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October 28th 12 years 5 months ago #1324

  • djb
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1900 - Methuen and Lemmer engaged at Bronkhorstfontein.
1902 - Report of Martial Law Commission issued.

The diary of Colonel Kekewich:

Received instructions from the CSO Cape Town re action of Civil Commissioners in Dists where Martial Law has been proclaimed:

1st as to Dists not directly guarded by troops.
2ndas to places defended by one or two Police only.
3rd as to action by Civil Commissioner and non-combatant population in places where
temporarily exposed to the enemy.

I have omitted to mention it before in my diary, but shortly before communications were cut I found out that much of the De Beers 303 ammunition (there are about 500,000 rounds here) was defective.

On 26th October I gave Messrs Hill and Paddon a receipt for the following:

6 maxim
422 rifles
650,650 cartridges (.303)
58,500 cartridges (MH).

This will I hope obviate any difficulty about these arms and ammunition, and the De Beers Company to whom I understand they belong, inform me through their Secretary, Mr Pickering that under no circumstances will any charge be made against the Government on account of any of them that may be lost or damaged.

Much of this ammunition has I understand been already used for rifle practice, and there are probably not more than 500,000 left, and as previously stated much of this is defective. It is not of government manufacture.

Should there be a protracted siege and a large expenditure of ammunition the shortage of good ammunition becomes a very serious matter.

I am trying to make an accurate check of this ammunition; it is stored at many places in the different sections of Defence.

The water at the Premier Mine is now being pumped into the Kimberley Reservoir – the analysis of it satisfactory, and the supply should be ample.

The Mounted Corps from to-day’s state have 803 horses.

The wounded are doing wonderfully well; they have every kind of comfort and attention in the hospital here. Lt Lowndes and Bingham have both compound fractures of the thigh bone, and in the case the latter the doctor says it is a comminuted one.

Lt McClintock RE will I hope be fit for duty again in a few days.

My Regt or rather the half battalion is very short of officers. With one having died (2nd Lt Fletcher) and two wounded, and with Capt O’Brien in command of the detached work at Premier Mine, Major (Local Lt Col) Murray is the only officer above the rank of subaltern serving with it.

Mr Rhodes has on his entire responsibility, both as regards cost of animals and forage, extra to the authorized establishment 12 guns, 8 maxims, 9 officers, 220 men, 124 horses, 90 mules, 10 wagons, 6 carts could now take the field. 2 Police guns, 3 police maxims are not included in the above.

Sent party of about 50 Mounted men under command of Lt Col Scott Turner with the object of reconnoitering the ridge behind Fenn’s Farm. With 30 selected men of these he got to a position from which he obtained a view of the ridge occupied by the enemy from a distance of about 1100 yards – as he was retiring the enemy opened fire at about 1600 yards but did no damage, - most of the shots fell short. Lt Col Scott Turner does not think there are any guns in the enemy’s position.

(Signed) R G Kekewich, Lt Col.
Dr David Biggins

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Re: October 28th 11 years 5 months ago #6149

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The cover of the New York Harper's Weekly magazine from 28 Oct 1899 showing a picture of the war in South Africa, entitled 'British troops rebelling a Boer attack'.

Dr David Biggins
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Re: October 28th 11 years 5 months ago #6152

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From The Literary Digest, 28 October 1900:

COLONIAL AID TO GREAT BRITAIN.

GREAT BRITAIN recruits her defensive and offensive forces entirely by voluntary enlistment. As the navy alone absorbs 100,000 men, when a war of such magnitude as the present attempt to conquer the Boers occurs, more or less difficulty is encountered in securing the necessary number of recruits. There is accordingly talk of assistance from the colonies.

The London Outlook says :

"The moment of peril to British interests in South Africa has brought offers of immediate and substantial military help from Canada and Australasia and elsewhere; from these homes of the British race where peace and prosperity have for basis the vital principle of those equal rights between white men of whatever race to secure which England is prepared to draw the sword in South Africa. . . . Why indeed, if they wish it, as they seemingly do, should not our colonial and Indian allies take upon themselves under British direction the brunt of the coming struggle in South Africa? The cause is theirs as well as ours, for without equal rights between the white races the empire is not worth a decade's purchase."

Concerning Australia, The St. James's Gazette says:

"Advance Australia! is all the cry nowadays, and at the present moment of war feeling our cousins at the antipodes have come well to the fore with an offer of volunteers for service in South Africa. The six Australian colonies are preparing a scheme for a combined force, and New Zealand has offered a contingent of mounted rifles. Some of our meaner-minded contemporaries are inclined to sneer at the practical benefit that 200 men will be to us. But it may be pointed out that an expenditure of £2o,ooo in six months is not such a despicable offer after all, that 1,8oo men have already volunteered from. Victoria alone, that a similar contribution from the other five Australian colonies would give a total of 12,000 men, and that would be by no means an inconsiderable addition to the 50,000 we are sending out ourselves. We do not suppose, however, the Australian total will be so large. But the mass of Englishmen look rather to the spirit that prompts the offer than the actual assistance it will be."

A contingent may also be sent from Canada, and the comments of the Canadian press on this subject are not without interest to Americans. The Toronto Monetary Times says:

"South Africa, threatened by the Boers, needs defense now; our turn may come to-morrow; if we do not assist the Cape, Natal, and other British colonies of South Africa, how can we expect them to assist us in the hour of our need? It is no answer to say that the defense of the colonies should be left wholly to the parent state; that is not equitable, and might not always be possible."

The Toronto World says:

"In dealing with the United States on the boundary question Canada has the power of the whole empire behind her. Do we adequately grapple with the significance of this fact? Just imagine where we would stand on that question if we were depending on our own resources. By this time the United States would be in possession of the whole Yukon. We would have little or no status as an independent nation. The United States would treat Canada just as it treats Venezuela, or any other small American state. Let Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Canadian Government remember these facts when debating whether Canada shall send a contingent to South Africa."

The Montreal Witness expresses itself in a similar way. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, however, will do nothing in the matter without the consent of Parliament. The French Canadian papers are not over-enthusiastic in the matter, yet they are not opposed to the sending of the contingent.

The Montreal Patrie expresses itself in the main as follows:

Now, what is the good of going to the Transvaal? It is a little country with few inhabitants, and the British empire has immense resources to reduce it. Where is the necessity of interfering with Canadian troops? And why should Sir Wilfrid Laurier be accused of disloyalty? If the present government had decided to send men without consulting Parliament, the Tory organs would have attacked it just the same, declaring that the Liberals draw the country into a foolish business.

The Presse thinks the war may be over ere the Canadians are ready. Even the English-Canadian papers are not unanimous in saying that the contingent should be sent. The Toronto Sun wants to know whether Canada is in the position of a feudatory Indian prince, who has no voice in the matter, but must send troops when required to do so. It continues:

"When imperial confederation becomes a fact all members of the federation will, of course, be bound in questions of peace and war by the federal vote, and will be required, in case of war, to furnish their contingents; but then each of them will have a voice in the federal councils. Imperial federation, however, is not yet a fact. In the mean time, the subject is in an uncovenanted state, and our people in Canada are in danger of being drawn, by the irresponsible zeal of a few enthusiastic imperialists, into local quarrels with which they have nothing to do and in which, if the question were fully submitted to them, their consciences might lead them to incline to the other side." — Translations made for THE LITERARY DIGEST.
Dr David Biggins

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Re: October 28th 11 years 5 months ago #6153

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Good morning David
I do feel rather sorrry for Kekewich, he must have enjoyed a love hate relationship with Cecil Rhodes, but, really wonderful to sit here and read this today!
Regards Frank

djb wrote: 1900 - Methuen and Lemmer engaged at Bronkhorstfontein.
1902 - Report of Martial Law Commission issued.

The diary of Colonel Kekewich:

Received instructions from the CSO Cape Town re action of Civil Commissioners in Dists where Martial Law has been proclaimed:

1st as to Dists not directly guarded by troops.
2ndas to places defended by one or two Police only.
3rd as to action by Civil Commissioner and non-combatant population in places where
temporarily exposed to the enemy.

I have omitted to mention it before in my diary, but shortly before communications were cut I found out that much of the De Beers 303 ammunition (there are about 500,000 rounds here) was defective.

On 26th October I gave Messrs Hill and Paddon a receipt for the following:

6 maxim
422 rifles
650,650 cartridges (.303)
58,500 cartridges (MH).

This will I hope obviate any difficulty about these arms and ammunition, and the De Beers Company to whom I understand they belong, inform me through their Secretary, Mr Pickering that under no circumstances will any charge be made against the Government on account of any of them that may be lost or damaged.

Much of this ammunition has I understand been already used for rifle practice, and there are probably not more than 500,000 left, and as previously stated much of this is defective. It is not of government manufacture.

Should there be a protracted siege and a large expenditure of ammunition the shortage of good ammunition becomes a very serious matter.

I am trying to make an accurate check of this ammunition; it is stored at many places in the different sections of Defence.

The water at the Premier Mine is now being pumped into the Kimberley Reservoir – the analysis of it satisfactory, and the supply should be ample.

The Mounted Corps from to-day’s state have 803 horses.

The wounded are doing wonderfully well; they have every kind of comfort and attention in the hospital here. Lt Lowndes and Bingham have both compound fractures of the thigh bone, and in the case the latter the doctor says it is a comminuted one.

Lt McClintock RE will I hope be fit for duty again in a few days.

My Regt or rather the half battalion is very short of officers. With one having died (2nd Lt Fletcher) and two wounded, and with Capt O’Brien in command of the detached work at Premier Mine, Major (Local Lt Col) Murray is the only officer above the rank of subaltern serving with it.

Mr Rhodes has on his entire responsibility, both as regards cost of animals and forage, extra to the authorized establishment 12 guns, 8 maxims, 9 officers, 220 men, 124 horses, 90 mules, 10 wagons, 6 carts could now take the field. 2 Police guns, 3 police maxims are not included in the above.

Sent party of about 50 Mounted men under command of Lt Col Scott Turner with the object of reconnoitering the ridge behind Fenn’s Farm. With 30 selected men of these he got to a position from which he obtained a view of the ridge occupied by the enemy from a distance of about 1100 yards – as he was retiring the enemy opened fire at about 1600 yards but did no damage, - most of the shots fell short. Lt Col Scott Turner does not think there are any guns in the enemy’s position.

(Signed) R G Kekewich, Lt Col.

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Re: October 28th 11 years 5 months ago #6159

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Frank,

His note about the items accepted from De Beers underlines what we were saying about the Imperial authorities' reliance on Rhodes's company and the list of what Rhodes was able to provide was extensive.

Kind regards
David
Dr David Biggins

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Re: October 28th 11 years 5 months ago #6160

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Here is some video of Australian troops preparing to go to war. The 40 second clip was recorded on this day in 1899.

aso.gov.au/titles/historical/boer-war-transvaal/clip1/?nojs
Dr David Biggins

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