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1899 - From the diary of Trooper A J Crosby

Paraded at 6 a.m. in rear of Market where a big crowd, town and country people were assembled to see us off, wishing us God Speed, etc. Entrained at 8.15 filling up two trains, were cheered all along routes until arrival at Ladysmith 5.30 p.m. Saw Father at Colenso with the D.L.I. After waiting close upon two hours for saddles etc., marched to the Show Grounds, bivouacking the night. Was on my first guard.

1900 - The arrival in Victoria, British Columbia, of Private Beech, wounded at Paardeberg.

....Pte. A. E. Beech, of the First Canadian Contingent, was a passenger by the Yosemite last night. He was invalided after that thrilling charge of Paardeberg, in which he was wounded. Private Beech was among the heroes from this city who, as members of A company, were on the right of the line and the most advanced of the firing line. He says that the boys of A company were wihin two hundred yards of the Boer trenches when the four who fell there went down.
....The advance was a terrible one. The men jumped from clump to clump amid a veritable hail of bullets. At one time he and Todd, who afterwards fell, had a run for cover which was far from interesting. They waited like sprinters at the scratch, the one asking the other if he was ready, and then away they dashed, listening to the explosive bullets pinging around them, to the cover of a clump of bushes. They were both doubled up like jack-knives as they went across the line of fire, but although one of the bullets tore away his cheek they were then uninjured.
....Thus it was until 4, and then they saw a young bugler of C company standing defiantly out standing the charge. He had a smile on his face as he stood up on the trenches, facing the Boers, seemingly blowing defiance. He looked fine. When the line heard it they got up. It was a mistake, and many guessed it, for it was suicidal to rise, but orders were orders. The men looked at each other and then when the order came to fix bayonets they jumped forward. The order should have been, it was afterwards learned, "Charge magazines." That was about the last the returned private remembered of the charge. After the start forward there was a brief run and then came the cries for stretcher-bearers. He was down, a bullet through his left leg, which also penetrated the right in passing, and on either hand Todd and Maundrell had fallen. Maundrell moaned slightly only, but Todd could be heard shouting in agony for some time. He had been shot through the groin. Todd was calling to Beech, but the latter was unable to go to him, and lay on the veldt wondering where he would next be struck, for the hail of lead was thick—the Boers concentrating their fire on the little group of Victoria fighters who were to the front on the right of the line. He was gambling mentally with himself on the chances of getting out alive. Then came another shot and a bullet pierced his left side. Afterwards another struck him in the chest, but he survived, and finally the stretcher-bearers bore him from the field and he was ordered to Rondesborch by the doctor. Thence he went to the Cape, afterwards to Shorncliffe, thence he was discharged and he spent a month in England. He came to Quebec by the steamer Dominion and arrived at Vancouver on yesterday's Imperial Limited.
....By the arrival of Pte. Beech the quietus is given to a story which some months ago gained credence of Sergt. Northcott and Pte. Lehman having slept while on duty. It was given rise to by the following incident: He (Sergt. Northcott), Lehman and several others were on picket duty, with a bridge as their base. Northcott had just come off patrol and was talking to Pte. Stewart when they saw a mounted patrol in the distance silhouetted on the horizon. Lehman was about to challenge, when Northcott said, "What's the use of challenging? They are beyond distance." When the patrol went in it seems one of the men told Sergt. Scott that one of his men was asleep, having evidently believed that the patrol passed with a challenging distance. Sergt. Scott reported it, but on investigation it was found that the patrol had been beyond distance.
....Regarding the hospitals, Pte. Beech had nothing to say. He was engaged in the Matabele campaigning and wore on his well worn khaki the ribbon for that service. He was also a member of the United States cavalry, but never reached the front.
Victoria Daily Colonist, Tuesday 2nd October 1900


....The Montreal Star of September 26 devotes a couple of columns to the enthusiastic welcome given in Canada's commercial metropolis to the invalided soldiers with whom Private A. E. Beech, of Victoria, Private Greaves, of Vancouver, and Trooper Fuller, of Fort Steele, were included.
....The Star has the following reference to Private Beech:
...."The boys had a lot of good stories to tell, and they were consequently the centre of groups of interested auditors during the evening. Most of the stories were entertaining and humorous to a degree, especially those told by Private Beech, of British Columbia, who, although in his 27th year only, has seen much of the world, and has taken part in no less than five campaigns. He was all through the Matabele and Bechuanaland wars; he formed one of the detachment of troops sent to the Yukon by the Canadian government, a little over two years ago; he subsequently enlisted with the American army for the Spanish-American war, and on his return again went to the Yukon. In October of last year he joined the first contingent, and was with the British Columbia contingent at Paardeberg, where he was twice wounded, one of the bullets passing through his chest and the other through both of his legs. He was removed to the field hospital and placed on a stretcher in close proximity to that occupied by Capt. Arnold. His wounds were considered mortal and he was given up by the surgeons. Contrary to general expectations, he recovered and was eventually invalided to England.
...."Private Beech tells some amusing stories of the way in which the marksmanship and the lasooing performances of the strathconas confounded and bewildered the Boers."
Victoria Daily Colonist, Wednesday 3rd October 1900