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1899 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross

Saturday, 13 January

Enemy very quiet all the morning, only a few seven-pounders and Mauser bullets having been thrown at us, without doing any damage.

The warning bell rang once or twice but no big gun was fired. The enemy can plainly hear our big bell, so after they have finished loading they do not fire, but keep us in suspense, and later on we suddenly hear the heavy roar of her discharge, and either the appalling swish of her immense projectile travelling over our head, or else, the shell having struck something in front of us, the tremendous bang of the bursting charge and the whistling hurtling noise of the dismembered fragments flying either over or to right and left of us, shattering walls, roofs, iron houses, and any mortal thing that stands in the way; nothing seems to stop their onward career of destruction, except distance, which in this instance, most emphatically "lends enchantment to the view”, especially if one is behind the bally French and German devils’ playthings.

I am sorry to say that the firm of J.W. [Julius Weil] are being spoken about in not at all a kindly manner. What has put people’s backs up is the fact of their taking such a big advantage of the present circumstances by raising the prices of most of their stocks about 100 per cent. Whisky for instance, cannot be bought from them (although they still hold a good stock) by the retailers, except at most exorbitant prices, thereby forcing the latter (to recuperate themselves) to charge 1 /6 for about the quantity one could get into one’s old tooth. It seems more like swallowing money than liquor. One instance has personally fallen upon poor me. One can, at the present moment, purchase from them after a good deal of fuss and the appearance of being a very great favour, a box of Egyptian cigarettes (a very old stock) at exactly double the usual retail price, at the same time being fully aware that Mr. J. W. holds in bond something like 20 000 of this very scarce (according to B.W.) luxury. He talks about losing a small fortune over this business, but I for one would willingly pay all his losses if I could take half the profits. It is hardly fair of him going on in this manner, knowing full well the position we are all placed in. The prices of things generally are ruinous. It will go very hard with a good many people when the war is finished, and I should not be the least surprised if a good many of the townspeople go to the wall, unless the Imperial authorities recompense them.

The enemy made an unsuccessful attempt this morning to knock out our poor little Nordenfeldt with their 9-pounder Krupp gun, but after 5 or 6 shells they gave up the attempt. This gun of theirs is evidently very badly served, as not one of the shells dropped within 50 yards of our little spitfire.

The Cape Police this evening were practising for their entertainment tomorrow, when at about 8 p.m. the Boers sent in a heavy Mauser volley. Nobody was hurt, but it made our fellows skip.

A notice issued today in general orders very gently informs us that in future the weight of our daily rations will be reduced from 1 1/2 to 3/4lb of fresh meat, per man. I heard one of the P.R. speaking to his friend say, "Tain’t fair is it Bill, we ’as to go short, while them there officers is a ’aving of their bankents [sic] every day in their dugouts.”

Our shell factory is turning out quite a success: already about 50 have been made for the seven-pounders and they expect to turn out about 200 a week, besides the solid balls for the old Nelson gun.

A very lucky find was unearthed last night. It seems that a large quantity of ammunition for a seven-pounder was left behind at the B.S.A.P. camp when Jameson took the gun into the Transvaal. This would not fit the guns we now use here, so it was therefore buried so as not to fall into the hands of the enemy, if they unluckily did get possession of Mafeking. This has now all been taken up again, and the shells broken up so as to make new shrapnel for those of our own manufacture. The luckiest item of the find is that all the time-fuses (although [of] German make) are the same size and thread as the one we used as a pattern for our mould, so that now we can make time shells as well as percussion. Extremely lucky this is, as the ammunition, I believe, for our seven-pounders is getting very low. Our supply of powder is not inexhaustible, so those in charge of the shell factory are now attempting to make gunpowder as well, and are very sanguine of success.

If one comes to study matters, what a marvellous little village poor old Mafeking has turned out to be in the way of defending itself, with very little assistance from either the Imperial or Colonial governments. On the spot we are making our own shells, solid shot, gunpowder, etc., digging up an old cannon that has been buried for years, and using it. A local firm has kept the whole of the inhabitants, including the Imperial troops, in food, good and wholesome, from the commencement of the siege, right through until now, and are still doing so and will continue to do so until we are relieved. Every man jack, with I think one exception, high and low, rich and poor, has turned out and gone into the trenches, doing sentry-go, guard, and all the other things appertaining to Tommy Atkins, purely and simply for the defence of the town, and all hardly [r/r} without a murmur of complaint. Our armoured train, best part of which was made on the spot, is engineered and manned by the Town Guard, Railway Division. Our field hospital, under command of the P.M.O. who is our local doctor, has a staff of nurses, composed of local ladies, under the charge of the former matron, Nurse Hill. The town wells not only supply the residents with water, but the troops as well, after our water works supply had been cut off by the enemy. We have also supplied all the labour and material necessary for building and making fortifications. Forage supply for troop horses has been supplied by the town. The whole of the medical necessaries for supplying first-aid stations, hospital, convalescent home, etc., was supplied by our local chemist. This was an immense item in itself, when one comes to consider the great number of sick and wounded. And so on, one could continue writing in extenso. All these matters will later on, I suppose, be a big advertisement for our little town, and it will get its reward, even if it is only making history for the British Empire.

Last night a native was found hiding in our fort at Early’s corner. He was arrested and when questioned said he was starving and wanted food.