The 1st Battalion was stationed at Glencoe, in the north of Natal, when
the war broke out. It thus formed part of the brigade of General Penn
Symons, the other battalions being the 1st King's Royal Rifles, 1st Royal
Irish Fusiliers, and 2nd Dublin Fusiliers. There were also at Glencoe
the 18th Hussars and the 13th, 67th, and 69th Batteries RFA.
Actual fighting commenced at 3.20 am on the morning of 20th October, when
a Mounted Infantry picquet of the Dublin Fusiliers was fired on and driven
in. At 5.50 am the enemy occupied Talana Hill with artillery, and
commenced shelling the camp. The troops were soon set in motion.
To the Leicesters and 67th Battery was assigned the duty of guarding the
camp with its great quantities of stores. The general decided to
attack with his other infantry and artillery. These moved away and
were soon in extended order advancing to a wood, which the commander had
decided to use as a breathing place. The wood was gained between 7 and
8 am, the 13th and 69th Batteries meanwhile keeping up a heavy and accurate
fire on the enemy's positions. About 8.50 the infantry again advanced,
and as they left the wood had to face a terrible rifle-fire both from their
front and flank. Sir W Penn-Symons, who had been exposing himself with
rash bravery, fell mortally wounded about 9.30; Brigadier General Yule, now
in command, directed the infantry to move to a wall stretching some distance
along the hillside, from which wall a very heavy fire was being kept up by
the Boers. The two batteries redoubled their efforts. The 1st
King's Royal Rifles on the right first reached the wall, followed by some
companies of the Irish Fusiliers; the Dublin Fusiliers also made their way
up a little later. After another breathing space under cover of the
wall the troops jumped the wall and scrambled up the steep face. At 1
pm the crest was gained and the enemy fled. Then followed the first
blackguardly use of the white flag. Within easy range of our artillery
were to be seen "clumps of 50 and 100 men on which guns could have inflicted
great loss. The enemy, however, displayed a white flag, although they
do not appear to have had any intention of surrendering, and in consequence
the officer commanding Royal Artillery refrained from firing". One can
scarcely acquit this officer from being very easily taken in, as the enemy's
continued movement contradicted any idea of surrender.
The infantry had done magnificently; the same cannot be said of the
Hussars, or at least those under Colonel Moller, who managed to get lost
among the enemy, and was taken prisoner with 200 men. The artillery
did well, but it seems beyond doubt that they fired at the hill-top after it
was occupied by our people, causing some loss, particularly to the King's
Royal Rifles. The range was short, and artillery officers with proper
glasses should have seen when the British troops were up. The
Leicesters lost 1 officer killed, 1 wounded, and 1 man wounded.
On the 21st General Yule moved his camp to a better position. On
the 22nd he resolved to retreat on Ladysmith. At nine at night in
silence, without bands or pipers, the force set out by the east or
Helpmakaar road, the dying general, the other wounded, and the doctors being
left. A great mass of stores had also to be left to the enemy, as its
destruction would have made him suspect the intended retreat; while, on the
other hand, a twelve hours' start was absolutely necessary. To have
fought their way to Ladysmith would have been an impossible task for Yule's
column in that hilly country. As it was, the Boers showed that
inexplicable want of energy which seemed at times in the campaign to
paralyse them. Probably the good things left in Dundee had something
to do with the lack of activity. Fortunate it was that General Yule
was not interfered with by the enemy, but the elements were not favourable.
The rain at times fell in torrents; roads knee-deep in mud and swollen
spruits made marching very heavy work, while but little sleep was obtainable
between the 21st and 26th.
On the 30th, in the battle of Ladysmith (see
1st Liverpool Regiment), the Leicesters were with Colonel Grimwood on
the right and had a very trying day. They had about 24 casualties.
After the siege began the Leicesters occupied posts on the north side,
and they were not much pressed in the great attack on 6th January.
For their work during the siege 2 officers and 3 men were mentioned in
Sir George White's despatch of 23rd March 1900.
When, Ladysmith having been relieved and its garrison recuperated, Sir
Redvers Buller moved north, the Leicesters were brigaded with the 1st
Liverpool, 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and 1st King's Royal Rifles.
They were present at Bergendal and many other actions, but had a remarkable
immunity from mishaps and heavy casualty lists. In his despatch of
10th October 1900 Lord Roberts mentions that in the operations about
Badfontein on the way to Lydenburg the Leicesters and 1st King's Royal
Rifles pulled a field battery up a steep hill, which did much to assist in
compelling the enemy to bolt.
Seven officers and 9 non-commissioned officers and men of the battalion
were mentioned in General Buller's despatch of 9th November 1900, and 11
officers and 12 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned by Lord
Roberts in his final despatch.
After marching to Lydenburg with General Buller, and taking part in his
other operations north of the Delagoa line, the Leicesters remained in the
Eastern Transvaal, sometimes trekking, as in General French's operations,
sometimes doing garrison duty. That their work was consistently good
is proved by the fact that they got rather more than an average number of
mentions in Lord Kitchener's despatches during the war.
For a long time prior to the close of the war they occupied blockhouses
on the Standerton-Ermelo road.
In the final despatch 4 officers and 6 non-commissioned officers were
mentioned.
