Hi
The battle of Ysterspruit took place on 25 February 1902 . Ysterspruit is 20 km west of Klerksdorp. A Boer force of approx 900 men, under command of Genl. Koos de la Rey, attacked the British force of approx 500 soldiers under command of under Colonel William Campbell Anderson .
De la Rey attacked a convoy which was being escorted to Klerksdorp by 230 men of the 5th Btn Imperial Yeomanry, 225 Northumberland Fusiliers, and a few other troops. At 4.30 am Lt-Col William Anderson, commanding both the Yeomanry and the column, ordered his men to set out for Klerksdorp.
De la Rey started with a frontal assault from a wooded area, but the British artillery pored such a heavy fire on the Boers that they ran for shelter.
Fearing for his flank, Col Anderson sent 150 men to guard it just in time to prevent a charge of 900 mounted Boers from rolling up the entire column.
The Boers, under Kemp, attempted four charges, but were driven back by heavy fire from the flank guard. Anderson sent an officer galloping to Klerksdorp to get help.
Time was running out for the convoy, and Celliers, finally arrived with 500 men. The rearguard held him off until their ammunition ran out, despite the fact that there were several ammunition carts at the rear of the convoy.
Anderson was forced to surrender. British losses were187 of 490 men killed or wounded. Boer casualties were 51 men. De la Rey escaped with 170 horses, several hundred rifles and half a million rounds of ammunition.
Wilgeboomspruit is situated between Groot Marico and Zeerust.
From London Gazette
3 December 1901 page 8539
Lord Methuen reached Zeerust on the 9th September after a series of sharp encounters with the enemy in the neighbourhood of the Marico Valley. The Boers had shown great boldness in these attacks, and persistently followed his rearguard up to Zeerust.
Two days later Lord Methuen returned to Mafeking, and he utilised the remainder of the n;onth iti refitting his troops and in passing con- voys into Lichtenburg and Zeerust, preparatory to a fresh movement to the east. This contem- plated advance had the double object of com- pleting the collection of the ripening crops in the Marico District, and establishing a line of blockhouses between ZeerusL and the lead mines.
On the 2nd October his column inarched from Mafeking to commence work, and on the 4th Lord Methuen had reached a line Wonderfontein (41)—Kleinfontin (76)—Waterkloof (148), from which points he is now moving- south upon Bokkraal (300), carefully clearing the country of all scattered bands. An affair of patrols at Wilgeboom Spruit (276) on the 4th October, resulted in five burghers being killed.
Regards
Adrian
