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One can only wonder at the mindlessness of the officer in Watson's account of the day! The people I most admire are the medical staff, who had the most difficult jobs to perform. Only some of the orderlys got bad reports.

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

No news of Buller but we heard of Kimberley release. Long Tom fired a few shots to keep matters alive. Carbineers were called out with other Volunteers at 2 a.m. False alarm but all went out to the Nek near outposts.

1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Friday, 16 February

Big Ben woke us up pretty early this morning, but as she was again firing laager and stadt way we did not take any notice but had a nice quiet breakfast and clean up.

The Boers this morning made another of their courageous attacks on our south-west front. They actually advanced to within a mile of the position occupied by McKenzie and his Cape Boys, and opened fire, the Cape Boys still there; after wasting a considerable amount of ammunition, they then retired and Big Ben opened fire on the trenches from about 6 000 yards west, and made some excellent shooting, even at this distance, firing twenty-two shells and putting them all pretty close, one shell actually hitting one of the trenches and smothering the boys with dust, another within two or three yards, and the rest all round, but causing no casualties. Big Ben then ceased firing, and the Cape Boys [were] still there; the enemy, who had brought round their nasty little 1-pound Maxim to within 1 800 yards, commenced firing this all over the trenches, dropping them like hail all round the men. And the Cape Boys are still there. The enemy then brought up their high-velocity Krupp 9-pounder, emplacing same at Jackal Tree, and banged away, shell after shell, at the same old trenches, the pieces whizzing about in all directions. All the time in between all this they kept up their Mauser rifle shooting in pretty thick quantities. When they considered the spitfire had done sufficient damage, they again ceased firing and were so surprised that the Cape Boys were still there and only waiting for them, that they thought their grand attack had been sufficient, and so finally retired to drink coffee, talk over the morning action and praise one another for the great bravery shewn, especially in some cases, where, at a distance of a mile, one or two of them actually raised their heads to glance along the barrel of their rifles so as to sight them. These Boers lay closer than "red wing” partridge under a noonday sun, but let a few men go out "pointing” and they "flush” at two-mile range.

The snipers out on our west front have kept very busy all morning, especially down the Court House street: an opening between the traverse and the Dutch church enables the enemy to get pot-shots right down the road (this was where Girdwood was shot) and let it be man, woman, or child passing across there, down come the volleys making most of us skidaddle in quick time.

Alongside the Dutch church is a favourite spot for our 7-pounder to get in its work on the enemy’s brickfield trenches, and this morning from that position she did some good shooting, planting shell after shell into their earthworks. Their snipers and 5-pounders replying very vigorously but doing no damage.

The authorities have today arranged a soup kitchen for cooking up horse flesh, and supplying the starving natives with meat and soup; a boon that will be highly appreciated by them, a great many of them being in a verybad way and in great straits for want of food.

Our defences every week, in some position or another, get pushed further and further out and cover a lot of ground, in fact far more than would seem possible with the number of the defenders. A squad (50) of the C.P. with the galloping Maxim go down to the brickfields at night covering the Cape Boys’ trenches, etc. These are a very fine lot of fellows, who are one and all itching to have a scrap with the enemy and pay off a few of the scores. They have not as yet been given what might be called a chance, but I am open to bet a pony to a cigarette that when they do, if ever, the great unwashed will be sorry that they did not have an appointment at some distant place.

There are a great many very heavy debit account held by Mafeking against their Boer enemies, and it will be a very hard luck if they do not get any opportunity to pass a credit in the way of retaliation and revenge before the ledger is closed.

The armoured train goes out south for a couple of miles this evening, reconnoitring, carrying two Maxims and a Hotchkiss, which would enable her to give a very good account of herself if able to get near enough to the enemy. We think this to be a move on the Colonel’s part, owing to an idea that the enemy, finding their big gun doing no damage from its new position, intend again moving her. They can be seen hard at work on the earthworks at Jackal’s Tree, the original position of the gun, and if the train could only intercept them on the way, there is no knowing what damage we might be lucky enough to do.

It seems more than likely they will again place Big Ben back to its first position, as they have now got their high-velocity [gun] there, and their i-pound Maxim supporting it.

It is reported this evening that at last this latter gun has managed to hit something. One of McKenzie’s Cape Boys being wounded whilst doing sentry-go on one of the western outposts.

I hear of two marvellous escapes at the woman’s laager yesterday. The first being that of a party living in a bell-tent around which a rain trench had been dug, they had been advised to shift their tent owing to the dampness of the ground, they did so, and the first thing next morning (yesterday) Big Ben sent a shell which struck and exploded right within the circle of the trench. Pity the people and the tent if it had not been removed. The other was that of a child playing by the front of a waggon. A 94-pounder came along, carried away the disselboom, chairs, and other sundries and knocked down the child simply by the concussion of the air; the little one, however, was picked up a moment afterwards absolutely without a scratch. Merciful providence.

Condolences today were tendered to Mrs. Nesbit, whose husband is a prisoner with the Boers, on the death of her daughter May, from typhoid fever, contracted in the laager. It is indeed very hard for the mother, whose husband and son are both wounded prisoners in the enemy’s camp, and now to lose her only daughter, a very pleasant girl of 16. We have also to offer our sympathies to Mr. and Mrs. McNicol on the death of their poor unfortunate deformed child, who died today in the laager from natural causes.