TOPIC:

I'm following up this forum topic from several years ago, having just become aware of a personal connection and then finding this excellent website via the power of Google. Many thanks to Henk and previous posters on this topic for the details posted on this battle, which sounds to have been a chastening experience for the British force.
It appears that my second cousin, three times removed, Private John Strutt, No. 3375, of the 2nd Grenadier Guards, was one of those killed that day, so RIP to him. All I know about him is as follows: he was born in Brentwood, Essex in 1870 and he shows up with his family in Chelmsford in the 1871 census. In 1895, he was married to Lucy Ashley at St Paul, Bow Common in London. In 1901, she shows up as a widow in Mitcham, Surrey, with their two young sons, John and William. I'll see if I can trace any living descendants.
I don't know whether anyone would have anything to add, so I'll leave it there.

Richard Caton Woodville painted a large "battle piece" depicting the Grenadier Guards in action at Biddulphsberg.

SEE: The Battle of Biddulphsberg - Richard Caton Woodville's "Lost" Painting






Our guns came up and opened. A Boer gun also opened on our guns. I now received the order, “The Grenadiers will take the gun.” The Battalion being in extended order, I had nothing to do but order it to advance, get off my horse and go on with the support. The Order of companies was as follows:- 5, 6, 7, 8; 1, 2, 3, 4. We advanced at first through a mealie field, very high and thick. As I was going along, an A.D.C. galloped to me with the order to go and see General Rundle. I ran back, got on my chestnut horse (some hundred yards, I dare say) and went to him. He then explained the ground, and I agreed that it was feasible, following the plan, thinking as we both did that I could gain cover and that the kopje was not very strongly held. Having got his directions, my only course was to gallop to the support, give them the new orders, which was to take ground to the right continuously till the cover of the kopje I wanted was gained. I then galloped as hard as I could to the firing line.

When I was about midway I came under such a hail of bullets that I jumped off my horse and let him go. As I did so I was hit on the thumb and rifle, and my wallets were shot through. I then ran to No. 5 and led them. I prolonged the line to the right with a half-company of No. 6 under Seymour. It may not have been more than a section. What with the long veldt grass and the fire, it was difficult to see and impossible to make oneself heard. I, however, advanced with two half-companies or sections half-right by rushes in the endeavour to gain cover (as a first parallel, as the drill book says). The rushes were led with the utmost gallantry by Seymour and Murray, and followed with equal bravery by the N.C.O.’s and men. Just before the last rush I called upon Murray to go on, but the answer was that he was down. I then rushed the lot with the poor boy calling “Go on Grenadiers, follow your Commanding Officer.”

At the next halt my right-hand man was hit, my left-hand man was hit, I was hit, and there was no more initiative because nearly all the men were down, and there was no one to go on and it was no use doing more. I therefore told everyone to lie still as the best chance. There were a few ant-heaps, but they were rotten and useless. I was behind one on my back with Drummer Haines and Fruin of No. 6. I tried to keep all the men separate as much as possible as the best chance of life. Only two went back, as they said, “to get dressed;” I told them to lie still or they would be shot. Whether they were or not I don’t know.

There we lay under a hail of bullets. Every time one moved to get a bandage it produced a bullet within a foot or two. I guess the range to have been about 1,700 yards, unless, as I afterwards heard, there were men in a donga within 300 yards. *This I do not believe, as the bullets mostly descended. A considerable proportion of them apparently burst with a sharp crack. We must have been easy marks for the Boers, as naturally we showed up lying on the ground. I for one was absolutely on my back. I was doing all I could to keep them from moving, and gallantly they behaved, for not a man funked. Drummer Haines had got his arm over me, drawing me to him for protection, I suppose (I was a bit silly, but not very), when bang came a bullet that hit me on the stomach, but it was covered by his arm, which it broke, and I was only bruised fearfully. This, no doubt, saved my life. I tied him up with a handkerchief, and he put some stuff on my wounds, and there we lay. Seymour crawled up soon after this and said that something must be done, as the fire was rather more than less. I said, “Try a volley,” so he gave the word of command, but there were only two men unhit in his section, so that was no good. He then said “I will try and go back, as I can do no more here, and get the artillery to fire on this particular spot where the fire is coming from.” I said he would be killed, but he said it was no use staying here and off he crawled, to be shot in the foot before he got in; he never got to the artillery.

Soon after this an ammunition-carrier, belonging to No. 8, came up as if nothing were happening – in fact, had it been in Hyde Park, I should have taken his name for moving in slow time. He was bringing up ammunition, he said, and did not seem to care a straw. I made him lie down, but he was twice hit immediately; his name was No. 1511 Private Bevan. I have sent him in.

Once or twice before, the veldt fire looked as if it were coming down upon us, but it had always moved off. So we lay on for three hours in all. I had intended remaining till dark, but there was no possibility of that, for the fire now came straight at us. I would not let anyone move till it was quite close, but when it was within two yards I gave the order for everyone to go who could. I did not think I could move, but they pulled me to my feet, and I stumbled through the flames, mercifully getting nothing more than a singeing. All moved, as I thought, except the dead and Murray, and his lot were too far off, he having fallen back some way. I had tried to communicate with him, but, getting no response, thought he was dead. As I stumbled along the Boers opened on us an appalling fire, which they kept up. I think only one man was hit, principally owing to the smoke. I looked back and saw wounded men helping one another, in fact everyone doing his best. I managed to struggle for 300 yards or so, when Colour-Sergeant Morgan came up and helped me. He was one of the few unhit. Bullets were falling thick, but I reached a wire fence where I lay behind a stone post for a minute or two. Colour-Sergeant Morgan and another man then came and insisted on pulling me along, while others received like aid, those who could walk helping those who could not. Some 200 yards further on I was put on a Scots Guards stretcher. I was very silly by now, and was carried past Rundle, who gave me some whisky and told me we had done all that was possible.


...