Welcome, Guest
Username: Password: Remember me
  • Page:
  • 1
  • 2

TOPIC:

January 20th 12 years 2 months ago #2089

  • djb
  • djb's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Administrator
  • Administrator
  • Posts: 31550
  • Thank you received: 4500
1900 - Kimberley siege day 98 (79%). Ladysmith siege day 80 (67%). Mafeking siege day 100 (46%). Second New Zealand contingent sails for South Africa.

In Kimberley:

Captain Tysons soup kitchen is a great success; he turns out most excellent soup, and yesterday about 3000 pints of it were sold. It is distressing, we are so very short of vegetables, and the inhabitants of Wesselton, who are mostly disaffected are there can be little doubt purposefully neglecting their gardens. If they continue to do so I shall take them over. I have caused them to be continued accordingly.

There is another case of scurvy reported today in the Town Guard. I wish very much I had sufficient lime juice to give the garrison a ration of it daily. Surgeon O’Gorman RAMC is now making Kaffir Beer out of Kaffir corn, and it is supposed to have good antiscorbutic qualities. However the supply of Kaffir corn is limited, and I shall only be able in consequence to issue a very limited ration of Kaffir beer.

This morning the enemy opened with a cordite gun from Carter’s ridge on the half company of the Town Guard (K) occupying an advanced position near St Augustines mine. They fired 6 shells in all and they were well directed. We had no casualties.

Real good news to-day saying that the Tugela had been crossed in two places by our troops.

I wish much we could get some news of Ladysmith. It is supposed here by the inhabitants that we have had bad news from there, and are keeping it a secret. I have several times asked for news but none is sent; possibly it is thought that we are getting newspapers through, but none have reached us for a week.
The relief column balloon was up a few times early this morning. Late in the evening a shell from Wimbledon ridge fell near Beaconsfield Town Hall. This must be about 9000 yards. I much hope we shall have an opportunity shortly of having a smack at this gun with the new De Beers 28 pounder.

I sent the following by search light this evening:

“From Int KB to Int MD. Jan 20th No 119 Code as in your E 82 of yesterday. New key word intended by me was dictionary code for name you use. Until change again necessary all Kimberley messages succeeding numbers will be coded as in your E 82 of yesterday.”

“From Kekewich to Genl Methuen. Jan 20th No 120. yours G 196 my food and forage will last to end February provided have no bad luck such as loss by fires. Stop. My supply stores already separated for safety. Stop. As previously reported supply of beef is very short and of inferior quality, can only supplement it with small ration of indifferent horse flesh. Stop. Owing to bad grazing horses, cows are very lean. Stop. Art ammunition in hand eighteen hundred and thirty shrapnel seven hundred thirty ring shell for twelve guns. Stop. Supply manufactured by De Beers more than meets present expenditure. Stop. SAA in hand one million and quarter rounds portion same not government manufacture and slightly defective. Stop. Ammunition should also last until end February unless enemy suddenly adopts very active policy, and makes determined attacks on Kimberley.”

With reference to the above as regards artillery ammunition Lt Colonel Chamier RA writes to me: “I think they may get confused if we say the De Beers cartridges are not quite up to the mark. They are good enough for firing at long ranges as long as we have not our men near the enemy, but as I have only issued them to our guns of position this would be unnecessary. The 580 cartridges for case shot could be drawn on for these occasions if they arise.”

I have found it absolutely necessary for service efficiency in some cases to sanction extra establishments to those given in the printed “Memorandum re the formation of the Town Guard.” In some cases additional officers, NCO’s and clerks have been found requisite as the duties would not have been efficiently performed without them – the question of remuneration to Medical men who have so kindly assisted in the field and elsewhere and often at great personal risk, will I expect come forward for settlement hereafter.

I have to-day arranged for the Remount Committee to buy a few mules to replace the losses in the RA 1/LN Lan Regt transport. I have had to replace much clothing and equipment – worn out and damaged and which has not lasted the prescribed periods. It is most difficult now to get any good material and of the same pattern, and by the time we are relived that no two men in any corps will be dressed alike. The boots are in particularly bad condition.

I have arranged for repairs to tents to be made as quickly as possible; some of them are in very bad condition.

I am afraid the bills for printing of forms, notices, and for proclamations in the newspapers, etc will e very high. There has evidently been a ring amongst the printers to keep up the prices. I wish much I could have arranged to manage to carry on without all this printing, but under all the circumstances it was impossible.

In Ladysmith:

Again I was on Observation Hill two or three times in the day. It is impossible to keep away from it long. The rumble of the British guns was loud but intermittent, but the Boer camps remain where they were. With us the bombardment continued pretty steadily. After a silence of two days "Puffing Billy," of Bulwan, threw one shell into the town and six among the Devons. His usual answer to the report that he has worn himself out or been carried away. Whilst he was firing I tried to get sight of a small mocking bird, which has learnt to imitate the warning whistle of the sentries. In the Gordons the Hindoo, Purriboo Singh, from Benares, stands on a huge heap of sacks under an umbrella all day and screams when he sees the big gun flash. But in the other camps, as I have mentioned, a sentry gives warning by blowing a whistle. The mocking bird now sounds that whistle at all times of the day, and what is even more perplexing, he is learning to imitate the scream and buzzle of the shell through the air. He may learn the explosion next. I mention this peculiar fact for the benefit of future ornithologists, who might otherwise be puzzled at his form of song.

Another interesting event in natural history occurred a short time ago up the Port road. A Bulwan shell, missing the top of Convent Hill, lobbed over and burst at random with its usual din and circumstance. People rushed up to see what damage it had done, but they only found two little dead birds—one with a tiny hole in her breast, the other with an eye knocked out. Ninety-six pounds of iron, brass, and melinite, hurled four miles through the air, at unknown cost, just to deal a true-lovers' death to two sparrows, five of which are sold for one farthing!

In Mafeking:

The two sides when at trench work happened on each other at night in the vicinity of Fort Ayr, and we drove them back. A very effective day's shelling.
Dr David Biggins

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Re: January 20th 12 years 2 months ago #2090

  • Brett Hendey
  • Brett Hendey's Avatar
  • Offline
  • Senior Member
  • Senior Member
  • Posts: 2932
  • Thank you received: 716
I was interested to read of the "small mocking bird" imitating the alarm whistles that warned of the discharge flashes of the big guns surrounding Ladysmith, and that this bird was also imitating the sounds made by approaching shells. I wonder if this "mocking bird" was ever identified?

There are evidently many South African birds that are sound mimics. Amongst the larger species is the Pied Crow that is known to mimic barking dogs and telephone rings. The smaller species include robins. A Natal Robin that visited our garden many years ago was a great mimic. Included in its repertoire was an inexpert version of the cries of the Crowned Eagles that annually nest in an adjacent nature reserve.

Brett

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Re: January 20th 8 years 2 months ago #44910

  • djb
  • djb's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Administrator
  • Administrator
  • Posts: 31550
  • Thank you received: 4500
From the diary of William Watson, Ladysmith, January 1900:

Old Barabbas at Pretoria, has called out every man in the republics, to fight for his native land. — It is notified to the public, that general Buller has done good work all round. We are glad to hear it. It is the general opinion the siege will be raised within another week, but we have been so often deceived. There is a brisk maxim fire toward Bulwan, it has continued all the afternoon, also a few distant cannon shot.
Dr David Biggins

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

January 20th 7 years 2 months ago #51513

  • djb
  • djb's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Administrator
  • Administrator
  • Posts: 31550
  • Thank you received: 4500
1900 - From the letters writer by Lt Col Park in Ladysmith

Hooroo! Buller is coming along slowly but very surely. After much ferreting about, we at last got news yesterday that he had driven the Boers out of two positions and occupied them, and that he had four brigades, or about 15,000 men across the Tugela, and holding positions away to our west. It is an easy country to advance over on that side, and good for cavalry and guns, so I hope the worst of his task is over. I think he must be giving the fellows a rest today, while he moves up supplies and ammunition, as there has been no firing to speak of. Anyway, I don’t mind if he is not actually in for another week, now I know he is really moving. Today we have extracted from the head-quarters that all news from Buller is most satisfactory, and we have also heard of the arrival of the sixth division at Port Elizabeth, and that French has invested Colesberg. I wonder how the Boers will like a turn of being kept bottled up. I hope he will make it warm for them. Sergeant Cowl actually bought or stole two cabbages yesterday, and we had green food for luncheon and dinner; but soda-water is at an end, and tea is cut down to a half rations, and sugar will probably follow. Ration tea is never very exhilarating, and at half strength it is decided slops. I have only about six more pipefulls of baccy, and shall then be a non-smoker till fresh stores come in. It has been a blazing hot day today; quite the hottest since we landed. I am glad we were not out marching.

The regiment is improving again in health, and if only they could get better food and a change of air, they would be quite fit in a week. Just now they are really rather starved, but there is no help for it, and I trust it won’t be for many days longer.
Dr David Biggins

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

January 20th 7 years 2 months ago #51514

  • djb
  • djb's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Administrator
  • Administrator
  • Posts: 31550
  • Thank you received: 4500
1900 - From the diary of Trooper A J Crosby, Natal Carbineers

Got up at 5.30. Attended to Kitty, bathe, then over to Mrs. Haden’s to do some writing. Sent note each to Mrs. Timewell, and Agnes. Buller’s guns booming away the whole day. Spence sent to Hospital with a temperature of 103. This is the third man from my tent out of seven.
Dr David Biggins

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

January 20th 7 years 2 months ago #51515

  • djb
  • djb's Avatar Topic Author
  • Offline
  • Administrator
  • Administrator
  • Posts: 31550
  • Thank you received: 4500
1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

A quiet day. I came home at two today as I am to go on night duty tonight for a week to relieve Nurse Dean. Had nice rest, then some afternoon tea, to which Mr. Normand, Mr. Brooking, Mr. Fanshawe and a war correspondent, I have forgotten his name, came. Mr. Fanshawe has remained and is playing the piano now. Mama much about the same.
Dr David Biggins

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Page:
  • 1
  • 2
Moderators: djb
Time to create page: 0.386 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum