Officers of Marshall's Horse, some time between Oct and Dec 1899.
(back row of
three) Lieut D G Tennant. Capt H B Capstick, Lieut F A Woodcock;
(middle row, left) Lieut B L E Jay, Lieut J D Forbes; (middle row,
right) Lieut S H Godwin, Lieut F H Nek, Capt H Gethin; (front row of
6) Lieut G H Hull. Capt E G Booth,
Hon Major H T Tamplin,
Capt G Marshall (Officer Commanding), Capt & Adjt F A Saunders, Capt J R MacAndrew.
Marshall's Horse was mainly composed of the mounted portions of the two
corps first mentioned. In the despatches and in unofficial accounts
the corps are mixed up, and sometimes are called Grahamstown Volunteers,
sometimes Marshall's Horse.
In October 1899 the City Volunteers, strength 244, were the garrison of
Grahamstown, and after doing useful work there and on the railway, they were
taken to the scene of more active operations. Their numbers were
shortly increased to 500. In pursuance of his declared policy to make
use of the volunteers of the Colony at the front, Lord Roberts had a
proportion of these corps mounted, and they were to do much most excellent
work throughout the campaign. These mounted squadrons formed part of
his army which, in February and March 1900, advanced from Modder River to
Bloemfontein, and on the way they saw a great deal of fighting. In the
despatch of 15th March 1900 Lord Roberts said that during the advance on
Bloemfontein—that is, after the surrender of Cronje at Paardeberg—he had
reorganised the mounted infantry, and the 1st City of Grahamstown Volunteers
were said to have been put into the 4th Brigade of Mounted Infantry,
commanded by Colonel C P Ridley. On 7th March the battle of Poplar's
Grove was fought. The cavalry and mounted infantry did most of the
work on that occasion, and suffered practically all the casualties; these
included Lieutenant Frieslich of this corps, killed. The strength of
the corps when it arrived at Bloemfontein was 12 officers, 245 men, and 231
horses.
Prior to Lord Roberts commencing his advance on Pretoria it was necessary
to clear the enemy from their stronghold at Thabanchu, and a powerful force
was put under General Ian Hamilton for the purpose of carrying out this
object. It included Colonel Ridley's Brigade of Mounted Infantry,
which again embraced the 5th Corps of Mounted Infantry, under Colonel
Dawson, made up of the 5th Battalion Regular Mounted Infantry, Roberts'
Horse, Marshall's Horse, the Ceylon Mounted Infantry, and a pom-pom.
An excellent account of the work of Ian Hamilton's army is furnished by Mr
Winston Churchill in his 'Ian Hamilton's March'.
On 25th April the enemy had to be cleared out of a very strong position
at Israel's Poort. The frontal attack was entrusted to the Canadian
Regiment of Infantry and Marshall's Horse, who had to lie for over four
hours at about 800 yards from the enemy while the remainder of the mounted
infantry were working round on the left. After heavy fighting the
position was carried. In his telegram of the 27th April Lord Roberts
said that among the casualties were no less than 7 officers of the
Grahamstown Volunteers.
Captain Gethin was killed, and Major Marshall,
Lieutenants Murray, Winnery, Rawal, Barry, Hull, and 4 non-commissioned
officers and men were wounded. In his telegraphic despatch of 27th
April Lord Roberts said that the Royal Canadian Regiment and Marshall's
Horse did particularly well.
All through May, during the advance to Pretoria, Ian Hamilton's force,
which was first the army of the
right flank and afterwards crossed the centre and became the army of the
left flank, was constantly and most obstinately opposed, but every one, from
the General downwards, did unsurpassably well. For the army of the
centre it was practically a walk-over, the fighting being almost wholly on
the flanks. Marshall's Horse frequently took a prominent share of the
work. On 5th June at Schippen's Farm, for example, they had 1 killed
and 5 wounded. They were engaged at Doornkop, south-west of
Johannesburg, on 29th May, and in the battle of Diamond Hill, east of
Pretoria, on 11th, 12th, and 13th June, and had slight casualties in both
actions.
After Diamond Hill a large force was put under Sir A Hunter to clear the
north-east of the Orange River Colony (see also Roberts' Horse).
Ridley's Mounted Infantry was part of the force, and Marshall's Horse were
engaged at Heidelberg on 23rd June and were left there as part of the
garrison. In his telegram of 22nd July Lord Roberts mentioned that a
post on the railway east of Heidelberg had been attacked, and that General
Hart had started from Heidelberg to succour the defenders. Part of
Hart's force was 140 of Marshall's Horse. The attack was driven off
before Hart arrived.
When De Wet broke out of the Brandwater Basin on 15th-16th July,
Broadwood's Cavalry and Ridley's Mounted Infantry dashed off in pursuit, and
Marshall's Horse and other troops under Hart were brought down the railway
to co-operate. About Rhenoster Marshall's Horse had sharp fighting and
some casualties.
For a time De Wet skulked in the Reitzburg Hills, but on the night of 6th
August broke out across the Vaal. Ridley's force took part in the
pursuit, and Marshall's Horse was at times engaged with De Wet's rear-guard.
De Wet escaped through Olifant's Nek to the north of the Megaliesberg about
15th August. At the request of Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener with the
bulk of Ridley's Mounted Infantry and other troops pressed on to the relief
of Hore at Eland's River (see Rhodesian Regiment). In the latter part
of August and during September Marshall's Horse was employed about
Krugersdorp and in the Gatsrand, and frequently had fighting and rather
heavy casualties. In October, November, and December they were with
Barton in the Frederickstad district, and on 18th October a foraging party
got into a nasty place when Marshall's Horse lost 2 killed and 4 wounded.
The corps took part in the very severe fighting which Barton's force had
between 20th and 25th October, which resulted in the total defeat of the
force opposed to him. Marshall's Horse had Lieutenant Mullins and 2
men wounded.
When at the end of 1900 and beginning of 1901 the enemy reinvaded Cape
Colony, the greater part of Marshall's Horse, like most of the Cape raised
corps, were brought south to protect their own colony and for long did good
service in the columns of Colonel Crabbe and other leaders. They were
constantly in action and often had casualties.
Lieutenant Cliff Turpin
was killed and 6 men were wounded on 24th March 1901 in the Zuurberg
Mountains when on patrol duty. In July and August they assisted to
drive Kritzinger from the Colony. On 9th September Colonel Crabbe
completely defeated the commando of Vandermerwe, that leader being killed
and 37 of his men captured. Marshall's Horse, under Major Corbett, and
Prince Alfred's Guards did a great part of the fighting, and did it well.
Marshall's Horse had 3 men killed and Lieutenant Tyler and 1 man wounded.
Part of the corps remained throughout most of 1901 in the Transvaal;
about 30 were in the column of Brigadier General Cunningham, afterwards of
Brigadier General Dixon, which operated about the Gatsrand and Megaliesberg
(see war record of 1st Battalion Derbyshire Regiment). This detachment
had 1 man killed and 1 man wounded at Modderfontein on 31st January, and 1
man killed and 1 wounded at Randfontein on 8th February, and had other
casualties. A portion of the corps were also in the Kroonstad district
in April, May, and June 1901.
In 1902 the corps was in the west of Cape Colony, where fighting was
continuous and the marching very severe. On 24th March at Rhenoster
Valley a detachment of Marshall's Horse was badly cut up, losing 7 men
killed and 1 officer, Lieutenant A P L Gabbatt, and 7 men wounded.
The Mentions gained by the corps, which were unaccountably few
considering the acknowledged value of their work, were as follows:—
LORD ROBERTS' DESPATCH: April 1901.—Major G Marshall, awarded CMG.
LORD KITCHENER'S DESPATCH: 1st June 1902.—Trooper A Lloyd,
promoted Corporal, in Cradock district, Cape Colony, March 24th, when
advanced scout with one other man who was dangerously wounded, picked him up
and carried him into cover, though himself wounded in the side and twice
again wounded whilst carrying him in.
