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Thanks for the pics and keeping the dates straight. Too many pictures, too many dates. No need to update this pic of Jennie, there are lots of pretty pictures of her. Just wanted to add something.

Lady Randolph Churchill Navy & Army Vol 10 (June 23rd, 1900) p. 351 of PDF

From the South Wales Daily News, dated 25th November 1899; p.5:

THE ARMOURED TRAIN FIGHT.
INTERVIEW WITH MR. CHURCHILL.
BOERS COMMEND BRITISH PLUCK.
(Press Association War Special.)

"Pretoria, November 23rd, via Lorenzo Marques, Friday. Through the courtesy of the authorities , in company with the Under-Secterary for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Grobler) and the Secretary to the War Department ( Mr. Desouze), I was able to visit Mr. Winston Churchill , who is now confined in the State School with the British officers who are prisoners here. Mr. Churchill beyond a slight bullet wound in his right hand was well, though naturally chafing at his enforced idleness.
Being a prisoner of war for the time being, he is not allowed to communicate with his journal (the Morning Post)direct, but with the government's consent I offered Reuter's Agency as a channel to convey his experiences to the outside world.
From his references to the incident of his capture, exactly a month after leaving England, I gathered that when the armoured engine with the wounded escaped back to Estcourt on November 15th the Boers galloped from the hills among the retreating infantry and captured 58 of them, including Capt. Haldane, Lieut. Frankland, and Mr. Churchill. The Boers treated the prisoners with much kindness, praising the gallant defence of the train, and expressing surprise that the engine should have been saved under artillery fire from an apparently hopeless wreck. The prisoners were then marched in pouring rain to Colenso, and on the following morning they were taken to the Boer camp before Ladysmith and thence to the railway at Modder Spruit, thus arriving at Pretoria on the 18th. In the course of the journey a great number of burghers crowded to see the prisoners, while others offered cigarettes in courteous fashion.
With regard to the British casualties incurred in defence of the train and in saving the engine, Mr. Churchill states that the list is still incomplete, but it is shown that the Boers buried three, sent 10 who were severely wounded to Ladysmith, and kept those who were less severely wounded in their field hospitals. Fifteen more wounded were reported to have been carried off with the engine and seven of those brought here as prisoners are lightly wounded. These together make 38 wounded out of a total of 120.
In reply to a question as to his general impressions, Mr. Churchill he had had many discussions with the Boers with regard to the rights of war, and had been much impressed to find so large a number speaking English. The Boers, he gathered, mostly regretted the war, saying it had arisen through misrepresentations, but he found the spirit of the burghers in the field, despite their many privations, most determined.
He concluded that there was no chance of an early peace, and feared the struggle would be bloody and protracted."

A Glass Lantern Slide......



Mike

Nice colors. It's accurate in that the ganger truck was in front and overturned.

I'm not sure it is accurate: the sketch/diagram in Churchill's 'My Early Life' shows the ganger truck at the Estcourt end of the train, with two trucks (largely containing the Durban Light Infantry) between it and the engine, whose funnel was nearer the Colenso end of the train. I suspect artist licence was in play, justified given the size of a lantern slide!
Chris

Completely forgot I had this ....!

Here are two pages from the Kroonstad Telegraph Office ledger book for 20 Oct 1899 to 4 May 1900 (the day before the town surrendered to Lord Roberts).

Included is the official report, as released by Bloemfontein on 16 Nov 1899, of the capture of "Windstone Spencer Churchill".

p. 92

Bloemfontein 16den Nov. 12.15, Ontv. 2.55 pm
Donderdag v.m., 16 Nov. '99. Commandant General Hoofd Lager seint dat hij 13 dezer te Colenso aankwaam ten einden de toestanden te verkennen en toen de brandwachten bespeurde zij trokken in de richting van de patrouille onder Commandant David Joubert het kwam echter niet tot eenig treffen met uitzondering dat een trein op 3 onzen Burgers afkwam. Deze 3 schoten op den trein waarna de trein terug keerde doch wij wenschten deze positie in te nemen onmiddellijk gingen dan ook Ermelo en Middelburg Commandos, en ook een gedeelte van Krugersdorp Commando om deze plek in te nemen terwijl de andere Burgers eerst om drie uur gisteren uittrokken toen wij op die plek aan kwamen ontwaarden wij ook juist den gepantserden trein en die toen dadelijk terug stoomde doch een onzer Commando was in middels omgetrokken en had klippen op de rails gelegd waardoor de trein ontspoorde maar het was een zeer ongelegen plek voor de Burgers alsook voor de kanonnen. Zoodra de trein ontspoorde schoten zij op ons met een Armstrong en een maxim met het gevolg dat 5 onzer manschappen licht gewond werden eindelijk raakte de locomotief los en trok op met de helft van de wagens die niet ontspoord waren wij namen zoo doende slechts 5 trucks .......

p. 93

[carbon copy of p. 92; removed]

p. 94

....... waaronder 3 gepantserde in bezit. Van den Vijand werden 2 gedood, 10 gewond en 56 gevangenen genomen waaronder Windstone Spencer Churchill, rapporteur van de 'Morning Post'. Het regent nu hevig zoodat alle Burgers en gevangenen dood en door nat zijn wij verwachten veel sterker aanval.

For translation see next post.








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