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Caton Woodville's 1902 painting of Biddulphsberg was first displayed at the Carlton Galleries, Pall Mall, London, in January 1903. It was then simply described as Caton Woodville’s “fine battle piece representing the Guards in South Africa” (Manchester Courier, 3 Feb 1903).

It appears that it was then purchased by an anonymous benefactor, who presented it to the 2nd Bn. Grenadier Guards Sergeants' Mess in December 1903.

“The sergeants of the 2nd Battalion are the recipients of a magnificent oil painting in a massive gilt frame, presented by a friend of the regiment, who is desirous that the donor should remain anonymous. The painting represents a scene from the battle fought on May 29th, 1900, outside the town of Senekal, Orange River Colony, at a place called Biddulphsburg [sic]. During the battle the long dry grass became ignited and the wounded men were in great danger of being burnt to death, when Lieut. J.A. Quilter and 20 men of the Grenadier Guards volunteered to go to their rescue” (Derby Daily Telegraph, 4 Jan 1904).

What happened to the painting after this is a mystery. At some point it was cut into two sections, the right hand portion finding its way to the Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg, while the left hand section remained in the UK where it was for a time in the collection of the late Kenneth Griffith.

The reconstruction below shows how the original composition would have appeared when first completed. It was a very large painting, being over 2 meters wide.




.Reconstruction of Richard Caton Woodville's battle-piece, depicting the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards at Biddulphsberg (signed and dated 1902 lower left).





.Image showing the two extant fragments, the Tatham Art Gallery painting on the right.






Detail of the left hand side of the painting, showing Colonel Lloyd being tended to by Drummer Haines and Private Fruin. The 1906 studio painting of Colonel Francis Lloyd by Philip de László (see below) highlights Caton Woodville's meticulous attention to detail when portraying individuals in his battle scenes.





Brigadier-General Francis Lloyd, painted by Philip de László in 1906. Currently hanging in White's Club, 37–38 St James's Street, London.






Caton Woodville's 1900 drawing of the same event: "THEIR ORDEAL OF FIRE - THE GRENADIER GUARDS AT BIDDULPH'S BERG". First published in the Illustrated London News, 28 Jul 1900. This version reproduced in "The Work of War Artists in South Africa", by A.C.R. Carter, 1900 (opposite p. 8 ).





Our guns came up and opened. A Boer gun also opened on our guns. I now received the order, “The Grenadiers will take the gun.” The Battalion being in extended order, I had nothing to do but order it to advance, get off my horse and go on with the support. The Order of companies was as follows:- 5, 6, 7, 8; 1, 2, 3, 4. We advanced at first through a mealie field, very high and thick. As I was going along, an A.D.C. galloped to me with the order to go and see General Rundle. I ran back, got on my chestnut horse (some hundred yards, I dare say) and went to him. He then explained the ground, and I agreed that it was feasible, following the plan, thinking as we both did that I could gain cover and that the kopje was not very strongly held. Having got his directions, my only course was to gallop to the support, give them the new orders, which was to take ground to the right continuously till the cover of the kopje I wanted was gained. I then galloped as hard as I could to the firing line.

When I was about midway I came under such a hail of bullets that I jumped off my horse and let him go. As I did so I was hit on the thumb and rifle, and my wallets were shot through. I then ran to No. 5 and led them. I prolonged the line to the right with a half-company of No. 6 under Seymour. It may not have been more than a section. What with the long veldt grass and the fire, it was difficult to see and impossible to make oneself heard. I, however, advanced with two half-companies or sections half-right by rushes in the endeavour to gain cover (as a first parallel, as the drill book says). The rushes were led with the utmost gallantry by Seymour and Murray, and followed with equal bravery by the N.C.O.’s and men. Just before the last rush I called upon Murray to go on, but the answer was that he was down. I then rushed the lot with the poor boy calling “Go on Grenadiers, follow your Commanding Officer.”

At the next halt my right-hand man was hit, my left-hand man was hit, I was hit, and there was no more initiative because nearly all the men were down, and there was no one to go on and it was no use doing more. I therefore told everyone to lie still as the best chance. There were a few ant-heaps, but they were rotten and useless. I was behind one on my back with Drummer Haines and Fruin of No. 6. I tried to keep all the men separate as much as possible as the best chance of life. Only two went back, as they said, “to get dressed;” I told them to lie still or they would be shot. Whether they were or not I don’t know.

There we lay under a hail of bullets. Every time one moved to get a bandage it produced a bullet within a foot or two. I guess the range to have been about 1,700 yards, unless, as I afterwards heard, there were men in a donga within 300 yards. *This I do not believe, as the bullets mostly descended. A considerable proportion of them apparently burst with a sharp crack. We must have been easy marks for the Boers, as naturally we showed up lying on the ground. I for one was absolutely on my back. I was doing all I could to keep them from moving, and gallantly they behaved, for not a man funked. Drummer Haines had got his arm over me, drawing me to him for protection, I suppose (I was a bit silly, but not very), when bang came a bullet that hit me on the stomach, but it was covered by his arm, which it broke, and I was only bruised fearfully. This, no doubt, saved my life. I tied him up with a handkerchief, and he put some stuff on my wounds, and there we lay. Seymour crawled up soon after this and said that something must be done, as the fire was rather more than less. I said, “Try a volley,” so he gave the word of command, but there were only two men unhit in his section, so that was no good. He then said “I will try and go back, as I can do no more here, and get the artillery to fire on this particular spot where the fire is coming from.” I said he would be killed, but he said it was no use staying here and off he crawled, to be shot in the foot before he got in; he never got to the artillery.

Soon after this an ammunition-carrier, belonging to No. 8, came up as if nothing were happening – in fact, had it been in Hyde Park, I should have taken his name for moving in slow time. He was bringing up ammunition, he said, and did not seem to care a straw. I made him lie down, but he was twice hit immediately; his name was No. 1511 Private Bevan. I have sent him in.

Once or twice before, the veldt fire looked as if it were coming down upon us, but it had always moved off. So we lay on for three hours in all. I had intended remaining till dark, but there was no possibility of that, for the fire now came straight at us. I would not let anyone move till it was quite close, but when it was within two yards I gave the order for everyone to go who could. I did not think I could move, but they pulled me to my feet, and I stumbled through the flames, mercifully getting nothing more than a singeing. All moved, as I thought, except the dead and Murray, and his lot were too far off, he having fallen back some way. I had tried to communicate with him, but, getting no response, thought he was dead. As I stumbled along the Boers opened on us an appalling fire, which they kept up. I think only one man was hit, principally owing to the smoke. I looked back and saw wounded men helping one another, in fact everyone doing his best. I managed to struggle for 300 yards or so, when Colour-Sergeant Morgan came up and helped me. He was one of the few unhit. Bullets were falling thick, but I reached a wire fence where I lay behind a stone post for a minute or two. Colour-Sergeant Morgan and another man then came and insisted on pulling me along, while others received like aid, those who could walk helping those who could not. Some 200 yards further on I was put on a Scots Guards stretcher. I was very silly by now, and was carried past Rundle, who gave me some whisky and told me we had done all that was possible.



At the next halt, Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd was shot through the body, and practically the whole of the advancing line was wiped out, for on Lieutenant Seymour calling upon them to fire a volley, only three men responded. The whole of the initiative of the advance was now ended, and all lay still under a murderous fire of big guns, “pom-poms,” and small arms. Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd was again hit on the stomach, but his life was saved by Drummer Haines, who was at that moment endeavouring to pull him behind an ant heap, and whose forearm was shattered by the bullet.





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