TOPIC:

I thought some of you might be interested to see this oriinal photographic post card style image of Boer Gun "Sussanah" which I bought a few weeks ago.


The only reference I have found to this gun is Phelan: Chapter IX - Week ending 16th December, 1899: Phelan: Chapter IX - Week ending 16th December, 1899
"In the distance the cannon kept booming intermittently; nothing but boom. Our besiegers' guns were being used to check
the advance of Methuen. There remained only one piece of ordnance, nicknamed "Old Susannah," to keep Kimberley in
order. The Premier Mine was the recipient of some lumps of love from this amorous gipsy; but nobody was smitten by her
charms."

Interested to hear of any other references to Susannah.

Owen

Kieran, Success of a General, p. 43: "Immediately after Christmas the Boers fired about 35 shells and the British responded with about a score. Shortly thereafter there was a rumour that Susannah the Boer's big howitzer gun had burst, but it was a false hope as the news soon came that there were three more Boer guns arriving from Spytfontein."

Creswicke, South Africa and the Transvaal War, pp. 17-18: "[on the exchange of Christmas messages] From the gunners, in return, while they kept one ear open for movement in the direction of the Boers' Susannah: May our range be always long enough for us to be guardian-angels to the Mounted Corps."

Creswicke, pp. 23-24: "Sniping always continued, though, for a day or two, no serious bombardment took place. Indeed, there was reason to believe that a Boer gun was hors de combat. The report came in that Susannah had burst. There was general jubilation. Later on it filtered out that Susannah was all serene, but this was doubted. The sanguine hoped against hope. We are ready enough to believe what we wish to be true, and finally, for want of something to discuss, the question of Has she burst or has she not burst? was bandied about in the tone of a popular riddle. Unfortunately Susannah was intact, as subsequent experience proved. Not only was Susannah herself again, but it was reported that a considerable Boer reinforcement had arrived in the neighbourhood, and that three guns from Spyfontein were being ranged in attitude to defer Long Cecil, whose prowess was more decided than pleasant."

Thank you, great to read these snippets to add a bit more life to the image.

Owen

Owen,

The photograph of "Susannah" was taken on Carter’s Ridge and depicts Majoor Albrecht with one of the OVS Artillerie's fourteen Krupp 75mm BL guns. Two photographs were taken of this scene from different angles.

Below are details from these images. Albrecht stands just behind the gun in the first picture, and leans against the sandbags on the left in the second.









This photograph shows the gun position some time after the end of the siege.


.Courtesy of the McGregor Museum, Kimberley



And the location today. Photographed by MC Heunis in 2017.





Three Krupp 75mm BL segment shells that were fired into Kimberley and a number of fragments which have been made into souvenir pendants. Perhaps one or more of the latter came from shells fired by "Susannah".








..

Gold dust Neville, thanks for these fantastic images and for identifying the location and the presence of Majoor Albrecht. The card fits very neatly into both sides of my Kimberley medals, an ABO medal to a besieger and a QSA to a man killed at Carter's Ridge.

Owen

You can see more information on the OVS's 75mm Krupp guns
on pages 11-13 of this monograph:
www.angloboerwar.com/images/pdf/OVSAC_11_BoerKruppGuns_Rev1.pdf
The most notable thing about the Free State Krupps is that they fired black powder which gave a large pall of smoke. They were in fact obsolete by the time of the ABW.
The ZAR's eight 75mm Krupps, in contrast, fired smokeless powder in brass cartridge cases. (Pages 16-18 of same monograph)