TOPIC:

From the Daily Mail. 19th May 1900:


In Mafeking:

The garrison held its solemn Thanksgiving Service at the cemetery, at the termination of which three volleys were fired over our dead. We had been unable to do this before owing to the certainty of drawing fire, not that that really much mattered, as they usually fired on all our funeral parties, though there could be no mistaking them. Still they had this excuse that the cemetery is fortified. After the last post had sounded we reformed and sang the National Anthem. Then, after Colonel Baden-Powell had spoken personally to each detachment, we cheered him, and then with heartfelt cheers for Her Majesty, the siege of Mafeking closed.

God Save the Queen.

And now for sheer personalities. Mr. Stuart had arrived, and as I considered he was much better qualified to represent the paper with the force than myself, I determined to come south. Mr. B. Weil, whom as I have previously said, I consider to be one of the principal factors in the successful defence, certainly as regards the food supply, said he was going south. I accordingly resolved to accompany him, and while returning from the ceremony suggested it. Anyhow, to make a long story short, I arrived as he was starting, and with a small bag, having relinquished all my Mafeking impedimenta, climbed into his cart. He had to turn out one of his boys, but I didn't mind that, and being the most good-natured of men, he tried to look as if he didn't. So our caravan started—Major Anderson, Major Davis (Surg. I. L. I.), Mr. Weil, and myself, together with his servant Mitchell, a prototype of "Binjamin," but absolutely reliable and hardworking, also Bradley, of Bradley's Hotel, Inspector Marsh, the Rev. — Peart, and Ronny Moncrieffe (who had secured a horse belonging to a Protectorate regiment, and proposed to accompany us). He had done a lot of good work in the siege, and was about as tired and unfit as a man could be. However, he was determined to get through, and so he did. It was a quaint pilgrimage, as the column, though it had swept the country, had not particularly cleared it, and the Boer is here to-day. gone to-morrow, and back the next day. Well, our commissariat was excellent. I contributed some eight biscuits and three tins of bully, and that is all I have done except live on the fat of the land—Lord, how fat it seemed after Mafeking—a land flowing with fresh milk, butter and eggs, mutton and white bread, and above all, the sense of freedom, I never knew what it felt like to he properly free before, and I have been more or less of a wanderer most of my life. No more sieges for me, except perhaps from the outside. Yet I was sorry to leave Mafeking, and I may truly say as far as I know I didn't leave a bad friend behind me, only all my kit. Towards dark, after an outspan that was like a picnic, we reached Mr. "Wright's farm, where the wounded were—one had died the night before —and we found Mr. Hands, Daily Mail, badly wounded in the thigh, but doing well; Captain Maxwell, I. S. C, and others. Mr. Wright acts up to his name. Two of his sons were in "tronk" at Zeerust for refusing to join the Boers, and what he had was at our disposal. I wonder if people at home realize in what a position our loyalists in Bechuanaland have been placed. If they didn't come in their own countrymen regarded them as rebels,—if they did they lost all they had. But by doing as they have done, that is b}' carrying on their business while exposed to all the contumely and insult the Boers could heap on them, with the possible loss of life as well as property, they have served their country as well as those who have taken up arms; because their houses have always been a safe place for runners to go to, and news about the doings of the Boers could be obtained from them. Besides, they know which of the Boers fought, and which didn't, and this fact now terrifies the rebels and keeps many quiet, who might not otherwise be so. Mr. Weil on arrival bought two hundred bags of mealies and despatched them to his friends the Baralongs. Such a pretty place his farm is, with plenty of water and lots of game. We slept under the cart, and miserably cold it was. Mr. Weil (who is rather like myself in that respect), could not sleep, and was determined nobody else should do so. So we got up, and sat round the fire till sunrise. Our cocoa that morning was indeed acceptable. The caravan, which was as I say, quaint, marched as follows, preceded by mounted Kaffir Scouts:—First came Keeley and his boy in a Cape cart drawn by mules, followed by Weil, his servant, driver and myself in another Cape cart with six mules, Bradley driving a pair of horses in another, then Ronny, the Rev. — Peart and Inspector Marsh riding, the latter riding B. P.'s brother's pony. "We inspanned at sunrise on Monday and started for Setloguli. Halted half way and had the pleasing intelligence that a commando was raiding within six miles of us. I personally felt very unhappy. I had always looked upon it as a two-to-one chance, and as Ave had no weapons Ave could make no light of it. Apart from the bore of being a prisoner I knew I should be so awfully laughed at. However, there we were—it was no use grumbling, but I did, as hard as ever I could. Then Ave inspanned and drove to Setloguli, where our spirits were considerably raised by an excellent lunch provided by Mrs. Fraser, who is the best hostess I have ever met. The Frasers had a terrible rough time of it, and now "the Queen had got her own again " were naturally correspondingly cheerful. Later Ave were also further relieved to hear that " the commando " was merely a small patrol of Boers, and that it had withdrawn across the border. During the afternoon I went up and saw the old fort—quite interesting, and anybody who wants to spend a quiet time might do worse than to go to Setloguli. The worst of it is it takes some time to get there. Lady Sarah "Wilson's maid was there. She had been there since Lady Sarah was brought in by the Boers to Mafeking. Mr. "Weil was showing various curios of the siege to Mrs. Fraser, including a copy of Her Majesty's Leaves from the Journal of our Life in the Highlands, which he had looted from the Boer laager. This excited the good lady's unqualified wrath, " What sacrilege for them to have it in their hands. Why it smells Boery," she said. On Tuesday Keeley was returning to Mafeking with Lady Sarah's maid and his scouts, so Weil engaged two scouts to accompany us to Jan Modebi, where we were next going to stop. They didn't seem particularly pushing sort of scouts, as they persistently rode in rear of the Cape cart. The road too, was infamous, but it was impossible to lose the way as the column had left an unmistakable track behind them, and this was fortunate, because when we had been going about an hour and a half our intelligent guide stated he didn't know the way. I wonder how Keeley felt all that Tuesday. If he could have heard half we said he would have torn his two days' beard out and wept. The other scout lost us altogether. Keeley and Weil were arranging a series of despatch riders, so as long as we got one of them to Jan Modebi's, it didn't much matter. We outspanned first at a rebel's farm, and had an excellent lunch. I was still rather fretful. The prospect of captivity made me so, and I only believe in dead Dutchmen, till peace is proclaimed.

One Sonnenberg, a brother of some Bond member or other, was there trading, I suppose, like most Bondsmen, running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. He looked well on it, and was very civil. We inspanned and then came a long trek to Jan Modebi's. About half-way there, we saw two horsemen with guns cruising about. One obviously was not a soldier. I reckoned Pretoria was the ticket, however, they came up and Weil went to interview them. They turned out to be one of the Kimberley Light Horse and a civilian who was showing him the way, and he said he had got a convoy of cattle. It felt like being near home again then. We afterwards met the convoy—total, four white men and five black. I still marvel at their colossal impudence, marching through a rebel country within five miles of the enemy's border, escorting cattle for which any Boer will peril his skin. He calmly assured me they were going to pick up all they saw on the way; to use his own words, " All is fish that comes to our net." I hope they got through all right. So to Mr. Menson's, where we put up for the night, and he, like everyone else, did all he could. He, too, had had a bad time. He didn't grumble, but when the relief column had come through they had cut all his barbed wire fences. Having a constitutional antipathy to barbed wire I sympathized with the relief column, but naturally did not say so. I was amused to see three prints of Sir Alfred Milner, Lord Roberts, and Oom Paul, the inscription under the latter being, "The end is better than the beginning, 14.10.99," also to hear his account of how when driving his cattle to Vryburg at the outbreak of the war he had met a Dutchman who told him that they had driven the English into the sea. His reply was, "Oh, that's too far to go," and so he turned and drove his cattle back again to his farm. Weil, as usual, bought up cattle, &c, also butter and other luxuries, and despatched them to the hospital at Mafeking on his own account.

Sergeant Edwin Mason Brett Bennett, of the 37th (Buckinghamshire) Company Imperial Yeomanry, died of enteric fever, at Boshof, on this day in 1900. He was from Heathencote, near Towcester, Northamptonshire.

". . . I am sorry, however, to note in a recent casualty return the name of Sergeant E. M. B. Bennett, of the 37th (Bucks) Company of the Imperial Yeomanry, who succumbed to an attack of enteric fever which he had been suffering from at Boshof. Sergeant Bennett belongs to Heathencote, where his father still resides. The deceased was very popular in the regiment, and deep regret was expressed in the camp at Buckingham when the announcement of his death was read in the papers on Tuesday morning. He was a well-known successful competitor in the Military Tournaments."
Bucks Herald, Saturday 26th May 1900

1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

19 May

Our men are still hard at work getting what they can from the Boer laager, horses, cattle, rifles, shotguns, etc., etc. Of course all the food-stuffs were hauled in yesterday, but there are still lots of things to be got out there.

One of the men I saw out there had got his bayonet fixed and was chasing a turkey all over the place wanting its blood.

The Canadians are very much cut-up at not catching Snyman; they had got all sorts of punishing devices ready for the man they call the "Woman Murderer”. They say if they do get him they won’t wait for orders but shoot him from their gun.

Plumer’s column including the Canadians leaves for tire north tomorrow morning.

It turns out that our shelling of their laager killed eight of them. Their bodies were found by our men and buried. One of the Boer prisoners we have expressed great surprise at seeing me alive and kicking. It turns out that a man named Drake, a renegade Englishman and well known to Mafeking, had told him that I was shot in our attack on Game Tree, that he had not only seen me but had helped to bury me. I hope this report has not got down to the Colony.

One of the war correspondents with the relief column went to B.P. and asked B.P. to give him some message to send to England. He replied saying, "I look upon myself as the figure-head of the good ship Mafeking. It has been her stout canvas and the shape of her brave hull that has really shoved the ship along and brought her safely through her stormy cruise,”

We have just had the good news of B.P.’s promotion and that he is now a full-blown Major-General.

And now as I have determined to get to England as soon as God and things generally will allow me, I finish my diary with sincere and heartful [sic] thanks to the Great Architect of the Universe, for bringing me safe and sound through the stress of trouble and anxiety of the last, ever to be remembered 216 days of trials and tribulations. Again Thank God.

From the Liverpool Express, possibly around this date.

My thanks to Nick for this image.