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Preston of the KRRC at Talana 7 years 6 months ago #57808

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John Preston

Private, 1st Battalion, Kings Royal Rifle Corps – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Medal with clasps Talana, Defence of Ladysmith, Transvaal & Laings Nek to 9927 Pte. J. Preston, K.R.R.C.

John Preston was born in Tunstall, Staffordshire the son of Michael Preston, an Irish immigrant and Iron Moulder by trade and his English-born wife Sarah.

Preston’s early years are largely unknown to us with him making his first appearance as a 14 year old in the 1891 England census where his family were living in Granly Street, Bowling, a suburb of Bradford in Yorkshire.

As was fairly typical of a working class Victorian family most were out to work at an early age – John himself was a Worsted Spinner whilst his mother was a Cotton Corder and his older brother James, (17) was a labourer in an Iron Foundry along with their father. Even Patrick, at 12, had employment as a Cotton Spinner leaving the two youngest siblings, Ellen (3) and Thomas (2) at home.

As can be imagined work was hard and distractions few which is possibly why, at the age of 17 years and 11 months, John Preston enlisted with the local militia – the 3rd Battalion, West Riding Regiment on 26 September 1895. Claiming, erroneously, to have been born in Bradford, he lived at 41 Broom Street in that city and was in the employ of Mr J. Mitchell as a Labourer.

At 5 feet 3 ½ inches he was small in stature, weighing 123 pounds and with a fresh complexion, grey eyes and fair hair. By way of distinguishing marks about his person he had a dot on his left forearm and was a Roman Catholic by denomination. Having been passed as Fit by the Doctors he was assigned no. 3975. The duties of the Militia weren’t very onerous and Preston was confirmed to have completed 49 days of Drill and Instruction whilst with them.

The dawn of the 9th March 1897 saw him outside the recruiting office of the Kings Royal Rifle Corps at Bradford where, now 19 years and 5 months old, he completed the Attestation Papers for service with the abovementioned. On this occasion he was described as being, physically, almost identical in every respect to his earlier enlistment save for the fact that he now sported dots on his right forearm and a mole on his right thigh by way of distinctive marks about his person.

Having passed his medical he was assigned to the Depot with no. 9927 and the rank of Private. On 15 June he was posted to the 3rd Battalion which is where, on 30 August 1897, he ran fowl of the authorities and, having been awaiting trial, was convicted and imprisoned by a civil power and sentenced to 9 months servitude for a “Misdemeanour” on 2 September – a sentence of which he served 61 days before being paroled and rejoining his unit.

After 1 year and 288 days at home (or in gaol) Preston was part of the K.R.R.C. contingent posted to South Africa on 22 December 1898 – with the 1st Battalion.

Unbeknown to the men war was not far off – tensions between Brit and Boer in the form of the two Dutch Republics – the Transvaal and the Orange Free State had been simmering for some time over a multitude of issues finally boiling over into all-out war on 11 October 1899. The 1st Battalion K.R.R.C., Preston among their number, took a prominent part in the first main battle of the war – that of Talana outside Dundee, and sustained many casualties.

1st KRRC storming Talana Hill

They were encamped in the area of Glencoe and Dundee, about 48 miles north-east of Ladysmith in Northern Natal. Three columns of Boers were converging on the area and the commandoes under Lucas Meyer had occupied the hills to the north of their camp. The KRRC were in the 4th Division of the Natal Field Force, 4000 men all in all, commanded by the brave and popular Major-General Sir W Penn Symons who had been warned not to proceed beyond Ladysmith but who had paid scant heed to this warning. He was anxious to dislodge Meyer's Boers before the other enemy columns arrived.

After a short artillery barrage, three battalions were sent up Talana Hill, the 1st KRRC, 2nd Dublin Fusiliers and 1st Royal Irish Fusiliers. They reached a wood but hesitated behind a stone wall because of the very heavy rate of fire pouring down the hill. Symons went to find out what was holding them up and set an example by advancing alone. He soon returned, and stiffly re-mounting his horse rode off to the medics where he was found to have a fatal stomach wound. But his action encouraged the battalions to face the danger and they managed to reach the next stone wall just below the summit. In the heroic storming of the hill, the CO of the 1st KRRC, Lieut-Col Gunning was killed and Captain Pechell was seen to die of a bullet through the neck.

Another officer of the regiment, Captain Nugent was wounded 3 times in the assault but managed to crawl forward to see that the Boers had retreated: 'I was just beginning to bandage my leg when a shrapnel shell burst overhead. We..stared in astonishment. We could see our artillery on the plain below us 1500 yards off... It seemed impossible that they should not have seen our advance from the wall... Presently I saw another flash from a gun, and then with a scream and a crash a shrapnel shell burst just behind us. I felt rather beat then... It seemed so hard, after escaping the Boers, to be killed by our own people.'

The disastrous artillery mistake caused death and injury among many in the 3 battalions. Other KRRC officers killed were Lieutenants Taylor, Barnett and Hambro, and six more wounded. Casualties among the NCOs and men were also high. After Talana the 1st Battalion was commanded by Major W Pitcairn-Campbell.

In another, more detailed, account of the battle it was stated that Penn Symon's came down to the Steenkoolspruit to give the orders for the advance. The Dublin Fusiliers and the King's Royal Rifles would lead the attack with the Irish Fusiliers in support. At 7:20 am a company of the Dublin Fusiliers emerged in open order from the spruit and started running to Smith's farm some 700 -900 metres away. They were closely followed by the King's Royal Rifles.

Meanwhile, the Boers had moved down from the crest of the hill to the plateau. As the British advanced they were cut down by a deadly hail of rifle fire from the Boer marksmen. They sought cover in the plantation of gum trees around Smith's farm.

In a letter to his father Sergeant Harrington wrote: "Never shall I forget the dreadful storm of bullets that smote us those awful moments. Exposed to a crossfire from thousands of rifles, men commenced to fall rapidly, whilst the air and ground around us were torn by the fearful hail. For my part I never hoped to reach the wood… to my joy, however, the edge of the wood was at length reached, and by great good luck I struck it just where there was a little bit of wall, behind which I dropped, and had barely done so when two bullets struck the uppermost stones." One of the distinctive memories of the battle was the smell of eucalyptus as the gum tress were stripped bare by the Boer rifle fire and the trees wept.

By 8:00 am the artillery had moved up to a position along the Steenkoolspruit and were concentrating their fire on the slopes of Talana hill. A group of King' Royal Rifles on the right wing, who tried to leave the plantation, came under heavy fire from Lennox and were forced to take cover among the farm buildings. Brigadier-General Yule, in command of the infantry, realized the futility of a frontal attack and allowed the men to seek what cover they could. There was no further movement in the battle for some time.

By 9:00 am Penn Symon's had become impatient with the pace of the attack. He rode onto the battlefield to encourage the troops and order them up the hill. Despite requests from his officers to take cover, retire from the field, or dismiss the trooper he was riding alongside him carrying his pennant, he moved forward. Inevitably, he was shot: at the first stone wall just at the edge of the trees, he was fatally wounded in the stomach. He handed over command to Yule and rode back to camp to a hospital.

Yule now gave the order to storm up the hill and take their objective - the stone wall on the edge of the plateau. The dash up the boulder -strewn hillside was fraught with accurate and heavy Boer rifle fire. The stone wall proved to be a severe obstacle, despite providing cover. The King's Royal Rifles managed to make it up to the wall. An attempt by the Irish Fusiliers to move up the donga on the south-west face of the hill, met with disaster as it did not provide the shelter and cover that they expected.

Indian stretcher bearers moved to and fro across the battlefield with their green doolies, picking up the British wounded. The front verandahs of the two Smith homesteads were used as field dressing stations, prior to moving the wounded on doolies to the church and other large halls and warehouses which served as temporary hospitals, in the town.

On top of Talana, Meyer continually tried to heliograph Erasmus, without response. His supply of ammunition was running low and he decided that if there were no sign of support from Erasmus by 11:30 am he would start withdrawing his men from the hill. A few men would remain to protect the withdrawal. Slowly the fire dwindled and Colonel Gunning of the King's Royal Rifles gave the order to storm the hill.

After a lull in the firing, the men rushed across the plateau in an effort to reach the top of the hill. They were met by a furious hail of rifle fire from the Boers, who had retired to the crest of the hill. The artillery, not aware of the movement of the British troops, decided to bombard the hillside and hilltop, in an effort to dislodge the Boers. This bombardment cleared the hillside of their own men as well. They were forced to take cover from the shrapnel of their guns. It was imperative that the artillery be warned of the position.

Immediately after the bombardment ceased, the British troops stormed up the hill, clambering up the last rocky vertical section to reach the top.
Meyer had started moving his troops off the hill. They were to regroup at the Doornberg Mountain.

The resistance had thus diminished as the British troops made the final dash up the hill. By 2:00 pm the entire position was in British hands. The artillery had been brought up into Smith's Nek - but did not fire on the retreating Boers. Probably no one will ever know why - it is said that Colonel Pickwood saw a white flag and sent to Yule for instructions before opening fire. It is also suggested that he believed some of the mounted men in greatcoats to be the 18 Hussars and was afraid to open fire on his own men once again. The men on the hill also stopped firing as they heard the "all clear" sound across the field. When some of the men believed this to be a mistake and started firing the "all clear" sounded again.

Thus the Boers rode off northwards under the eyes of the British. The hungry, wet and weary British troops made no attempt to stop them. Late that afternoon, leaving the Dundee Town Guard to man the hill, the British troops returned to their camp, along streets lined with cheering townsfolk.

Tactically it appeared as though the British had won the battle: but was this the case? Within 30 hours the Boer shelling from Mpati forced the British retreat from Dundee. The decision was taken to abandon the town. The retreating British column left behind a handful of medical staff with their wounded.

Having arrived back in Ladysmith the K.R.R.C. formed part of the defence of the town playing a decisive role in the battle of Lombard’s Kop (part of what was termed Mournful Monday) on 30 October 1899. The Commander of the Natal Field Force, General Sir George White was responsible for the defence of Ladysmith and, knowing that the approaching Boers would besiege the town, he sent out a large force to protect his lines of communication and attempt to defeat the army of General Joubert and Lucas Meyer. The 1st KRRC was put in Colonel Grimwood's brigade but in the night march an error had occurred which meant that half the brigade became detached leaving the Rifles without the support of two battalions and the Mounted Infantry, which included a section of KRRC men. When Day broke, Grimwood's half brigade was in position at the foot of Lombard's Kop, a hill 4 miles east of Ladysmith. But it was a precarious position that was exploited by the Boers with their rifle fire and Pom-Poms.

Grimwood proved himself unequal to the task and lost control of the situation. The Boer artillery managed to scatter the pack mules that were carrying the Rifles' ammunition, and although they were reinforced by the 2nd battalion KRRC and the Leicesters, they were pinned down all day by the superior Boer army. However the situation became worse when General White gave the order to retreat towards Ladysmith. The battalions stood up from the comparative safety of whatever cover they were using and walked away, but this provoked a storm of fire from the Boers which caused many casualties.

The Rifle battalions were saved by two batteries of Field Artillery. The 13th Battery under Major Dawkins moved into position to give covering fire to the fleeing riflemen. The Boers concentrated their fire on the gunners so that they were now in a spot of bother. But the 53rd Battery under Major Abdy came to the rescue and held off the enemy while the 13th's guns were withdrawn. One company of the 2nd KRRC, under Captain Pearce-Serocold remained steady and provided covering fire.

Although it would seem to be a day to be forgotten in KRRC history, it has to be born in mind that the 1st Battalion had only recently recovered from the horrors of Talana Hill in which many of their officers had been killed, and suffered a 48 mile retreat in wet weather. They had endured a night march and a full day of incessant and accurate rifle fire with little ammunition to fire back. The battle of Lombard's Kop had cost the 1st Battalion the lives of Major Myers (7th Battalion), Lieuts Marsden and Forster, and the 2nd Battalion lost Major H Buchanan-Ridell, brother of Lieut-Col Buchanan-Ridell, CO of the 3rd KRRC. Overall the British lost 57 other ranks killed, many of them riflemen, and 245 wounded.

The besieged garrison at Ladysmith cherished hopes of being relieved before Christmas 1899 but Buller's reverse at Colenso on 15 December had dashed their chances. The siege lasted from 2nd November 1899 until 28th February 1900. Within the town there were 13,745 soldiers and 5,400 civilians who suffered from disease, famine and the daily shelling by Boer guns. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the KRRC were, as has been mentioned, part of the garrison. The 1st had 20 officers and 665 men and the 2nd had 20 officers and 754 men. They were mostly responsible for defending the southern approach to the town (C Sector) in the area of Wagon Hill. The 3rd Battalion were in Buller's relief force, in the 4th Brigade (Lyttelton's) of the 2nd Division.

At around 2.40am on 6th January 1900, the Boers, having decided to make a concerted effort at overwhelming Ladysmith, attacked Wagon Hill in force. Defending the hill were the KRRC, the Imperial Light Horse, a few Gordon Highlanders, and some sappers and sailors who were in the process of placing three large naval guns on the hill. The situation was desperate for the rest of the night as reinforcements didn't arrive until daybreak. Two companies of Gordon Highlanders and eight companies of the 1st and 2nd KRRC arrived at 7am. Another attack was taking place on Caesar's Camp, to the east of Wagon Hill.

To reach the defenders of Wagon Hill, three suicidal attempts were made. The first group were riflemen of the 1st KRRC under Major Mackworth (a West Surrey officer attached to the KRRC) who braved a curtain of rifle fire. Mackworth was killed and most of the men. That afternoon a terrible storm broke and all were soaked with torrential rain. This went on for several hours. Among the reinforcements were men of the 1st Devonshire regiment who made a heroic charge against the besieging Boers. The battle continued into the night and petered out by morning. The Boers had failed to take the hill, but only just.

The casualties among the Boers were high due to artillery fire with shrapnel shells. The British lost 424 dead and wounded. 158 rank and file men were killed, 221 wounded. 17 officers died including Major Bowen, and 2nd Lieut Raikes of the 2nd KRRC. 28 officers were wounded including Lt McLachlan (severely wounded) of the 1st KRRC.

Daily life in Ladysmith was a struggle to find something decent to eat as the rationing hit and the supplies ran out. Couple with this was the incessant barrage of shells that the Boers peppered the town with on every day except Sundays.

After the relief of Ladysmith the 2nd battalion, K.R.R.C. (Preston had by now been transferred to them) marched north to the Transvaal-Natal border where, on 3 March the battalion joined the 8th Brigade and was with Buller’s advance into the Transvaal, taking part in the passage of the Biggarsberg in May, the attacks on Botha’s Pass and Alleman’s Nek on 8 and 11 June, the occupation of Wakkerstroom on 17 June and the occupation of Standerton on 23 June. In July 1900 they were ordered to sail for Colombo with prisoners.

Preston was in Ceylon for a period of 163 days, until 7 January 1901 before being posted to India where he was to spend the next 4 years and 63 days. Home in the form of England was reached on 12 March 1905 and, after a period of 3 years 362 days, he was discharged to the Army Reserve on 1 March 1909.

What became of him thereafter is a matter for conjecture.