

There has been heavy firing nearly all day (all the morning, heaps of people went on to the Sanatorium Hill to see our shells bursting on the Boer positions about 17 miles from here. We heard later in the day that our men had taken the Boer positions and the Boers were retreating. Uncle George said he had been up on Observation Hill with Colonel Royston and they could see, through glasses, the Boer wagons trekking away in large numbers, he should think about two hundred, in the direction of the Berg.

1900 - From the diary of Trooper A J Crosby, Natal Carbineers

So far they have only given me carbolic acid and rice water. Temp, down to 100 and so hope soon to be out again. Bigby also from my tent admitted the same day with dysentery, thus leaving 2 out of 7 in camp, both of whom have been on the sick list. At noon I was brought a cup of beef tea and about 8 o’clock another of chicken broth nicely seasoned. They also managed to find me a mattress which will make it more comfortable but couldn’t get to sleep, dozing on and off the whole night.

I think just reading this, in particular, the second paragraph, makes anyone realise just how awful a state of war actually is, truly appalling.

djb wrote: 1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

I brought my diary up with me this evening thinking I would write it up during some of the intervals of the long night. I was dreading tonight more than any I have yet spent here, because I had had so little sleep during the day, and I went for a ride in the evening and felt fearfully tired, and imagined the long hours of the night trying to overcome those fearful heavy sleepy fits. But at about 8:30, gust after the nurses had left Major Eyslop and Dr. Currie came in. They did not stay long. About half past nine Dr. Currie returned to write a note to go out to Indombi in the morning. After he had finished he came and sat with us for a long time, but Oh! he was so sad and low.

He is worrying about the sickness here and the little he can do, for medicines are run out and there is no nourishing food for the convalescents. They simply go out of hospital to return again in a few days. I have felt miserable ever since he left and feel we ought to have made a bed up for him here. He has a most marvellous memory, for he started quoting poetry and it brightened him up for the time being. I went to give Nurse Addison her milk and when I came back he was fast asleep with his head on his arms on the dresser in the kitchen. I had to wake him and tell him to go home to bed at ten minutes to one. He is a real brick and all his men love him. He brought me a tin of potted ham and chicken for supper which he has been hoarding up during the Siege. I felt like a robber taking it.

There has been heavy firing nearly all day (all the morning, heaps of people went on to the Sanatorium Hill to see our shells bursting on the Boer positions about 17 miles from here. We heard later in the day that our men had taken the Boer positions and the Boers were retreating. Uncle George said he had been up on Observation Hill with Colonel Royston and they could see, through glasses, the Boer wagons trekking away in large numbers, he should think about two hundred, in the direction of the Berg.

1900 - From the diary of Major George Tatham, Natal Carbineers

Commandant did not visit outposts this morning but we went to Observation Hill and saw that all Boers were in full retreat from Spion Kop, wagons etc. moving off hurriedly towards Berg.