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B.J. Lombard of the Johannesburg Voet Politie 3 years 9 months ago #74669
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Barend Jacobus Lombard
Burger, Johannesburg Voet Politie (Foot Police) – Anglo Boer War - Anglo Boere Oorlog Medal to B.J Lombard Barend Lombard was an impatient man. How else could one explain the fact that he applied for his campaign medal not once but twice! Born in Fort Beaufort in the Eastern Cape in about 1877, Lombard made the trek to the Witwatersrand at some point in time before the end of the 19th century, joining the ranks of the Johannesburg Voet Politie as a Konstabel, assigned no. 720. Sadly, no enrolment registers have survived which makes it impossible for us to pinpoint the date he commenced service. He domiciled himself in the bustling Johannesburg suburb of Vrededorp, providing his address as 292 Vrededorp Standplaas (Location), Johannesburg. Recruits to the Johannesburg Police (at the time Lombard enlisted) appear to have been sorted into three sections – those that joined the Mounted Police (Rydende Politie), the Foot Police (Voet Politie) and a section directly under the Commandant, Gerhard van Dam. For example, no. 718, Gustaf Lautz joined Commandant Van Dam, no. 719, S Engelbrecht, joined the Rydende Politie and no. 720, Lombard as we know, joined the Voet Politie. All of these were constituent parts of the Z.A.R.P.s (the Zuid Afrikaansche Republikeinse Politie) A typical grouping of unknown Voet Politie in 1899 Johannesburg, indeed the entire Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal), teetered on a knife-edge as the last year of the 19th century broke. The “Uitlanders” – those of foreign birth who had flooded into the Witwatersrand with the discovery of gold, were agitating for a larger say in the affairs of the state. Disenfranchised, despite the enormous amount of tax and other revenue they brought to the impoverished Transvaal coffers, their request for the vote and the right of citizenship had been denied by a Kruger fearful of the impact their voice would have on the sovereignty of his fledgling nation. Over a period of time this led to increasing confrontation and, finally, an ultimatum for the British Government to remove its regiments from the borders of the Z.A.R. The ultimatum ignored, war broke out with the Orange Free State allying itself with the Transvaal against Great Britain. On 11 October 1899, the very day hostilities commenced, Pretoria declared martial law in Johannesburg. Kruger’s government deployed Police Commissioner Schutte to Johannesburg as the town’s special commandant, with Schutte’s secretary, H.C. van Bredell, appointed as acting police commissioner. At the time, the Z.A.R.P’s consisted of 11 officers, 57 deputy officers and 848 ordinary police officers. Commandant Van Dam realised that the Zarps would be called up for commando sooner rather than later. Other than the state artillery, the Zarps were the only professional force in the Republic that had had extensive military training. He ordered 300 extra horses, so that the foot police, of whom Lombard was one, could be converted to mounted troopers, should the need arise. On Monday 23 October 1899 the call came from Pretoria ordering the Zarps to the Natal front with Special Commandant Schutte to assume command over the police commando. For Van Dam, this came as a ‘great disappointment’. He later wrote, ‘for four years I tried my best to form a good and disciplined corps, and now that the opportunity finally came for me to see the fruit of my labours another, who had never done anything, would benefit therefrom’. Commandant van Dam objected, and as Schutte was not keen on leaving for the front, the two men persuaded Pretoria that Van Dam should lead his men into battle. Van Dam selected all the unmarried men to leave on commando. Their Martini-Henry rifles were replaced with Mausers and their sabres put into storage, and all steps were taken to reduce the weight the horses would have to carry. Van Dam, accompanied by Lieutenants P.R. Oosthuizen, F.H. Pohlman, M. Murphy, J. van Zyl and N. van der Westhuizen, as well as 150 mounted troopers and 250 foot police officers, left Johannesburg by rail on the afternoon of 26 October 1899. They arrived in Glencoe, Natal, the following morning to commence their campaign. The Voet Politie leaving Johannesburg for the front on their new mounts. Fortunately for the collectors of Boer War medals, those on the Boer side, when applying for their award, were required to complete Vorm B – a form which detailed where and when they served, including the battles and skirmishes in which they were embroiled. Reliance on the veracity of their claims wasn’t left to the man himself but was vouchsafed by witnesses and, where possible, officers with whom they had seen service. As has been alluded to earlier, Lombard submitted two claims for his medal – both in the early 40’s – some forty years after the cessation of hostilities. On the first (undated) Vorm B he submitted – AG 431/1/1336 – he confirmed that his address was Uitgevonden 99, P.K. Bakerville, District Lichtenburg. Bakerville had become famous with the discovery of diamonds on the farm Elandsputte, a portion of the larger farm, Uitgevonden 99, of which Bakerville formed part. Along with other farms in the district, this was declared a prospecting zone. Speculators in their tens of thousands, and from everywhere in the land, descended on the diggings in such numbers that, by 1928, there were as many as sixty thousand Europeans trying to eke out a living in search of the elusive gems. Bakerville was at the epicentre of an area that stretched for thirty kilometres in every direction. Overnight it assumed the proportions of a city like none other on earth, with everyone intent of making their fortunes. By the time Lombard found himself there, the place was a veritable ghost town, the people and the diamonds gone for good. On this Vorm B, he confirmed that he was with the Politie Macht under Commandant Gert Van Dam from “beginning to end” and that he later served under General Muller at both Ladysmith and Balmoral Station. This form was countersigned by a P.S. Venter, a fellow combatant, of Bakerville, as witness. On 8 September 1941, the Adjutant General wrote to Lombard at his Bakerville address confirming that the medal would be issued to him. This would seem to have been done but, as it never reached him (the presumption being that he no longer resided there, the word “Returned” adorns the top of the page of the file copy. Possibly unaware of this eventuality, Lombard submitted another Vorm B, applying for the medal. This application was numbered AG/431/1/3664 and was date stamped 12 October 1942. Someone had the foresight to realise that this application should be linked to the previous one and a comment to that effect appears on the form, along with the fact that the request was approved. On this occasion, Lombard provided his address as P.K. Fonteine Blaauw (Fontainebleau is a northern suburb of Johannesburg). Confirming that he served with the Johannesburg Voet Politie, he added that he had also served with the Johannesburg Commando. With the first under Commandant Van Dam and then under General (Ben) Viljoen. His period of service he gave as 17 October 1899 until 30 May 1902. Places where he had fought were listed as Ladysmith, Tugela (Heights) and Lydenburg. He listed a number of witnesses but added that he had been unable to find an officer. Desirous of a response, he wrote to the A.G.’s office on 10 January 1943 as follows: “Dear Sir, I beg to draw your kind attention to A.G. 431/1 of 30.9.1942 in which I have already given you the details of the medal I applied for. In reply I wish to draw your attention to the Anglo Boer War in the year 31 May 1902, to which I am referring for the medal I have up to this day not yet received the medal or any correspondence in regards to same. Kindly furnish at your earliest convenience of this important matter. Yours faithfully B.J. Lombard This appeal did the trick and his medal was then sent to his Johannesburg address on 1 February 1943. The Zarps participated in several successful campaigns against the British. Their first campaign, the so-called Battle of Nicholson’s Nek on 30 October 1899 was a major victory for the Boers. The British would later refer to it as ‘Mournful Monday’. For Van Dam, victory in this battle was important, as it affirmed the trust between the officers and the men, and highlighted the importance of discipline. Voet Politie marching through the streets looking decidedly smart - apart from the Artillery, they were the only regular ZAR force The Times History of the War, Volume ii pages 245/246 carried the detail of the role played by the Zarps: “The first shots were fired about 4.45 a.m., as soon as it began to be light, and a desultory fire, chiefly from advance of the south-west, was kept up for the next few hours. Meanwhile, De Wet's men were gradually wriggling forward among the rocks and grasses on the brow of the rise. About eight o'clock they were strongly reinforced. The Johannesburg police, about 400 strong, under Commandant Van Dam, had only arrived the preceding evening, and had been ordered by Joubert to take up a position on Tintwa Inyoni for the 30th. Van Dam soon saw he was no use where he was, and with the freedom that characterised the decisions of a Boer officer, ordered his men to saddle up and ride across to help De Wet. Galloping in small parties across the open valley of the Bell Spruit, the " Zarps " offered a fair target to the British, and Lieutenant Temple, in command of the Gloster Maxim, opened on them at about 1500 yards range, accompanied by a few volleys from the infantry. But in view of the need for husbanding ammunition orders were at once sent to stop firing at such long ranges. Disappearing round the shoulder of the hill the "Zarps" dismounted, and clambering up the reverse of the hill joined on to De Wet's left. The fire from the north was steadily increasing in intensity, creeping closer all the while to the advanced party of the Glosters. Crawling on their bellies through the deep grass, making short rushes from enclosure to enclosure and from stone to stone, the Boers steadily drew up closer. Under cover of their fire others meanwhile advanced unperceived round the edges of the hill into the re-entrants on both sides, waiting for their opportunity to open a murderous cross-fire. Van Dam and Christian de Wet, who led their men with great gallantry, were both wounded during this advance, but otherwise the Boers suffered very few casualties.” De Wet in his Three Years War characterised the Zarps role thus: “The enemy were now very strongly posted at the south end of the mountain, for there were in their neighbourhood many Kaffir kraals and huge boulders to protect them from our marksmen. Their fire on us became still more severe and unceasing, and their bullets whistled and sang above our heads, or flattened themselves against the stones. We gave at least as good as we got, and this was so little to their liking that very soon a few white flags appeared in the kraals on their left wing, and from that quarter the firing stopped suddenly. I immediately gave the order to cease fire and to advance towards the enemy. All at once the English blazed away at us again. On our part, we replied with vigour. But that did not continue long. In a very short time white flags fluttered above every kraal—the victory was ours. Our force in this engagement consisted only of three hundred men from Heilbron, twenty from Kroonstad, and forty or fifty from the Johannesburg Police, these latter under Captain Van Dam. The Police had arrived on the battlefield during the fighting, and had behaved in a most praiseworthy manner. But I overestimate our numbers, for it was not the whole of the Heilbron contingent that reached the firing line. We had to leave some of them behind with the horses at the foot of the kop, and there were others who remained at the first safe position they reached—a frequent occurrence at that period. I took careful note of our numbers when the battle was over, and I can state with certainty that there were not more than two hundred burghers actually engaged. Our losses amounted to four killed and five wounded. As to the losses of the English, I myself counted two hundred and three dead and wounded, and there may have been many whom I did not see. In regard to our prisoners, as they marched past me four deep I counted eight hundred and seventeen.” Having triumphed over the British forces, the siege of Ladysmith commenced on 1 November 1899 – the Zarps were actively involved in the investment of the town. The Times History, Volume iii pages 154/159 told us more about the position they occupied: The positions taken up by the Transvaalers for the positions. investment were, with small modifications, those in which they had camped on their first arrival, and from which they had fought on October 30. Joubert's headquarters were behind Long Hill, a little distance south of the railway siding at Modderspruit, which was now converted into an advanced base for the whole Transvaal force round Ladysmith and subsequently on the Tugela. West of the railway, from Pepworth to Surprise Hill inclusive, separated from the British positions by the valley through which runs the Harrismith Railway, was General Erasmus's section held by the Pretoria commando, Van Dam's police, Blake's Irish corps, and Viljoen's Johannesburg commando, which had been reorganized since Elandslaagte” The Johannesburg Police were also heavily involved in the battle of Colenso where they assisted in bringing the 10 captured guns over the Tugela River to the Boer side. Lombard didn’t claim to be present at this fight but he would have been involved, by his own admission, in the Tugela Heights operation where Buller was, again, attempting to ford the Tugela River in his efforts to relieve Ladysmith. The Boer Predikant, Kestell, in his book “Through Shot and Flame” touched on the role they played: “On the 12th of February, General Buller commenced his third attempt to break through. On this occasion he advanced along the Potgieter's Drift road, and tried to force his way through to the south of that road. It was marvellous to see how rapidly the burghers got into position everywhere to oppose the English. The Johannesburg Police suffered very heavy losses. Their position was subjected to such severe bombardment that they could not endure it, and were forced to evacuate it, leaving behind their dead. The English then took possession of it, but were in turn shelled by our guns, especially by one of the Long Toms; and they speedily relinquished the advantage they had gained. Here again General Buller's effort was a failure, and he retired south of the Tugela with his whole force. Ladysmith was relieved on 1 March 1900 after Buller’s fourth and ultimately successful attempt. Having carried the day at Pieter’s Hill on 27 February, the British forces had a clear road to Ladysmith. The Boers had, in the meanwhile, pulled back and were, in many instances, either held in a holding pattern in the Drakensberg area bordering the Orange Free State; or fled towards the Biggarsberg where they were to fight a series of rear-guard actions at Alleman’s Nek, Laing’s Nek and other places as they retreated back into the Transvaal via Volksrust. After an initial lull, Buller pursued them into the Eastern Transvaal where, according to the plan, he met up with French coming from Pretoria where they, at Bergendal, on 27 August 1900, fought the last pitched battle of the war. The battle has become known for the famous stand made by the Zarps, although it is not known if Lombard was one of those involved in the action. After this the Zarps ceased to be a unit on their own and their members were split up into the various commandos still in the field. In Lombard’s case, he joined the ranks of the Johannesburg Commando under, variously, General Muller and General Viljoen. The next action in which he claimed to have participated was that which took place at Balmoral Station. In order to get the sequence of events, we turn to an article in the South African Military History Society’s archives: “On 1 October 1900, the Republican forces of the former Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR), large areas of which were then under British control, derailed a train travelling to Pretoria at Pan Station. On board the train were three hundred British troops, of whom 23 were killed by the attackers who opened a terrific fire upon the wreckage of the train. This attack was followed on 6 October by an attack at Balmoral Station, where an engine was blown up and five trucks detailed. The following day a culvert was destroyed at Brugspruit, east of Balmoral Station and, on 9 October there was a serious accident at Kaapmuiden, probably caused by ZAR forces tampering with the line. On this occasion the train left the rails at the deviation crossing the Kaap River, killing three British troops and forty horses. General Ben Viljoen, the ZAR leader, describes his men's 19 November railway attack: 'Commandant Muller, who was cautiously creeping up to the enemy at Wilge River Station with some of his burghers and a Krupp gun, met with a determined resistance early in the morning. He succeeded in taking a few small forts, but the station was so strongly fortified, and the enemy used two 15 pounders in one of the forts with such precision as to soon hit our Krupp gun, which had to be cleared out of the fighting line. The burghers who had taken the small forts in the early morning were obliged to stop there till they could get away under protection of darkness, with 3 men wounded. We were equally unfortunate near Balmoral Station. At daybreak I ordered a fortress to be stormed, expecting to capture a gun which would enable us to fire on the station from there and then storm it. In fact, we occupied the fort with little trouble, taking a captain and 32 men prisoners... But, on the whole we were disappointed, not finding a gun in the fort, which was situated to the west of the station. Two divisions of burghers with a 15 pounder and a pom-pom were approaching the station from the north and north-east, while a commando, under Field Cornet Duvenhage, which had been called upon to strengthen the attack, was to occupy an important position in the south before the enemy could take it up, for during the night it was still unoccupied. Our 15 pounder, one of the guns we had captured from the English, fired 6 shells on the enemy at the station, when it burst, while the pom-pom, after having sent some bombs through the station buildings, also jammed. We tried to storm over the bare ground between our position and the strongly barricaded and fortified station, and the enemy would no doubt have been forced to surrender if they had not realised that something had gone wrong with us, our guns being silent, and Field-Cornet Duvenhage and his burghers not turning up from the south. The British, who had taken up an important position from which they could cover us with their fire, sent us some lyddite shells from a howitzer in the station fort... At 8 o'clock we were forced to fall back, for although we had destroyed the railway and telegraphic communications in several places overnight, the latter was repaired in the afternoon, and the enemy's reinforcements poured in from Pretoria as well as from Middelburg.' Lombard, as part of Viljoen’s Johannesburg Commando, would have taken part in many more skirmishes but perhaps he didn’t feel it necessary to list them on his medal application. Perhaps, with the passing of almost forty years before he claimed his medal, his memory had dimmed. Whatever the case may have been, he was a “bitter einde” – a Boer combatant who saw the war through to the end without surrendering or being taken prisoner. Back in Johannesburg after the conclusion of hostilities, he married a 20 year old Anna Gertruida Johanna Koekemoer in the Magistrate’s Office on 14 January 1903. Aged 26, he provided his address as 18th Street, Vrededorp, whereas his bride hailed from White River, near Barberton. She had been born in the district of Lydenburg where Lombard had seen service in the war. Perhaps they had met then?
The following user(s) said Thank You: QSAMIKE, EFV, Ians1900, Neville_C, Rob D, goose, gavmedals, Clive Stone
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B.J. Lombard of the Johannesburg Voet Politie 1 year 3 months ago #91435
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Rory,
I believe this photograph shows the aftermath of the "accident" at Kaapmuiden which you refer to above. Photograph taken by Lance-Corporal W.A. Bullock, R.E., who was tasked with compiling a record of destroyed bridges, etc. Many of his photographs appear in Major Moore's "Detailed History of the Railways in the South African War". ..
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B.J. Lombard of the Johannesburg Voet Politie 1 year 3 months ago #91436
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A beautiful shot Neville. I must say this Bullock fellow knw his stuff, even making allowances for the primitive equipment he had to work with back then.
You have surpassed your own high standard with you recent contributions to the forum - thank you. Apropos my post on Tangye here www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...r-photographer#26130 I was in correspondence with his granddaughter's husband which came to nought. She had an album of his original photos which I would have loved getting my hands on. Regards Rory
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B.J. Lombard of the Johannesburg Voet Politie 1 year 3 months ago #91497
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It turns out that Sergeant Nurse, V.C., of Colenso fame, was injured during the Kaapmuiden incident.
He describes the accident in graphic detail in this letter sent from Johannesburg Hospital on 14th November 1900. Guernsey Evening Press, 10th December 1900. THE KAAPMUIDEN SMASH. SERGT. NURSE DESCRIBES THE ACCIDENT. The following letter written by Sergeant Nurse, V.C., to Mr Hansford, was received here this morning, and has been handed us for publication. We reported some time since that the gallant sergeant had been injured in a railway accident, and we are pleased that his letter shows that his injuries were not serious, and that he is progressing favourably. Johannesburg Hospital, November 14, 1900. Dear Hansford, Well Richard, I often wonder how you are getting on, and I thought a line or two would not be amiss. I am stuck in here through a railway smash at Kaapmuiden whilst coming down from Barberton where we had been with French. There were only 2 guns of the 66th and a section of our ammunition column on the train and as it is a very bad line they started us off with three engines, so as to get us over the steep incline. We rattled down the incline and over the bridge (which I expected to see collapse) at 40 miles an hour. The leading engine couldn’t take the metals on the opposite incline at such pace, shot off on its right side, and the trucks bashed in, one on the other, and some with horses in hung suspended over the bridge, held there by the two rear engines, the drivers of which had the presence of mind to put the brakes on hard, and saved two truckloads of men who were in the rear. A lot of us were in the front, riding on the guns and wagons. I shot out on the right side, guns, wagons, and stores closed in on me. I thought I was going to be suffocated; horses kicking and squealing in their agony and pain; men moaning underneath, and the water pouring down amongst us from the overturned engine. It was horrible. They got us out after a bit, and what a sight. Four men killed, horses impaled and hanging dead on the bridge, trucks smashed like matchwood and heaped one on another, 22 men injured and a lot of them maimed for life. The sand saved us a lot as it was very soft. I escaped luckily with contused face, hip, and chest, and fractured ribs. It was the section that was left after Colenso, 26 out of the 46 men, and 30 horses out of the 50, and my own little horse that I thought so much of. I don’t mind the Boers wiping me out, but I bar railway accidents. I expect to be on my way home shortly, as I think they are invaliding me, and have had 13 months of it, and I can’t complain, but I think fighting will continue for another six weeks at least. Trusting you are all going strong and well, kindly remember me to Mrs H and family; good wishes. Yours sincerely, SGT. G.E. NURSE, V.C. .. |
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B.J. Lombard of the Johannesburg Voet Politie 1 year 2 months ago #91726
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Rory
Could you try contacting him again ? I persevered with one of my very distant relatives and eventually was rewarded with an actual current day picture of two portraits of early 1800’s ancestors of whom l had very old photos and which l never thought l would ever live to see the real portraits. Thanks Clive |
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B.J. Lombard of the Johannesburg Voet Politie 2 weeks 3 days ago #97669
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Here are two more reports describing the aftermath of the derailment, both written by men on the "Princess Christian" Hospital Train, which attended the scene on 12th October.
Mr Percy Lowe, F.R.C.S. (Civil Surgeon) October 11th. -- On arriving at Waterval Onder, we hear that the train is urgently required at Kaap Muiden, where a serious railway accident has occurred, that is to say more serious than usual, for two or three happen every day just now on this line. My orders are to return from here and not proceed further, but the call for the train appears so pressing, that it seems reasonable to telegraph to Pretoria explaining the situation, and informing the powers that be that we are going on. I feel the more comforted in my resolution by having the advice of a senior officer of the R.A.M.C., who happens to be passing through on his way to Pretoria. Not being able to get any further today, we are to start early tomorrow morning. October 12th. -- We got away early as arranged, and are soon winding and meandering down the valley. At every station we are delayed by troop, supply and construction trains, and our advance is not rendered any quicker by a more or less mutinous driver, who exercises his utmost ingenuity in inventing devices for wasting time and causing delays. As these drivers are for the most part mere amateurs and are working at high pressure for long spells, which would make the hair of an eight hours' a-day agitator turn grey, one feels a good deal of sympathy for them, but at the same time our business is to get to Kaap Muiden in the shortest possible time, so the good offices of a friendly R.S.O. are called into service and the driver frightened into a more reasonable frame of mind. So effectual indeed are the blandishments of this railway magnate that the driver rushes from one extreme to the other, and on nearing Kaap Muiden proceeds to charge the temporary trestle bridge over the river at a pace which fairly makes our blood run cold. We are just looking out for soft falling places, when fortunately for everyone concerned, he is checked in this ingenious attempt at revenge by an engineer officer, who happens to be nearly run down by the driver, and who strongly objects both to this and to having his bridge inevitably wrecked. We are brought up sharp with a sudden crunching application of the brakes, on the very edge of the sharp descent down to the river bed, and listen with a good deal of satisfaction to the words which flow from the officer, words more forcible than polite. We then proceed to slowly cross the bridge. This is the scene of the accident which has been the cause of our extended journey. The bridge is of the wooden trestle description supported on a foundation of sandbags. It has what one would call a kink in the middle and the railway runs down to it on each side with appalling abruptness. Evidently the driver of the train which was wrecked was taught in the same school as ours. Unfortunately no officer was present to convince him of his folly in time, and the train after dashing down through the temporary approach bounded on to the bridge and went over at the kink into the river bed, being smashed to atoms as one would have expected. This train was carrying part of the ill-fated battery of Colenso fame, and besides three men, 40 horses were killed outright. . . The same evening we took on board our load of injured. As was natural, they were suffering from all sorts of injuries, from broken limbs down to cases of concussion. Among the number was Corporal Nurse who so gallantly won his V.C. at Colenso. Mr Gerard Bonham-Carter (Red Cross) The heat grew more and more intense until at Crocodile Poort, where on either side the steep cliffs closely approach the river, the thermometers in all the wards all showed 105° F. After another long wait we continued our journey, and towards evening ran down the deviation to the temporary bridge which crosses the river at Kaap Muiden. In spite of the recent accident our driver brought the train along at a reckless pace, which would have probably resulted in a catastrophe had he not been stopped by the signals of a sapper officer, who happened to be in charge of a working party on the spot. The driver's object no doubt was to gain impetus enough to take the train up the steep ascent the other side of the river. In the event we were obliged to send for a second engine to haul us up into Kaap Muiden. The sufferers from the accident proved to be in better case than we expected. The worst were Captain Hawkes of the 66th Battery R.F.A., who had his left leg broken, a compound fracture; another man, a soldier of the same battery, with a broken ankle; and two poor Kaffirs, one with a broken leg and the other a broken jaw. The rest of the cases were chiefly severe cuts and bruises. All were very much shaken and suffering a good deal from the shock. When we crossed the river again on our return journey several of the men stood by the doors ready to jump off. The 66th Battery has seen a great deal of fighting and has suffered severely; it was one of Colonel Long's unfortunate batteries at Colenso, and it is very bad luck that at the end of the campaign the battery should meet with such an accident. Sergeant Nurse, V.C., was amongst the injured, but was not seriously hurt. Lieutenant Hord Hutchinson, the assistant R.S.O., said that the accident was a dreadful sight: trucks, men, and horses all heaped on each other in fearful confusion. The patients were brought round and lifted into the train under Lowe's directions. We stayed the night in the station. It was still very hot, over 90°. The two sisters felt the heat very much and I believe hardly slept at all. Lowe and I had a fairly good night. A bout 7 o'clock next morning, Saturday October 13th, we started on our homeward journey, taking an extra van for the two poor Kaffirs. At Alkmaar we took on two men who had been badly wounded in a skirmish whilst patrolling. One of them had his arm completely shattered by an expanding bullet. The arm had been amputated but the wound was so painful that it had to be dressed under an anaesthetic. The surgeon in charge came on to the train to help and the dressing was successfully done whilst the train was in motion. SEE: The "Princess Christian" Hospital Train ..
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