1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross
Monday, 12 February
The enemy’s 12-pounder, 5-pounder and i-pounder Maxim with snipers’ volleys opened on us this morning at daylight and kept it up for some considerable time, but without any casualties to us, and only a minor amount of damage to buildings.
A very lamentable occurrence happened today. Capt. Girdwood, who was trying to get up to his house from the Commissariat yard on his bike, was shot by a sniper’s Mauser bullet, which passed through the lower part of his stomach and out at the back. The doctors do not consider there is any possible hope of saving his life.
At about breakfast-time 'we were all again driven to our dugouts by Big Ben, one of whose big shells struck Ellis’s corner, the C.P. fort, doing considerable damage to the earthworks.
The authorities have been busy for some time past making dugouts all over the town, in the Market Square, all over the streets, behind houses, etc., etc., for the use of persons who have to go about between places, and when the bell goes can take cover. They could also be made use of if it ever came to such close quarters as street fighting; if the Boers ever did get into the town they would never get out again, unless they had swarmed in by thousands like locusts.
The enemy are very much annoyed with us extending our trenches north and east from the town into what they now consider the Transvaal. The trench north has been pushed on until it is now within a few hundred yards of the Boer position at Game Tree, supported by the armoured train, and is making it very hot for them, whilst the trench on the east is right into the brickfields out of which the enemy have been forced to retire, and we have now retaken and hold part of our original position (the place where Goodyear was wounded); this is held by Currie and the Cape Boys supported by Captain Browne and 50 men of the C.P., also our Nordenfeldt, and when necessary one of our 7-pounders; the C.P. being relieved at Ellis’s corner by a squad of the Volunteers.
A good dummy up at Currie’s is causing the enemy a good deal of bother, to judge by the amount of ammunition they waste on it.
After supper this evening the enemy commenced again firing incendiary shells. They could be seen at different points in the veldt bursting into small patches of blaze; the contents seemingly to be a composition of phosphorus - and blisters the skin - but hardly looks as if it would put hardwood on fire. They made very bad shooting this evening, although only at a distance of 1 400 yards, and did not strike a single building.
I mentioned yesterday about a shell passing through an engine without bursting. The following are the exact particulars through which the projectile passed:
2 sheets 5/16 cast iron (chilled)
1 copper steam pipe - 1/4 inch
1 copper tube plate - 7/8 inch
14 brass tubes each - 1/16 inch
1 rolled steel boiler-plate - 1/2 inch
H. wood packing - 1/8 inch - 3 1/4 inch solid
1 sheet steel casing - metal and 4in. wood.
- all without bursting.
