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| Officers of the 2nd Battalion |
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The 2nd Battalion sailed on the Lismore Castle and Harlech Castle about
19th October 1899, and got to Durban about 14th November. Along with
the 2nd Queen's, 2nd Devon, and 2nd West Yorkshire, they formed the 2nd
Brigade under Major General H Hildyard. The work of the brigade is
sketched under 2nd Queen's.
At Willow Grange, 22nd November, the East Surrey supported the West Yorks
in the assault, and in his report, dated 24th November, General Hildyard
said, "The behaviour of all ranks of the 2nd East Surrey Regiment when
engaged was satisfactory under great difficulties". At Colenso the
battalion was not so heavily engaged as the 2nd Queen's and Devons.
The battalion's losses were 1 killed and 31 wounded.
At Venter's Spruit the battalion had heavy fighting on the 21st January, and
lost 1 officer wounded and 5 men killed and about 25 wounded.
At Vaal Krantz they were the centre of the crest line on the 7th
February, and lost 2 men killed and 12 wounded.
During the fourteen days between 13th and 27th February they were, like
the rest of the brigade, constantly fighting. On the 22nd, when we
were knocking our heads against the strong defences east of Grobelar's,
"the East Surrey were ordered forward to reinforce the 60th Rifles; and they
helped them with such spirit to maintain the passive strife—the business,
you might say, of using the flesh of men to resist the bullets of the
enemy—that they were praised afterwards by the general and thanked by the
60th Rifles". That day Lieutenant Colonel Harris "received ten
separate wounds". Corporal A E Curtis for his efforts to assist the
colonel gained the VC, and Private Moreton for helping Curtis got the
distinguished conduct medal.
On the 23rd the battalion had a bad time, losing very heavily.
In the final assault on 27th February the East Surrey worked along with
and to the right of the 1st Rifle Brigade, these regiments being the first
line of attack on what was perhaps the most strongly fortified part of the
position. The work was handsomely done.
During the fourteen days the battalion's losses were approximately 1
officer and 27 men killed, 6 officers and 86 men wounded.
Colonel Harris, 7 other officers, and 15 men were mentioned in despatches
for work in the relief operations, 3 of the men getting the distinguished
conduct medal.
At Alleman's Nek on 11th June the East Surreys formed with the Queen's
the first line in the attack on the left hill. There again all went
well.
The battalion's losses were approximately 3 men killed, 1 officer and 6
men wounded. Three officers were mentioned in General Buller's
despatch as to the turning of Laing's Nek, and 6 officers and 4
non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in that general's final
despatch of 9th November 1900.
The brigade moved along the Natal-Pretoria Railway, and was afterwards
largely occupied in garrison and column work along the line.
In Lord Roberts' final despatches 12 officers and 15 non-commissioned
officers and men were mentioned.
In 1901 part of the battalion was in Colonel Colville's column and part in
Colonel Eimington's, and they did a lot of hard marching in the south of the
Transvaal and the north of the Orange River Colony.
One officer and 3 men gained mention in Lord Kitchener's despatches during
the war, and in his final despatch 3 officers and 3 non-commissioned
officers were named.
