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Officers of the
3rd Battalion |
NCOs of the
1st Battalion |
Officers of the
1st Battalion |
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The 1st Battalion sailed on the Bavarian about 18th January 1900, and
arrived at the Cape about 3rd February. Along with the 2nd Cheshire,
2nd South Wales Borderers, and 2nd North Staffordshire, they formed the 15th
Brigade under Major General A G Wavell, and part of the VIIth Division under
Lieutenant General Tucker. For notes as to general work of the
division see 2nd Norfolk, and of the brigade see
2nd Cheshire.
The battalion was said to have done well at Karee Siding on 29th March
1900. They lost that day 5 men killed and 14 wounded. At the
crossing of the Zand River on 10th May they also did their portion of the
task well.
In Lord Roberts' final despatch 11 officers and 17 non-commissioned
officers and men were mentioned.
In 1901 the battalion furnished the infantry of columns which operated in
the Southern Transvaal and in the Orange River Colony under Brigadier
General G Hamilton, Colonel Grey, Colonel Garratt, and others, and
necessarily did a lot of very hard marching and had a good many little
fights.
In 1902 the battalion assisted in holding a line of blockhouses near
Vrede during the driving operations.
Three officers, 1 non-commissioned officer, and 1 private were mentioned
in Lord Kitchener's despatches during the war, and 4 officers and 4
non-commissioned officers in his final despatch.
