1900 - Kimberley siege day 112 (90%). Ladysmith siege day 94 (78%). Mafeking siege day 114 (52%). Highland Brigade leaves Modder River for Koedoesberg Drift.
1902 - Colonel Garratt defeats Mears at Roodekraal.
1908 - Mr. Merriman forms Ministry.
In Kimberley:
Heavy guns of relief column heard firing this morning early.
The commissioners appointed by me (Lt Col Murray and Mr J Denvon Duncan) to enquire into the numbers drawing food supplies, have made the following report.
Europeans, coloured Colonials and Asiatics including 3480 native servants drawing rations under employers permits - 33410
Natives as per ration return estimated at 16441 and deducting 3480 Native servants as above - 12961
Estimated population as on 31st Jan = 46371
The Committee consider that these numbers will probably be reduced.
The Committee has spared no pains in going most carefully into the matter, and cannot thank them sufficiently.
The usual sniping at Cattle Guards took place during the morning and in the evening the enemy’s guns at Diebel’s Vlei and Carters opened at Kenilworth, the town and No I Kimberley. No casualties.
During the afternoon some convicts escaped from Kenilworth, and went over to the enemy at Diebel’s Vlei.
Owing to shortness of fuel I have had to discontinue the search light at No 7 Redoubt. I shall only use it occasionally when I anticipate danger from that side.
I am sorry to say the number of enteric cases are increasing especially amongst the mounted troops. Notwithstanding every precaution the Mounted troops evidently get bad water somewhere when employed on cattle guard. The Med Officer thought the canvas bags used for cooling water a danger, so I have had all those in the mounted camp destroyed. Owing to shortness of fuel I shall have to stop the boiling of drinking water. I regret much to be obliged to take this course. I am inclined however to think that the water supplied from the reservoir is above suspicion, and that the men get enteric from dirty water they get in other places than their camps.
WE have had so little rain the Veldt is going off much, this is much to be regretted, as the horses we are keeping for food will go off much, it is difficult even now to get animals worth killing.
The following messages were received and sent by helio or search light during the day:
“From Int MD to Int KB. 3rd Feb No I 232. Your 151 Jan 30th last paragraph news untrue. Stop.Your 162 of yesterday. Enemy destroyed railway yesterday at Merton. Activity lately shrewn towards Jacobsdal also towards YOMTNBG(?). We anxious learn Boer plans and moves can you send white agent. Would Englishman commandeered Barkly against will be willing send news or desert.” “From Int KB to Int MD. Feb 23rd No 165. Yesterday’s news enemy sniping during the day West town at Cattle Guard. Enemy’s guns fired few shell at Premier Mine, Kenilworth, and into town during day.”
“From Kekewich, to Gen Methuen. Feb 3rd No 166. De Beers have stopped pumping De Beers and Kimberley Mines. Kimberley Board wished to communicate fact to London Borad have stopped message. Stop. It Field Marshal considers desirable inform London Board situation company with following message cabled from De Beers to PICAMULO London begins. Coal almost exhausted we have stopped pumping, miles will be flooded. Coal on hand must be used for defence purposes. Ends. Company will pay cost of cabling. Supply coal and wood here sufficient only for pumping water, running search lights and cooking purposes for four week from to-day.”
The question of remuneration for Medical men who have kindly attended at the different sections of defence will I expect be difficult to settle hereafter.
At the commencement of the siege when the Town Guard was organised these gentlemen very kindly offered their services gratuitously, and most of them have in addition done duty in the field of fire and behaved really well but the number employed is far too large – of course it was not anticipated that the siege would run out to anything like the length it has, when original arrangements were made, and I found I could not alter them without much difficulty. None have up till now put in claims for pay, but I expect ere long I shall receive some.
Of course they should be given forage for a horse, as their military duties require them to use one.
Much to my regret I have been obliged to stop supplying forage to war correspondents. We are too short of it to issue any in this way. If I do, it means a reduction of a like number of horses of those required for defence purposes.
In Ladysmith:
The day was fairly quiet. Old "Bulwan Billy" did not fire at us at all, and there was no movement in the distant Boer camps, though the universal belief is that the enemy is concentrating round Ladysmith for a fresh attack.
In the evening the rations were issued to the civilians under Major Thompson's new regulations in the Market House. Each child, or whoever else is sent, now brings his ticket; it is verified at a table, the cost is added daily to each account, the child is sent on down the shed to draw his allowance of tea and sugar, his loaf, and bit of horse. The organisation is admirable, but one feels it comes a little late in the day. The same is true of the new biscuit tins which are to be put up as letter-boxes about the camp for a local post, and of the new plan of making sandals for the men out of flaps of saddles and the buckets for cavalry carbines. For a fortnight past, 120 of the Manchesters have gone barefoot among the rocks.
In Mafeking:
We sent off runners north and south. In the morning the enemy devoted his attention to the town. But in the afternoon our seven-pounder and Nordenfeldt, east of Cannon Kopje, commenced firing on the enemy, who were constructing a new trench, considerably in advance of the old position of the big gun on the S.E. heights. Consequently Creaky vigorously assailed them in turn, and the Krupp gun and the one-pound Maxim galloped from McMullen's farm to her assistance. The big gun made very good shooting, but fortunately only one man was hit, and he by a sand-bag hurled up by a shell aimed at the Nordenfeldt. The Nordenfeldt gun detachment consists of two men, Privates Lowe and Mulholland, both of the Railway Volunteers, and these two men have served this gun for months daily, often under a heavy fire directed entirely at them. At the same time our beloved relic of Lord Nelson was engaged on the western front in bombarding the new fort in front of Fort Ayr, being answered on that front and assisted by musketry and rifle fire. The week, as usual, culminated in the customary Saturday evening flare-up all round. The big gun was cleaned and oiled for Sunday, and we thought it was all over till Monday morning. This, however, was not the case. The Boers were unusually jumpy. They treated us to incendiary shells till late, and kept up a heavy musketry fire at fitful intervals during the night. They commenced constructing a new trench in the Brickfields, and can plainly be heard working at it.
