TOPIC:

Lt Eustace Lockhart Maxwell, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, reported an earthquake (or two) hitting his camp at Geluk during the Battle of Bergendal. I can find no other references to it. Does anyone have information to support his claim? Thanks.

The Rifle Brigade Chronicle, 1900, p. 143, George Cockburn: "We had reached Geluk's Farm on August 23rd and rested on the 24th, and on the 25th (the Centenary of the Regiment), the force was sniped at dawn; we had an earthquake at luncheon; and at dusk we were shelled."

Mr Great Grandfather, Major Gerard M. Heath, R.E., was at Geluk on the day in question.

His diary entries, written on 24th and 25th August, read:

24th August. Halted [at Geluk]. Had a bath. Much sniping and a little artillery duel – rode out to outposts – told I should be shot if I walked over sky line to look at Boers, who were just down hill on the other side, so didn't go to see them. No work to speak of.

25th August. Halted still [at Geluk]. Can hear Pole Carew's guns firing on left rear – a good deal of sniping and a few shells from Boers on our side – quite like old Ladysmith. Mended wagon for Dundonald. Wrote Aunt E, M and Maud. Had an earthquake at lunch – not much of one – just a rumble and a tremor.


Below are four snapshots GMH took at this time.





















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Deneys Reitz writes in “Commando” about the event as follows (page 95, Fransjohan Pretorius edition):
….The second day of the bombardment was a crowded one. Shortly after my brothers had left there was an earthquake, the first I had ever experienced. It came with a loud tumbling and the ground rocked beneath us like a ship, while stone fell from the works, causing much alarm for disturbances of this kind are practically unknown in South Africa. We thus suffered a bombardment from above and an earthquake from below at one and the same time, and this remained a topic for wondering discussion for months afterwards….