TOPIC:

1900 - Kimberley siege day 120 (96%). Ladysmith siege day 102 (85%). Mafeking siege day 122 (56%). Lord Roberts's great flank march begins.

In Kimberley:

Everything very quiet this morning. I trust the enemy will give us a quiet Sunday. I expect shelling will commence again at midnight.

I forgot to enter on the 9th inst that the checking of supplies gives us the following figures from that date.

Boer meal and flour 39 days
Coffee 53 days
Sugar 34 days
Tea 13 days
Mealie Meal 34 days
Kaffir Corn 45 days

This is very satisfactory. I trust we shall be lucky and lose nothing by fire or looting of stores.

Enemy is showing more activity at Felstead: about 30 of them are in trenches there and snipe a good deal at our cattle guard of mounted troops, over the milch cows.

Endeavours are being made to-day to persuade people to go down the mines whilst the shelling is going on; at any rate they will be given the opportunity of so doing. I am afraid however, they will be very uncomfortable, and it will be difficult to arrange about food and sanitary arrangements.

No movement of the enemy during the day that we could see, except a few Cape carts passing between the enemy’s different positions.

The Post Office telephone clerks have apparently struck duty; it is very inconvenient, and I shall have to furnish men to take up their duties at the numerous telephone stations and at the exchange.

We had no notification that signalling would be discontinued at Enslin – but we could not get into communication to-day, so I conclude the station has been removed.

The following messages were sent this evening.

“From Kekewich, to Lord Roberts. Feb 11th No 203. Rhodes requests me forward you following begins Kimberley 10th Feb. Thanks for your message. We have never thought or spoken of surrendering but endless delay of your predecessor led us to believe no efforts were being made for our relief and by force of circumstances this community would have been crushed. I thought it right to send you situation from principal citizens.”

“From Kekewich to Lord Roberts. Feb 11th No 204. Mayor f Kimberley requests me forward you following begins Many thanks for message. You may rely on people of Kimberley not surrendering they can’t help being anxious under present circumstances but would scorn idea of giving in whilst foodstuffs last.”

“From Kekewich to Lord Roberts. Feb 11 No 205. Personal and Confidential. Your C 87 and your continuation same Feb 10th Rhodes during siege done excellent work for Welfare town and defenders also when his views on military questions have coincided with mine readily assisted me but he desires to control military situation. I have refused to be dictated to by him; on such occasions he has been grossly insulting to me, and in remarks on British army. More can be explained when we meet. I have put up with insults so as not to risk safety of defence. Key of military situation here in one sense in Rhodes’ hands for large majority Town Guardsmen, Kimberley Light Horse and Volunteers are De Beers employees. Fully realise powers conferred on my by existence Martial Law, but have not sufficient military force to compel obedience. Conflict between few Imperial troops here and local levies has been and must continue to be avoided at all costs.”

“From Int KB to Int MD Feb 11 No 206. Yesterday’s news. Enemy recommenced bombardment 6 am cessation about dusk till about 8 am when continued until 11 pm. Our casualties No 5174 Private Thomas Jones I/LNL Regt. Driver Glover Maxim Det and Native Charles Stevens severely wounded. Ms Soloman severely wounded 9th and coloured child wounded 8th both dead. Considerable damage done especially after seven PM. Siege gun fired 45 shell up to 7 pm and nineteen after 8 pm. For second time during siege enemy guilty dastardly act shelling funeral procession. Labram’s funeral personally fixed for after dark yet enemy fired last night at points where procession likely to pass going to cemetery and returning, fortunately fire opened prematurely.”

“From Kekewich, To Chief of Staff. Feb 11th No 207. Our attempts to establish helio communication with Enslin this morning failed most important I should be ale to communicate with you throughout day.”

“From Kekewich to Genl Methuen. Feb 11th No 208. Many thanks for your message. We wish you every success on your journey to Kimberley, and will give you very hearty welcome on arrival here.”

In Mafeking:

I was aroused about dawn by musketry fire, and as I heard no more, supposed I had been dreaming, but when starting for my early ride, was told there had been heavy firing to the east. I went to Fort Ayr, from whence the Boer fort seemed ridiculously close, and so on to the Cape Police fort, and from there the Boer sniping station looked within six hundred yards. I was, however, informed that it was a good sixteen hundred yards off. It was a perfectly lovely morning, and had one's horse only felt as fresh as the morning, the ride would have been indeed enjoyable, but the stress of the siege in the way of shortness of provisions has fallen far more severely on the horses than the human beings. From this fort I rode to the B. Squadron horse lines. The horses are not at present a pleasing spectacle, but, owing to our extended grazing ground, I dare say they could still do some work. Sundry of them are killed and turned into billtong for the Kaffirs. Thence along the picturesque bank of the Molopo, through the centre of the stadt to breakfast at Captain Marsh's. This officer, whose squadron has held the stadt since the commencement of the siege, has, from his West Coast experiences, a wonderful knack of dealing with natives, and in a great measure the absolute confidence of the Baralongs in the white garrison may be ascribed to him, they have accordingly constituted him a sort of universal referee in all their local troubles. After breakfast we walked out from the edge of the stadt to the two forts occupied by Sergeant Abrahams and his detachment of natives, within six hundred yards of which are situated the Boer forts, also garrisoned *by natives. Between the opposing forts both sides rambled at their own sweet will. We then went on to Fort Cronje, originally in the occupation of the Boers, and having attained our utmost limits we sat and smoked and looked at the stadt (distant about a mile), and appreciated how Mafeking looked to the Boers from their western outposts. Personally, the northern end of the stadt reminds me of nothing so much as the Curragh Camp when viewed from the Newbridge Road, and, indeed, the veldt all round looked fresh, green, and undulating enough for the Curragh itself. Fort Cronje is enfiladed by the blockhouse north of the Molopo. Eastward from Sergeant Abrahams' fort, and in a circular direction across the railway line towards Cannon Kopje, extend forts occupied by McKenzie's contingent. We thus now have a large and secure grazing ground, the area of which I had not previously appreciated. We strolled back to the stadt and rode back to shop and church. During the morning and afternoon occurred some of those interchanges of courtesy between ourselves and our opponents, which generally do take place on Sunday. Corporal Currie, who during the week spends all his time in endeavouring to slay and not be slain by the Boers, was called over by them to translate a note they had received. They offered him tobacco and small civilities, and patted him on the back saying he was a "freundlish kerel." They also said they were sick of it, and what a waste of time it was not to be ploughing. A somewhat similar conversation was earned on by Mr. Greenfield on the other side. The Dutch, in addition, said they thought it would all be over in a month, that they hadn't got any papers, but would give them to us at the first opportunity, which we understood to mean, when their romancing journalists had sufficiently seasoned the dish of Dutch defeats for Mafeking consumption. The bicycle sports had to be postponed owing to the condition of the track, but there was a cricket match in the morning between Fitzclarence's squadron and the town of Mafeking, which the latter won by nineteen runs, and in the afternoon a concert, where our commanding officer, as usual, distinguished himself by his comic songs and humourous sketches. This talent is well known to his friends, but is certainly not so well known to the British public, who only have had the advantage of viewing him from a serious side; however, we appreciated him quite as much in his lighter capacity, and the concert was a great success. The Beleagured Batchelors' Ball, given by the batchelors of Mafeking, had in consequence of Mr. Dall's death been postponed till to-night. It commenced merrily enough, and had been going on for about an hour when history and the Duchess of Richmond's ball repeated itself. The staff officer arrived warning all officers to fall in. Heavy firing commenced all round, and an attack was anticipated. The galloping Maxim raced across the veldt in the dark from the westen outposts to the town, at no time a pleasant journey, and now with the innumerable pitfalls all round it, it was lucky to get there without a smash. The Bechuanaland Rifles and a squadron of the Protectorate Regiment were pushed forwards towards the brickfields, taking the place of the Cape Police who had reinforced the extreme eastern advanced posts. The Boers had put three hundred more men into their advance trench and kept up a heavy fire at intervals all night, as indeed they did at all points. Our men did not fire much.

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

Sunday, all quiet. — Mr Barker, the Arch deacon, tells me, Lord Roberts is advancing through the Free State, with 70,000. That’s good news. It is to be hoped they are bringing their own food with them. Mr Barker also says, our army has plenty of food, but general White is husbanding his stores. Soldiers don’t approve of quarter rations, unless there is absolute need. — Mr Barker says, he does not like horse flesh itself, but it makes capital soup. — Buller, it is said, could get here any day he liked, but remains where he is, for reasons of strategy. — We were in actual luck today. We got a piece of pork, from M.B. thanks to one of our volunteers, who told us of it.

1900 - From the letters writer by Lt Col Park in Ladysmith

The 10th has come and gone, and nothing whatever has happened. There has not been a sound of firing, or a sign of Buller or his force for the last four days, and not a particle of news of any sort has been given us, though I conclude the Headquarters Staff know something of what is going on, and the rations have again been slightly reduced, which doesn’t look much like early relief. There was a shave going about two days ago that Buller had sent in to say that he had taken the Boer position and could come in at any time, but that he had been stopped at the last moment by orders from Roberts telling him to hold on so as to retain all the Boer army here till he (Roberts) was within reach of Bloemfontein, when they could strike both here and there at the same time. The shave may have some truth in it, though it has received no sort of confirmation; and though at first sight the idea seems sound it isn’t really, as holding about 20,000 Boers here means also holding 40,000 of our troops, as well as keeping on a half-starved and quite useless garrison, when, by relieving us, the garrison could be got rid of and a large force of at least 20,000 would be available to send round by Durban and East London to the Free State to reinforce Roberts, leaving ample troops here to hold Natal. The Indian contingent, being played out, could be returned to India and save the cost and difficulty of feeding them, so that I haven’t much faith in the shave. At the same time, we are not relieved and no one knows why, and we have no news of any other columns, so don’t know where Roberts or Kelly-Kenny are, or if Kimberley is relieved, and how soon Bloemfontein is likely to be attacked. It is a weary suspense, and wouldn’t be half so bad if they would only tell us straight out what has happened and what to expect. As it is, we don’t know if we are to sit here another week, or two months, or a year, though I believe two months is about the utmost limit to which our food will hold out on the most reduced scale, and I pray God we may not have to hold out half as long as that, as there will be nothing but a wreck of the regiment left. I am keeping wonderfully well, but Gloster has been sent to hospital with high fever, suspected to be enteric. The rest are pretty fit. From hospital the accounts are very good, and Masterson has made a marvellous recovery from his wounds on 6th January, and is expected to be out in a few days. We are having a spell of intensely hot, dry weather, with a blazing sun and no wind all day and muggy nights. It is healthier than the rain and cold, but the water supply is rather a difficulty, and the dust is bad everywhere.

I suppose the happy day will come some time when we shall be relieved and really free once more; but after so many bitter disappointments one begins to feel as if this were the ordinary state of things for the rest of one’s life, and that freedom is only a sort of vague and blissful dream.

1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

All quiet again today. I got home just in time for supper. . After Church Mr. Normand, Dr. Davis, Mr. Brooking, Frank Foxen, and Mr. Fred Tatham, all came and we had supper in the moonlight. Major Duffton is very ill and they are going to operate on him tomorrow. The doctor is very anxious and seems to fear the worst. He says he has heliographed his condition to Mrs. Duffton. Poor woman, how miserable she will be.

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

Another good night, but was much distressed to find our rations again cut down. We now get half lb. bread, 1 oz. sugar and a pint of chevril and tea for the day - not sufficient for one meal, to regain strength on this is an impossibility. It is gradual starvation and I fear it will last another fortnight. Dr. Platt visited us at noon and ordered myself and half a dozen others to the Sanatorium on the Hill attached to the Convent, where the air is keener and much more bracing and gives us a keener appetite not to be satisfied. My kit went up at 5 o’clock. I followed at 8.30, spending a couple of hours at Mrs. Haydens. I had some trouble finding space to lie down, the place being packed. Slept badly.

I'm with Mr Barker on the subject of horse's, the soup mentioned, could have been little more than an acquired taste, but, I dare say, needs must.

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

Sunday, all quiet. — Mr Barker, the Arch deacon, tells me, Lord Roberts is advancing through the Free State, with 70,000. That’s good news. It is to be hoped they are bringing their own food with them. Mr Barker also says, our army has plenty of food, but general White is husbanding his stores. Soldiers don’t approve of quarter rations, unless there is absolute need. — Mr Barker says, he does not like horse flesh itself, but it makes capital soup. — Buller, it is said, could get here any day he liked, but remains where he is, for reasons of strategy. — We were in actual luck today. We got a piece of pork, from M.B. thanks to one of our volunteers, who told us of it.