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I have just finished cleaning up this wonderfully atmospheric photograph of General Clery and Staff on Shooter's Hill, taken during the preparatory bombardment of the Colenso positions, on 14 Dec 1899.

After four days of work, I feel like I was there myself. The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, which is apt considering how things were to unfold the following day.

General Clery cuts a lonely figure on the extreme right, turned away from his objective and seemingly contemplating his tactics for the following day. In the centre stands the great Bennett Burleigh (in the pale jacket) with, I believe, two other correspondents. Immediately to the left of Burleigh is Captain Jones, commander of the Naval guns, which are just out of view on the left. The trail of one of the 4.7s is visible behind Jones's "Stowasser" leggings.

In the middle distance, between the two "correspondents" on the right, can be seen William Dickson's Biograph camera, with its bicycle-wheel contraption, which operated bellows that forced air against the film as it passed through the shutter gate. This ensured that the film was always flat against the aperture window, and that the image remained in focus.

The presence of Dickson and Burleigh in the same shot indicates that this photograph was taken in the afternoon or evening. According to Dickson, the correspondents had been barred from leaving camp until the middle of the day, though he himself seems to have ignored these instructions, as he was filming on Shooter's Hill from early in the morning. I suspect Dickson and his colleagues are amongst the group in the distance on the far left. The figure with the bowler hat appears in several photographs of the Biograph in operation. The Naval Brigade, and in particular Captain Jones, took Dickson under their wing, allowing him to accompany them during the Colenso offensive. Together with a special pass issued to him by Buller, this allowed Dickson to film aspects of the opperations that the main press corps was barred from seeing. Dickson wrote "being so far ahead we congratulate ourselves on our good luck in the two days' gunning, when no one was permitted to pass the picket or outposts".












This second photograph was taken by Middlebrook from exactly the same spot (see the rock on the far right), but turned slightly to the left (north), and shows the 4.7-inch gun facing Colenso. Note that the sailors are stood down, suggesting that both photographs were taken late in the day, after the bombardment had finished. In this photograph General Clery has turned and is now looking towards the Boer positions.








Map showing positions at 8 a.m. on the 15th December. By this time the Naval 4.7-inch guns had been moved 2,000 yards north, from Shooter's Hill to Naval Gun Hill (Official History, Vol 1, Map 15).




Bennett Burleigh, The Natal Campaign, pp. 190 – 194

Thursday [14 Dec] broke raw and cold. The weather has made more than fervent tropical amends since. Never, with the usual exaggeration of oldest inhabitants, has there been such sweltering weather during December in Natal. The pastures and rivers are as dried up as in June.

It was difficult to locate the more elaborate and strongly occupied works of the Boers. We had given them a taste of our gunmetal on Wednesday, but for Thursday was reserved an ample banquet served up by the two 4.7-inch and the 12-pounder naval guns. As soon as the light was good enough the bombardment was begun.

General Buller had signalled to General White that his attack upon Colenso lines should be the prelude to the advance upon Ladysmith. Captain Jones, of her Majesty's ship Forte, with part of the naval contingent, began shelling Commandant Botha's, the Boer leader's, works. The air crackled with the stunning roar of guns and exploding shells. Heavy and steady was the cannonade of the sailors. The enemy had made no attempt to check our advance or the pitching of the tents for our new camp, although we were well within the range of their Krupp and big Creusot cannon. The Boers "lay" low. Not a word or shot did they return us. A few of our scouts, who, in the early morning, had ridden close to the Tugela, had been fired upon by their riflemen. When the bombardment started numbers of our men watched and criticised the effect of our shells as the lyddite missiles struck rock or work with resounding impact. They threw up enormous columns of smoke and dust. Not more than three shots had been fired from the big guns when the Boers promptly suspended all trenching operations, hurrying off towards the hills or burrowing in their most secure cover.

At noon our bombardment was stopped until 3 p.m. From that hour it went forward in a slow, intermittent fashion, until nightfall. With more guns, a heavy and systematic searching by lyddite fire could – and, perhaps, should – have been made of the Boer ground in front. During the cannonade the enemy were seen to be trying to place a large cannon near Fort Wylie, which is the nearest foothill across the Tugela bridge. A shell or two led to the total suspension of that operation. Nearly 140 shells were pitched on Thursday by the naval guns at the Boer lines. We learned that same day that over five of the enemy's bridge guards had been killed on Wednesday by one of our lyddite shells. The heavier bombardment of Thursday must have accounted for many more, but not a shot in reply did the wily Boers vouchsafe us. They took their punishment, biding their opportunity. One thing proximity disclosed was that the Boers' favourite position for placing their cannon is in or near a dip or neck between hills. They also arrange to shift to and fro with their lighter guns. Another trick of theirs, to prevent their heads being seen above the skyline, is to have their trenches in front of the earth thrown out in digging.



Dickson, The Biograph in Battle, pp. 70 – 75

December 13th, at 7.10, we open fire on the enemy, our Terrible men doing marvellously good shooting, planting each shell just where it was needed, Boers flying right and left. On my way up to the guns early in the morning, as I was passing General Barton's tent he popped out, and seeing me stared for a moment, then said, "What are you? – Where did you come from?" I explained, and with a smile he replied, "Oh, that's it, is it?" and passed on. Another danger averted. I have actually got to the point of dreading a recall or an idiotic set-back more than the enemy's shells. After the morning's bombardment, Captain Jones greeted me pleasantly and remarked, "Now are you happy?" "Yes," I replied, "the more I can get of the real thing the happier I shall be."

"Well, you'll get plenty more," he added. Strange how coolly we took the whole thing, considering the destruction it involved.

December 14th. – Not getting any reply from our neighbours, we decided to move on nearer, and leaving some guns behind, we took most of them with us to a hillock some 2,500 yards nearer to Colenso.
At early dawn we commence work again, and, as usual, stick to the guns, and being so far ahead we congratulate ourselves on our good luck in the two days' gunning, when no one was permitted to pass the picket or outposts. After the shooting was all over and things comparatively safe, a stream of war correspondents could be seen making their way towards us from Frere Camp, that we had been forbidden to leave even after having General Buller's permission.

Never shall I forget the sensation of being within range of the Colenso guns while standing beside my naval friends, who are firing shell and lyddite in rapid succession into the fortification. After, getting our pictures we left to return to Chieveley for food, six miles from the front, our Cape cart and grey horses offering a splendid mark for the enemy as we drove along. We soon discovered that nothing had come, and starvation stared us in the face. The stationmaster, however, took pity on us, and wired repeatedly to Frere for our grub to be sent on while we waited. Meanwhile we shared some black tea with the soldiers, and finished our meal at the stationmaster's dismantled and looted house, where we found a good ham bone, bread, and jam. What a feast! Being worn out mentally and physically I lay down on a bed, covering my face with a meat safe dish-cover to keep off the swarm of flies, and fell asleep for five minutes. My companion then coming in, announced the arrival of our grub and other gear.

One half of this we soon packed, leaving the other half at the station; then pushed our way back again to the guns. We pass through camp after camp on our way, practically all Frere Camp having moved up that morning, commencing at daylight. Miles and miles of troops and transport waggons could be seen wending their way across the twelve miles of field; indeed, as far as my eye could reach, every hill and dale was covered with troops. Just as we got back, General Buller and some officers made their appearance on the hill. As the General was walking away from his horse he was snapped, standing and riding. We could get only one Biograph of all this, though magnificently effective, owing to the cloud of dust caused by the recoil and concussion. I was obliged to ignore the kindly advice to stay on the opposite hill and take it from there by the telephoto; but not being very sure of this new lens, I preferred to use my 8-inch Bausch and Lomb, and get within fifty feet instead of 1,500 yards or 2,500 yards. As soon, however, as we had taken the view, I had the machine dismantled and carried behind huge boulders for protection. Our horses, trembling and jumping at every shot, behaved splendidly, however, never moving from the spot, but scared out of their wits. My companions used cotton-wool in their ears to prevent the tremendous concussion, but as I wished to hear which way the shells were coming I preferred to drop the jaw at the word "Fire," a trick I learned at Sandy Hook, U.S., at the firing of the 10in., which answered the purpose very well.

It was a grand sight to watch the neat way our gunners dislodged the Boers, whom we could see running hither and thither, jumping on their horses and galloping off. Clouds of dust from many horsemen was all we wanted for guide as to where to shoot, and quickly our guns spoke in rapid succession with lyddite or ordinary shell, which must have demoralised them horribly. The shock caused by the terrific lyddite explosive will kill within a radius of a hundred feet by the mere concussion of air, and we could see the fortifications being blown sky-high in huge yellow columns of earth, stones, and men.

When all was over for the day, and our men had retired to rest, I went to the hill with Captain Jones and Commander Limpus to look at the Boer position through the large telescope. It was just getting dark, but it was still light enough to see the Boers creeping along round a hillock. The order was given, and quick as lightning our fine chaps jumped to their guns, raising clouds of dust as the shells exploded among the enemy.

We have made every effort to get a photograph of the Boer position, and the effect of the shots, by means of the telephoto, but we were forced to give it up owing to the haze and indistinctness which made it impossible to focus properly. There are many other difficulties besides, all of which I hope to overcome in time. I shall then focus on the fortification and start our machine immediately after the shot has been fired, so as to see the effect.

It is getting dark and our tent is not yet up, so we all pitch in, and are soon comfortably settled for the night, after rather a better supper than usual, having been fortunate enough to obtain some canned tomatoes to mix with our bully meat.



Jeans, Naval Brigades in the South African War

December 13. — Orders were received to move forward another 2,000 yards, to a kopje nearer the Boer position, but a dense fog postponed this movement. Later on it cleared away, and at 7 A.M. the 4.7 guns opened fire, for the first time, on the Colenso trenches, and kept it going till 9.30, when the tremendous heat and mirage made satisfactory shooting at long ranges (7,000 to 11,000 yards) impossible. The guns and their mountings worked admirably and very good shooting was made, but there was no reply, and the Boers could be seen in the evening still busily digging.

General Buller came on from Frere with Ogilvy's six 12-pounders, so there were now two 4.7s and twelve 12-pounders with the Naval Brigade. Till the General's arrival most people were under the impression that only a feint was to be made at Colenso, and that there would be a big flanking movement in the direction of Potgieter's Drift.

At 7.30 next morning [14 December] camp was shifted to the previously mentioned kopje. 2,000 yards nearer the Boer trenches. It afterwards was known as Shooter's Hill. The 4.7's opened fire at 9 A.M. and carried on intermittently during the day. There was no reply and the enemy would not be tempted to unmask his guns, though we were well within range. Later on this day orders were received for the morrow. Two 12-pounders were to remain on Gun Hill, four to advance with the 4.7's to a more advantageous position, and six were to attach themselves to Colonel Long's batteries. (Two 12-pounders were still at Estcourt, two at Mooi River, and two at Frere).







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Another photograph of Dickson's Biograph camera, set up in front of two Naval 4.7s. These are the guns that first bombarded Colenso from Gun Hill on 13 December, moved to Shooter's Hill on the 14th and then to Naval Gun Hill for the main battle on the 15th (see map above). The caption for a photograph of the pair parked up at Frere names them the "Leviathan Twins".

The Boigraph's bicycle wheel and bellows, as described in the previous post, are hidden under the cameraman's black cape, but the vertical air tube can be seen in the centre of the tripod connecting the bellows to the camera. This air-pressure system was required because Dickson's camera did not have sprockets and used unperforated film. Sprockets kept the film taught, meaning that the focus remained constant as the celluloid travelled through the camera.




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Below are four sequential stills from footage captured by Dickson during the bombardment. Frame two shows the moment of discharge, with the recoil buffer fully compressed. The high elevation of the barrel indicates that the target was a considerable distance away, probably placing this 4.7 on Gun Hill, the first position from which the Naval guns opened fire (on 13 Dec), and over 4 miles from Colenso.

Note the standard Naval telescope, which has been repurposed for use with the 4.7 while ashore. I believe this is Lieutenant England's "No 1 Gun", in which case the telescope shown now resides in the collection of the National Maritime Museum, London. The telescope belonged to Lieutenant James Stuart Wilde, who commanded two of the 12-pdrs that accompanied Lieut. England's 4.7. For more on this, see: Lieutenant Wilde's telescope 1 & 2.










.Courtesy of The British Film Institute






. NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM


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Many photographs and sketches were taken or made of the Boer positions north of the Tugela during Redvers Buller's protracted efforts to cross the river. Photographs of the view from the Boer positions occur much less frequently. This photograph was reproduced as a post card.

Two further photographs of H.M.S. Terrible's 4.7-inch guns in action during the bombardment. The first depicts Lieutenant England's No. 1 Gun, and the second, Lieutenant Hunt's No. 2 Gun.













.The route of the 4.7s during the Relief of Ladysmith operations (Jeans, Naval Brigades in the South African War, map facing p. 234).

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