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This corps was raised at
Durban in October 1899 by Major E C Bethune, 16th Lancers, an officer who was to
do well throughout the whole war, like several others who undertook the raising
and command of irregular corps before the value of these was fully appreciated
at home. The regiment was present at General Hildyard's action at Willow Grange
on the night of 22nd November 1899, and did good service (see the General's
report, dated 24th November). At Colenso, 15th December 1899, the regiment, 500
strong, was present (see General Buller's despatch of 17th December and list of
troops appended), but was detailed as portion of the baggage-guard.
When General Buller
commenced the movement by which he attempted to turn the right of the Boer
positions between himself and Ladysmith, Bethune's Mounted Infantry was split
up, a squadron being left under General Barton at Frere and Chieveley, in which
district they were constantly employed on reconnaissance duties, and had some
sharp casualties. The remainder of the corps accompanied their commander to
Potgieter's Drift, where they were attached to General Lyttelton's Brigade, and
had skirmishing on various occasions. On the 24th January, when the awful
combat was going on upon the summit of Spion Kop, General Lyttelton sent the 2nd
Scottish Rifles, the 3rd King's Royal Rifles, and Colonel Bethune, with two of
his squadrons, to assist. The 3rd King's Royal Rifles seized the Twin Peaks,
north-east of the Spion; the Scottish Rifles ascended the latter mountain and
were put into the firing-line on the summit, where they did very fine work, but
although Colonel Bethune offered to lead his men on to the plateau1,
they were kept in reserve by General Talbot Coke, probably because the role
of lining the trenches was rather that of the infantry present.
During the Vaal Krantz
operations the corps continued to do patrol work, chiefly on General Buller's
right and rear. On 11th February Colonel Bethune was ordered to take his men to
Greytown2, in order to watch the Boers near the Zululand border, and
also with the view of ultimately co-operating from Greytown in any movement
towards Dundee. The regiment thus missed the fierce fighting which took place
near Colenso between 13th and 27th February.
In his despatch of 30th
March, General Buller, in mentioning Colonel Bethune, said: "He proved himself
to be an excellent commander of irregular horse. He has acted with great skill
and judgment when in command of a detached force".
It will be remembered that
the Natal Army lay chiefly to the north of Ladysmith during March and April. On
7th May General Buller commenced his movement to turn the Boer position on the
Biggarsberg. In his despatch of 24th May 1900, para. 10, General Buller said:
"While we were at Ladysmith a force under Colonel Bethune had been holding
Greytown and the line of the Tugela, that force being five squadrons Bethune's
Mounted Infantry, one squadron Umvoti Mounted Rifles, two 12-pounders, RGA, two
7-pounders, Natal Field Artillery, two Hotchkiss, Natal Field Artillery, six
companies Imperial Light Infantry. This force I had directed to advance
concurrently with our advance on Vermaak's Kraal, and we established connection
with it at eleven o'clock (on the 13th). Colonel Bethune's arrangements had
been very good. He had seized during the night, with his left, the hills which
commanded the southern sides of the pass up which we had to approach. At 11.20
we advanced up the pass". The enemy made a poor defence and fled, pursued by
the Colonial mounted troops. Natal was, almost without loss, cleared of the
enemy, and Laing's Nek was turned by the battle of Alleman's Nek on 11th June.
Lieutenant J M Dalrymple
was severely wounded in a skirmish on 10th May near Helpmakaar.
Before Laing's Nek was
turned Bethune's Mounted Infantry were to suffer a grievous mishap. In his
telegram of 21st May 1900 General Buller said that he had detached Colonel
Bethune with about 500 men from Dundee on the 19th, to march to N'qutu, and to
rejoin at Newcastle. On the 20th one squadron was ambushed about six miles
south of Vryheid, very few escaping. Captain Goff, 3rd Dragoon Guards,
Lieutenants Lanham and M'Lachlan, and about 26 non-commissioned officers and
men, were killed. Captain Lord de la Warr, Lieutenant De Lasalle,
Sergeant-Major Hadler, and about 30 non-commissioned officers and men, were
wounded.
Bethune's Mounted Infantry
was, during the remainder of 1900, mainly employed on patrol work in the south
of the Transvaal and in the Utrecht district, with the view of protecting our
posts and the railway line, and frequently they had some skirmishing and much
very dangerous work. When Vryheid was occupied by General Hildyard on 19th
September the strong position of the enemy was turned by the skilful work of
Gough's and Bethune's Mounted Infantry3.
In his final despatch of
9th November 1900, General Buller complimented the troops left to protect his
rear: "In the area commanded by General Hildyard the mounted work of guarding
the communications was performed by Bethune's Mounted Infantry and the composite
regiment of Mounted Infantry" and he made numerous mentions. bOf Colonel Bethune
he said "Raised this regiment and commanded it most efficiently throughout the
campaign. I strongly recommend him to your favourable consideration".
About the end of November
1900 Colonel Bethune left the regiment, having been given a command in the
Clanwilliam district of Cape Colony, from which, in a few weeks, he was promoted
to the command of a cavalry brigade — a compliment to the high order of the work
done in the first stage of the war by himself and his corps.
The corps was, in December
1900, taken to the Lindley district of the Orange River Colony4, and
Lieutenant-Colonel S C H Monro was appointed to succeed Colonel Bethune.
Captain L M Boddam and 5 men were wounded on 31st December near Lindley. The
regiment was frequently engaged in that district, and in other parts of the
Orange River Colony. Captain G 0 Webster was killed in a railway accident at
Bethulie on 1st February, and on the 6th 1 man was killed and several wounded.
In Lord Kitchener's despatch of 8th May 1901, para. 5, it is mentioned that on
9th April at Dewetsdorp, in the south-east of the Orange River Colony,
Lieutenant Colonel Monro, with a detachment of 150 mounted men and a pom-pom,
after two hours' fighting cleverly effected the capture of a Boer convoy and 83
prisoners, including Commandant Bresler and Lieutenant Lindique of the Staats
Artillery. Colonel Monro's casualties were 1 man killed and 4 wounded. Private
G E Duffey was killed; Sergeant Major Goulding and Private Rosevean died of
wounds.
Colonel Monro's column,
consisting of Bethune's Mounted Infantry, about 275 strong, and the 56th, 57th,
58th, and 59th Companies Imperial Yeomanry, with 2 guns of the 39th Battery
Royal Field Artillery, was, on 19th May 1901, taken to Cape Colony (see despatch
of 8th July), where, down to the close of the war, they were everlastingly
pursuing commandos under Kritzinger, Myburg, and other leaders. On 12th
September the force was heavily engaged with Commandant Smuts at Stavelberg, in
the eastern part of Cape Colony, and lost 7 killed and 6 wounded, the latter
including Lieutenant Pollard. On 27th March 1902 Captain Collopy and 4 men were
wounded at Mointje's Nek, and a few days later there were further casualties at
Maraisburg, Cape Colony.
Like the other troops in
Cape Colony, Bethune's Mounted Infantry had few opportunities of gaining
distinction in the latter phases of the war, but the work of Colonel Monro's
column was very often referred to in terms of approval by Lord Kitchener.
The Mentions gained by the
corps are as follows:
Sir R Buller's despatches:
30th March 1900. Major (local Lieutenant Colonel)
E C Bethune, 16th
Lancers; Captains W E D Goff (3rd Dragoon Guards), W C C Erskine; Lieutenants C
J Collopy, L Lanham; Corporals F Howroyd, H Schott; Privates P Kilcullen, A E
Partridge, E G Brown, H Edwards, A M'Neilage.
9th November 1900.
Lieutenant Colonel Bethune (raised and commanded regiment most efficiently);
Captains C J Collopy, A E Capell, Lieutenants Norman Packer and M. Prior have
distinguished themselves on more than one occasion; Captains F M Ford, J H A
Annesley (3rd Dragoon Guards), Lieutenants A A Slatter and G Webster performed
continuous good work throughout, as also have Regimental Sergeant Major G W
Mortiboy (18th Hussars); Squadron Sergeant Majors J H Macbeth,
H E Saunders; Sergeants A G Nichol, A H Ball, H Shackle, F Howroyd; Privates A S
Beeves, A S Partridge, P Kilcullen; Lance Corporal
Farquhar.
Lord Roberts' despatches:
2nd April 1901. Captains A E Capell,
Collopy, W C C Erskine, F C M. Ford; Lieutenants Lanham and
Prior; Sergeant F Howroyd; Corporal H Schott; Lance Corporal
Glassborough; Trooper Alien; Private A S Partridge; Squadron
Sergeant Major Murrow.
4th September 1901.
Captain G Osborne.
Lord Kitchener's
despatches: 8th April 1902. Lieutenant H H Shott.
23rd June
1902. Lieutenants W A Pollard, D Crawford, R N B Needham;
Regimental Sergeant Major Mortiboy (18th Hussars); Trumpet Major D E
Densham; Corporal F S Stallard. Colonel Bethune was awarded the CB.
1
Lieutenant Blake Knox's 'Buller's Campaign' p. 82; also the Spion Kop
Despatches.
2
Lieutenant Blake Knox's 'Buller's Campaign', p. 133.
3 Lord
Roberts' despatch of 21st September 1900.
4
Despatch of 8th March 1901.
