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1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

New Year's Day and hasn't it been a day. I wonder if I shall ever experience such another. We began work at 7 as busy as we could be. Shells were falling one after another quite near us on both sides. We wondered if they were trying for our Hospital or Captain Vallentine's next door, where Colonel Rhodes lives. After about six, one shook our building, and the crash and noise was awful. The poor weak patients felt it terribly. One poor fellow, thin and unable to walk, was lying on a mattress on the verandah. Nurse Bradbury and I carried him round to a more sheltered part. His hands were cold. He tried to be bright and cheerful. I had only just got back to the back verandah (we had not found out where this shell had fallen. We knew it was very near because our orderlies were missing), when a man came running in. He said he was from Captain Vallentine's and wanted a doctor as he was afraid one of their men was badly hurt. He was under a wall that had fallen in. The shell had exploded in the middle of the house. Poor old Ivy Lodge. What will Mrs. Walton think.

They soon brought the poor fellow in on a stretcher and put him on the back verandah. He looked dreadful and seemed to be suffering terribly, although he was very brave and only moaned.

It seems they were waiting for breakfast. As it happens Captain Vallentine, Colonel Rhodes and Lord Alva were none of them in. They soon heard of it though and came straggling in. First Capt. Vallentine who was very much cut up, and stroked and patted the poor fellow and knelt holding his hand. He was as tender as a woman. He told me poor Clydesdale was his favourite servant. We did not think it was so serious then. I saw the wound in the back, a hole as big as a tea cup. We gave him a little brandy but he said it was all up with him. When the doctor saw him and had examined the wound he said he was afraid it was fatal. Shortly afterwards we heard he was dead. They carried him away in a dhoolie to be operated upon but I don't think he lived to go through it. Later in the afternoon Mr. Fanshawe told us that one of their men (the 19th Hussars) had had his arm very badly hurt. He was afraid it would have to be amputated.

We went to the Carbineer Concert in the evening. I got home just in time to go. It was a great success. Shall try to copy a programme. Mama very seedy and feverish. Not able to go to her patient tonight.

1900 - From the diary of Major George Tatham, Natal Carbineers

Rode around with Major Bru de Wold all round our posts. Could see no reason for alarm. Cannonading still continuing at Colenso, but one heard very little Boer firing. One shell fired during the afternoon fell in the Parsonage Garden and Mrs. Barker narrowly escaped as it struck the tree under which she was sitting. Message received from Christopher. Children reported "All well". Our 4.7s exchanged a few shots with the Boers.

1899 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Monday, 1 January 1900

New Year opened very unpropitiously for me, ear bad again, and high temperature, afraid a dose of fever coming on.

The enemy gave us two big rifle volleys at about 2 a.m. and commenced shelling at daylight with all their artillery, and continued almost unceasingly nearly all day, doing a lot of damage. Casualties today very heavy, two white men, four natives, and three mules killed outright, the last white man a carpenter named Slater who was working in Weil’s yard was terribly mangled. The poor chap had been told to go down the dugout when the bell went only a few moments previous, but he had stayed to finish something he was doing, and so paid the last penalty.

A new gun for the enemy which we could see arriving yesterday has today been firing a new shell at us, in size about a 9-pounder, but contains a mixture somewhat resembling brimstone and treacle soaked all over guncotton. There is no cap to the shell, but [it] explodes on concussion. It bursts with a loud report, and sets fire to anything it touches. The shell, even after being immersed in water for three or four hours, still smokes; this hardly seems to be what one would call civilized warfare. For months past the enemy have fixed themselves on the hills outside the town, and throw into us all their death-dealing missiles seemingly with no other object except to kill innocent men, women and children. This being a war of government against government, and not a people against people, it seems more like cold-blooded murder than anything else. We could understand their intentions if they gave us hot shells for two or three days and then attempt to take the town by storm as any other nation would attempt to do, as it is presumed the idea of shelling a town is for, but to go on like this day after day, week after week and month after month without hardly moving out of their trenches, places them beyond the pale of anything civilized, and our only thoughts and prayers now are that retribution sharp and severe will be dealt out to them by our fellows, with as little mere}as they have shown us.