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At the onset of the Boer War the NFA was
commanded by Captain Daniel
Taylor with a unit strength 123 men and 6 x 2.5 guns, based at Ladysmith.
On the 21st
General French and Sir George White fought the battle of Elandslaagte. In
his despatch of 2 November 1899, para. 14, Sir George mentioned that before
that battle the Natal Field Battery moved out with General French at 4 am;
some of the Natal M.R. and Carbineers were also with him. When the enemy
were found near the station the battery opened fire, but the position was
strong, and the little guns were outranged; reinforcements had therefore to
be got.
In describing
the battle of Lombard's Kop, 30th October 1899, Sir George said
that 200 Natal Mounted Volunteers were sent out on the evening of the 29th
to hold Lombard's Kop and Bulwana Mountain; and the remainder of the Mounted
Volunteers, with the 5th Lancers and 19th Hussars,
moved out with 'General French at 3 am on the 30th to endeavour
to cover the right flank in the main action. The Natal Field Battery formed
part of Grimwood's force on the right of the infantry line. It will be
remembered that General French could not get much beyond the Pass between
Lombard's Kop and Bulwana; while Grimwood's Brigade was heavily pressed on
its right, and the whole force had ultimately to retire on Ladysmith.
In the
despatch of 23rd March 1900, para 4, Sir George stated that on 31st
October he sent the 2nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Natal Field Battery
to Colenso to assist in defending the bridges on the Tugela; but they were
soon forced to retire farther south.
The following
is the report furnished by Colonel Royston to the Chief of the Staff : "I
have to report that on Saturday, 6th inst., at about 4.15 am, I
received information by telephone from headquarters that the enemy were
making an attack on Wagon Hill. I at once despatched 80 men of the Natal
MR, under Major Evans, to strengthen the outposts on the Flats, then held by
1 officer and 40 men Natal Police, attached to Volunteers, and 1 officer and
20 men Natal Carbineers. The Town Guard was also directed to stand fast at
its post on the left bank of the Klip River. As it had been intimated that
a battery of artillery would be placed at my disposal, I directed two
squadrons Border MR, with one maxim, to accompany the guns. Major Abadie,
at about 5.40 am, reported his guns in position near the point where the
road to Caesar’s Camp crosses the town rifle-range. On my arrival at the
outpost line, at 5 am, the enemy were occupying the extreme south-eastern
point of Caesar's Hill, well under cover amongst the rocks and bushes.
About 50 men were visible from the Flats, but more appeared to be pushing on
from the west in small parties. These men were being fired on from the
thorn trees and from sangars below by my men as soon as they appeared in
sight. A few minutes after my arrival the enemy advanced north along the
top of the hill, firing at a party of 'Gordons' near a sangar about 500
yards to their front. I requested the officer commanding the battery to
open fire, which he did with good effect, stopping the enemy's advance, and
driving them into the rocks. As there appeared to be only a small party of
the `Gordons' opposed to the enemy at this spot, as far as I could see from
below, I directed a squadron of Border MR, under Lieutenant Royston, to
climb the hill and go to their assistance dismounted. This would be about 6
am. On my men joining the Gordons the party advanced towards the enemy in
the rocks, but were at first driven back by their heavy fire, and the enemy
again advanced. The battery again opened fire, and the 'Gordons' and the
Border MR again advancing, drove the enemy over the point of the hill, and
they never again mounted to the crest. At mid-day the enemy had retired
about half way down the southern slope of the hill, but still kept up a
heavy fire. Unfortunately, it was impossible to get at these with
artillery fire from where the battery was limbered, owing to the danger of
hitting our own people on the crest of the hill, and the officer commanding
the battery did not consider it advisable, owing to the rough ground to
cross, and to exposure to Bulwana, to advance any of his guns as far as our
outpost line, from which point the enemy could be reached. Rifle-fire was
kept up until the enemy finally got into the bed of the Fourie Spruit, where
he could only be reached from the top of Caesar's Hill. A heavy fire was
kept up until dark, when it gradually ceased, and the enemy appeared to be
retiring up the Fourie Spruit. My casualties were 4 men killed and 2
officers and 10 men wounded. I wish to bring to notice the gallant manner
in which the battery of artillery, under Major Abadie, stuck to its ground
under the very heavy fire from the 6 inch gun and another long range gun on
Umbulwana, and also the excellent practice made by the battery. ..."
Sixty men of
the Durban Light Infantry formed part of the personnel of the armoured train
which at this time patrolled daily from Estcourt to Colenso. On 15th
November a rail was removed or twisted, and the train was attacked; 2 men of
the Durban regiment were killed, Captain J. Wyllie and 15 were wounded, and
19 were taken prisoners, of whom 8 were wounded, 1 mortally. A squadron of
Carbineers and one of Imperial Light Horse came out to the help of the
armoured train. These reinforcements drove back the enemy, killing 3. Some
of the Durban Light Infantry, Natal Royal Rifles, a squadron of Carbineers,
and some of the Police were present in the action at Willow Grange on 22nd
and 23rd November under Colonel Martyr (see General Hildyard's
Report of 24th November 1899). Four guns of the Natal Artillery
were out on reconnaissance work in the same district about this time.
While General
Buller was pounding away along the Tugela some of the Natal Volunteers under
Major G. Leuchars were usefully employed about Greytown and the Zululand
border. The Umvoti Mounted Rifles, about 80 strong, with 50 Police, were at
Greytown and Tugela Ferry from the beginning of the war, and 2 guns of the
Natal Field Artillery and 150 Natal Royal Rifles were after 10th
January in the Melmoth Field Force operating from Eshowe. The Greytown force
did most excellent work; they were practically isolated from 18th
November to 13th February, when they were joined by Bethune's
Mounted Infantry. During that period the posts and drifts held by the
Umvoti Mounted Rifles and Police were repeatedly attacked. On 23rd
November a commando 400 strong attacked 100 men holding the drift, but the
enemy was driven off. The stubborn defence made by Major Leuchars and his
men prevented an invasion from that quarter and had a great moral effect, as
was proved by the tenor of despatches from General Burgher to General
Joubert which were captured. In this affair Sergeant Major Ferguson was
severely wounded.
In General
Buller's movement which commenced on 7th May for turning the
Boers out of the Biggarsberg, and so clear Natal, the Volunteers were in the
3rd Mounted Brigade (see South African Light Horse). The Brigade
was engaged almost daily between 10th and 19th May.
Colonel Bethune co-operated from Greytown, and joined General Buller on 13th
May (see Bethune's Mounted Infantry). Bethune's force was composed of 5
squadrons of his own regiment, 1 squadron Umvoti Mounted Rifles, two
12-pounder guns worked by men of the Royal Garrison Artillery, two
7-pounder guns, Natal Field Artillery, 2 Hotchkiss manned by the same corps,
and 6 companies of the Imperial Light Infantry, a corps which was raised in
the Colony. For seven months this force, or portions of it, had done good
work in protecting the north-east of Natal from invasion or raids. On 19th
May the Durban Light Infantry and Natal Royal Rifles were ordered to
garrison Dundee. When Laing's Nek was turned by General Buller (see South
African Light Horse), the Natal Mounted Volunteers were the advanced-guard
of General Clery's force, which crossed the Nek itself on 12th
June. Dundonald's Brigade had been split up, and the South African Light
Horse were part of the turning force.
On 21st
September 1900 authority had been obtained from Lord Roberts to raise among
the Natal Volunteers a composite regiment of 300 mounted men to take over
the duties hitherto performed by the Volunteer Brigade, and thus facilitate
the return of the remainder of the Brigade to their daily avocations. The
Volunteer Composite Regiment was made up as follows:
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Officers |
Men |
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Natal Carbineers |
6 |
125 |
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Natal Mounted Rifles |
5 |
32 |
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Umvoti Mounted Rifles |
1 |
13 |
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Border Mounted Rifles |
3 |
48 |
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Natal Field Artillery |
-
|
19 |
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Natal Royal Rifles |
- |
8 |
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Durban Light Infantry |
-
|
39 |
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Hotchkiss Gun Detachment |
- |
6 |
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Volunteer Medical Corps |
1 |
4 |
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16 |
294 |
