This corps, 300 strong, was raised by Major Orpen early in 1900 in the
Hopetown neighbourhood for service on the Lower Orange River and in the
extreme west of Cape Colony. They were of great use, when the enemy
was making serious efforts to stir up rebellion in that outlying district,
as a protection to the loyal inhabitants; while as assisting to restrain the
waverers from joining the rebels, the presence of the corps was invaluable.
A glance at any map of South Africa shows that the railway from Cape Town
to Kimberley runs roughly in a north-easterly direction, and that the
British possessions were, before the annexation of the Transvaal and the
Orange Free State, much greater in area on the north-west than on the
south-east of the line. When the Orange Free State, finding Britain
unprepared, attempted an invasion of Cape Colony in October and November
1899, it was only natural that they should choose to cross the Orange on the
east of the railway. By doing so they struck more directly towards
Cape Town and the other ports, and they entered a district where the
provisioning of their army was possible. Sympathisers they had in all
districts, and in the first months of 1900 unrest and incipient rebellion
showed themselves in the region west of Victoria West, De Aar, and Orange
River Station.
When Lord Roberts was launching his movement to relieve Kimberley he had
to take measures against the rebels. In the despatch of 15th March
1900, he said that in the "Prieska-Britstown and Carnarvon districts of Cape
Colony, west of the railway, between De Aar and Orange River, I regret to
report that signs of organised disaffection have been apparent during the
past fortnight". Two columns were got ready, one including three
companies of mounted infantry and 400 of the City Imperial Volunteers;
another under Major General Settle, which assembled at Hopetown, embraced
about 80 of Orpen's Horse, one company of mounted infantry, a field battery,
and half a battalion of infantry. Lord Kitchener was sent down from
Paardeberg to direct the operations. After a little fighting these
were successful, and the district, for a time, was fairly quiet and clear of
the enemy, but disaffection soon broke out again. The enemy's bands
scattered in one neighbourhood to reappear in another. A portion of
Orpen's Horse were engaged about 11th March 1900 and inflicted some loss on
the enemy. The corps had one casualty.
Orpen's Horse remained at Upington as garrison of that place, and as the
balance of the regiment came up from Hopetown they, along with the Cheshire
Yeomanry and the Royal Australian Battery, held Kenhardt, Draghoender, and
Dopas Poort. In his telegram of 17th April 1900 Lord Roberts said:
"Settle reports from Kenhardt on 14th that 200 Transvaalers made determined
attack on Dopas Poort, held by a party of Orpen's Horse; our loss 2 killed
and 9 wounded. Enemy's must have been heavy, as they applied for
doctors and ambulance". Two other deaths from wounds on this occasion
were afterwards reported. This was the regiment's first serious fight.
General Settle complimented the corps on the way in which the detachment of
about 40 had driven off an attack by very superior numbers. These were
estimated at between 300 and 400. Near Kheis, 160 miles west of De Aar,
Colonel Adye on 28th May inflicted some punishment on the enemy; while in
Griqualand, north of the river, Sir Charles Warren beat his opponents in
several stiff fights (see Duke of Edinburgh's Volunteers). For some
months after May sympathy with the Boers was less active, but when the enemy
reinvaded the north-east of Cape Colony in December 1900 every effort was
made to relight the flame of rebellion west of the railway. Commandos
under Hertzog and others penetrated to Calvinia, Clanwilliam, and Piquetberg.
In January 1901 several columns were employed to drive these forces north,
but the task was difficult in the extreme. The region is of vast
extent, much of it the reverse of fertile, and although sparsely populated,
very many of the farmers were anxious to assist the enemy with food, forage,
or information. Roads were few, and for regular troops moving with the
usual convoy, the district was one in which they could do little harm to
mobile bands. In the despatch of 8th May 1901 Lord Kitchener remarked
that unrest was showing in the extreme north-west, close to the frontier of
German Namaqualand. In May 1902 the enemy were still moving about
immediately to the north of Calvinia, and were actually besieging the town
of Ookiep close to the German frontier.
From the beginning of 1901 to the close of the war the local forces did
much good work; indeed to them belongs the credit of preventing the enemy
gaining complete control of this wide area.
The men of Orpen's Horse were only enlisted for six months, but they
cheerfully served twelve. At the end of the year 200 took their
discharge, and Major Orpen with the remainder joined the column of Major
Jeudwine at Van Wyk's Vlei. Orpen's men were in action on various
occasions, and were, along with the other mounted troops of the column,
Nesbitt's Horse, and some Border Scouts, successful in capturing prisoners
at various places. At Ganabosch in the Calvinia district, on 25th June
1901, a detachment was ambushed, when 3 men were killed and several wounded.
On the same day Conroy was severely defeated (see Border Scouts, under whose
heading some further particulars are given of the work of troops in this
difficult country).
Major Orpen was mentioned by Lord Roberts and received the CMG.
