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3404 Private Benjamin Robert Holland 1st Battalion Suffolk Regiment.

Great Blakenham is a village in Mid Suffolk. This was the birth place of Benjamin R Holland. He was born in 1876 to John and Sarah and lived at College Farm. His father was a gamekeeper and his mother looked after Roberts 7 brothers and sisters. Aged 16 Benjamin Robert Holland joined the local Suffolk milita circa 1892. He was employed as a farm labourer.

In November 1899 Private R Holland and his fellow soldiers of the 1st Battalion Suffolks sailed on the troopship Scot , and arrived at the Cape on the 28th of that month.  They were sent to assist General French in the Colesberg district.  After the battalion had been about a month in the colony they entered on an enterprise which was to prove disastrous.  In the early morning of the 1st of January the Berkshires had successfully assaulted a hill forming part of the Colesberg defences.  On the 4th of January the Boers had been driven from surrounding hills, however, there was still another hill to climb. This was called Grassey Hill (Later renamed Suffolk Hill ) —on the north-west portion of the defences which General French considered to be the key to the position.



On the 5th it was carefully reconnoitred, and the possibility of its capture was discussed with Colonel Watson . ** General French says: "I gave him a free hand to rush the position at night if he saw a favourable chance, but he was to inform me and all the troops in his neighbourhood of his intention to do so. ( ** Despatch of the 2nd of January 1900).

I heard no more, but left Rensburg at 2 am and reached the Colesberg position shortly before dawn.  At dawn we heard sharp musketry-fire in the direction of Grassey Hill.  I directed Colonel Eustace to get his guns into position to assist the attack which I thought Colonel Watson must be making.  The artillery got into action at once against the Grassey Hill defences, but in a few minutes I received news that nearly 300 men of the Suffolk Regiment had returned to camp, having received an order from 'some one' to retire".  General French "considered that Colonel Watson and his four companies would have attained success had the majority of his men not been seized with panic and retired".  The colonel and other 3 officers and 25 men were killed, and 1 officer and 23 men were wounded; 5 officers and over 100 men were taken prisoners.  Night attacks are proverbially dangerous.  Here the enemy had been found on the alert, and a murderous fire had been poured into the troops before they could get in with the bayonet or take cover.

Courts of inquiry were held, the evidence before which is printed in the proceedings of the War Commission.  Captain Brett said that their orders were to charge without firing.  They advanced up the hill, but were met by a heavy fire; the enemy appeared to be quite close.  After a short interval the colonel gave the order to retire; confusion arose owing to the darkness and roughness of the ground.  The colonel then ordered him to take the crest of the hill, where it seems the leading company still held its ground.  Witness advanced as ordered, but appears to have done so with only a portion of his company.  He was then wounded, and lay unconscious.  On recovering he found himself among a number of killed and wounded.  Shells from the British guns then commenced to fall among them.  Eventually Captain Brett surrendered.  The courts exonerated the officers and men, and it is noted that "no evidence, however, appears to have been given before any court of inquiry showing the circumstances of the panic in the rear of the force", as referred to by Lieutenant General French.

This affair was a very unfortunate beginning to the battalion's campaigning career, and it was a long time before it was again permitted to go into the fighting line—but the time did come. Unfortunately, Private Holland never got to take part in another firing line again. He was one of the hundred plus soldiers who were recorded as missing in action and captured at Grassey Hill on that fatefull night in January at Colesberg. He was then taken to Waterval camp and later contracted enteric fever.


Waterval Camp

There are conflicting records regarding his death. In Memoriam by S Watt records the 18th of March 1900 Waterval, interred at Petronella. South Africa Field Force records the 1st of April 1900 Pretoria, the medal roll records the 1st of April 1900.
To add to the confusion the Petronella Military cemetery memorial stone records Robert's death as the 18th of April. His family headstone in Suffolk is engraved with April the 1st 1900. As custodian of his medal and his memory, I have gone for April the 1st 1900 for my records, not because I have any evidence that it is correct. However, the date in my opinion rings true to the fool or fools in command, who decided to attack a well fortified hill at night time and it's aftermath after the event.



Private 3404 Benjamin Robert Holland 1st Battalion Suffolk Regiment
Queens South Africa medal with clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal. Died aged 24 . 1900

On further research the Holland family lost their mother Sarah in 1890. Robert's elder brother 3303, Private Ernest Holland also succumbed to enteric fever whilst serving in the Suffolk's aged 27. He died on January the 8th 1901. Both brothers are remembered on their mothers headstone at St Mary's church Great Blakenham.