TOPIC:

Arthur John Leech

Dangerously wounded in action - Colenso - 15 December 1899

Trooper, “D” Company, Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Tugela Height, Orange Free State, Relief of Ladysmith, Transvaal and Laing’s Nek to 5744 PTE A.J. LEECH, TH’ CROFT’S M.I.

Arthur Leech was thought to be the son of Edwin Leech, a Yeoman from Durban, and his wife Elizabeth Shortt. He was born in Pietermaritzburg in the Colony of Natal on 17 December 1885. Towards the end of the 1880’s, Edwin Leech’s business dealings hit a rough patch, leading to his insolvency. With few or no prospects of rehabilitation, he moved with his family to Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State.

His links with Natal and specifically Pietermaritzburg remained strong and, when war erupted between Great Britain and the two Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State on 11 October 1899, he and his son Arthur enlisted at Pietermaritzburg with Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry for service.

Born as he was in late December 1885, it will be apparent to the reader as it was to the authorities at the time, that a 14 year old Arthur was indeed young to bear arms. Notwithstanding this fact, he was permitted to enlist for 5/- per day. To circumvent the prevailing entry age requirement, he claimed to be 16 years old. Physically he was described as being 5 feet 5 inches in height, weighing 112 pounds and had a fair complexion, brown eyes, and fair hair.



Thorneycroft’s, as the outfit he joined was called, were to gain an enviable, if not unrivalled reputation. They were raised at Pietermaritzburg by Major A W Thorneycroft of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. Prior to the battle of Colenso on 15th December 1899, they did a good deal of patrol work, and thus had some opportunities of getting knocked into shape. From the start they were, apart from a splendid leader, well supplied with good officers. By the middle of November 1899, the corps had reached a strength of 500.

Their first engagement was outside Mooi River on 22nd November, under Major General Barton, when he was endeavouring to clear the enemy from the country between himself and Major-General Hildyard, who, for four days in November 1899, was practically shut up in Estcourt. The corps had two wounded. At Colenso the regiment was heavily engaged, like the rest of Lord Dundonald's Brigade of Irregulars.

The regiment was on the extreme right of the British line and made a fine effort to capture Hlangwane — indeed some of those who were present expressed the opinion that if any substantial support had been sent them, they would have succeeded in their attempt. General Barton explained to the War Commission that, to his regret, this support could not be afforded.

It was exactly the matter of support that proved to be the problem - in the orders issued by General Buller on 14th December it was stated, "The Officer Commanding mounted brigade will move at 4 am with a force of 1000 men and one battery of No 1 Brigade Division in the direction of Hlangwane Hill; he will cover the right flank of the general movement, and will endeavour to take up a position on Hlangwane Hill, whence he will enfilade the kopje north of the iron bridge.”

Lord Dundonald and the mounted irregulars, of whom Thorneycroft’s were an integral part, did attack Hlangwane and made good progress towards its capture but, if Buller had been able to send adequate infantry support the capture would have been almost certainly assured and the bloodshed of Spion Kop saved, but the entangle­ment of the guns rendered such support impossible.



Colenso was to prove costly to the regiment who lost 1 officer, Lieutenant C M Jenkins, and 4 men killed, and 3 officers, Lieutenants W Otto, Ponsonby, and Holford and 27 men wounded. Counted among the wounded (dangerously) was a very young Arthur Leech. The Black & White Budget edition of 5 May 1900 carried a photo of Leech with the caption “The youngest member of the Natal Volunteer Corps, Trooper J. (sic) Leech, T.M.I., aged 15 years, who was severely wounded at the battle of Colenso.”

How long it took Leech to recover from his wound is not known but he was most likely in the movement by which General Buller attempted to turn the Boer right, which followed. Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry were again with Lord Dundonald on this occasion although, on the 18th and 20th of January 1900 the regiment had not so conspicuous a place in the fighting as did the composite regiment of Mounted Infantry or the South African Light Horse.

When Bastion Hill was seized the regiment was on Lord Dundonald's right, keeping in touch with the left of Hildyard's infantry. On the 22nd it was determined that Spion Kop, the great hill, at the angle where the Boer line turned back from the river, must be taken. To allow of the ground being examined the operation was put off till the evening of the 23rd. At first it was arranged to ascend by the south-east face, next to Trichard's Drift; but, near dusk on the 23rd, General Woodgate, who was in command of the assaulting force, decided to go by the south-west face.

In the brief twilight Colonel Thorneycroft made a hasty reconnaissance, and sketched the outstanding features, trees, kraals, etc. The force employed was the 2nd Battalion Royal Lancaster Regiment, the 2nd Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, two companies of the 1st Battalion South Lancashire Regiment, and Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, whose strength was 18 officers and 180 men, all dismounted for the task in hand. About 11 pm on the 23rd the force moved off, and after the first half-mile Thorneycroft and his men headed the column. The most perfect silence was maintained. Halts were frequently made in the ascent, which was so difficult that at times the hands had to be used.
During the ascent the column opened out into lines, the order being — Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry, Lancashire Fusiliers, Royal Lancaster Regiment, and two companies of the South Lancashire Regiment. At 4 am the last slope was breasted, a Boer sentry challenged, and instantly the picket fired. The leading lines lay down until it was thought the magazines were emptied, then rushed forward with the bayonet; but the picket fled, and the summit was occupied. Steps were immediately taken to make defensive works.

In his report, dated 26th January 1900, Spion Kop Despatches, Colonel Thorneycroft said: "There was a mist on the hill, and in the darkness and mist it was difficult to get the exact crest line for a good field of fire, and the boulders made it difficult to dig, but we made a rough trench and breastwork". About 4.30 some Boers opened fire; our men replied—then the firing died out for a time. It was found that the trench did not command the ascent - and men were pushed forward to line the crest.

The enemy recommenced firing now more heavily. Defensive works were about to be commenced on the crest, about 180 yards in front of the trench, when the mist lifted—this was between 7.30 and 8. The Boers' rifle-fire now became extremely severe, while 3 guns and a Maxim-Nordenfeldt pitched shells on to the plateau with great accuracy from a range of 3000 yards. It was also now discovered that the trench which had been cut was enfiladed at easy range by trenches or natural caves occupied by the enemy. Most of the advanced parties, being also enfiladed, were completely wiped out, but these were constantly reinforced or replaced.



Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry had been placed at the left of the trench with parties in advance. When visiting this position about 8 am General Woodgate was mortally wounded. Colonel Blomfield of the Lancashire Fusiliers took command, but he too was wounded. Early in the forenoon, probably about 10 am, Colonel Thorneycroft received a message that he was in command of the hill. The messenger was killed as he delivered the order. Over and over again the advance parties were entirely destroyed. No help could be sent to the wounded. Officers and men who were not killed outright kept on firing as long as they could hold a rifle.

In his report Colonel Thorneycroft says: "The Boers closed in on the right and centre. Some men of mixed regiments at right end of trench got up and put up their hands; three or four Boers came out and signalled their comrades to advance. I was the only officer in the trench on the left, and I got up and shouted to the leader of the Boers that I was the commandant and that there was no surrender.

In order not to get mixed up in any discussion I called on all men to follow me and retired to some rocks farther back. The Boers opened a heavy fire on us. On reaching the rocks I saw a company of the Middlesex Regiment advancing. I collected them up to the rocks and ordered all to advance again. This the men did, and we reoccupied the trench and crestline in front. As the companies of the Middlesex arrived, I pushed them on to reinforce, and was able to hold the whole line again. The men on the left of our defence, who were detached at some distance from the trench, had held their ground. The Imperial Light Infantry reinforced this part. The Boers then made a desperate endeavour to shell us out of the position, and the fire caused many casualties. The Scottish Rifles came up, and I pushed them up to the right and left flanks as they arrived".

When night began to close in, I determined to take some steps, and a consultation was held. The officer commanding Scottish Rifles and Colonel Crofton were both of opinion that the hill was untenable. I entirely agreed with their view, and so I gave the order to withdraw.”

After the debacle on Spioenkop, the remnant of Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry was with Lord Dundonald protecting the right and rear at Vaal Krantz and took part in the operations which commenced on 12th February and lasted till the 27th, when Ladysmith was relieved. Thorneycroft's men were the first troops to cross the Tugela on the 20th and did most valuable scouting work on the 21st.

They then took part in the movement for turning the Boer position on the Biggarsberg and that at Laing's Nek, suffering slight casualties on various occasions during these operations and when General Buller moved north towards Belfast and Lydenburg, the regiment remained with General Clery in the vicinity of the Natal-Pretoria Railway, and had arduous patrol work and often severe fighting, as on 6th September, when 4 men were killed and Captain Molyneux and several men were wounded.

Leech had by this time been transferred to the Transport Section of Colonel Pilcher’s Column, his ties with Thorneycroft’s thus severed. His wound, along with the stresses and strains of the other engagements in which he had participated had caught up with him. On 20 September 1900, at the age of 16 (officially) he was discharged as Medically Unfit and admitted as a Chelsea Pensioner. He was still receiving a military pension in January 1921 – paid from Pretoria. For his efforts he was awarded the Queens Medal with the clasps indicative of his service.



After the war Leech appears to have made tracks for the Transvaal, settling in the Groot Marico district where, at Zeerust on 28 May 1930 at the age of 44 he wed Levina Catherina Terblans (born Smith) a 24 year old widow. He passed away at the age of 80 on 14 September 1966 at Germiston from Bronchial Pneumonia and Diabetes Mellitus. A retired Storeman at the time of his death, he was receiving a military veteran’s pension and was either widowed or divorced. His address was 16 Olienhout Avenue, Birchleigh and he was survived by his two daughters.

Rory
TMI certainly had a rough time at Colenso according to the casualty lists. Regarding "5744 Pte. Arthur J. Leech of TMI' being present on the Kop some six weeks later, I would think that such an proposal would depend on the definition of "severely wounded" - and I really don't know what that meant at the time. In "Unbuttoned", the casualties at Colenso were divided into Killed, Severely Wounded, Wounded and Slightly Wounded. So young Leech's casualty status would have been on the higher end of the scale. What a pity there is no listing of the men of all regiments who took part on the KOP.
Nevertheless, a very nice medal - and any TMI medal with battle clasps in my opinion comes under that description.
Perhaps another Forum member might assist in casualty definitions as they were in 1900?
Regards
IL.

Interesting point about the degree of wounds - you will have noted that, at various places in the article, I have used the terms "Dangerously" and "Severely" wounded. This stems from the three references I consulted - one was the Forces War Records website reference (Dangerously Wounded), also mentioned in the online Roll of Honour website; and the other was the Black and White Budget photo which included the word "severely" in the caption.

It would be one of my dearest wishes were a source to be uncovered which "revealed all", including the nature and extent of the wounds received.







Regards

Rory