One squadron of Mounted Rifles sailed from New South Wales in November
1899, and three squadrons of Mounted Infantry on 17th January 1900.
Another squadron of Mounted Infantry was formed from the infantry unit, 125
men, which sailed on 3rd November 1899. It has to be kept in view that
the 1st contingent from New South Wales, as from several other colonies,
would have been much larger,—more had been offered,—but over-wise directors
of military affairs at home wired on 3rd October 1899 desiring two units,
about 125 men each, from each of the larger colonies, and one unit from each
of the smaller. It has become the fashion to blame the civilians in
the Cabinet or War Office for undue preparation and the studied
discouragement of Colonial or Volunteer assistance generally. The
blame, if any, seems to rest on one man alone, the Commander-in-Chief in
1899—that is, on the assumption that his title or office meant anything; and
if it did not, he should not have held it a day.
The squadron of Mounted Rifles, commanded by Captain J M Antill, was, on
arrival upon 6th December 1899, taken to Orange River, and during December
and January did useful work in that neighbourhood, being sent to garrison
Prieska for a time when there was good reason to believe many of the
inhabitants in that district were disloyal. The squadron of infantry
which was converted into mounted infantry was, during December and January,
its period of foot service, working in the Enslin neighbourhood along with
the other units which composed the Australian Regiment of Infantry.
Along with these other units it was taken to Naauwpoort, Central Cape
Colony, in the end of January 1900, and was there served out with horses.
Under Captain Legge, this squadron did good service in General Clements'
operations, both in the retirement from the positions round Colesberg, in
the fighting round Arundel, in the advance from Arundel to Colesberg and
Norvals Pont, and on the march through the Orange Free State. (See 1st
Victoria Mounted Rifles.) Lieutenant F A Dove was wounded on 26th February,
and the squadron had losses on various occasions in this district.
The three squadrons of Mounted Infantry arrived in South Africa in time
to take part, along with Antill's squadron of Mounted Rifles, in Lord
Roberts' big operations for the relief of Kimberley and the capture of
Bloemfontein. They were part of the brigade under Colonel Hannay which
started from Orange River, marched to Ramdam, and following on the heels of
General French's cavalry division, were the advance-guard of the great army
after General French had branched off to Kimberley. When Cronje
vacated his positions at Magersfontein and was discovered trekking eastward
through the gap between General French's force and the main army, Colonel
Hannay's Mounted Infantry was the first mounted force available for the
pursuit. Colonel Hannay's men made every effort to drive in the Boer
rear-guard, but as usual the latter was very skilfully commanded, successive
positions being taken up and held to enable Cronje's convoy to get away.
However, a good many waggons were either abandoned by the enemy through the
animals being unable to proceed or were cut off by the Mounted Infantry.
When the laager was discovered on the morning of the 18th Hannay's men again
did excellent service, although both horses and men were utterly exhausted
with the unceasing work of the previous seven days, during three of which
they had had constant fighting. It will be remembered that General
French had blocked Cronje's exits on the north and north-east. The
infantry of the Vlth and IXth Divisions were on the west and southern sides
of the laager, while Hannay was ordered by Lord Kitchener to take his men
past the laager and attack from the east. After several assaults had
been driven back by the terrible fire from the Boers in the hollows about
the river-bed, Hannay was ordered to make one more desperate attempt to get
in from the east side. That such an effort could succeed could
scarcely have occurred to any one who had seen the deadly accuracy of the
Boer fire when they were attacked across level ground suitable for the low
trajectory of the modern rifle. However, Hannay obeyed the command,
and was killed in this last desperate charge undertaken at the imperious
desire of Lord Kitchener.
After the surrender of Cronje the NSW Mounted Infantry were in the 2nd
Mounted Infantry Brigade commanded by Colonel P W J Le Gallais, under whom
they did most excellent work in the battles of Poplar Grove and Driefontein
on the way to Bloemfontein. On 6th March, near Osfontein, the Mounted
Infantry had Lieutenant Holborrow and 3 men wounded. At Driefontein
the squadron of Mounted Rifles had 1 killed and 4 wounded. Captain J M
Antill gained mention in the despatch of 31st March. The strength of
the NSW Mounted Infantry, including Antill's squadron, when they marched
into Bloemfontein on 13th March 1900, was officially stated at 22 officers,
408 men, and 345 horses.
The regiment, under the command of Colonel G C Knight, was said to have
done good work at the battle of Karee Siding on 29th March, when General
Tucker's infantry, French's cavalry, and Le Gallais' brigade of mounted
infantry cleared the hills north of Bloemfontein and opened the road to
Brandfort. In April the regiment was in some of the engagements
southeast of Bloemfontein.
For the advance to Pretoria the regiment was put into the 2nd Mounted
Infantry corps under De Lisle, part of Ian Hamilton's army, but in the
earlier stages, on account of the cavalry having been unable to take their
appointed place on the left flank until after the army had started north,
the NSW Mounted Infantry were detached from Hamilton and operated, under
Hutton, with the other oversea Colonials (see Canadian
Mounted Rifles). After Kroonstad was left behind, De Lisle's
corps, now including the NSW Mounted Infantry, took a very prominent part in
the operations which culminated in the surrender of Pretoria. In the
despatch of 14th August, para 22, Lord Roberts spoke of the Boers pressing
the left flank and threatening the rear of his centre column, so he ordered
Ian Hamilton, out on the left, to close in. "As soon as Ian Hamilton's
troops came up and De Lisle's mounted infantry pushed well round the enemy's
right flank, they fell back on Pretoria ... Shortly before dusk
Lieutenant Colonel De Lisle, whose mounted infantry had followed up the
enemy to within 2000 yards of Pretoria, sent an officer under a flag of
truce to demand in my name the surrender of the town". The officer
referred to was Lieutenant Watson of the NSW Mounted Infantry. The
town was surrendered on the following day.
The regiment frequently had casualties throughout May, as at the crossing
of the Zand, where they lost 8 men. On the 21st Lieutenant A J M
Onslow was wounded.
The regiment was present, under De Lisle and Ian Hamilton, on the right,
at the battle of Diamond Hill, 11th and 12th June 1900. Mr Paterson's
excellent account of their very gallant work, reprinted in the War Record of
the Inniskilling Dragoons, says: "Our mounted infantry, under Antill and
Holmes, were ordered to advance over a lot of open country, and got
possession of some kopjes outlying from the main hills. They made the
advance in fine style, and got the hills on the first day without much
trouble, although they were shelled as they went over". Next day they
were ordered to drive the Boers off a steep rocky kopje on the extreme
right. On the top of the hill Lieutenant Dragge was killed and
Lieutenant W R Harrison mortally wounded. Captain Holmes and Sergeant
Majors Baker and Baring were wounded. In Lord Roberts' telegram of
15th June he referred to the good work done by De Lisle's men, and in that
of the 16th he said that Botha's army had "retired, and that the rear-guard
was surprised and thoroughly routed by Ian Hamilton's mounted infantry,
chiefly West Australians and 6th Battalion".
Towards the end of June Colonel De Lisle's mounted infantry were a part
of the force which moved on Heidelberg, where the New South Wales men were
engaged: thereafter part of the force re-crossed the Vaal, under Sir A
Hunter, to endeavour to close in on the Boers in the Brandwater Basin.
De Wet having broken through on 15th July, Broadwood's cavalry and Ridley's
mounted infantry, of which Colonel De Lisle's corps was part, were detached
by Sir A Hunter in pursuit (see Roberts' Horse).
On the 19th there was a sharp fight at Palmietfontein, in which the NSW
Mounted Infantry lost 3 men killed and Lieutenant Lucas Tooth and several
men wounded. De Wet took refuge in the Reitzburg Hills, but broke
across the Vaal on 6th - 7th August. De Lisle's mounted infantry and
other troops followed, and continued the pursuit to the Megaliesberg, the
New South Wales men suffering a few casualties on the way. After De
Wet had got clear they assisted to relieve their fellow - Colonials under
Hore at Elands River in August (see Rhodesian
Regiment), one of the few casualties in the relieving force being
Lieutenant Colonel De Lisle wounded. In the latter part of August and
first half of September De Lisle's mounted infantry were operating under
Clements in the Gats-rand and generally west of Pretoria. On 17th
September they were railed to Rhenoster in the Orange River Colony, where
they did a great deal of chasing and fighting. In an attempt to
surround a Boer force at Elands Kop on 1st October, the contingent lost 2
men killed. They assisted to drive De Wet from the Reitzburg Hills to
the north of the Vaal on 8th-9th October, and when he had re-crossed to the
south they had an honourable share in the very successful actions at
Rensburg and Parys Drifts, 27th October 1900, and Bothaville, 6th November
1900.
In his despatch of 15th November 1900, para 14, when dealing with the
Bothaville action, Lord Roberts said: "On the 3rd November Le Gallais was
again in touch with De Wet's scouts east of Bothaville, and on
the night of the 5th surprised the Boer force three miles south of that
place, and was heavily engaged for five hours, when he was reinforced by
Charles Knox with De Lisle's mounted infantry. This was a most
successful engagement, reflecting great credit on Major General Charles Knox
and all serving with him, especially on the Australian and other mounted
troops under Colonel Le Gallais and Lieutenant Colonel De Lisle, who must
have felt themselves amply rewarded for the perseverance and energy they had
displayed during the preceding weeks, which had been most harassing to all
concerned". Lord Roberts then went on to detail the fruits of the
victory: these included 6 field-guns, 1 pom-pom, 1 maxim, all the enemy's
ammunition and waggons, and 100 prisoners; 25 dead and 30 wounded Boers were
left on the field.
In his telegram of 3rd November 1900 Lord Roberts said: "One of the two guns
taken from De Wet on the 27th October was a Krupp. It was captured by
the New South Wales Mounted Infantry".
On 16th November 3 men of the Mounted Infantry were wounded at Rhenoster.
In Lord Roberts' telegram of 26th November 1900, he said: "De Lisle from
Kroonstad reports that Colonel Fanshawe had a rear-guard action with about
60 Boers near Duinsfontein. One man of the NSW Mounted Rifles was
killed. Fanshawe reports that Captain Watson performed a gallant act.
Seeing Private Robinson, NSW Mounted Rifles, fall, he turned back and
carried him out on his own horse under a hot fire". Captain Watson was
an officer of the NSW Mounted Infantry. Most of the Mounted Rifles
left South Africa before the end of 1900.
In January and February 1901 De Lisle, with some of the NSW Mounted
Infantry and their old comrades the 6th Battalion Mounted Infantry
(regulars), was doing very fine work in the Piquetberg-Clanwilliam district
of Cape Colony,—work which greatly contributed to persuade the enemy of the
hopelessness of any attempt to reach Cape Town or to get arms or ammunition
from the sea-coast. The work of the NSW men was over and over again
most highly praised by the Press Association correspondent who accompanied
the column on its march through very difficult country about the Roggeveld
mountains. In order to turn a pass Captain Bennett led his men during
darkness over a high mountain, climbing a very steep face for nearly 2000
feet. On another occasion the column did 72 miles in forty-eight hours
in a district almost waterless. Writing on 25th January 1901, the
Press Association correspondent remarked that the Intelligence officer of
the column was Captain Legge, Colonel De Lisle's galloper was Captain
Watson, while the Supply officer was Lieutenant Osborne—all NSW officers.
He said the work of all three was excellent, and the column the best fed he
had been with. This latter fact may account for some of the praise.
On the 19th February, the anniversary of the landing of the 2nd contingent,
Colonel De Lisle addressed them. He could not have spoken in more
flattering terms of them and their comrades the 1st Contingent NSW Mounted
Infantry.
On 31st March 1901 the last of the 1st and 2nd Contingents of NSW Mounted
Infantry sailed for home.
