Hi
Thanks for the location of Acton Homes. The note about action taking place in January relates to information containing in Candy's letter. I still need to transcribe the letter but I have copied below two other letters from Candy.
Tony
Darwen Gazette 26th January 1900
Sergeant Candy’s Christmas Day
We print below a most interesting letter written by Sergeant Candy, who is with Sir C Warren’s brigade. Sergt Candy was prominently identified with the YMCA moment in Darwen. The letter, which is to his wife is as follows:-
“Estcourt, Christmas Day. We landed at Durban on 23rd December, and entrained some evening, travelling all night, and arrived here at 12 noon yesterday, Christmas Eve. The people in Durban gave us a good send off, but it was a wearisome journey up country. We got some tea and bread and butter during the night, and we had a further tuck in of bread, cheese and coffee at Mooi River at nine in the morning. We are now about eight miles from the Boar position, so we may get into action any moment. I came out this morning with 12 men to guard a bridge at the entrance to the town. We all stop here until to-morrow morning. The weather is hot and rather trying after England. We are under canvas, and the food is pretty good, though rough and ready. There is plenty of beef, as our men have brought in 3,000 head of cattle and horses belonging to the Boers. There are about 8,000 troops here, and a few thousand down at Mooi River. Of course Buller’s army is on in front, about six or seven miles away. It is half-past one, dinner time, as I am writing this, and I am sitting under a bush out of the sun, and I am thinking how differently I should have spent Christmas at home. We have had nothing to eat since five this morning, and I don’t exactly know what time we shall get it – I am afraid it will be but a poor Christmas dinner. We hope to relieve Ladysmith shortly. We are getting the Lancashire brigade up; the Fusiliers arrived same day as ourselves; I suppose there will be some Darwen lads amongst them, but I don’t happen to know them.”
Darwen News 10th February 1900
The Late Sergeant Candy
A letter from Estcourt Camp
The following letter from the late Sergeant Candy, dated Estcourt Camp, South Africa, Saturday, January 6th 1900, was received bt the President of the Darwen branch of the YMCA, on the 3rd inst:-
“Just a few lines in answer to your kind letter, which I received this morning. I was delighted to hear from you. I hope you are all doing well at the YMCA, and God is blessing your work. …. I feel you have now a real interest in us at the front, me tonight as I am out on the veldt. I shall be thinking of you all at the dear prayer meeting. I am on outpost duty, along with my company – 100 men, 2 officers, 4 sergeants, 6 corporals – and we are out to the front of the camp about three miles, guarding against surprise attack by the Boers. We are on duty for 24 hours at a time, with 100 rounds of ammunition and our magazine rifle loaded. We may be called upon at any time to defend our position, and at night we go out in parties of about 8 men, searching the country to see if all is clear of the enemy. We have about three nights on duty every week. Of course it does not much matter, as we are nearly as comfortable out on the veldt as in camp. When out turn of patrol is over we just lie down on an oil-sheet, wrap our coats around us, put “nice soft stones” under our heads for pillows, praise the Lord, and go to sleep. I must say it sublime, although awfully uncomfortable, especially when the thunder storm comes on – and they do very regularly, nearly every night. There is no shelter whatever, and we get soaking wet through. Of course this is only one of the many inconveniences that we have out here. …. I am enjoying the best of health in body, and properly saved in soul, thank God, and mean by God’s grace to stand up for Jesus. Hope you had a good time at your annual tea party; should liked to have been there. Please remember me very especially to all the dear brothers on the committee, also to all our members and YWCA members. I had a letter yesterday from a member of the YWCA; such a bright happy letter. It did me more good than a does of quinine, and with the letter they sent me on a Christmas cake. It was a beauty; all the men in my tent (16 of them) had a piece. They said it was the finest cake they ever ate. I told them; of course it came from Darren. We are hoping to hold a meeting tomorrow evening between camps. We are expecting two gentlemen in connection with the Soldiers Christian Association to come along and help us; they have been to our camp and seen the Christians, and have taken our photographs, which will be published in the “Forward” or “News from the Front” (two Soldiers Christian Association publications) in February, I suppose. You will laugh when you see them. The brothers tell me I only want a slouch hat and I would make a fine Boer, because my whiskers are so nice, being of a khaki colour. I must close now and pass on to you the 56th and 57th Psalms. They have been a great blessing to several of us here during the last week. God bless you all.”
