TOPIC:

1900 - Kimberley siege day 80 (64%). Ladysmith siege day 62 (52%). Mafeking siege day 82 (37%). Douglas occupied by Pilcher.
1901 - French and De la Hey in action at Cyferfontein.
1903 - Mr. Chamberlain at Ladysmith.

In Kimberley:

When our cattle guards went out early this morning from the Reservoir enemy fired 5 shells at them from Wimbledon ridge. Later in the day a native came in and reported that a force of 2000 of the enemy with 3 guns was at the time hidden near to and to the West of Carter’s farm. I much doubt this statement but if it is true they evidently intended to surprise our mounted troops if they had moved this morning to Carter’s ridge as they did yesterday.

Had a very busy day and went carefully in the question of supplies meat and breadstuffs. I find great difficulty in running things satisfactorily with such a small staff. It is the large number of inhabitants, the many depots and supply stores etc which causes such a lot of work.

I sent the following messages by signal search light this evening:

“From Kekewich, to Metheun. Jan 2nd No 67. Strictly confidential. Do you consider it advisable as affecting Military situation that scale of food supplies here should be kept strictly secret. As previously explained Rhodes refused to be furnished confidentially with information which he could not communicate to De Beers Board, and in my opinion if I inform him all in town will know it at once.”

“From Int K B To Int M D. Jan 2nd No 68. Strict law in Kimberley that all persons wishing to enter town must do so at authorized barriers only, punishment follows evasion of this law; also all communications entering Kimberley not censored at Modder River confiscated. Kindly instruct Cummings and Harding and others dealing with natives journeying between us accordingly, and ensure directions being given natives that they must on arrival at Barrier ask to be taken to Transvaal Rd Police Station where everything coming into town is registered before delivery.”

“From Int K B To Int M D. Jan 2nd 7 pm No 69. Two whites and two natives already resident in Boer lines consider it advisable to send Will Harding out at present. Englishman escaped from Boer lines last night was commandeered at WOLMARANSTAD Sept 28th states that South of Kimberley Transvaal Laagers East of Railway and O F State laagers West of same. Strong indication in my opinion that difficulty being experienced Kuplatter in field. Informant present when Commandant Du Toit in command North of Kimberley received wire from Cronje demanding reinforcements from him – former explained “Cronje has already seven to eight thousand men they ought to be enough I am not going to send him any of my three hundred men. Stop. Informant states certain number of burghers in addition to sick and wounded have been allowed to return t homes temporarily on account of sickness of families. Native escaped from Boers South of Kimberley last night on account of mal treatment states talk in Boer camp now that twelve thousand Boers are opposing relief column. Enemy said to be despondent and running short of ammunition. Reported that Boer posts South of Kimberley during your bombardment only tenanted by 4 or 5 men as majority of men sneak into trenches at foot of Kopjes when shell fire begins. Personally of opinion that twelve thousand men now represents whole Boer force South of Kimberley. Advance of East of free State Frontier would be over terrain most favourable to us. It is reported that Stormberg held by rebels alone said to number 2000 men. Newspapers report that Boers have opened rifle fire against us at night; information to hand affords explanation. Enemy has stretched wire in front of positions in manner that anyone touching same causes vibrations and warns Boers; Buck have been running into wires and alarming enemy.”

“From Kekewich, To General. Jan 2nd No 70 with reference to your G 170 will under circumstances continue endeavour get rid of useless mouths, but there is much difficulty in squeezing natives through Boer investment and many are caught and driven back. Stop. Am I to infer there will be no other way except by Railway of putting supplies into Kimberley, if so I contemplate at once reducing bread ration to less than five eighths pound per diem. Vide my 39 of Dec 22nd. Stop. Have reduced meat ration to quarter pound and only very small portion of forty five thousand inhabitants get it entailing some suffering. Stop. Have been obliged to commence using horse flesh rather than kill all milch cows. Stop. Horses will go off much if forage ration reduced. If I am to forage all military horses at present scale until end of February cannot increase mounted corps as suggested in my 64 of 31st Dec.”

“From Kekewich to CSO L of C. Jan 2nd No 71. In reply your H 261 of yesterday first part my 60 of Dec 31st was in reply to your P K 14 of Dec 28th asking information re MARITZ. Second part of my message was intended to complete my 56 of Dec 29 re de Kock of Belmont.”

The following messages were received during the night:

“From Int To Int K B 2nd Jan 15. Pilcher with guns and party Queensland M I from Belmont yesterday captured rebel laager at Sunnyside eighteen miles East of Douglas taking forty prisoners besides killed and wounded. Our loss Queensland M I killed three, Lieu ADYE – PILCHER now in Douglas.”

“From CSOMD To KEK. 2nd Jan 2022. Is there any reply to my wire of 19th Dec 1636 re Browne of Beaconsfield from CSO L of C.”

In Ladysmith:

Soon after daylight dropping bullets began to whiz past my window and crack upon the tin roof in quite a shower. The Boer snipers had crept up into Brooks's Farm, beyond the Harrismith railway, and were firing at the heads of our men on Junction Hill. Whenever they missed the edge of the hill the bullets fell on my cottage. At last some guns opened fire from our Naval battery on Cove Redoubt. Captain Lambton had permitted the Natal Naval Volunteers to blaze away some of their surplus ammunition at the snipers. And blaze they did! Their 3-pounders kept up an almost continuous fire all the morning, and hardly a sniper has been heard since. There was nothing remarkable about the bombardment.

"Puffing Billy" gave us his four doses of big shell as usual. Whilst I was at the Intelligence Office a shell lit among some houses under the trees in front, killed two and wounded others. The action of another shell would seem incredible if I had not seen it. The thing burst among the 13th Battery, which stands under shelter of Tunnel Hill, in a straight line with my road, less than 300 yards away. I was just mounting my horse and stopped to see the burst, when a fragment came sauntering high through the air and fell with a thud in the garden just behind me. It was a jagged bit of outer casing about three inches thick, and weighing over 6 lbs. The extraordinary thing about it was that it had flung off exactly at right angles from the line of fire. Gunners say that melinite sometimes does these things.

I rode south-west, over Range Post and a bit of the Long Valley to Waggon Hill, our nearest point to the relief column and the English mail. At no great distance—ten miles or so—I could see the hills overlooking the Tugela, where the English are. Far beyond rose the crags and precipices of the Drakensberg, illuminated by unearthly gleams of the setting sun, which found their way beneath the fringes of a purple thunder-shower and turned to amber-brown a cloud of smoke rising from the burning veldt.

In Mafeking:

Our usual shelling, and a niece of a Baralong chief killed in the stadt, amongst others. In the evening Mr. Hamilton, Times correspondent, gave the staff and the other correspondents a most excellent dinner, which we all thoroughly appreciated, at Riesle's Hotel. How so good a dinner could be served after about four months' siege is indeed extraordinary.

From the diary of William Watson, Ladysmith, January 1900:

Shells as usual. — All the matches in the town, have long since been used up, so I have had to fall back on the old fashioned tinder box, with flint and steel. It is a round about way of getting a light, and yet it is not so very long, since matches were invented. I remember some curious preliminary attempts, before matches were brought to their present perfection. — I fear the volunteers’ rations, are neither plentiful nor tempting, as some of the men eat fowls that have died of disease. — 8 p.m. An occasional cannon shot in the distance. I suppose it is the rebels firing on our pickets. The night is vey dark, so they cannot possibly see our men. —

Again, shells, shells and more wretched shells, it would, I certainly think, be worth remembering just how this all came about.
As far as events in Ladysmith were concerned it is necessary to go back to 1877 and the annexation of the Transvaal, one of the first things the new administration did was to disband the Batterie Dingaan.
After the Transvaal War, it was reformed and used on a number of occasions by the Transvaal Government in the 1880's and 1890's, the reality must have "set in" after the Jameson Raid and the Transvaal State Artillery became a completely separate and independent Corps that no longer had a Police component.
By 1899, from memory, the Corps had over six hundred members, but, of far more importance, was it's equipment, four 150mm Creusot siege guns, the soon to be famous, "Long Toms" which the War Office genuinely felt, could not be moved from their emplacements in the Pretoria Forts, because of their weight, what fools they were!
In addition, four 120mm Krupp howitzers and a whole host of brand new 75mm field guns and of course the 1 pound Maxim Nordenfeldt auto cannon, the famous "Pom Pom" which the War Office, here in Great Britain, had famously rejected on grounds of cost!
All these, as well as the thirty or so Maxim machine guns now played, on a daily basis, merry hell on the defenders of Ladysmith

djb wrote: From the diary of William Watson, Ladysmith, January 1900:

Shells as usual. — All the matches in the town, have long since been used up, so I have had to fall back on the old fashioned tinder box, with flint and steel. It is a round about way of getting a light, and yet it is not so very long, since matches were invented. I remember some curious preliminary attempts, before matches were brought to their present perfection. — I fear the volunteers’ rations, are neither plentiful nor tempting, as some of the men eat fowls that have died of disease. — 8 p.m. An occasional cannon shot in the distance. I suppose it is the rebels firing on our pickets. The night is vey dark, so they cannot possibly see our men. —

1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

Heavy shelling again this morning and evening. Mr. Lloyd told me this afternoon he had had both his horses killed by a shell this morning. Five altogether today. Too tired to write tonight. Mama still feverish and seedy. Wilfrid taken her duty tonight.

I hear good news has been received tonight. The town has certainly a more cheerful air about it. The Gordon Highlander band was playing for about half an hour. I hope it means Buller is going to relieve us soon.

1900 - From the diary of Trooper A J Crosby, Natal Carbineers

Mounted parade at 4 o’clock, stables. After breakfast was on wood cutting fatigue, returning to Camp at 1 o’clock. Strolled up town during afternoon, nothing doing.

I am relieved to hear that the Gordon's proud band still had some instruments in playable condition after the privations of the wretched siege, the Manchester's fine Drummers had lost a few of their own, including their magnificent bass drum, although, this latter had already suffered somewhat, in battle, on the 21st of October last!

djb wrote: 1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

Heavy shelling again this morning and evening. Mr. Lloyd told me this afternoon he had had both his horses killed by a shell this morning. Five altogether today. Too tired to write tonight. Mama still feverish and seedy. Wilfrid taken her duty tonight.

I hear good news has been received tonight. The town has certainly a more cheerful air about it. The Gordon Highlander band was playing for about half an hour. I hope it means Buller is going to relieve us soon.