The following account of the 3rd Battalion is taken
from the KRRC Chronicle.
29th November, 1899.—Joined Light Brigade under General Lyttelton at Mooi
River.
8th December.—Arrived Frere.
13th December.—Arrived Chieveley.
15th December.—Sir R. Buller's first attack on Colenso. The Battalion, under
Major Bewicke-Copley, was ordered to support the main attack, and find the
outposts for the night. When the retirement was ordered, the Battalion was
deployed 700 yards behind Colonel Long's guns to prevent any attempt of the
Boers to capture them, but the position was considered too far forward for
the outpost line; the Battalion therefore found the outposts further back.
6th January, 1900.—Heard the firing going on at Ladysmith.
10th January.—Marched from Frere. 12th January.—Reached Mount Alice. 17th
January.—Crossed Potgieters Drift and took up a position on the kopjes
between the 1st R. B. and 2nd Scottish Rifles.
20th January.—After an officers' reconnaissance to examine the Boer position
on Brakfontein, the Battalion was ordered to make a demonstration towards
the Boer position at 10.30 a.m.—half Battalion under Lieut-Col.
Buchanan-Riddell to Krantz Farm, and half Battalion under Major Bewicke-Copley
against the main Boer trench across the Ladysmith road. The Boers showed in
force, and we were ordered to retire, the reconnaissance having effected its
purpose. We had 3 killed and 13 wounded. The Boers owned to 21 casualties.
22nd January - Recrossed the Tugela at Midnight to Mount Alice.
24th January - Sir Charles Warren's troops at Thabayama being hard pressed,
the Battalion was ordered at 10 a.m. to make a diversion on their flank. The
Boers were occupying two peaks on the north of Thabayama and the right half
Battalion was directed on the right of these under Lieut-Colonel
Buchanan-Riddell, and the left half under Major Bewicke-Copley, was directed
on the centre peak known as Spion Kop, behind which the Boers had a pom-pom.
The river Tugela was forded at midday, and the open space between it and the
hills crossed under a heavy fire from the front and both flanks. The climb
then began; the leading companies shinned their way up the face of the
rocks, covered by the fire of the supporting companies, who kept shooting
over their heads during each successive advance, till finally both peaks
were captured at the point of the sword soon after 4 p.m. From the top it
appeared as if the enemy were in flight, the commando under Schalk Burger
and the scouts under Commandant Edwards, who were defending the peaks,
having left in a hurry, together with two guns and one pom-pom. The pressure
was taken off the right of Sir C. Warren's troops, but they sent over to say
that they were retiring; and as we had already received two orders from
General Lyttelton to retire, we recrossed the Tugela at midnight. Our
casualties were Lieut.-Colonel Buchanan-Riddell, Lieut. Grant, and 2nd
Lieut. French Brewster killed; Majors Kays and Thistlethwayte, Captains
Briscoe and Beaumont wounded; 24 N.C. Officers and Riflemen killed, 69
wounded. Commandant Edwards was wounded just below the middle peak.
25th January.—General Lyttelton addressed the Battalion, and said that in
all his thirty years' experience as a Rifleman he had never seen a better
piece of skirmishing or a finer attack.
28th January.—Sir R. Buller addressed the Battalion on parade, and told the
men he had never seen or read of a nobler deed than theirs on the 24th, in
their attempt to relieve the pressure on their hardly oppressed comrades.
5th February - The Light Brigade crossed the new pontoon bridge over the
Tugela and took Vaal Kraantz; the Battalion then held the left flank with
four companies under Major Kays, four Companies being in support under Major
Bewicke-Copley. The Durham Light Infantry was on our right, then the
Scottish Rifles. The R.B. held the right flank.
6th February.—At 3 p.m. the Boers made a feint on the right and a determined
attack on the left of the positions. The supports came up cheering with
fixed swords, and the Boers could not face it, and retired at 4.30 p.m.
Casualties: 1 Officer and 20 N.C. Officers and Riflemen wounded.
11th February.—Camped on the Blaaukrantz stream, about one and a half miles
east of Chieveley.
14th February.—3rd Battalion K.R.R., advance guard of Light Brigade, started
at daylight and occupied the ridge on the east of Hussar Hill with only 4
casualties, including Lieut. Petre wounded.
15th February.—Reconnaissance towards Cingold. 3rd Battalion K.R.R. advance
guard.
17th February.—General Hildyard's Brigade took Cingold, making a flanking
movement round the right of the Light Brigade, of which we were advance
guard.
18th February.—General Hildyard's Brigade took Monte Christo, and we took
the Boer camp between it and Hlangwani, the R.B. leading, the K.R.R. in
support.
19th, 20th, and 21st February.—Gradually working our way forward to the
Tugela through the scrub.
22nd February.—Crossed the Tugela by the pontoon bridge under Hlangwani, and
covered the left flank of General Wynne's Brigade in their advance north.
The whole battalion was on outpost duty on a front of two miles. Our
picquets were attacked at several points. On the right, A, E, F, and H
Companies with fixed swords drove the Ermelo commando out of two sangars,
respectively, 100 and 150 yards in front of our line of outposts, and firing
continued all night at about 70 yards range. Captain the Hon. R Cathcart was
killed and Lieuts Blundell and Maclachlan wounded.
23rd February. A determined attack by the Bethel, Swaziland, Zoutpansburg
Commandos, under Christian Botha, but were beaten off. Our doctor, Captain
Campbell, went out to try to get to the men who had been wounded, when we
charged the Ermelo men in order to take up our outpost line on the night of
the 22nd, but he was wounded immediately.
24th February.—The firing all day was too hot for any men to show
themselves, and we had to send out food and water to the picquets under
cover of darkness each night.
25th February.—During a cessation of hostilities for burying the dead, I
noticed the Boer leaders on our left flank giving directions for some
movement. We accordingly took the ranges, and when they attacked during the
night the maxim did good execution.
26th February.—Very heavy firing on our picquets all day and night.
27th February.—Majuba Day. The Colenso position was forced under cover of
the fire of all our guns, by a movement outflanking the Piet Retief
Commando, which was on the Boer left, and we all swept forward occupying the
trenches so long held by the Boers. F. Potgieter, who had commanded the
Middelburghers with such gallantry, repeatedly bringing them back to the
trench on Railway Hill under a terrific artillery fire, was found amongst
the killed. He was a splendid fellow, about 6ft. 5in. in height.
Total casualties, 24th to 28th February :—17 killed and 54 wounded.
1st March.—3rd Battalion K. R. R advanced guard in the march to Nelthorpe.
3rd March.—Marched through Ladysmith and camped under Surprise Hill.
4th March.—Found some interesting correspondence in Joubert's Laager under
Bell's Kopje.
7th March - Marched to Modder Spruit in support of the cavalry, who were
under fire all day.
9th March - Marched to Sunday River and camped under Elandslaagte battle
field.
10th April - Boers opened fire with five guns from the hills north of our
camp, and three from the west. Most of the shells buried themselves in the
ground. The camp was moved back to Krigman's Farm during the night. 11th
April.—Boers still shelling our outposts. 17th April.—Moved to the west to
protect Dundonald's camp.
7th May.—Marched to Vlak Platz.
9th May.—Started to turn the Biggarsburg, via Helpmakaar.
12th May,—Reached the Ibusi Spruit, the Boers harassing our left flank en
route.
13th May.—Boers fired a few rounds from two big guns from the heights above
Van Tonder's farm.
14th May.—Commandant Ferreira was out-manoeuvred and the passage of the
Biggarsburg forced by the Helpmakaar Pass.
16th May.—The force under Major Bewicke-Copley, consisting of 3rd Battalion
K. R. R., two squadrons of cavalry under Major Fanshawe, and one battery of
artillery under Major Fox, reached Dundee at daybreak, after a hard march
all night. Sir Redvers congratulated the men on their good march.
18th May.—Reached Newcastle.
19th May.—Camped at Ingogo, on the ground we occupied in the Ingogo fight in
1881.
28th May.—Marched to Inkwelo. The Boer 94-pounder was firing on us with
shrapnel at a range of 11,000 yards; very few men were hit.
29th May to 2nd June.—Artillery duel until the armistice on June 2nd, when
the 3rd Battalion K. R. R. put into order the cemetery we had made in 1881
(in which Colley's grave is), at Mount Prospect.
5th June - Armistice ended. The Boers refusing Sir R. Buller's terms.
6th June. Bombardment of Majuba. Laing's Nek reopened.
12th June.—Crossed Laing's Nek.
19th June.—Marched through Volksrust to Joubert's Farm.
20th June.—Marched to Zandspruit. 21st June.—Marched to Paardekop. 22nd
June.—Marched to Katbosch. 23rd June.—Marched to Standerton. The 3rd
Battalion K.R.R. took over the town from Gough's M.I. were first in.
30th June.—Marched to Vlakplatz. 1st July.—Marched to Wachout Spruit. 2nd
July.—Marched to Greylingstad. 5th July.—A force under Lieutenant-Colonel
Bewicke-Copley, consisting of half Battalion K.R.R., 50 Strathcona's Horse,
and 50 of Thorneycroft's M.I. took over Zuikerbosch Bridge.
11th July.—Returned to Greylingstad.
12th July.—Circular tour, under General Clery, on the north of the Natal
Railway, moving every day until the 24th July.
28th July.—Marched to Heidelberg.
29th July to 11th October.—Fortifying Heidelberg and making posts on the
railway from Zuikerbosch to Roodekop,
to
protect the line and the Nigel Mines.
12th October.—Marched to join General Clery at Vlakfontein.
13th October.—Marched to Eden's Kop.
19th October.—Marched to Mc Hatties Nek.
20th October.—Marched to Greylingstad.
26th October.—Marched to Grootspruit.
27th October.—Marched to Smith's Store.
2nd November - Lieut, Colonel Bewicke-Copley took over command of the mobile
column from General Clery, which included the 3rd Battalion K.R.R.
6th to 10th November.—Swept the country north of the railway, bringing in
everything. Boers tried to work round our flank, but came under fire of the
five-inch gun and could not be induced to face the guns again. Reached
Standerton.
12th November.—Started south for the Vaal, and swept everything in between
the Klip and Vaal Rivers, and twelve miles into the Orange River Colony over
De Langers Drift, with only five casualties.
19th November.—Marched back into Standerton. 21st November.—Swept country as
far as the Rooikopjes, south of Greylingstad, sending in everything. On the
24th and 25th the mobile column had two sharp fights, endeavouring to
surround Stephanus Buys. The Boers owned to seven killed and twenty-seven
wounded. 26th November.—Marched to Eden's Kop. 28th November.—Returned to
Heidelberg. Up to the end of the year the 3rd Battalion K.R.R. was engaged
in minor operations from Heidelberg and guarding the line.
1901.—The Battalion was employed in building and occupying blockhouses on
the Natal line from Botha's Kraal to Roode Kop, and in minor operations
until July, when it joined Lieut.-Colonel Bewicke-Copley's column at
Springs, which was acting in conjunction with other columns in clearing the
country east of Springs. Lieut.-Colonel Bewicke-Copley handed over command
of the column on 30th October, and the Battalion returned to Springs on 4th
November. The Battalion was under command of Major Henniker till 24th
September, when it was taken over by Major Thistlethwayte.
