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| Uniform of the CIV |
Arrival at Cape Town |
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Dinner at the
Inner Temple |
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| Officers |
Aboard the Garth Castle |
On parade |
Mackinnon, W H |
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Nominal roll
1 of 4 |
Nominal roll
2 of 4 |
Nominal roll
3 of 4 |
Nominal roll
4 of 4 |
Britain and the Colonies responded well to the call of the Government in
December 1899, and London was not behindhand. The infantry Volunteers
all over England and Scotland answered nobly, and the value of the services
of the officers and men who went out was handsomely acknowledged by all the
generals.
Taken suddenly from civil life, they rapidly assimilated
what extra teaching could be given before being thrown into the field, and
when there, almost all became useful soldiers and took the hardships
inseparable from active service with a minimum of grumbling. The
Metropolitan Volunteers were more in the public eye, because they formed a
battalion of infantry, two companies of mounted infantry, and a field
battery. They thus had organisation separate from any regiment and a
history of their own, whereas the infantry volunteer companies from other
parts of the country were attached to their respective territorial
battalions of regulars. The latter system has perhaps the most to
commend it. It involved less risk. It drew closer the Volunteers
and the Regulars, and in doing that it brought many young men of the middle
classes into close contact with the rank and file of the army, with obvious
advantages to both. That the City Imperial Volunteers came through the
crucial test of standing on their own legs is to their credit, and the fact
will always be an answer to the humbugs who declare that Volunteers are a
useless crowd.
The City Imperial Volunteers embarked on the Briton, Garth Castle,
Ariosto, Gaul, and Kinfauns Castle between 16th and 21st January 1900.
On 20th February the bulk of the Infantry Battalion left the Cape for De Aar
and Orange River, in which district they took over various posts from the
Regulars. On account of the rising in the Britstown district fighting
was soon seen, and on 6th March 13 men were wounded, some of these being
taken prisoners. On 31st March the battalion left De Aar for
Bloemfontein via Naauwpoort. At the latter place they were detrained
and stayed some time. Ultimately, about 23rd April, the battalion got
to the Free State capital, partly by road, partly by rail, and on the 24th
were inspected by Lord Roberts. Within a few days they were put into
the 21st Brigade under General Bruce Hamilton (see 1st Sussex), and thus
formed a part of Ian Hamilton's army of the right flank, which did no little
fighting on the way to Pretoria (see Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry).
In the numerous engagements the battalion seems to have always done well.
Speaking of Doornkop, 29th May (see 1st Gordons), Major General Mackinnon,
himself a soldier of thirty years' experience, said in his 'Journal', p
78: "I was thoroughly satisfied with the steadiness of our ranks, their
disregard of danger, and the alacrity with which they obeyed orders,
especially those to advance, and I feel very proud of the battalion.
This is an interesting day for the English Volunteer force, as it is the
first occasion on which so many of them have been in any important action".
General Smith-Dorrien, in his despatch regarding the battle (see 'Journal',
p 89), said: "The features of the day were the attacks of the Gordon
Highlanders and the City Imperial Volunteers. That of the City
Imperial Volunteers convinced me that this corps, at any rate of our
Volunteers, is as skilled as the most skilful of our Regulars at
skirmishing. The men were handled with the most consummate skill by
Colonel Mackinnon, Colonel Lord Albemarle, and their other officers, and it
was entirely due to this skill and the quickness and dash of their
movements, and taking advantage of every fold of the ground, that, in spite
of a terrific fire from several directions, they drove the enemy from
several positions with comparatively small loss"—about 12 wounded.
The battalion was present at Diamond Hill, 11th and 12th June (see
1st
Sussex), and had again stiff work. Their casualties were 1 officer and
1 man killed, and about 20 wounded. The brigade next took part in Sir
Archibald Hunter's operations in the north-east of the Orange River Colony.
At Frankfort, on 4th July, the City Imperial Volunteers left the brigade on
convoy duty to Heilbron, where they did garrison duty for three weeks.
Colonel Mackinnon was then told to rail the garrison to Krugersdorp.
This was accomplished by the 26th, and the battalion operated about Frederikstad,
Banks, and Krugersdorp during the exciting times when De Wet was preparing
for, and did effect, his crossing of the Vaal. The work was most
arduous and fighting frequent. The cyclists were in constant request,
and Colonel Mackinnon notes that one man "travelled continuously for two
days and a night".
On 30th July the battalion marched to Frederickstad, and on the 31st a Boer
force sent in a message asking their surrender. Colonel Mackinnon did
not entertain the idea, but took out five companies who, after stiff
fighting, drove the enemy off some hills they had seized near the camp.
In this action the battalion lost 2 men killed and 4 severely wounded.
General Smith-Dorrien complimented the battalion on their excellent work on
this occasion. Part of the battalion took part in the pursuit of De
Wet to the Megaliesberg and marched to Rustenburg, part remained about Welverdiend under Lord Albemarle. About the end of August the
battalion was gathered together again near Pretoria. On 2nd October
Lord Roberts inspected the regiment and made "a splendid speech", which is
printed in the 'Journal'. The Commander-in-Chief not only spoke flatteringly
of the City Imperial Volunteers, but stated his belief in the value of the
Volunteer force. His Lordship said: "The admirable work now performed
by the City Imperial Volunteers, the Volunteers now attached to the regular
battalions serving in South Africa, and the Imperial Yeomanry have, I
rejoice to say, proved that I was right, and that England, relying as she
does on the patriotic Volunteer system for her defence, is resting on no
broken reed". On the afternoon of the same day the entraining for Cape
Town commenced.
The Mounted Infantry companies saw much fighting, and were very
frequently praised by the generals under whom they acted. At Jacobsdal
on 15th February 1900 they did well, and Lord Roberts wired to the Lord
Mayor, "The City of London Imperial Volunteers came under fire for the first
time yesterday under Colonel Cholmondeley at Jacobsdal and behaved most
gallantly". After Paardeberg they provided part of the escort of Boer
prisoners to Modder River. Colonel Cholmondeley was mentioned in Lord
Roberts' despatch of 31st March 1900. The Mounted Infantry took part
in the movement on Pretoria, and at the end of August were under Smith-Dorrien
in the Eastern Transvaal. General Smith-Dorrien also praised their
work most highly.
Apart from the battery, which is mentioned under the
Field Artillery, the
commendations gained were approximately as follows:—
Colonel Mackinnon was praised "for tact, judgment, and resource " in a
"position hitherto unprecedented in the annals of our military history".
He was promoted Major General, and got the CB In the despatch of 4th
September 1901. Colonel the Earl of Albemarle, other 5 officers, and 20
non-commissioned officers and men of the Infantry Battalion were mentioned,
and in the same despatch 1 officer of the machine-gun section and 5 officers
and 12 non-commissioned officers and men of the Mounted Infantry companies
were mentioned.
