PART TWO
With the absence of extant attestation papers, we have to assume that Luther Williams joined the 1st Volunteer Battalion if the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Wrexham and arrived in South Africa with his comrades in November 1899.
Shortly after arriving he penned some letters home to his mam and sister as follows:
From ',Rhyl Recorder and Advertiser", 6th January 1900;
"Mrs. Williams, 2 South Kinmel Street, has received the following letter from her son, Private Luther Williams, of the 3rd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, which forms part of General Buller''s forces at the Tugela. The first letter arrived on December 18th, the second with postscript on the 24th, and third on December 29th.
Regiment No. 5751 D. Company R. W. F.
Field Forced, Transvaal,
South Africa,
MY DEAR MOTHER AND SISTER,-After a very nice voyage to South Africa we have landed here in Durban. The Boers have occupied a place where we should have gone to, and we have got the job of sending them out of it again. We have got all our work cut out for us all. The voyage was a very nice one. Once or twice we had some nasty weather. Now we have got here, we have got to fight and drive the Boers out from our lands. There are three or four regiments cut up already, and we are to go and reinforce them. War is a terrible thing, but we have to do it and all we can to help it. We are as happy as alot of schoolboys let out of school. Well, it will be another Christmas that I will be spending away from home, so I will wish you a happy and joyful Xmas. We are going to a place now called Ladysmith. I expect there will be some fighting on there. LUTHER."
___________________________________________________
Mooi River, South Africa
"DEAR MOTHER AND SISTER,-I now take the greatest of pleasure in writing these few lines to you, hoping you are quite well as it leaves me at present. We arrived here from Durban on the 17th inst., and it was said in the paper that somebody tried to wreck our train as we were coming from Pembroke Dock to Southampton. But it was just cleared in time. The first night that we arrived here from Durban we had to sleep on the bare grass with only our coats over us. A good job it was fine , but the second and third night when we were out sleeping it thundered and lightning and rained, as if the infernal regions had been let loose, and every night since, we have had lightning and thunder. We are situated in camp now at the above address, but then we can't tell you when we will be shifting. We have been out, at least called out two or three nights now so as to fight the Boers, but they won't tackle us. I think we are too strong for them, anyhow we are quite ready for them whenever they come. There are on the field here with us about four or five thousand men ready for action. There are four regiments of infantry, and about six cannons, and one maxim gun. The maxim gun fires 500 shots in one minute and our rifles that we carry hold about seven cartridges, so that if we kill or wound every Boer with one shot, there won't be many left. We had an accident here last night with one of the other regiments. The sentry challenged somebody and he did not get the proper answer. He fired two shots, and killed one man with one shot and wounded two others with the other shot. The bullet went through two men, fancy that. On Sunday I expect there will be a big set to, or on Monday between the Boers and us. They have left Ladysmith and they are coming over to us. I suppose they have given it up as a bad job to try and enter Ladysmith, as they could not very well do it and our troops were not going to leave them get in. You must please excuse the writing as I am doing it under difficulties. You will write to the same address as I put on the other letters always now, because I expect we will be fighting our way through somewhere or other. This affair is not going to last long. The Boers do not like night attacks and they are getting fed up with us. Well, I have said all to you this time, so I will close with fondest love to all at home from
LUTHER."
GAP IN TEXT ON PAGE
"(a railway one), and if the Boers, well in fact they have tried to blow it up, but our chaps stopped them in time. So they are trying to shell us away from the bridge, so that they can get at it to stop all the traffic between here and Durban. If they blow that bridge up it would be a case with us, for we would not be able to get reinforcements. So you can guess what sort of a place and fix we are in. We are at it hammer and tongs now for all we are worth. You can't tell us exactly where the Boers lay, because you see it is like this. They scatter about so much. Yesterday the artillery spoilt a good charge by R. W. F. They had eight or nine guns at the Boers, and they answered back pretty sharply. We were doing terrible work with our guns (cannons), when the Artillery spoilt is. They fired a gun right into the midst of the Boers numbering 500 or 600 when our men were "
GAP AGAIN, PERHAPS RAN OUT OF PAPER!
"DEAR MOTHER AND SISTER,- I finished one part of the letter, and I thought of posting it to you as it is, but I have some more news to tell you. I started to write this letter on Wednesday, Nov. 24th. I am now about to finish it so as to post it on Thursday night, so as the mail will carry it home to you, starting on Friday. Well this is not letting you know what occurred to us yesterday. We were just settling down for a sleep for the first time for three nights, in the daytime about dinnertime when all of a sudden "bang" goes a gun, the shell whizzing over our heads. As soon as that shell burst, bang goes another and another. Soon we were called out under arms, and were soon on the scene of action. The Boers were trying to shell us out of our camp. Three or four shells dropped in our camp, but they did not do any damage. Well it kept on all day, our guns doing terrible damage on the Boers side. This morning the Boers opened fire on us again just about three o'clock, it was just as I was getting a bit of sleep, I had only just come off guard, when whiz, bang, and the shell came flying over my head for about 50 yards. The best of the shells of the Boers are not loaded, well at least three parts of them, but when they burst the outer shell scatters, and if a piece of it happens to hit you or one of us, I mean no doubt, we would feel very uncomfortable for a time. You see it is like this. We are between the hills and a bridge about a hundred yards from them. If the Artillery had not fired that shot there would not be many Boers left on the battlefield alive, because our men would have got in with the bayonet. You see the Boers do not like the bayonet. Well I think I have said all to you now as I have not much time to do anything. I am just going to have forty winks before dinner, for after dinner we will be at it hammer and tongs again.
Well good bye and God bless you.
From LUTHER."
"Estcourt,
South Africa.
DEAR MOTHER AND SISTER,-I am writing these few lines to you hoping you are quite well as it leaves me at present. Well it will surprise you and a good many people in Rhyl that about 4000 of us troops matched about 20 to 25 miles in one day. We marched from Mooi River to Estcourt in one day. If you look at the map of S. A. you will see the distance. It was a record match and mind you we had on us about 200 rounds of ammunition each man. You see we are driving the Boers from one place to another. We only stop at one place for about a couple or three days then we drive the Boers off like a flock of sheep. The Boers day that we are cowards because we fight with knives at the end of our guns (rifles and bayonets). When you write to me again will you kindly send me some writing paper and envelope you can't get any under 4s. 6d. a packet here. Just fancy paying 2s. 6d. for half a bottle of beer. Butter about 10s. 6d. a pound, tea about 15s a pound, you can't get a 2d. loaf under a 1s. out here. But we live alright out here. If we can lay hold of anything out here now it is ours. Everything is fair in love and warfare. We have not lost any men of our lot yet, and I will take care not to wear my handy (blue) if we do happen to fight, for if you get hit, you blood will be poisoned. Most have died through that. Well I think I have said all now so goodbye to you all and God bless you, From
LUTHER."
Luther's final published letter was sent following the period towards the end of February 1900 when the 3rd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers were heavily involved with the Sixth Fusilier Brigade in the actions around Wynne Hill and Horseshoe Hill suffering many casualties.The latter being the regiment's first major engagement, where their Commanding Officer was killed.
The triumphal entry into Ladysmith followed on 3rd March.
(For further accounts of the battle please see the unit information section of the Forum. Also for maps and a further account please take a look at Rory's thread "William Henry Walker wounded in action -Horseshoe Hill, Tugela Hei go gts. 24 February 1900")
From: "Rhyl Record and Advertiser," 14th April 1900:
"THE TRANSVAAL WAR.
LETTER FROM A RHYL SOLDIER.
Mrs. Williams, South Kinmel Street, has received the following letter from her son Private Luther Williams, of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Mr. Luther Williams was reported to have been wounded during one of the engagements preceding the relief of Ladysmith and his name was given in the official list, but it will be perceived that his letter contains no reference to this:-
DEAR MOTHER.- I received your kind and welcome letter on the 21st February, I was very glad to get and the writing paper. I have some news to tell you, we have had two or three big battles lately. When I wrote the last letter to you I was at a place called Chievely Station, we moved from there and attacked the position of the Boers which was impregnable. We had tried to take it before, but were repulsed with a loss of 1114 killed, wounded and missing. As I told you we attacked it again and took it with the point of the bayonet. We captured about two dozen prisoners. Of course, we did not get off without loss, we only had three or four wounded, it was a hard time then. We also took between a crossfire two more positions, one after the other. There was one of our men named Thomas shot through the back, and the bullet came out just above his left thigh, one shot in the knee, another in the leg. We had a very hard time of it between two fires, but once the Royal Welsh starts to fight there is no stopping them. By the time you get this letter I expect we will be in Ladysmith. The Boers had one gun calleda pompom; it is a Maxim Nordenfelt, it fires twenty shells at once and they play havoc among our troops. While I am writing this letter to you we are shelling another Boer position. Last night the 21st February we were shelling the Boers when some of our troops went round and cut off about 500 of the enemy from the rest, and didn't we give them beans. They keep sending shells amongst us but they don't do much harm. I can tell you we don't feel very comfortable when we hear a shell whistling through the air, if it passes over your head it will surely drop behind you but sometimes you hear it coming and it bursts in the air, then you have got to look out for pieces of shell whirring about you. The names of the hills we captured were Hussar Hill, Band Monte Christo, and on the right bank of the Tugela River was a hill called Langmalls. That was the hardest to take, but we took it between a crossfire and a continuous roll of musketry, maxim shots, aswell as a heavy fire from the big guns. Yesterday our big guns opened fire and destroyed a big gun belonging to the Boers. We are trying to find another big gun of their's called Long Tom, we will soon find it, the Boers have some big guns at Pretoria. General Warren made a grand move, he captured about seven truckloads of ammunition. As we were marching along and taking positions we found all kinds of ammunition, food, tents, and cooking utensils of all description.
P. S. Ladysmith was relieved on the last day of February and we all marched into the town on Tafgy's Day, and all the Royal Welsh had a leek in their helmets. We well kept the day up. I haven't had a smoke for six weeks. The night before we marched into Ladysmith I had a letter from Rhyl, from F. M. Well, I have said all now, with fondest love to all at home,-your loving son LUTHER"
5751 Private Luther Williams was recorded in "The South African War Casualty Roll" as wounded on 24th February 1900 in Natal. Palmer (1999) also gives the same detail. Given the date, I would suggest that this was possibly the action around Horseshoe Hill.
However, he makes no mention of his misfortune in his last letter. Perhaps his wound was very slight, or he didn't wish to cause the folks in Rhyl any anguish?
So Luther marched on with his comrades in arms having survived a pretty torrid time fighting and living on the veldt.
I wonder if the lads had lost their initial youthful exuberance once they entered the fray?
Unfortunately, Luther was to soon meetbthe fate of around 15,000 other soldiers of the conflict. On 13th June 1900 he succumbed to the ravages of enteric fever at Kimberley. His remains were interred at West End Cemetery, Kimberley. He is commemorated there on monument 2.
Record number 02557 logged in the "Register of Deceased Soldier's Effects" says that the sum of 2 shillings and 9 pence was claimed by sisters Margaret and Edith. A paltry amount for the loss of a brother.
