Chris Ash in 'Kruger, Kommandos & Kak: Debunking the Myths of The Boer War' describes the situation experienced by some British columns when taking Roberts' proclamation around the town of the Free State in April 1900;
The difficult bit was to spread this message to the scattered commandos and it was harder still to protect those who had had enough from their more extreme comrades. To this end, imperial columns were sent out to various parts of the newly captured territory, with one having an early taste of what to expect during the rest of the war: on the 26th March Lieutenant-Colonel Pilcher led around a hundred men to Ladybrand to arrest the landdrost. The village was bedecked in white flags and Pilcher and fifty men—the other fifty plus a Maxim gun covered the advance—were received “with open arms” and “enthusiasm”. As Pilcher was leaving the village with his captive, news came of the approach of a 1,000-strong Boer commando. As soon as this force hove into view, the good people of Ladybrand instantly switched their white flags for Mausers, and opened fire on Pilcher’s rapidly retiring party. An officer of the 10th Hussars had an especially lucky escape, having been “told off to search the landdrost’s house, in so became suspicious, owing to the palpable and persistent manner in which the landdrost’s daughter, while pretending to be friendly, delayed him in his search by pointing out one thing and another of interest in the house and endeavouring to hold him in conversation.
On leaving the house, he found his suspicions only too well founded. No sooner had he put his foot outside the door than someone shouted, “Hands Up!” Paying no heed, he jumped onto his pony—to find Colonel Pilcher’s small escort leaving the town in desperate haste. The Boers were sweeping down on the town in hundreds. The friendly shopkeeper of a minute before, dashing behind his counter, picked up his Mauser lying in readiness there, and emptied his magazine at the men as they clattered past down the street. The local chemist, who was better suited to the concoction of pills than to the use of a rifle, in his hurry shot a passing Boer lady; this regrettable incident, I believe, was the only serious casualty”.
