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February 28th 7 years 4 weeks ago #52290

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

The first and immediate result of Buller’s vague message about “being with you soon”, is that our ration of bread and biscuit has been reduced again to one biscuit and 3 ozs. of mealie meal a day, which is far lower than we have been yet. The mealie meal is nasty, coarse stuff, which will either make a plateful of porridge or three small chuppatties. The men prefer the porridge, as they have no flour, and one must have a little to make the stuff stick together for chuppatties. We have a very little flour in the mess, so we make a chuppattie each for breakfast, two for luncheon, and the biscuit for dinner, and we still get the 12 ozs. of meat, the tea, and the two teaspoonful’s of sugar; so I think we shall carry on all right, though I do most devoutly hope and pray Buller will not be long, as the men will not hold out on this food, and if relief doesn’t come soon, there will be no biscuit at all, and the ration will be nothing but meat, and that of the toughest and coarsest description, and there will be a fruitful crop of diseases in consequence.

I hear seventy more Boer waggons were seen trekking north this morning, and Colonel Knox thinks that Cronje's surrender is certain to have a great and immediate effect here. Joubert is believed to be here, and Colonel Knox thinks it quite probable he will withdraw altogether, in order to get round to oppose Roberts’ crossing of the Vaal river. I hope he will, and at once too.

Later: - Riddell has just come up to say the very best of good news has come in from Buller, but that he is not allowed to say what it is, and with an order to call at once for numbers of volunteers, able and capable of marching out seven miles and fighting at the end of it. I have sent round and expect I shall get about one hundred men. If so, I suppose about five officers would be allowed to go with them. In any case, there will hardly be enough for me to be allowed to go, as I should have to command the largest bit of the regiment wherever it was; but it is splendid news, as it really looks as if it were the end, as we should never move out unless the Boers were on the run, and coming past within reach of us, and Buller were also within reach to reinforce and help us; so I hope that, at last, the long looked for day is coming when we shall be free. How I wish you could know now, so that you could pray hard for us. It would all help, and God knows how badly we want all the help we can get, as we are such very poor weak things ourselves. I know you are always praying for us; but this is something very special, and means the turning point of the whole war as far as we are concerned. God bless you, and bring us safe through the next few days. I am too busy to write now, but will tell you all about it when I know more myself.

Night. - WE ARE RELIEVED!!! Thank God, oh! thank God! I can’t realize it the least yet, but it is true. During the afternoon news came from Buller that he had completely defeated the Boers yesterday, and that they were in full retreat, and about the same time they were seen trying to dismount the big six-inch gun on Bulwana Mountain, and all our naval guns fell on them and sent them flying. About 6 p.m. an order came round that full rations and a tot of rum would be issued tonight, and half-an-hour afterwards a long column of mounted men were seen coming straight in across the plain, and they turned out to be two squadrons of Buller’s cavalry, so the road is open and we are FREE!!! There were just one hundred men passed fit to go with the Column if wanted, and I have selected five officers; but I don’t much think they will go at all now, and it doesn’t much matter now the siege is over. Four calendar months -120 days - one-third of a year. It doesn’t sound much, but when you have lived through it you know better. Just now there is a most appalling thunder-storm going on, with lightning every few seconds, close overhead, and the mo6t deafening crashes of thunder and a deluge of hail and rain, which is splashing in a good deal on the paper, but I don’t feel as if anything mattered now. We are free, and perhaps tomorrow, or at all events in a few days, I shall get your letters and know you are safe and well, and in a few days I hope to get a wire off to you and to be able to say when we shall be home. Oh!. I am so happy and so thankful! I do thank God for all His merciful, loving care of me through this time, and I pray Him to bless and keep you safe and well, now and always. Now to bed.
Dr David Biggins

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February 28th 7 years 3 weeks ago #52303

  • Brett Hendey
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In the formative years of my youth, which were some time after the Siege of Ladysmith, I lived in the area from whence Buller launched his relief operations. As a result I have long had a particular interest in this piece of ABW history. I have read and reread many times Bella Craw's account of the epic event on 28 February 1900 that ended the Siege. Her excitement in her writing of that day is palpable, and I particularly like the fact that she ran to meet the relieving force as it arrived, and that she recognised the units, all Colonials and raised in Natal, to which the men belonged. They were members of an element of Lord Dundonald's Mounted Brigade, the Composite Regiment, which was commanded by Major (later General Sir Hubert) Gough.

She erred in identifying the officer leading the Imperial Light Horse squadron as Major Karri Davis (sic), a man who had in fact shared with her the rigours of the Siege in Ladysmith. Perhaps most notable from an historic point of view is Bella's record of the order in which the three largest detachments (ILH, Natal Police & Natal Carbineers) arrived in the town. At some later stage, the fiction was devised that the two largest detachments, the ILH and NC, had lined up side by side and charged into Ladysmith together, so the honour of ending the relief could be shared by them. The inventor(s) of this fiction conveniently overlooked the fact that the Natal Police were present, as were smaller numbers of men from the Natal Mounted Rifles and Border Mounted Rifles.

Conspicuously absent were men of the only Imperial element in the Composite Regimrent, a company from the 2nd KRRC Mounted Infantry. Their commander was evidently influenced by the vacillations of Lord Dundonald, who was being pestered by Major Gough for permission to charge for Ladysmith. The reactions of Lord Dundonald and the KRRC company commander to Major Gough's impetuous response to their timidy are, as far as I know, not recorded.

However, Lord Dundonald, and hangers-on like Lieutenant Winston Churchill of the South African Light Horse, were quick to claim credit for being "first in" after they did finally arrive in Ladysmith. The Imperial Army did the lion's share of the relief operation and paid a very heavy price for their dogged persistence under the leadership of incompetent senior staff, so the credit for the 'Relief of Ladysmith' justifiably goes to them. Consequently, the small successes of the mounted Colonials at Acton Homes and the final charge into Ladysmith are seldom acknowledged, but they did provide a lesson on the importance of mounted infantry in the future conduct of the war.

Mark Coglan, the Natal Carbineers historian, has recorded that "(Major) Gough was an adept student of the local conditions and the mounted infantry tactics of scouting and harassment. In his memoirs he acknowledged that he had learnt more in one day with colonial mounted infantry than in 10 years with regular cavalry."

Elsewhere on this forum I have posted the short biographies of two of the men who took part in that final charge into Ladysmith on 28 February 1900. I will provide the links later.

Brett

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February 28th 7 years 3 weeks ago #52306

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February 28th 7 years 3 weeks ago #52309

  • Frank Kelley
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Good heavens, with headlines like that, I dare say champagne corks were popping off up and down the land.


djb wrote: From The Times, 28 Feb 1900:

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February 28th 6 years 1 month ago #57727

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1900 - From the diary of Major George Tatham, Natal Carbineers
 
(119th day)

Emily's birthday. How I wish we could have her home.

Head office reports Boers in full retreat and enquire how many mounted men we could put into the field. Wife and I rode out to Observation Post to watch retreat of Boers.

About 5 p.m. or a little later were riding down the street and met Bewick who said some of the Relief Column had already arrived. We hardly believed this and rode quietly down the street meeting at the Court House a great party of people among whom, true enough, we saw some of our own Carbineers, who had with McKenzie, been working so hard to get to us. No words can express the excitement of that moment. People cheered, cried, laughed and went through all sorts of eccentricities. The old General was quite overpowered and could only speak the now memorable words "Thank God we have kept the flag flying", after which nothing but cheers and applause could be heard, and, darkness coming on, people went off in different directions to their homes, camps, etc. At the Carbineers Mess great were the doings and stories of our good comrade officer McKenzie. All slept quietly that night and many were the quiet prayers of thanks going from mothers, sons, fathers, etc. Boer flash lights were going all night, the enemy making a hasty retreat. Long Tom fired his last shot about 12.30 that day, which I believe landed and exploded in Dunton's Stores.
Dr David Biggins

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February 28th 6 years 4 weeks ago #57749

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It is very timely that Lockdales are auctioning some Relief of Ladysmith silk ribbons.

Boer War Relief of Ladysmith, silk ribbons (2) cased (dated 28th Feb, 1900) for Rifle Brigade & East Surrey Regt.

I have seen these before but did not realise they were themed by regiment.


Picture courtesy of Lockdales
Dr David Biggins
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