TOPIC:

1900 - Mafeking siege day 171 (78%). French moves to Waterval Drift in support of Broadwood.
1901 - Plumer occupies Nylstroom.
1902 - Maritz captures Springbok, near Ookiep. Col. Lawley in action at Boschman's Kop, near Springs.
1903 - White League holds mass meeting at Johannesburg opposing Chinese labour.

In Mafeking:

The siege as affecting me pecuniarily is becoming expensive. I lose bets at the end of each month as it interminably prolongs.

A quiet day and a flag of truce from the Boers asking us to fetch our dead who were killed in the northern fight the day before. Accordingly wagons under Lieutenant the Honourable Hanbury Tracy and Lieutenant Singleton went north, where they met the Boers, who assisted them to find and recover the bodies. Three men were brought in belonging to Colonel Plumer's column, and Captain McLaren, Lieutenant Crewe, and Troopers Murray and Robinson were reported wounded. It would seem to have been a sharp skirmish between a strong patrol of Colonel Plumer's and a considerably more numerous body of Boers, but as far as we can ascertain Colonel Plumer's main column was not engaged.

Our demonstration against Game Tree resulted in our killing two Boers, and even by their own accounts, numerically our losses were evenly balanced. Fourteen dead horses were seen on the field.

The one page Mafeking Mail from 1st April.

Hi everybody
Quoting from the “Unit Information” section of the Forum, the following on the Action at Boschmanskop/Leeuwkop: 1 April 1902.
In March 1902 Lawley's brigade was moved to Springs in the Transvaal, and on 1st April had severe fighting. In his despatch of 8th April Lord Kitchener says that Colonel Lawley sent out Colonel Fanshawe with three squadrons Queen's Bays and 30 National Scouts to make a detour preparatory to co-operating with his own advance. At 3.15 am Fanshawe surrounded a farm, where several Boers were captured; he then went on and tried to surround a laager, but the enemy were on the alert and he "was received by a very heavy fire, and realising that he was in presence of superior numbers, ordered a gradual retirement upon Leeuwkop. Close fighting then went on for several hours. The Bays, who were skilfully handled, retired steadily by alternate squadrons, whilst the Boers followed, pressing the withdrawal with the greatest determination and persistence". Leeuwkop was found to be in the enemy's hands, and Fanshawe had to make for another ridge, "where he received the timely support of the 7th Hussars and Lieutenant Colonel Lawley's guns". The Boers then fell quickly back. "In this affair, although the Bays were capably handled and displayed steadiness and gallantry in face of superior numbers, their losses were, I regret to say, heavy. Two squadron-leaders and 10 non-commissioned officers and men were killed, and 5 officers and 59 men were wounded".




Captain Herron was the commanding officer of “A” Squadron.
A photo of officers of the Heidelberg Cdo (including Rothman) is on p228/9 of "Heidelbergers of the Boer War" by Ian Uys
Henk

Henk
Thank you for another very interesting post.
I have been hoping that, like Mike, you have Border Mounted Rifles medals in your collection that you could show to entertain me!
Regards
Brett

1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Sunday, 1 April

Snyman sent in a white flag at about 10 o’clock telling B.P. that Plumer’s men and his burghers had a battle yesterday between Oaklands and Ramatlabama, and that the veldt was strewn with the dead bodies of our men, and that if we would immediately send out our ambulance waggon he would arrange that some of his burghers should meet it and direct it to the spot and we could remove the bodies. This was done and a party under Lt. Tracey and Surgeon [-Major] Dowling proceeded out there, and did not return until late in the evening. In conversation with Dr. Dowling later on, I gathered that a strong patrol of Plumer’s men had been reconnoitring and must have come too far and got cut off by the enemy. Of course this is what he got to know from the Boers, who, however, had been exceedingly courteous to him, and had paid very great attention, and seemingly had devoted extra care to our wounded men. Dowling was allowed to enter the Boer hospital at Ramatlabama, and spoke to one or two. The Boers say they have with killed, wounded, and prisoners about 40 men. This would mean about half the patrol if true. Dowling, however, thinks this to be somewhat exaggerated, as he only saw a few wounded there, and could only find and bring in three dead bodies, which were buried in our cemetery during the evening. It is a bad business, and looks as if Plumer had made a mistake somewhere. It seems very hard on these poor fellows who are using their utmost endeavours to relieve us, to be killed when almost in sight of Mafeking. It seems to me as if our real relief is as far off as ever it was, and it is a lucky thing B.P. did not push our men out on Saturday afternoon to endeavour to assist, or they might have been cut off also. Of course we do not know, but on the face of it would appear as if the Boers have had a strong force laying in hiding at Ramatlabama all the time, where they have been simply waiting for eventualities. This success will no doubt very much elate them, and keep them more vigilant than ever in not letting our runners through. We can only hope and pray that the whole business is not quite so bad as we think it is.

I wonder what the Lord Mayor of London thinks now after cabling congratulations on our relief. The home authorities are surely better informed than this, and having control of all the wires, why do they allow such wrong impressions to be abroad, or such cables to be sent without disabusing the people’s minds? Is there so little interest taken at home in our position that the true state of affairs cannot be got at? To us, although of course meant differently, the telegram received was the essence of sarcasm, and what about The Times who says we have 1 500 men here? More lies.

The affair of yesterday and today has given us all a desperate fit of the blues, if it were possible to get them worse than we have had them of late, and no wonder! Such incidents on top of the rations we are getting would have depressed even Hector, the Trojan hero.

Positively the last month seems to have taken longer to go by than the whole of the previous time of the siege. Such extraordinary rumours are continually floating about as to relief columns, north and south, etc., only to be evaporated with the next morning’s sunrise, so that the pessimists can be easily understood and forgiven.