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1st Battalion |
Bridge building |
1st Battalion
officers |
The 1st Battalion sailed on the Oriental on 22nd
October 1899, and arrived at the Cape about 13th November. They were
sent on to Durban, and along with the 2nd Royal Fusiliers, 2nd Royal Scots
Fusiliers, and 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers, formed the 6th Brigade under Major
General Barton. The work of the brigade is sketched under the
Royal Fusiliers, and that of the Natal
Army generally under the 2nd Queen's.
At Colenso the losses of the battalion were
trifling.
When General Buller made his second attempt against the Colenso position
the battalion went out with Lord Dundonald to Hussar Hill on 12th February,
and again on the 14th when the hill was finally occupied. All through
the fourteen days' fighting the battalion took its share. On the 24th
the Royal Fusiliers and Royal Welsh Fusiliers were holding some kopjes near
Langerwachte under very heavy shell-fire and rifle-fire. On that day
the Welsh Fusiliers lost Colonel Thorold, another officer, and 6 men killed,
and 2 officers and 29 men wounded. The battalion was not with General
Barton in the assault on Pieter's Hill at the eastern end of the position.
In the fourteen days the battalion's losses were approximately 2 officers
and 8 men killed, 2 officers and 60 men wounded.
Six officers were mentioned in General Buller's despatch of 30th March
1900, and 1 non-commissioned officer was recommended for the distinguished
conduct medal.
In April 1900 the brigade was brought round to Cape Colony and
concentrated at Kimberley. On 5th May the battle of Rooidam was
fought, this battalion and the Royal Fusiliers being in the first line.
The subsequent history of the Welsh Fusiliers is very similar to that of the
2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers, and reference
is made to the notes under that battalion.
For their work in the very arduous pursuit of De Wet, in August 1900, the
Welsh Fusiliers as well as the Scots Fusiliers were highly praised by Lord
Methuen.
At Frederickstad between 15th and 25th October 1900 General Barton had a
lot of very severe fighting, in which the battalion again gained great
praise from the general and Commander-in-Chief. In these actions the
battalion had about 15 men killed and 3 officers and 30 men wounded.
Twelve officers and 19 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned
in Lord Roberts' final despatch.
During 1901 the battalion remained in the Western Transvaal and took part
in the very successful operations of General Babington. In his
despatch of 8th May 1901, para 13, Lord Kitchener refers to an attack which
was made on 22nd April by 700 Boers under the personal command of General
Delarey upon a convoy passing between General Babington's camp and
Klerksdorp; "the escort, however, being well handled, repelled the attack,
inflicting a loss upon the enemy of 12 killed and 6 wounded". The
escort was mainly from this battalion, and Colonel Sir R Colleton and two
other officers were commended in despatches for their excellent work.
One month before, General Babington had captured a Boer convoy and several
guns, and on that occasion Sergeant Darragh gained the distinguished conduct
medal for, "on his own initiative, keeping a very superior force of the
enemy at bay in a most gallant manner".
On 23rd May 1901 another convoy going to Ventersdorp was very heavily
attacked, but the enemy was driven off. A detachment of the battalion
again formed part of the escort, and lost 1 man killed and 1 officer and 11
men wounded. On this occasion the wounded officer, Captain Hay, and 5
non-cominissioned officers and men gained mention for exceptional gallantry.
Towards the close of 1901 the battalion occupied the northern portion of
the line of blockhouses running from Potchefstroom to the Kroonstad
district.
That the Royal Welsh Fusiliers added to their reputation in South Africa
is beyond doubt, and the fact that they gained sixteen mentions during the
later stages of the war, after Lord Roberts left South Africa, proves they
did not grow stale. In Lord Kitchener's final or supplementary
despatch the names of 4 officers and 3 non-commissioned officers were added.
