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February 11th 7 years 1 month ago #51930

  • Brett Hendey
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Colonel Park is one of my least-favourite British soldiers, and I often get re-annoyed when I read his letters. I must stop reading them!

Brett

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February 11th 6 years 1 month ago #57534

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

All quiet. Still no news or signals from Buller.
Dr David Biggins

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February 11th 2 years 1 month ago #81552

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1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Sunday, 11 February

Up early this morning and went out taking snapshots round the railway station. One engine can be seen standing there with a 94-pound shell hole right through her. This shows what a shell will do without bursting as the one in question struck the side of the engine fair and square, passing right clean through her, including all her boiler tubes, out the other side and through the foot-plate, making a tremendous hole in the ground on the opposite side, and then ricocheting over the railway workshops, eventually landing and bursting in the native village, and killing a native woman, about a mile and a half distance away; this being about five miles from the gun.

Another interesting operation I saw going on at the station, and which can hardly be believed but which can be seen daily at the shell factory or arsenal or whatever you like to call it, was the making of a new cannon. It is cast in brass over a steel tube, then bound with wire and another casting of brass over that, and then finally turned, polished, and finished in one of the railway workshop’s lathes. It is expected to throw a 5 [inch] projectile weighing 20 pounds a distance of 4 000 yards, and, if successful, will give the enemy the biggest surprise they have yet had, as it will not only reach their big gun, but it is also expected to carry right to their headquarters laager at McMullen’s farm. If it comes off all right, I wonder how Snyman will like being shelled. A bit of his own back will do him good.

At 10 a.m. a presentation of the flags made locally by the ladies made a very interesting item in the day’s programme, and the recipients thereof went away highly delighted at the feathers in their cap. The next item was a cricket match, town versus officers, etc., and was won by the former on the first innings.

Our spirits and hopes have kept up fairly well up to now, but were somewhat damped this morning at a notice published by the Colonel, in which he states that a message from Lord Roberts says he hopes if necessary we can hold out to an extreme date of about the middle of May. This we can possibly do by very strict economy, but it seems a terrible long time to wait under the present conditions, and God alone knows how many of us will get bowled over. What on earth our troops are doing, or endeavouring to do, goodness only knows, as the numbers now in the country would seem sufficient almost to swamp both the Free State and Transvaal entirely.

We cannot help considering this information to be some move of the Generals and to be passed out for the Boers’ ears. I should think it would make them somewhat dissatisfied, thinking they will have to remain in the field so long, and with their food running short and their farms all going to rack and rain. It is so different with us, who know that whatever happens to us, there can be only one end to the war. No more Gladstone business, thank God!

The officers’ dance, postponed from last night, was practically carried out this evening, and enjoyed immensely by the ladies who attended, although they were at times somewhat nervous, owing to the enemy continually firing volleys, presumably at some of our runners endeavouring to get in and out, and what also made them more nervous was that at about 10 o’clock the Colonel sent up orders that all officers must immediately take up their posts. This, together with the enemy’s volleys now going on from almost every direction, soon broke up the harmony of the evening.

The staff concert given this afternoon, the surplus funds of which go towards the prizes for sports, turned out so far the success of the siege. B.P., who gave two turns, viz., Sig. Paderewski and Gentleman Joe, was exceedingly clever and quite up to professional form. If he got broke in the army, there is always a fortune waiting for him at the music hall. All the other items being above the average went towards making a big hit and fully satisfying the largest crowd the Masonic Hall has yet had within its walls for any entertainment.

It is reported that the enemy shot two of our runners this morning, and captured a lot of dispatches.
Dr David Biggins
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