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From Quebec to t^retoria 
 
 With the Royal Canadian Regiment 
 
 H y VV. H M r t - N I e H i\ r 
 
 cr 
 
 Lieutenant Rocky Mountain Rangers 
 late Sergeant A Company, Royal Canadian Regiment 
 
 " War"? We would rather peace; but, Mother, if fight we must, 
 There be none of your sons on whom you can lean with a surer trust ; 
 Bone of your bone are we, and in death would be dust of your dust." 
 
 WM L L I A M B R I G G S 
 TORONTO : : MDCCCCII 
 
a • •• 
 
 • • • > • • • 
 
 •T^~l 
 
 fegn^;^V iVjCRS~E STEI*HE1MJ^ 
 
 Entered according to Act of the 
 Parliament of Canada, in the year 
 one thousand nine hundred and 
 two. by William Briggs, at the 
 Department of Agi-iculture. 
 
nf '"" 
 
 Pref 
 
 ace 
 
 ^T^HE object of writing this book is to pre- 
 serve a record of the doings of the Royal 
 Canadian Regiment while on active service in 
 South Africa. I hope it will be acceptable to 
 the members of the Regiment. The general 
 public may find it interesting, as they will be 
 enabled to obtain a more consecutive idea of 
 our movements and actions than they could 
 possibly have gathered from disjointed news- 
 paper reports published at the time. In some 
 places the story probably gives undue promi- 
 nence to the part played by the company to 
 which I had the honour to belong, but this is 
 unavoidable, as I was unable to move about 
 
 and make general observations, and on certain 
 
 3 
 
 514532 
 
Preface 
 
 occasions the different companies were separ- 
 ated for short periods. 
 
 Some criticisms have been offered on general 
 matters, but nought has been set down in 
 malice. 
 
 RossLAND, B.C., March, 1902. 
 
Contents 
 
 Chapter Page 
 
 I. Early History 7 
 
 II. The Boer Republic 28 
 
 III. From Quebec to Belmont ... 45 
 
 IV. At Belmont 64 
 
 V. Sunnyside 80 
 
 VI. The March to Paardeberg ... 89 
 
 VII. The Battle of Paardeberg . . . 10 1 
 
 VIII. The Surrender of Cronje . . . 115 
 
 IX. The Advance on Bloemfontein . 134 
 
 X. At Bloemfontein 150 
 
 XI. Bloemfontein to Hout Nek . . . 168 
 
 XII. Hout Nek to Kroonstadt . . . 184 
 
 XIII. Kroonstadt to Doornkop .... 195 
 
 XIV. Pretoria 213 
 
 XV. After Pretoria 224 
 
 XVI. The Return 238 
 
 Epilogue 263 
 
 Appendices 265 
 
 5 
 
Diagrams 
 
 Page 
 
 The Battle of Paardeberg 102 
 
 The Surrender of Cronje 124 
 
 Poplar Grove 138 
 
 Israel's Poorte 171 
 
 Operations Around Thabanchu .... 175 
 
 HouT Nek 179 
 
 Hamilton's Column at Sand River . . . 190 
 
 Doornkop 208 
 
 Map of Route Followed by Royal Cana- 
 dian Regiment 264 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 EARLY HISTORY 
 
 THE history of what may be called the South 
 African problem, with special reference to 
 the Transvaal, seems to divide itself naturally 
 into two parts : the first including the period up 
 to the war of 1 880-81, when the Boers finally 
 obtained their independence and started out as 
 an established Republic ; the second embracing 
 the period from the retrocession by the British 
 Government to the outbreak of hostilities in 
 1899. 
 
 Although it is not necessary, in recounting 
 the doings of the Royal Canadian Regiment in 
 South Africa, to go into the question of South 
 African history, yet the various causes which 
 led up to the war are so interesting, especially 
 from a colonial standpoint, that a bare rhurne 
 of the principal events is here given. 
 
 7 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 Jan Van Riebeck, of the Dutch East Africa 
 Company, having heard the accounts of some 
 Dutch sailors who had been shipwrecked in 
 Table Bay and lived there for some time, left 
 Holland in 1652 with three ships and a con- 
 siderable number of emigrants, and formed a 
 settlement at the Cape, which was augmented 
 thirty-seven years afterwards by the arrival of 
 some Huguenot refugees. 
 
 The Dutch were not the first people to hoist 
 their flag in South Africa, the Portuguese navi- 
 gator, Diaz, having been there in i486, and the 
 celebrated Vasco de Gama subsequently ex- 
 plored a considerable portion of the coast east- 
 ward from Table Bay, though no attempt at 
 colonization was made. 
 
 The affairs of the small Dutch colony were 
 under the control of the Dutch East India 
 Company, and their administration became so 
 unpopular that a deputation from the settlers 
 went to Holland in 1789 to lay complaints 
 before the Dutch Government, which resulted in 
 a commission being sent out ; but the suggested 
 remedies of the latter did not meet with the 
 approval of the settlers. Meanwhile events in 
 Europe were undergoing great changes, and the 
 French had overrun Holland, the Stadtholder 
 being a refugee in England. He sent word that 
 the Colony was to be handed over to England 
 
Early History 
 
 for protection, and Admiral Elphinstone and 
 General Craig went down to take possession. 
 The officials of the Dutch Company decided 
 to disobey the orders of the Stadtholder, and 
 offered some resistance to the British, which 
 was, however, speedily overcome. 
 
 The British held the Cape, General Craig 
 becoming Governor, until the Peace of Amiens, 
 in 1803, when it was restored to Holland, there 
 being no further danger from the French. 
 
 In 1806 the English and French were again 
 at war, and in view of the fact of the increasing 
 importance of British interests in India, and the 
 advisability of forestalling any French move- 
 ment in the direction of the Cape, the British 
 again took possession. When the war was over 
 the matter was finally settled by the payment 
 to Holland of i^6,ooo,ooo, the British thereby 
 acquiring title both by conquest and purchase. 
 
 After this final settlement took place, emi- 
 grants from England began to flow into the 
 country. The two races got along well together 
 at first, but differences soon arose, and a gen- 
 eral short-sighted policy on the part of the 
 English Colonial Office gave the Dutch very 
 good reasons for grumbling, and gradually led 
 to the determination on the part of a large 
 number of the farmers to shake the dust of the 
 Colony off their feet, and trek to the unknown 
 
 9 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 country to the north, out of the reach of British 
 rule. 
 
 Their chief complaints * came under two 
 heads : 
 
 (i) Against the Imperial Government, in that 
 they did not give sufficient protection to the 
 whites against the blacks ; that too much 
 credence was given to the testimony by inter- 
 ested persons on behalf of the blacks, while the 
 white man's evidence was discredited ; that the 
 slaves had been liberated in an unjust manner, 
 only two-fifths of the value having been paid, 
 and that sum made payable in London ; and 
 that there was an apparent desire to favour the 
 natives in every way at the expense of the white 
 man. 
 
 (2) Against the agents of the London Mis- 
 sionary Society. They were charged with 
 usurping authority which belonged to the 
 magistrates, with misrepresenting facts, with ad- 
 vocating schemes against progress, and the 
 observance of order, and it was asserted that 
 these agents influenced the Colonial Office in 
 everything. 
 
 Mr. Theal goes on to say that everyone in 
 South Africa now agrees that the complaints of 
 the emigrants were well founded. 
 
 * Theal, ** History of the Boers." 
 10 
 
Early History 
 
 In addition to the above, there were other 
 causes of dissatisfaction, notably the substitution 
 in 1827 of EngHsh for Dutch as the official 
 language, and the Kaffir inroad into the out- 
 lying settlements. This latter was beaten back 
 by Sir Benjamin D' Urban and the invaders' 
 territory annexed, but it was subsequently given 
 back to the natives by the Colonial Office, much 
 to the disgust of the settlers. 
 
 What is known as " The Great Trek " began 
 in 1836. It was composed of farmers, their 
 wives, children and dependents, carrying every- 
 thing with them in their heavy waggons. The 
 first lot nearly all perished, twenty-six women 
 and children being the only survivors out of 
 ninety-eight people. But the exodus went on, 
 and by the middle of the following year had 
 assumed large proportions. The history of this 
 movement is full of privation, fighting and hard- 
 ships ; some went on to the Transvaal, some to 
 what is known as the Orange River Colony, and 
 others to northern Natal. The Kruger family 
 were with the Transvaal party, which was com- 
 manded by Potgieter, Paul Kruger being at 
 that time a boy of ten years of age. 
 
 The Boers and English got along very well 
 together in northern Natal, and fought together 
 against the great Zulu chief, Dingaan. The 
 latter agreed to make a treaty, but treacherously 
 
 II 
 
From Qjxebec to Pretoria, 
 
 murdered the representatives who went to 
 arrange terms with him. In December, 1838, 
 Pretorius got together a considerable force, and 
 coming up with Dingaan, completely defeated 
 him, and broke up the Zulu power. This was 
 on the 15th of December, a day ever since set 
 apart by the Boers for special rejoicing, and 
 called '* Dingaan's Day." 
 
 The republic of Natalia was then formed with 
 a Volksraad of twenty-four members, but was 
 never recognized by Great Britain. As the 
 Boers grew hostile. Sir George Napier occupied 
 Durban, and a small force went across country, 
 only to be told by the Boers that they had 
 placed themselves under the protection of Hol- 
 land. The King of Holland, as soon as he 
 heard of it, lost no time in repudiating the " dis- 
 loyal communication of the emigrant farmers." 
 The British having been reinforced, the Boers 
 quietly withdrew, and Natal became a British 
 colony (1842). 
 
 Continual quarrels between the Boers and the 
 natives between the Orange and the Vaal rivers 
 caused a state of uneasiness to exist, and various 
 efforts were made to obtain tranquillity. In 
 1846 a British Resident and a small force were 
 sent to Bloemfontein, and in 1848 Sir Harry 
 Smith, then Governor of Cape Colony, pro- 
 claimed all the country between the Orange and 
 
 12 
 
E^rly History 
 
 Vaal rivers east of the Quathlamba Mountains 
 British territory, under the name of the " Orange 
 River Sovereignty." An insurrection breaking 
 out shortly afterwards, Sir Harry Smith promptly 
 went to the assistance of the Resident, who was 
 besieged in Bloemfontein, and severely defeated 
 the Boers at Boomplatz, August 29th, 1848, 
 those who were discontented subsequently 
 moving across the Vaal. 
 
 In 1852 the Sand River Convention was en- 
 tered into, guaranteeing the independence of the 
 Boers beyond the Vaal. Unfortunately, a year 
 or two afterwards, a vacillating Colonial Secre- 
 tary decided to withdraw from the Orange River 
 Sovereignty, despite the appeals of the loyal 
 inhabitants, who sent delegates to England to 
 protest against such a course. These loyal in- 
 habitants were abandoned to their fate, and the 
 British troops marched out of Bloem.fontein in 
 March, 1854. It was in the same month, forty- 
 six years afterwards, that they again entered the 
 capital of the Orange Free State, with Lord 
 Roberts at their head. 
 
 The "emigrant farmers north of the Vaal 
 River," as they were termed in the Sand River 
 Convention, soon found that troubles of all kinds 
 went hand in hand with questions of govern- 
 ment, and it was not long before internal dis- 
 sensions among themselves, troubles with the 
 
 13 
 
From Quebec io Pretoria 
 
 natives, and an empty treasury, culminated in 
 the annexation of their territory, by Sir T. 
 Shepstone in 1877. 
 
 At first there were several republics in exist- 
 ence — one having its headquarters in Lyden- 
 burg, another at Pretoria, and still another at 
 Potchefstroom — but these were subsequently in- 
 corporated, and in 1872 T. F. Burgers, a former 
 minister of the Dutch Reformed Church, was 
 elected President. He was a man of good edu- 
 cation and broad-minded views, and wished to 
 bring the Transvaal to the rank of a nation, but 
 the material he had to work with does not 
 appear to have been suited to the performance. 
 Among other things, his chief ambition was to 
 have a railway built to Delagoa Bay, so that the 
 Boers would have an outlet independent of Brit- 
 ish territory, and to accomplish this purpose, 
 he went to Europe in 1875, having been empow- 
 ered to do so by the Volksraad. No sooner was 
 his back turned than a faction with P. J. Joubert 
 and Paul Kruger at its head began to operate 
 against the Government and against Mr. Burgers 
 personally. When he returned from his unsuc- 
 cessful journey he found the relations with the 
 native tribes almost on the point of explosion, 
 especially with the Zulus to the south, to whom 
 the acting President, P. J. Joubert, had sent a 
 sort of ultimatum, and had issued a proclama- 
 
 14 
 
Early History 
 
 tion laying down a boundary line far south- 
 ward of the one settled by Lieutenant-Governor 
 Keate of Natal, at the request of both parties, 
 when a dispute had arisen on a previous occa- 
 sion. But the position of affairs on the Lyden- 
 burg border was the most serious, and resulted 
 in a formal declaration of war against the Basuto 
 chief, Secocoeni. It was simply one of the Boer 
 cases of land-grabbing, when the natives were 
 living quietly on their own territory and molest- 
 ing no one. Secocoeni told the Boers " that he 
 did not wish to fight, but that he was quite ready 
 to do so if they preferred it." 
 
 All went well with the Boers at first, and 
 being helped by the Swazis, the only natives 
 with whom they were on friendly terms, they 
 gained two victories over Secocoeni. The Swa- 
 zis then left, complaining that the Boers always 
 put them in front, and were too cowardly to do 
 any attacking themselves. Secocceni's strong- 
 hold being finally assaulted, the Boers failed to 
 obey the command to advance, and retreated in 
 disorder. The total collapse of the campaign 
 made a bad impression throughout South Africa, 
 as it was the first time an organized white force 
 had ever been beaten by a native tribe. 
 
 A system of border police was then inaugur- 
 ated, as it was feared that Secocoeni would fol- 
 low up his victory ; but he did not do so, and 
 
 15 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 this body of men, drawn from the worst elements 
 in South Africa, and placed under the command 
 of two worthies — Von Schlickmann and Abel 
 Erasmus — established themseves in an old fort 
 at Steelport, and sallied out from time to time, 
 burning kraals and murdering the inhabitants. 
 
 The then state of affairs is summed up by Sir 
 H. Barkly in his despatch to Lord Carnarvon, 
 dated i8th December, 1876, in which he ex- 
 presses the hope that Her Majesty's Govern- 
 ment will take such steps " as will terminate 
 this wanton and useless bloodshed and prevent 
 the recurrence of the scenes of injustice, cruelty 
 and rapine which abundant evidence is every 
 day forthcoming to prove, have rarely ceased to 
 disgrace the republics beyond the Vaal ever 
 since they first sprang into existence." 
 
 One of the principal clauses in the Sand River 
 Convention was to the effect that there should 
 be no slavery. This agreement was never lived 
 up to by the Boers, and there is a mass of 
 evidence to prove it. It would take too much 
 space to go into the matter here, but those who 
 desire to learn something about it are advised to 
 read Mr. H. Rider Haggard's " Last Boer War." 
 One instance, however, may be given to show 
 how the natives hated the Boers, especially on 
 the ground of slavery. Khama, one of the 
 greatest chiefs in South Africa, who afterwards 
 
 16 
 
Early History 
 
 visited England, sent a message on the 22nd of 
 August, 1876, to "Victoria, the great Queen of 
 the English people," as follows : 
 
 " I write to you. Sir Henry, in order that your 
 Queen may preserve for me my country, it being 
 in her hands. The Boers are coming into it, 
 and I do not like them. Their actions are cruel 
 among us black people. We are like money ; 
 they sell us and our children. I ask Her Majesty 
 to pity me, and to hear that which I write quickly. 
 I wish to hear upon what conditions Her Majesty 
 will receive me, and my country, and my people 
 under her protection. I am weary with fight- 
 ing, I do not like war, and I ask Her Majesty 
 to give me peace. I am very much distressed 
 that my people are being destroyed by war, 
 and I wish them to obtain peace. I ask Her 
 Majesty to defend me as she defends all her 
 people. There are three things which distress 
 me very much — war, selling people, and drink. 
 All these things I shall find in the Boers, and it 
 is these things which destroy people to make an 
 end of them in the country. The custom of the 
 Boers has always been to cause people to be 
 sold, and to-day they are still selling people. 
 Last year I saw them pass with two waggons 
 full of people whom they had bought at the 
 river at Tinane." 
 
 Taxes were levied to defray the expenses of 
 
 17 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 the Secocoeni war and to pay the border police, 
 but were not forthcoming. The treasury was 
 empty, a lot of worthless paper money was in 
 circulation, and the Republic owed nearly ^300,- 
 OCX). Secocoeni was again getting troublesome ; 
 Cetewayo, the powerful Zulu chief, was gathering 
 his impis to sweep the Transvaal, and the general 
 confusion and paralysis which seemed to exist 
 amongst the Boers would have rendered an 
 effectual resistance almost impossible. 
 
 Early in the year 1877 the British Govern- 
 ment took alarm at the serious state of affairs 
 existing in the Transvaal. They appointed Sir 
 Theophilus Shepstone special commissioner and 
 sent him to Pretoria, with power to take what- 
 ever steps he considered necessary, " in order to 
 secure the peace and safety of our said colonies 
 and of our subjects elsewhere." 
 
 Sir T. Shepstone entered Pretoria with a 
 small staff, and had several interviews with 
 President Burgers and other prominent officials. 
 When he had investigated the state of affairs, 
 he decided that annexation was the only means 
 to save the country, and told President Burgers 
 so, showing him a draft of the proposed pro- 
 clamation. That President Burgers had no 
 serious objections is evidenced by the fact that 
 he suggested one or two alterations in the word- 
 ing of the proclamation, which Sir T. Shepstone 
 
 18 
 
Early History 
 
 agreed to. To conclusively show the then 
 existing state of affairs in the Transvaal, it is 
 only necessary to quote from an address read 
 by President Burgers to the members of the 
 Volksraad on the 3rd of March. 
 
 " I would rather be a policeman under a 
 strong government than the President of such a 
 state." ... 
 
 " You have ill-treated the natives, you have 
 shot them down, you have sold them into 
 slavery, and now you have to pay the penalty." 
 
 " I tell you openly, matters are as bad as they 
 ever can be ; they cannot be worse." . . . 
 
 " It is asked, What have they (the English) 
 got to do with our position ? I tell you, as 
 much as we have to do with that of our Kaffir 
 neighbours. As little as we can allow barbarities 
 among the Kaffirs on our borders, as little can 
 they allow that in a state on their borders 
 anarchy and rebellion should prevail." . . . 
 
 "To-day a bill for ;£"i,ioo was laid before me 
 for signature ; but I would sooner have cut off 
 my right hand than sign that paper, for I have 
 not the slightest ground to expect that when 
 that bill becomes due, there will be a penny to 
 pay it with." 
 
 On the 1 2th of April, 1877, the proclamation 
 
 annexing the Transvaal to the British Empire 
 2 19 
 
From Qjxebec io Pretoria 
 
 was read in the Market Square, Pretoria, and 
 was well received. It must have been an anx- 
 ious moment for Sir T. Shepstone and his staff. 
 He had no protection, and the small faction 
 hostile to the proceedings had been doing their 
 best to stir up opposition ; but the people as a 
 whole were evidently convinced that it was the 
 only solution of the difficulty, and the proceed- 
 ings were in every way harmonious. The day 
 before the proclamation was issued. Sir T. Shep- 
 stone sent word to Cetewayo that the Trans- 
 vaal was going to be made British territory, to 
 which he received the following reply : " I thank 
 my father Somtseu (Shepstone) for his message. 
 I am glad that he has sent it, because the 
 Dutch have tired me out, and I intended to fight 
 with them once, only once, and to drive them 
 over the Vaal. Kabana, you see my impis are 
 gathered. It was to fight the Dutch I called 
 them together. Now I will send them back to 
 their houses. ... In the reign of my 
 father Umpanda, the Boers were constantly 
 moving their boundary farther into my country. 
 Since his death the same thing has been done. 
 I had therefore determined to end it once for all." 
 Without a shot being fired, without military 
 display of any kind, the Transvaal was quietly 
 annexed to the British Empire, peace was 
 granted to Secocoeni, and Cetewayo, as we have 
 seen, dispersed his armies, 
 
 20 
 
Early History 
 
 Shortly afterwards Messrs. Kruger and Joris- 
 sen left for England to make a formal protest 
 against the annexation, but so apathetic were 
 even the malcontents that these two gentlemen 
 found great difficulty in raising one-half the 
 amount necessary to make the journey. Sir 
 T. Shepstone wrote (May 9th) : " I do not think 
 that either of them wishes the Act of Annexation 
 to be cancelled : Dr. Jorissen certainly does 
 not;" and the Recorder of Kimberley wrote to 
 Sir Bartle Frere, Governor of Cape Colony, 
 (May 15th): "Dr. Jorissen thinks that the re- 
 versal of Sir Theophilus' Act would not only be 
 impossible, but a great injury to the country." 
 Returning to the Transvaal, they both took 
 office under the British Government. 
 
 The following extracts from J. P. Fitzpatrick's 
 excellent book, " The Transvaal from Within," 
 give a splendid synopsis of the condition of 
 affairs after the annexation : 
 
 " The real mistakes of the British Government 
 began after the annexation. The failure to 
 fulfil promises ; the deviation from old ways of 
 government ; the appointment of unsuitable 
 officials who did not understand the people or 
 their language ; the neglect to convene the 
 Volksraad, or to hold fresh elections as defi- 
 nitely promised ; the establishment of personal 
 rule by military men, who treated the Boers 
 with harshness and contempt, and would make 
 
 21 
 
From Qjiebec to Pretoria 
 
 no allowance for their simple, old-fashioned 
 ways, their deep-seated prejudices, and, if you 
 like, their stupid opposition to modern ideas — 
 these things and others caused great dissatis- 
 faction, and gave ample material for the nu- 
 cleus of irreconcilables to work with." . . . 
 
 " The effect of the annexation was to start the 
 wells of plenty bubbling — with British gold. 
 The country's debts were paid. Secocceni and 
 Cetewayo would be dealt with, and the re- 
 sponsibility for all things was on other and 
 broader shoulders. With the revival of trade 
 and the removal of responsibilities and burdens 
 came time to think and to talk. The wave of 
 the magician's wand looked so very simple 
 that the price began to seem heavy. The eaten 
 bread was forgotten. The dangers and diffi- 
 culties that were past were of small account now 
 that they were past ; and so the men who had 
 remained passive and recorded formal protests 
 when they should have resisted, and taken steps 
 to show they were in earnest, began their repeal 
 agitations. All the benefits which the Boers 
 hoped for from the annexation had now been 
 reaped. Their pressing needs were relieved. 
 Their debts had been paid, their trade and 
 credit restored ; their enemies were being dealt 
 with. Repeal would rob them of none of these. 
 They would, in fact, eat their cake and still 
 have it." 
 
 22 
 
EsLrly History 
 
 The Repeal agitation, once started, soon 
 spread, and culminated in the rising and war of 
 1 880-8 1. It was not the annexation that was 
 at fault, but the failure to fulfil the obligations 
 then undertaken. 
 
 Unfortunately, in December, 1879, the situa- 
 tion was not improved by the speeches de- 
 livered by Mr. Gladstone (then in opposition) 
 during his Midlothian campaign. He roundly 
 denounced the annexation of the Transvaal, and 
 the Boers naturally felt that if the Liberals came 
 into power retrocession would be the order of 
 the day ; but when Mr. Gladstone did become 
 Prime Minister, his views evidently underwent a 
 very radical change. The Boers lost no time 
 in petitioning the new Government in England, 
 asking that the annexation be rescinded, but 
 the reply they got, dated June 8th, 1880, was as 
 follows : " Looking to all the circumstances of 
 both the Transvaal and the rest of South Africa, 
 and to the necessity of preventing a renewal of 
 disorders which might lead to disastrous con- 
 sequences, not only to the Transvaal, but to the 
 whole of South Africa, our judgment is that the 
 Queen cannot be advised to relinquish her 
 sovereignty over the Transvaal." 
 
 Lord Kimberley, in a speech delivered in the 
 House of Lords, May 24th, 1880, said: "Diffi- 
 culties with the Zulus and the frontier tribes 
 would again arise, and, looking as they must to 
 
 23 
 
From Quebec to PreiorU 
 
 South Africa as a whole, the Government, after 
 a careful consideration of the question, came to 
 the conclusion that we could not relinquish the 
 Transvaal." 
 
 The Boers held meetings all over the country, 
 and matters speedily drifted to an outbreak. 
 On December i6th, 1880, the first shot was 
 fired at Potchefstroom, when some Boers fired at 
 a mounted infantry patrol. Colonel Anstruther, 
 marching from Lydenburg to Pretoria with part 
 of the 94th Regiment, was ambushed about 
 thirty-eight miles east of Pretoria, on the 20th 
 of December, at Bronkhorst Spruit, and out of a 
 total of 267 men, three women and two children, 
 fifty-six were killed, 10 1 wounded, including one 
 of the women, and twenty of the wounded after- 
 wards died. So unconscious were the English 
 soldiers of any danger (the news of the insur- 
 rection at Potchefstroom not having reached 
 them) that the band was playing when the 
 Boers were first seen, and the column, which 
 included a large number of waggons, was 
 stretched out a great distance along the road. 
 This dastardly outrage had a fitting sequel in 
 the murder of Captain Elliott, one of the two 
 surviving unwounded officers, who, on promising 
 to quit the Transvaal, was released on parole 
 (Thonneur, and taken to a drift on the Vaal 
 River. He and Captain Lambert were ordered 
 
 24 
 
Earty History 
 
 to cross at a certain drift, when it was nearly 
 dark. They drove the horses into the river, and 
 immediately got stuck in a hole, the cart partly 
 overturning in the swift current. They called 
 out that they were stuck, and received for 
 answer the information that they would be shot 
 if they attempted to return. They then de- 
 cided to swim to the other side, but before they 
 could jump into the water a volley from the 
 escort killed Captain Elliott, whose body fell 
 into the water, and was carried away by the 
 current. Captain Lambert swam across the 
 river, another volley being fired at him while he 
 was in the water ; on gaining the opposite bank 
 he ran for about two hundred yards under a 
 heavy fire. 
 
 Pretoria, Potchefstroom, Rustenburg, Lyden- 
 burg, Marabastad and Wakkerstroom were be- 
 sieged and successfully defended by small 
 bodies of troops or loyal inhabitants. Com- 
 mandant Cronje, however, succeeded in forcing 
 Colonel Winsloe at Potchefstroom, who was 
 short of provisions, to surrender, after an armis- 
 tice between the forces had been arranged, in- 
 formation of which was deliberately kept from 
 Colonel Winsloe by Cronje. Public reparation 
 was afterwards exacted for this outrage. 
 
 The Boers descended into Natal and took up 
 strong positions about four miles south of Lang's 
 
 25 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 Nek. Sir George Colley, with a force of some- 
 thing under 600 men, endeavoured on January 
 28th to drive them out, but met with a severe 
 repulse, the casualties amounting to 190, a very 
 large number, considering the force engaged. 
 Again at Ingogo heights, on February 8th, 
 General Colley engaged the enemy, the action 
 lasting all day. It has been called a drawn 
 battle, both sides vacating their ground during 
 the night, but seventy-six men were killed and 
 sixty-nine wounded on the British side, and as 
 the Boer loss was much less, the advantage lay 
 decidedly with them. Sir George Colley sent 
 Sir Evelyn Wood down country to bring up 
 reinforcements, but before they reached him he 
 decided to seize Majuba Hill, and thus get 
 command of the Nek. Taking about 600 men 
 with him, the ascent was successfully accom- 
 plished during the night of the 26th. The first 
 the Boers knew about it was the sight of the 
 English soldiers on the summit the next morn- 
 ing. The story of the battle is well known. 
 At first the Boers started to inspan and move 
 off, but when they found the British had no 
 guns they decided to storm the hill. The 
 majority took up a position from which they 
 kept up a long range fire, while a comparatively 
 small party did the actual storming. No en- 
 trenchments had been made, and the men were 
 
 26 
 
Early History 
 
 placed all along the ridge on the sky line. The 
 Boers gradually crept nearer and nearer, taking 
 advantage of every bit of cover and shooting 
 admirably, until they actually gained the crest 
 and rushed the position. It is a humiliating 
 tale from a British standpoint, and no amount 
 of excuses can explain away the result. The 
 Boer feat of arms is deserving of all praise. At 
 Lang's Nek they were successful from the top of 
 the hill, at Majuba they were successful from the 
 bottom. 
 
 While Sir Evelyn Wood was getting together 
 the necessary forces, and while Sir Frederick 
 Roberts was on the ocean with 10,000 men to 
 avenge the recent defeats and re-establish the 
 Queen's power in the Transvaal, the Liberal 
 Government in England made up their minds 
 that the undertaking was too large and costly 
 for them ; they suddenly came to the conclusion 
 that it was an unjust war, and, notwithstanding 
 the declarations which had been made by re- 
 sponsible statesmen, that the country would 
 never be relinquished by the Queen — declara- 
 tions which the loyal inhabitants had been 
 relying on, and on the strength of which they 
 had invested money in the country, made their 
 homes there, borne many privations and hard- 
 ships, and in some instances had given up their 
 lives — peace was made, without another shot 
 
 being fired. 
 
 27 
 
CHAPTER II 
 THE BOER REPUBLIC 
 
 ■jITTR. RIDER HAGGARD says : " The news 
 ■*■•■'■ of this peace was at first received in 
 the Colony in the silence of astonishment 
 . . . It seemed to us who had been wit- 
 nesses of what had passed, and knew what it all 
 meant, something so utterly incredible that we 
 thought there must be a mistake. . . . New- 
 castle was a curious sight the night after the 
 peace was declared. Every hotel and bar was 
 crowded with refugees, who were trying to 
 relieve their feelings by cursing the name of 
 Gladstone with a vigour, originality and earnest- 
 ness that I have never heard equalled ; and de- 
 claring in ironical terms how proud they were 
 to be citizens of England, a country that always 
 kept its word. . . . But if people in Natal 
 and at the Cape received the news with astonish- 
 ment, how shall I describe its effects upon the 
 unfortunate loyal inhabitants of the Transvaal, 
 on whom it burst like a thunderbolt ? They did 
 not say much, however ; and, indeed, there was 
 
 28 
 
The "Boer "^Republic 
 
 nothing to be said. They simply began to 
 pack up such things as they could carry with 
 them, and to leave the country which they well 
 knew would henceforth be utterly untenable for 
 Englishmen or English sympathizers. In a few 
 weeks they were pouring down through New- 
 castle by the hundreds : it was the most melan- 
 choly exodus that can be imagined. There 
 were people of all classes, officials, gentlefolk, 
 work-people, and loyal Boers ; but they had a 
 connecting link — they had all been loyal, and 
 they were all ruined, . . . indeed, many of 
 them whom one had known as well-to-do in the 
 Transvaal, came down to Natal hardly knowing 
 how they would feed their families next week." * 
 A commission was appointed to arrange the 
 future relationship that was to exist between 
 Great Britain and the Transvaal, and the result 
 of its labours was the agreement known as the 
 Pretoria Convention. A large number of the 
 more prominent native chiefs assembled in Pre- 
 toria to learn their fate, and the remarks made 
 by them to the Secretary for Native Affairs 
 are instructive. Umgombarie, a Zoutpansberg 
 chief, said : " I am Umgombarie. I have 
 fought with the Boers and have many wounds, 
 and they know that what I say is true. . . . 
 
 * " Last Boer War," page 165, et seg. 
 29 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 I will never consent to place myself under their 
 rule. I belong to the English Government." 
 Silamba said : " I belong to the English. I 
 will never return under the Boers. You see me, 
 a man of my rank and position. Is it right that 
 such as I should be seized and laid on the 
 ground and flogged, as has been done to me 
 and other chiefs? " Sinkanhla said : " We hear 
 and yet do not hear ; we cannot understand. 
 . . . We should like to have the man pointed 
 out from among us black people who objects to 
 the rule of the Queen. . . . We have now had 
 four years of rest and peaceful and just rule." 
 Umyethile said : " We have no heart for talking. 
 I have returned to the country from Sechclis, 
 where I had to fly from Boer oppression. Our 
 hearts are black and heavy with grief to-day at 
 the news told us ; we are in agony." 
 
 The Pretoria Convention did not satisfy the 
 Boers very long, and by continual agitation 
 they induced the British Government to re- 
 consider it, the result being the London Con- 
 vention of 1884, an even more clumsy docu- 
 ment than the former. Raids were systemati- 
 cally made on neighbouring tribes, with the view 
 of extending the borders of the Republic, not- 
 withstanding that the boundaries had been 
 definitely settled by the London Convention ; 
 one expedition actually being directed against a 
 
 30 
 
The ^oer Republic 
 
 chief under British protection, which was only 
 rendered abortive by the Warren expedition, 
 which cost the British Government a million and 
 a half sterling. 
 
 It was in 1884, while Messrs. Kruger and 
 Smit were in England negotiating the London 
 Convention, that the former published in the 
 London press a cordial invitation and welcome 
 and the promises of rights and protection to all 
 who would come and settle in the Republic. 
 This is surely a sufficient answer to President 
 Kruger's subsequent declarations, " that the 
 Uitlanders were never asked to come to the 
 country, and were not wanted there." He also 
 stated in May, 1881, at the Conference settling 
 the terms of the retrocession : " We make no 
 difference (to Englishmen), so far as burgher 
 rights are concerned. There may, perhaps, be 
 some slight difference in the case of a young 
 person who has just come into the country." 
 
 The Boers had barely obtained their inde- 
 pendence when they commenced that policy 
 of exclusion, so far as the franchise is con- 
 cerned, which was made ever more vigorous by 
 successive Volksraads. In 1882 they passed a 
 law that no one should be entitled to the fran- 
 chise unless they had lived in the country for 
 five years ; previous to that one year's residence 
 had been sufficient. 
 
 31 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 The discovery of the Witwatersrand gold fields 
 (proclaimed September 8th, 1886) opened a new 
 political and industrial era in the Transvaal. 
 The Sheba mine and others at Barberton had 
 already attracted a considerable population, but 
 the rush which took place to the Rand, and the 
 subsequent success of mining operations there, 
 while it made the Transvaal one of the richest 
 states in the world, brought responsibilities with 
 which the ignorant Dopper farmers were quite 
 unable to cope. As the Rand gold fields devel- 
 oped and Johannesburg was built up, the Uit- 
 landers, as those on the Barberton gold fields 
 had done, formed themselves into a Chamber of 
 Mines, and began agitating for necessary re- 
 forms, and a proper protection to life and pro- 
 perty. That their work was carried on in the 
 right direction is shown by the fact that they 
 drew up a bill regulating the native " pass " 
 question, which dealt with it in all its details, 
 even to the creation of a Government Depart- 
 ment, and also consolidated at their own expense 
 one of the most complicated and unworkable 
 sets of mining regulations which probably ever 
 existed, both of these enactments being gladly 
 accepted by the Government, as they were quite 
 unable to undertake the work themselves. But 
 the Government from the first showed itself 
 intensely hostile to the Chamber of Mines, and, 
 
 32 
 
' The ^oer Republic 
 
 at a later period, to the Transvaal National 
 Union, the latter made up of all the unenfran- 
 chised portion of the population, having for its 
 object the agitation for necessary reforms. 
 
 The reforms required are set out by Mr. 
 Charles Leonard, at one time Chairman of the 
 Union, as follows : 
 
 1. The establishment of this Republic as a 
 true Republic. 
 
 2. A Grondwet or Constitution, which shall 
 be framed by competent persons, selected by 
 representatives of the whole people, and framed 
 on lines laid down by them — a constitution 
 which shall be safeguarded against hasty alter- 
 ation. 
 
 3. An equitable franchise law and fair repre- 
 sentation. 
 
 4. Equality of the Dutch and English lan- 
 guages. 
 
 5. Responsibility to the Legislature of the 
 great departments, 
 
 6. Removal of religious disabilities. 
 
 7. Independence of the courts of justice, with 
 adequate and secured remuneration of the 
 judges. 
 
 8. Liberal and comprehensive education. 
 
 9. An efficient civil service, with adequate 
 provision for pay and pension. 
 
 10. Free trade in South African products. 
 
 33 
 
From Quebec io Pretoria 
 
 There does not seem to be anything in these 
 demands that any enlightened community would 
 not expect as their just rights, and when it is 
 borne in mind that the Uitlanders were paying at 
 least seven-eighths of the revenue of the country 
 and had no voice in the general administration 
 of affairs — not even a say in the municipal 
 affairs of the city they had built — and were out- 
 rageously taxed indirectly for the benefit of 
 the " concessions " given right and left to the 
 " friends '' of the Government, it is not surpris- 
 ing that an active agitation was kept up with a 
 view to obtaining from the Government the one 
 thing considered necessary to safeguard their 
 interests and prevent further oppression — an 
 equitable franchise law, with representation by 
 population. The principal grievances complained 
 of by the Uitlanders were : 
 
 I. The franchise. As we have seen, the law 
 was changed in 1882 from one year's residence 
 to five. This was only the beginning of that 
 policy of exclusion which was gradually ex- 
 tended, until a fourteen years' residence became 
 necessary. Nor was this all ; registration with a 
 Field Cornet had to be shown, and the com- 
 mencement of such residence dated from such 
 registration. The consequence was that most of 
 the arrivals from 1882 to 1890 were unable to 
 prove their registration, owing to the unbusiness- 
 
 34 
 
The ^oer Republic 
 
 like way in which the Field Cornets conducted 
 their affairs, having no office, and most of them 
 being illiterate, not to say dishonest. However, 
 if registration and a fourteen years' residence 
 could be proved, the applicant could then only 
 procure burgher rights if the majority of the 
 burghers in his ward will signify in writing their 
 desire that he should obtain them, and provided 
 the President and Executive shall see no objection 
 to granting the same. (Law No. 3 of 1894.) 
 
 In other words, the Uitlanders were disquali- 
 fied forever. 
 
 2. The railway policy. The worst example 
 of the way in which the mining industry had to 
 suffer, owing to the extortionate rates of the 
 state-owned railway (the Netherlands Railway 
 Company), is shown by the fact that its yearly 
 revenue reached the respectable sum of $i5,ocx),- 
 000. If it had only been half that sum, hand- 
 some profits would still have accrued to the 
 company and the other half been saved to the 
 public. Needless to say, it was protected by 
 a stringent monopoly. The Selati Railway 
 scheme, another of the celebrated concessions, is 
 an object-lesson in itself It is described by Mr. 
 Fitzpatrick* as " one of the biggest ' steals ' even 
 in the Transvaal " — the money made " on the 
 
 * "The Transvaal from Within," p. 70. 
 3 35 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 side" by the Government and their friends, of 
 course, coming out of the pockets of the unfor- 
 tunate tax-payers. 
 
 3. A glance at the revenue is instructive, as it 
 shows the amount of taxation directly levied. 
 In 1 87 1 the revenue was ;f 40,988 ; in 1886, the 
 year the Rand was proclaimed, it amounted to 
 £ig6y2^6, and from then it went up by leaps 
 and bounds until, in 1899, the budget showed 
 ;^4,o87,852, this in addition to the enormous" 
 sums taken out of the pockets of the people by 
 the Netherlands Railway, the Dynamite Monop- 
 oly, and all the other concessions held by Mr. 
 Kruger's friends. 
 
 4. The Dynamite Monopoly. This was a 
 concession to manufacture explosives — a very 
 important article in a mining community — and 
 the duty on the imported article was raised to a 
 point that enabled the concessionaire to sell his 
 goods at a price nearly 200 per cent, dearer than 
 the article could otherwise be imported for. It 
 is estimated that it constituted an extra burden 
 on the Rand mines of i^6oo,ooo per annum. 
 
 5. The Question of Education. This was 
 always a burning question, and the Uitlanders 
 went so far as to raise a sufficient sum of money 
 by voluntary subscriptions to establish schools, 
 and secured the services of a Director-General 
 of Education, with a competent staff, no relief 
 
 36 
 
The Boer Republic 
 
 being obtainable from the Government at Pre- 
 toria. In 1895 the Government spent is. lod. 
 a head on Uitlander schools, while the expendi- 
 ture per Dutch child was £Z 6s. id. 
 
 In a sketch like this it would be impossible to 
 deal with all the grievances of the Uitlanders. 
 In addition to those already referred to, the fol- 
 lowing must be mentioned : The gross abuse of 
 the public expenditure, the subornation of the 
 courts by the executive, the refusal to allow 
 Uitlanders to act as jurymen, the squandering 
 of the public revenue, the general corruptness of 
 the Legislature and the Civil Service, the mal- 
 administration of the liquor law, by which a 
 large number of natives were continually drunk ; 
 no municipal control, religious disabilities, a cor- 
 rupt and violent police, and interference with 
 the press and the holding of public meetings. 
 
 The franchise was always the predominant 
 feature of the agitation, because without that and 
 a fair representation reforms, even if instituted 
 by the Government, could be as easily rescinded. 
 The enactment of 1894, which practically shut 
 out the Uitlanders from any chance of ever 
 obtaining the franchise, seems to have been the 
 turning point in the Reform movement at Johan- 
 nesburg. Up to that time there had always 
 been, at least, a modicum of hope that President 
 Kruger would do something towards rectifying 
 
 37 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 their many grievances, but there could be no 
 mistake about the intention of Law No. 3 of 
 1894. 
 
 From that time matters drifted steadily to- 
 wards an open rupture ; funds were collected, 
 arms and ammunition were imported into Johan- 
 nesburg, and the Uitlanders decided that the 
 tyranny they were groaning under justified an 
 armed rising. In an evil moment they decided to 
 get the assistance of Dr. Jameson and the Char- 
 tered Company's police, and an undated letter 
 was given him to use, in which he was asked to 
 come to the aid of the British subjects in the 
 Transvaal should a disturbance arise. It was 
 arranged that he was to hold in the meantime 
 some 800 men and artillery in readiness on the 
 western border of the Transvaal. 
 
 The principal item in the Reformers* pro- 
 gramme, and a very feasible one, was the seizure 
 of the fort and magazines at Pretoria, and the 
 railway between the two towns. There were 
 only about 100 men in the fort at the time, and 
 part of the surrounding wall had been removed. 
 In the fort were 10,000 rifles, a dozen field guns, 
 and 12,000,000 rounds of ammunition. What 
 could not be brought away on a couple of trains 
 was to be destroyed. Some delay occurred 
 towards the end of December, chiefly owing to 
 the question of the flag. A good many people 
 
 38 
 
The Boer Republic 
 
 thought that as the Chartered Company's troops 
 were going to be used, the English flag would 
 be hoisted, and while this would appeal to the 
 feelings of the majority of the Reformers, it was 
 generally felt to be an altogether wrong proceed- 
 ing ; firstly, because there were many in their 
 ranks to whom the British flag did not appeal, and 
 secondly, because the members of the National 
 Union had always taken the ground that they 
 simply wanted the Republic established as a true 
 Republic. Emissaries were despatched to see Mr. 
 Cecil Rhodes about the matter, as he had given 
 his consent to the Chartered Company's troops 
 being used, and messages were sent to Dr. 
 Jameson telling him that the rising would not 
 take place quite as soon as expected. As Dr. 
 Jameson was evidently getting impatient, two 
 messengers were sent to him, one taking the 
 train by way of Kimberley and the other riding 
 across country, and both conveying the most 
 emphatic instructions not to come, as owing to 
 the flag incident and the slowness of getting 
 arms in, the people were not yet in a state of 
 preparedness. Both these messages were deliv- 
 ered to Dr. Jameson before he started. 
 
 Notwithstanding this fact, he started on 
 Sunday, the 29th, with 5CX) men, being met 
 and defeated at Doornkop by the Boers, who 
 had assembled in large numbers to bar his entry 
 
 39 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 into Johannesburg. The Reformers could do 
 nothing ; in fact, it had never for a moment been 
 supposed that Dr. Jameson would need any 
 assistance to get into Johannesburg ; if he came 
 at all, it was to help the Reformers ; they never 
 thought they would have to help him. Dr. 
 Jameson surrendered on the express understand- 
 ing that the lives of all would be spared ; but 
 President Kruger, once he got them to Pretoria, 
 kept that information to himself, and told the 
 Uitlanders that his prisoners' lives depended on 
 their (the Uitlanders') good behaviour ; conse- 
 quently the latter desisted from any further 
 overt acts. The ringleaders were all promptly 
 arrested, although the Government had been 
 treating with them for the previous three days, 
 " holding out the olive branch," and definitely 
 stating in a proclamation that the Government 
 was " still prepared to take into consideration all 
 grievances that may be laid before it in a proper 
 manner, and to submit the same to the people 
 of the land, without delay, for treatment." 
 
 The Reformers were tried before Mr. Gregor- 
 owski, Attorney-General of the Free State, a 
 noted anti-Britisher who was specially imported 
 for the occasion, and he passed the death sen- 
 tence on four of the prisoners, all the others 
 being sentenced to two years' imprisonment, 
 with a fine of ;f 2,000, or one year's further im- 
 
 40 
 
The Boer Republic 
 
 prisonment, to be followed by three years* ban- 
 ishment from the State. The death sentence 
 above mentioned was afterwards commuted to a 
 fine of ;^25,ooo each. 
 
 The history of the Transvaal between the raid 
 and the outbreak of hostilities in 1899 is largely 
 composed of preparations on the part of the 
 Boer Government for some great struggle. They 
 had sufficient money, thanks to the Uitlander 
 community. Forts were built for the protec- 
 tion of Pretoria ; another was built to menace 
 Johannesburg, arms of all descriptions and enor- 
 mous supplies of ammunition were imported, 
 and military experts were brought from Europe 
 to drill and instruct the burghers. If the posi- 
 tion of the Uitlanders had been hopeless before 
 the raid, it was certainly one of despair after- 
 wards. The "olive branch" which had been held 
 forward so prominently when the military force 
 and preparedness of Johannesburg for a rising 
 was an unknown quantity, and Dr. Jameson was 
 invading the Transvaal, was never again shown, 
 and the promise that the " grievances " would 
 be "submitted to the people of the land for 
 treatment " was forgotten. 
 
 What is known as the High Court crisis 
 occurred early in 1897. Chief Justice Kotz^ 
 declared in a judgment that a certain Act passed 
 by the Volksraad was unconstitutional. The 
 
 41 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 President immediately introduced an Act em- 
 powering him to dismiss the judges unless they 
 would give assurances to respect all resolutions 
 of the Volksraad, whether they conflicted with 
 the constitution or not. Chief Justice Kotz6 
 and Mr. Justice Ameshof were immediately dis- 
 missed because they would not submit to such 
 a state of affairs. 
 
 The Uitlanders by constant agitation induced 
 the Government to appoint a commission to 
 inquire into their grievances, Mr. Schalkburger 
 being made chairman. The report issued by 
 the commission was a complete justification of 
 the stand taken by the Uitlanders, and Presi- 
 dent Kruger was so incensed at Mr. Schalk- 
 burger having signed such a report, that he 
 publicly branded him as a traitor in the Volks- 
 raad. 
 
 The year 1898 brought the usual crop of con- 
 cessions, resulting in the further indirect taxa- 
 tion of the mining industry. One incident only 
 gave satisfaction to the Uitlanders — Dr. Leyds 
 relinquished his post of State Secretary, and 
 betook himself to Europe to act as plenipoten- 
 tiary. But it was the closing days of this year 
 that furnished an incident which was probably 
 the beginning of the end. A man named Edgar, 
 returning home about midnight, knocked down 
 a man who insulted him on the street. He was 
 
 42 
 
The Boer Republic 
 
 immediately followed to his house by four police- 
 men, one of whom burst open the door and shot 
 Edgar dead in front of his wife. The policeman 
 was arrested the following morning, but released 
 on a paltry ;^200 bail. An important step was 
 then taken. Four or five thousand people held a 
 meeting in the market-square, and decided to pre- 
 sent a petition direct to Her Majesty asking for 
 protection. The petition had to be subsequently 
 redrawn, and 21,000 signatures were obtained. 
 The Boer jury, as expected, acquitted the mur- 
 derer of Edgar, and the judge said to the pris- 
 oner as he was discharging him, "With that 
 verdict I concur, and I hope that the police 
 under difficult circumstances will always know 
 how to do their duty." 
 
 The petition was sent to England in April, 
 1899, ^^^ negotiations were at once opened 
 between London and Pretoria. A conference 
 was arranged at Bloemfontein between Presi- 
 dent Kruger and Sir Alfred Milner, the meeting 
 taking place on the 30th of May. The chief 
 point discussed was the question of franchise, 
 and Sir Alfred Milner asked that voting power 
 be granted to everyone who could prove five 
 years' residence, and that the Uitlanders be 
 given adequate representation in the Volksraad. 
 President Kruger offered a seven years' fran- 
 chise, hedged round with the usual encum- 
 
 43 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 brances, and would only allow five members out 
 of a total of thirty-one. As usual, nothing came 
 of the negotiations, and the Transvaal actively 
 prepared for the war which they fondly thought 
 would see the disappearance of the English flag 
 from South Africa, and the establishment of 
 that Dutch power from the Cape to the Zam- 
 besi which had been the dream and aim of their 
 statesmen for many years. 
 
 44 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 FROM QUEBEC TO BELMONT 
 
 ^T^HE negotiations which had been proceed- 
 ■^ ing between London and Pretoria were 
 suddenly interrupted by the despatch of the 
 celebrated ultimatum from Pretoria, on the 9th 
 of October, 1899, demanding "that all British 
 troops on the borders of the Republic be im- 
 mediately withdrawn, that all reinforcements 
 which had arrived in South Africa during the 
 preceding year should leave the country, and 
 that those which were on their way to South 
 Africa should be returned without landing." 
 Forty-eight hours were given for compliance with 
 these requests, otherwise the Boer Government 
 would regard the action of Her Majesty's Gov- 
 ernment as a formal declaration of war. 
 
 The following reply was sent through Sir 
 Alfred Milner : " Her Majesty's Government 
 have received with regret the peremptory de- 
 mands of the Government of the South African 
 Republic conveyed in your telegram of the 9th 
 of October. You will inform the Government 
 
 45 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 of the South African Republic in reply that the 
 conditions demanded by the Government of the 
 South African Republic are such as Her Majes- 
 ty's Government deem it impossible to discuss." 
 
 And this was the end of the negotiations. 
 The hope of a peaceable solution of the South 
 African problem was also at an end, deliberately 
 cast aside by the Boer Government. Surely all 
 the means of diplomacy had not been exhausted; 
 surely a solution of the difficulties could have 
 been found, and the Government of the South 
 African Republic made to recognize that at the 
 very end of the nineteenth century all law- 
 abiding white men must have equal rights. 
 That the Boers were evidently anxious and de- 
 termined to resort to the arbitrament of war 
 was evident, and as the conflict proceeded and 
 it was seen what stupendous preparations had 
 been made for it, less and less surprise was felt 
 at their being the aggressors. The entire want 
 of preparation on the part of the British is alone 
 sufficient to prove that they did not precipitate 
 hostilities. 
 
 The burghers of the Orange Free State, 
 headed by President Steyn, voluntarily threw in 
 their lot with their northern brethren, or, to be 
 more precise, the Free State forces had been 
 mobilized early in October. It was a matter of 
 some surprise that the Free State should have 
 
 46 
 
From Quebec to Belmont 
 
 joined the Transvaal in a war against Great 
 Britain. There was no quarrel between the two 
 countries. In fact, they were and had been for 
 many years on the most friendly terms, and 
 President Steyn had been assured that, if he 
 remained neutral, not a foot of his territory 
 would be violated. But Mr. Steyn was evidently 
 imbued with the ambition of seeing the British 
 flag driven out of South Africa, and to accom- 
 plish his end committed the crime of making 
 war on a people with whom he had no cause for 
 quarrel. 
 
 An astonishing sight now presented itself to 
 the world, and one that has had and will have 
 the most far-reaching consequences. The great 
 self-governing colonies of the Empire deter- 
 mined to take their share in the struggle. Offers 
 of men were made, first by Queensland, and 
 then in quick succession by the remainder of the 
 Australian colonies and Canada. It was in no 
 hurried spirit that the people of the Dominion 
 decided to assume the grave responsibilities at- 
 tendant on this new departure — responsibilities 
 which, however, have now come to be looked 
 upon by a large majority as part and parcel of 
 membership in a great Empire ; but the resolu- 
 tion, once made, was carried through with a 
 quiet enthusiasm which augured well for the 
 success of the undertaking. 
 
 47 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 In no part of the Empire had the hope been 
 more fervently expressed that the closing years 
 of Queen Victoria's life should not be darkened 
 with the shadow of war. The negotiations had 
 been followed with the closest interest, but it 
 was early foreseen that the end of it must be 
 either a complete backdown of the Boer Gov- 
 ernment from their untenable position, or the 
 subjugation of the Transvaal. No one, how- 
 ever, was quite prepared for what actually took 
 place. When the Boer leaders deliberately 
 threw away the means to a peaceable solution 
 of the difficulties and declared war, at the same 
 time invading and annexing British territory, 
 and commandeering British subjects and their 
 property, any doubts the Canadian people may 
 have entertained as to the part they should play 
 were speedily swept away, and they cheerfully 
 set about to take up their share of the burden of 
 Empire. 
 
 The offer of a contingent of one thousand 
 men from this country was accepted. It was to 
 be mobilized, equipped and landed at Cape Town 
 at the expense of the Dominion Government, 
 and then be taken over by the Imperial authori- 
 ties as a regular British regiment, to be treated 
 as such during the campaign, and returned 
 eventually to Canada. Steps were immediately 
 taken to mobilize. To each military district 
 
 48 
 
From Quebec to ^etmoni 
 
 was allotted the task of furnishing a proportion- 
 ate number of men, who were raised by volun- 
 tary enlistment from the different militia regi- 
 ments, the permanent corps also furnishing 
 their quota. Recruiting stations were opened 
 at all the principal towns, the requisite number 
 being easily obtainable; in most cases it resolved 
 into a case of selection. The new Regiment 
 was to be known as the 2nd (special service) 
 Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment of In- 
 fantry, a sister battalion to the permanent regi- 
 ment of infantry. Major-General Hutton, the 
 officer commanding the Canadian Militia, was 
 most active in every detail relating to its for- 
 mation, and much of the success attending the 
 mobilization was undoubtedly due to his ability 
 and untiring energy and zeal. 
 
 But it was probably to the Hon. Dr. Borden, 
 Minister of Militia, that the lion's share of the 
 credit was due. Difficulties were overcome and 
 mobilization expedited in a manner which re- 
 flected the greatest credit, not only on Dr. 
 Borden but also on the Militia Department as 
 a whole. The despatching of the other contin- 
 gents from Canada to South Africa only con- 
 firmed the general public in the opinion they had 
 formed of the ability and good judgment of 
 this Minister. It has been a surprise to many 
 that when the different honours were bestowed 
 
 49 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 in connection with the war that Dr. Borden 
 should have been passed over. 
 
 The regiment was divided into eight com- 
 panies, drawn from and representative of the 
 different parts of the Dominion as follows : A 
 Company, British Columbia and Manitoba ; B 
 Company, Western Ontario ; C Company, Cen- 
 tral Ontario ; D Company, Eastern Ontario ; E 
 and F companies from the Province of Que- 
 bec; G Company, New Brunswick and Prince 
 Edward Island ; and H Company, from Nova 
 Scotia. Lieutenant-Colonel W. D. Otter was 
 given the command.* The staff-sergeants and 
 a colour-sergeant for each company were drawn 
 from the permanent corps, an arrangement 
 which proved in every way satisfactory. 
 
 The mobilization took place at the city of 
 Quebec, and the last detachment to arrive, that 
 from the far West, reached the Citadel at an 
 early hour on Sunday, the 29th of October. 
 During the morning special farewell services 
 were held in the Cathedral and Basilica, while 
 the afternoon was spent in outfitting the late 
 arrivals. On Monday morning a review was 
 held at the Esplanade, when Lord Minto, the 
 Governor-General ; Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the 
 Premier ; Major-General Hutton, and Mayor 
 
 * For full list of officers see Appendix A. 
 50 
 
From Quebec io Belmont 
 
 Parent, of Quebec, delivered addresses, directly- 
 after which the regiment marched to the wharf 
 and embarked on the Allan Line steamship 
 Sardinian. 
 
 The culminating enthusiasm of the Canadian 
 people, as manifested in the farewell scenes at 
 Quebec, will not soon be forgotten. The ancient 
 capital of Canada was in every way a fitting 
 place from which an expedition of this kind 
 should embark on its eventful journey. All 
 through the decorated streets Gaul and Saxon 
 seemed to vie with each other in cheering the 
 men who were going to take their share in 
 deciding which should be the paramount power 
 in South Africa, Boer or Briton. From the 
 ship it was seen that every available coign of 
 vantage ashore was black with people — the 
 Citadel, the house-tops, the cliffs, Dufferin 
 Terrace, and the wharf. The weather-beaten 
 ramparts of the Citadel rising majestically above 
 the surrounding cliffs, re-echoing the cheers of 
 the thousands of people, and the accompanying 
 boom of cannon as flags were lowered and the 
 ship moved slowly down stream, left an im- 
 pression on the mind not easily eradicated. 
 
 And so we were off on our eventful journey, 
 
 from the autumn of Canada across the equator 
 
 to the midsummer of South Africa. Thirty days 
 
 on a troop-ship, be it the best on the ocean, 
 
 4 51 
 
From Quebec io Pretoria 
 
 cannot be an enviable journey ; but on the 
 Sardinian it was about as bad as it possibly 
 could be. As soon as the confusion attendant 
 on our embarkation had somewhat abated, the 
 baggage piled about on deck got below, and 
 an opportunity given to look about us, we found 
 that the ship was altogether unfitted to convey 
 over a thousand men on such a long voyage, and 
 that we could look forward to a period of con- 
 siderable and quite unnecessary discomfort. 
 The lavatory and sanitary arrangements were 
 quite inadequate, and left much to be desired. 
 The drinking water was only made to last by 
 placing a strong guard over the tap, and hus- 
 banding the supply in every way. During the 
 latter part of the journey it was quite tepid. 
 The upper deck being blocked with temporary 
 structures, horse stables, lavatories, etc., it was 
 almost impossible to move about. There were 
 no awnings to protect the men from the fierce 
 heat of the sun. At night, once the tropics were 
 reached, the heat down in the bunks was almost 
 unbearable. Every part of the ship was over- 
 crowded, but probably the worst part was the 
 lower deck, where the bunks were. There was 
 no room or place to put one's kit or accoutre- 
 ments, consequently everything had to be piled 
 into one's bunk, in which there was just room 
 for a man to lie. The ship was one of the 
 
 5^ 
 
From Quebec to ^Imont 
 
 slowest that could have been chosen, and the 
 boats, to a landsman, looked to be totally in- 
 adequate for the large number of men on 
 board. Fortunately we did not have to test 
 their capacity. 
 
 The comfort, health and safety of the men 
 were not in any way improved by the fact 
 that those in authority had had no previous 
 experience of troop-ships. One mistake was 
 made at the outset — too much of the outfitting 
 of the men was left to be done on board ship, 
 and the crowded state of the vessel made this a 
 very difficult matter. At first no systematic 
 attempt was made to keep the ship clean ; no 
 general regulations having been issued, there 
 was no organized effort. Captain Todd, of the 
 Dublin Fusiliers, who had passage on the ship to 
 join his regiment at the Cape, undertook the 
 duties of quartermaster, and things soon became 
 somewhat ship-shape under his direction. Rules 
 governing the conduct of the men in case of fire 
 were not posted up until the voyage was half 
 over. 
 
 Probably the most foolish proceeding was the 
 promulgation of an order that the men were to 
 go about barefooted during the day and keep 
 their trousers rolled up to the knees, the idea 
 presumably being to harden the feet. Imagine 
 bare feet in the tropics on a sun-scorched deck ! 
 
 S3 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 There were so many cases of bad sunburn that 
 the order had to be rescinded a few days after 
 it came into force. 
 
 The principal efforts during the voyage were 
 directed to obtaining proficiency in drilling. 
 Two Morris-tube ranges, under Captain Bell's 
 direction, were fitted up, and the men fired a 
 few rounds each, the only objection to this being 
 that there was not enough of it. It is hardly 
 necessary to argue that everything else should 
 have given way to such an important object as 
 efficiency in shooting. Much more might have 
 been done. If there is only time to teach a 
 volunteer one thing on his way to active service, 
 that one thing is to shoot straight. It is abso- 
 lutely essential that he should be a good shot ; 
 it matters very little whether he presents arms 
 perfectly or not. 
 
 I came to the conclusion that too much atten- 
 tion was paid to what might be called " barrack 
 square " work ; and this remark does not apply 
 only to the voyage to Cape Town, it was a very 
 prominent feature all through the campaign. 
 Perhaps this was the fault of the system in vogue 
 at our permanent corps " schools," for it must 
 be remembered that all our senior officers were 
 permanent corps men. In the different bar- 
 racks throughout Canada there is very often a 
 bare half company of duty men, but all the 
 
 54 
 
From Q,ueBec to Belmont 
 
 routine of a regular British regiment is faithfully 
 gone through. Red tape in a highly developed 
 form is naturally the consequence. 
 
 The question of saluting officers appeared to 
 be a very vital one on the Sardinian. No one 
 quite knew what was wanted, as it seemed 
 absurd that the hundreds of men sitting, lying 
 and standing about the deck should come to 
 attention every time an officer passed along. 
 Sometimes officers would be passing backwards 
 and forwards every few minutes. No wonder 
 the men could not be got to carry out the order 
 satisfactorily, and it was certainly a relief to find 
 on mixing with the Imperial troops that com- 
 pliments to officers are not paid on board troop- 
 ships. In fact, on active service there is very 
 little saluting done ; the officers do not wish to 
 be bothered with it. 
 
 Very fortunately for us, the weather was 
 everything that could be desired throughout the 
 voyage, which passed off without particular inci- 
 dent, excepting the regrettable death of Private 
 Des Lauriers, which occurred when we were 
 only a few days out. A bath under the salt- 
 water hose the first thing in the morning was, 
 probably, the most enjoyable part of the day's 
 routine, while the evenings were occasionally 
 enlivened by impromptu concerts. 
 
 On the 29th of November the cry of " Land 
 
 55 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 ahead ! " went round the ship, and shortly 
 afterwards the outline of the famous Table 
 Mountain could be distinguished. During the 
 afternoon we entered Table Bay. The harbour 
 was filled with transports and other vessels, all 
 of which set their sirens and whistles going by 
 way of welcome. We passed close to one ves- 
 sel crowded with kilted soldiers, who cheered 
 us again and again, the cheers being as enthusi- 
 astically returned. We learnt on landing that 
 they were the ist Battalion of Gordon High- 
 landers, a gallant regiment it was our good 
 fortune later on to be brigaded with for many 
 months. 
 
 The next morning the work of disembarka- 
 tion took place, and we marched out to Green 
 Point Common, headed by the pipers of the Cape 
 Town Highlanders, through streets of cheering 
 people, our reception being most enthusiastic. 
 We had barely pitched our tents and got set- 
 tled down, when we received orders that we 
 were to entrain the following day for De Aar 
 Junction. Valises and kit bags were all to be 
 left behind, the only things to be taken being 
 overcoats, with a shirt and pair of socks rolled 
 inside, together with what articles could be car- 
 ried in a haversack, always remembering that 
 room must be left in the latter for one, and per- 
 haps two, days' rations. One Canadian blanket 
 
 56 
 
From Qjiebec to Belmoni 
 
 per man was taken packed in bales — and very 
 poor blankets the most of them were, compared 
 with what the British soldiers had. The valises 
 and kit bags, with all our belongings in them, 
 were piled up in rows and left in charge of an 
 officer and some men who were told off to stay 
 at the base. When we got back to the Cape we 
 found that everything had been rifled and most 
 of the articles stolen — a most disgraceful state of 
 affairs, and one that could have been easily 
 avoided. I understand there was always an 
 officer of the regiment, with a few men, in charge. 
 If not, or if he found it impossible to look after 
 our kits properly, a building might easily have 
 been rented in town, everything put into it, and 
 securely locked up. The same slackness was 
 again observable with regard to things left both 
 at Belmont and Bloemfontein. Articles packed 
 up and left in charge of members of the regiment 
 were stolen — in some instances the whole parcel 
 disappearing. 
 
 News of the campaign was eagerly sought after 
 as soon as we landed, and we heard for the first 
 time of Lord Methuen's advance. The battle of 
 Belmont — a name we were to become very 
 familiar with later on — had been fought and 
 won, as also had Graspan and Modder River, 
 but the road to Kimberley and Mafeking was 
 still barred by General Cronje and his army at 
 
 57 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 Magersfontein. Ladysmith was closely be- 
 sieged, and since the disaster at Nicholson's 
 Nek Sir George White had acted purely on 
 the defensive. General Buller was organizing 
 his army south of the Tugela for the relief of the 
 beleaguered town. General French, who won 
 the battle of Elandslaagte, and was sent from 
 Ladysmith in the last train which came through, 
 was holding the Colesberg line, while General 
 Gatacre was at Sterkstorm, holding in check the 
 Boers who had advanced to Stormberg. From 
 De Aar we might be assigned either to General 
 French or Lord Methuen. We hoped at the 
 time it would be to the latter, as we were told 
 that General French did not care much for 
 infantry, and consequently we did not think he 
 could be very much of a general, an opinion 
 which has since become somewhat modified. 
 
 On the 1st of December we again marched 
 through the principal streets of Cape Town, meet- 
 ing with an even more enthusiastic reception all 
 along the route than we had received the previ- 
 ous day, and entrained for De Aar. Sir Alfred 
 Milner, High Commissioner, the busiest of busy 
 men, found time to come down to the station to 
 see us off. The weather was very hot, and some 
 of the men took the opportunity of buying 
 canvas water-bags. Hanging outside a moving 
 train is a particularly good place for them, as 
 
 58 
 
From Qjxebec to Belmont 
 
 the water becomes quite cool. Two trains, 
 made up of the ordinary English third-class 
 carriages, conveyed us to our destination. 
 
 The Cape Government Railway system is 
 what its name implies, a Government railway. 
 Apart from the grade and curves, it has an 
 excellent road-bed, solid and smooth, being 
 superior in this respect to the Canadian and 
 American lines, and the bridges and culverts 
 are all iron and stone ; but it is all grades and 
 curves, and a narrow gauge into the bargain. 
 At one moment the train rushes along at sixty 
 miles an hour, a minute or two later passengers 
 can get out and walk ; in fact, the grades are so 
 numerous that all along the line there are small 
 white posts with two arms, the latter indicating 
 by their departure from the horizontal, above 
 or below, which way the grade is. They may 
 not be necessary to the engineer in the day 
 time, but they certainly are at night. 
 
 The trip to De Aar passed off without any 
 exciting incidents. At different points the 
 military authorities had big kettles full of boil- 
 ing water, and we stopped three times a day to 
 make tea or coffee, rations of bread and meat 
 also being served out. The people were quite 
 enthusiastic all along the line, and it is ap- 
 parently a custom to have a look at all the 
 trains going through ; at any rate, they turned 
 
 59 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 out and welcomed us with cheers and waving of 
 pocket handkerchiefs, our men naturally re- 
 sponding. We were rather surprised, on de- 
 training at one of the stations to be politely 
 told by Colonel Otter that there was to be no 
 more cheering, that we were to try and remem- 
 ber that we were "soldiers" now, and not act 
 
 like a lot of "d fools " any more. The 
 
 rationale of this was to us somewhat of a 
 mystery. In future, let all commanding officers, 
 when on active service, keep their men shouting 
 as long as they will shout. 
 
 We reached De Aar about 3 a.m. on Sunday 
 morning, the 3rd of December, and, detraining, 
 marched to our camping ground and pitched 
 our tents. We had barely finished doing so 
 when the wind arose to half a gale, and through- 
 out the whole of the day an exceedingly bad 
 sand-storm raged, the thermometer being about 
 90° in the shade. Give me a Manitoba blizzard 
 any day in preference to a South African sand- 
 storm. 
 
 During the few days we remained at this 
 point, the regiment was put through some very 
 useful attack formations in the early mornings 
 before the sun became too hot. The general 
 movements were, of course, founded strictly on 
 the lines laid down in the drill book ; it was 
 not until we advanced to the attack in reality 
 
 60 
 
From Qpebec to Betmoni 
 
 that it was found these regulations had to be 
 very considerably modified. Transport mules 
 and waggons, together with ammunition and 
 water-carts, were issued to us, including a 
 supply of Kaffir drivers, so that we were practi- 
 cally ready to take the field. 
 
 When we arrived at De Aar, one of the 
 infantry regiments already there immediately 
 moved on. The procedure was for one regiment 
 to relieve the other, and move up to the front by 
 stages ; and so, on Thursday afternoon, the 7th, 
 the 1st Essex having arrived, we received orders 
 to entrain early next morning for the front. Our 
 tents were struck and packed up before day- 
 light, and everything, including the mules (this 
 latter no small job), entrained by six o'clock. 
 Our one ambition was to get up to the front, but 
 we were disappointed in this, for after a tedious 
 journey in open trucks, under a blazing sun, we 
 arrived at Orange River, where we were told we 
 had to stop. 
 
 Up to this point we were always fortunate in 
 finding dry canteens* — each regiment, excepting 
 our own, seemed to have one. It was some- 
 times a lot of boxes and cases piled on the 
 ground, with a tarpaulin thrown over ; but they 
 were quite invaluable to Tommy Atkins, as he 
 
 * Canteens in which no liquor is sold. 
 61 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 could purchase at them the ordinary necessaries 
 at reasonable prices, and above De Aar they 
 were practically the only places for a long time 
 where any purchases could be made at all. The 
 reader must remember that the British soldier is 
 never content to confine himself to his rations 
 (meat, dry bread, tea, etc.), and this remark will 
 naturally apply, but in an even greater degree, 
 to the Canadian volunteer. 
 
 At Orange River we came in touch with the 
 fruits of the reconnaissance which had been 
 made on the loth of November by Colonel 
 Gough — a small grave-yard, including, amongst 
 others, the grave of Colonel Keith-Falconer, of 
 the Northumberland Fusiliers. There was also 
 a large field hospital containing many wounded, 
 the victims of Belmont, Graspan and Modder 
 River. Here were also some wounded Boers 
 who had been taken prisoners ; they seemed 
 very contented, and were being well looked after 
 by the British medical staff. 
 
 During the day the line at Enslin (Graspan) 
 was destroyed, and a couple of culverts blown 
 up, by Commandant Prinsloo, who attacked 
 with a large force of men and two guns. There 
 were only two companies of Northumberlands 
 garrisoning the place, and it was thought that 
 reinforcements would have to be sent from 
 
 Orange River. One company from our regi- 
 
 62 
 
From Quebec to Belmont 
 
 ment was asked for, and A Company was 
 accordingly ordered to hold itself in readiness 
 to move at a moment's notice. We conse- 
 quently did not pitch our tents when the other 
 companies did, but a violent thunderstorm com- 
 ing up just at dark, we tried to get our tents up, 
 with but varying success, the wind howling 
 along with great velocity. It was, probably, a 
 picturesque sight to watch the men hanging on 
 to the guy ropes and struggling vainly with the 
 poles, the whole dimly seen in the gathering 
 gloom and through the driving rain, but the 
 scene was not appreciated by those of us who 
 were the chief actors. A good many of the 
 men got thoroughly wet through, and had to 
 remain in that condition all night, as we ex- 
 pected to move at any minute. Overcoats had 
 not been unrolled, nor were our blankets un- 
 packed. 
 
 When morning came we learnt that reinforce- 
 ments from Modder River had relieved the 
 Enslin garrison and driven off the enemy, the 
 line being fully repaired again. That same day 
 we again entrained, and were taken up to Bel- 
 mont, where we were destined to remain for 
 some considerable time. 
 
 63 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 AT BELMONT 
 
 nr'HIS station, on the main line of the future 
 ■■■ Cape to Cairo Railway, had been ren- 
 dered famous by giving its name to the battle 
 which was fought on the 23rd of November by 
 Lord Methuen. Three companies of Gordon 
 Highlanders and some of Australia's first con- 
 tingent were acting as garrison, and on our 
 arrival the former immediately moved up the 
 line. Most of the Australians were out on duty, 
 but those who were not came over to the station 
 and greeted us in a most friendly though some- 
 what inquisitive manner. They looked a very 
 workmanlike and self-reliant lot of men, and 
 created the impression that they would give a 
 good account of themselves when once their 
 actual campaigning began. That this view was 
 not incorrect is proved by the whole history of 
 the war. As soon as we detrained we marched 
 out to Van Wyck's farm, about two miles to 
 the north-west, and camped there until next 
 day. There was a good supply of water — a 
 
 64 
 
At Belmont 
 
 scarce commodity in South Africa — and we all 
 indulged in a good wash. 
 
 Shortly after midnight about half of A Com- 
 pany fell in, and marched to the big kopje three 
 quarters of a mile east of the station, known as 
 Scots Kopje,* and reinforced the Australian 
 outpost. The latter retired at daylight, and to- 
 gether with the rest of their corps moved on up 
 to the front during the morning. 
 
 About the same time our regiment came in 
 from Van Wyck's farm, and formed a camp on 
 the east side of the railway, close to the station, 
 the remainder of A Company joining their com- 
 rades on the kopje until the following morning, 
 when G Company relieved. Our first experience 
 of outpost work had been carried out under 
 rather unpleasant circumstances, as the extreme 
 heat of the day, without any shelter, was fol- 
 lowed by a pitch-dark night and torrents of rain, 
 the greatest difficulty being experienced by the 
 reliefs and visiting patrols in moving about over 
 the boulder-strewn ground. 
 
 The Belmont garrison consisted of our regi- 
 ment, one section (two guns) P Battery, Royal 
 Horse Artillery, one company of Mounted In- 
 fantry (Munster Fusiliers), and a few Rimington 
 
 * Scots Kopje, or Scots Ridge, so called because the Scots 
 Guards stormed it at the battle of Belmont. 
 
 65 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 Guides, with Colonel Otter as Camp Comman- 
 dant. It was not by any means an ideal spot. 
 Some half dozen one-storey houses and a closed- 
 up store made up, with the station buildings, 
 the village of Belmont. A few Australian gum- 
 trees — which, by the way, thrive exceedingly 
 well in South Africa — gave a little relief to the 
 everlasting brownness of the surrounding land- 
 scape. Not a blade of grass was to be seen any- 
 where. The only animals the country seemed 
 capable of supporting were a few undersized 
 goats and sheep and a bunch of rather ragged- 
 looking ostriches. To the west the Karroo 
 desert, covered with a low sage scrub, stretched 
 in an unbroken line, for some five miles, to a 
 ridge of kopjes ; to the north and south, along 
 the railway track, the ground was slightly 
 more undulating, while on the east were the 
 three successive kopjes culminating in Scots 
 Ridge, where the Boer riflemen had so severely 
 handled the brave Guardsmen and Northumber- 
 lands, on the 23rd of November, and then ridden 
 away to take up a new position at Graspan. 
 The more one studied that battlefield and ex- 
 amined the splendid positions the Boers occu- 
 pied, while the British troops had to advance 
 without any cover at all, the more did one 
 wonder that the latter were so successful. 
 
 Our stay at Belmont was not a particularly 
 
 66 
 
Ai Belmont 
 
 happy part of our South African experience ; 
 things were not working any too smoothly, and 
 some grumbling was naturally the consequence. 
 It was felt that, making all allowances for the 
 exigencies of campaign life, affairs in general 
 might have been managed in such a way as to 
 lessen some of the hardships. The men never 
 objected to hardships and privations which were 
 naturally connected with campaigning, but they 
 felt at times that there was a supercilious indif- 
 ference on the part of the officer commanding 
 and the majority of the other officers, as to their 
 welfare, and the remark was often heard, " The 
 next time I go on active service, it will be in a 
 regular regiment. No more volunteer outfits for 
 me." 
 
 The water question might have been con- 
 sidered an annoying one, but the men good- 
 naturedly made the best of it. The only good 
 drinking water was brought in by ox-team from 
 Thomas's Farm, a couple of miles distant, and 
 there was more or less of a inel^e to get at the 
 barrels when they arrived ; it was a case of first 
 come first served, and not enough for every- 
 body. The washing arrangements were rather 
 unique. A well at the back of the station, with- 
 out a pump or even a bucket, was the only 
 place where water for this purpose could be 
 obtained. The scene in the neighbourhood of 
 5 67 
 
From Quebec io Preioria 
 
 that well, when a good proportion of the 1,400 
 men constituting the garrison were trying to get 
 a wash, was often lively. The few buckets 
 available were naturally at a high premium, but 
 one could always console himself with the 
 knowledge that " everything comes to the man 
 who waits," and a wait of an hour or two, com- 
 bined with a little skilful manoeuvring, generally 
 brought about the desired result. 
 
 When Colonel Rochford-Boyd, R.E., subse- 
 quently took over the duties of camp comman- 
 dant, one of his first acts was to improve the 
 washing arrangements ; first of all, by having 
 water brought up on the railway in water-tanks 
 and run into troughs, and later on by sinking a 
 new well and having the water pumped into a 
 large canvas bath. 
 
 A matter that caused a good deal of complaint 
 was the neglect of Colonel Otter to establish a 
 dry canteen. The food was not particularly 
 palatable, especially in such hot weather. Dry 
 bread, boiled meat, tea, coffee and sugar, with 
 occasionally a few vegetables — this was the daily 
 routine, relieved every now and then by an issue 
 of a quarter of a pound of jam per man. A few 
 things could be purchased at a small store 
 which had opened up at the station, but two 
 prices were of course asked. The neglect to 
 have a canteen was evidently quite deliber- 
 
 68 
 
M Betmoni 
 
 ate, because Dr. Barrie, the Y.M.C.A. repre- 
 sentative, told me, later on in the campaign, 
 that he had asked permission to establish a 
 coffee shop with eatables, but had been refused 
 permission by Colonel Otter, who told him that 
 he did not think the men needed anything more 
 than they were getting, and that they must get 
 used to campaign fare. Colonel Otter and the 
 colonels of the British regiments evidently held 
 widely different opinions on this subject, for the 
 latter never missed an opportunity to provide 
 canteens when possible. 
 
 I would like here to record an appreciation of 
 Dr. Barrie's work with the First Contingent. 
 The rank and file had no better friend through- 
 out the whole campaign than this gentleman, 
 who, in a quiet and unostentatious manner, was 
 always doing what he could to oblige everyone, 
 and worked hard and unselfishly for the welfare 
 of the men whenever an opportunity offered. 
 
 The duties devolving upon the regiment at 
 this time were somewhat heavy, two companies 
 being required every twenty-four hours for 
 guards, outposts and patrols. In addition to 
 this there were drilling and some route march- 
 ing. The Oliver equipment was thoroughly 
 tested, and the general verdict was that it was 
 unsatisfactory. Theoretically, it seems to be 
 properly constructed, but in practice it is hard 
 
 69 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 on the wearer. The water-bottle was abso- 
 lutely no good. All the men had to sleep fully- 
 dressed, even to their bandoliers and boots, and 
 man the trenches surrounding the station every 
 morning before daylight. Later on, when we 
 were actually in touch with the enemy, and 
 were allowed to sleep with as little clothing on 
 as suited us, the Belmont rule seemed a case of 
 over-precaution ; it may, however, have been 
 done in consequence of some general order. 
 It certainly cannot have been conducive to good 
 health to have men living in this way, espe- 
 cially when there was an average of fourteen 
 men in each tent. 
 
 The outpost duty was an experience in itself 
 One had to get up at 2.45 a.m., and remain on 
 outpost duty until six o'clock the following morn- 
 ing. The principal position was Scots Ridge. 
 At first there was no shelter from the fierce heat 
 of the sun, but this was afterwards remedied 
 somewhat. The flies were a perfect torment, but 
 probably the worst feature was the presence of 
 some fifteen dead horses just behind the crest of 
 the hill, which had apparently been killed by a 
 shell. There were also about a dozen dead 
 Boers on different parts of the kopje, who had 
 evidently been very hurriedly buried by simply 
 having a few stones piled on them where they 
 had fallen. We immediately scraped together 
 
 70 
 
(At "Belmont 
 
 some earth and improved their last resting 
 places as best we could. We could do nothing 
 with the horses. During the long hours of the 
 night there was always one object which never 
 failed to make its appearance to the outposts. 
 The great Kimberley searchlight could be seen 
 swinging up and down and round and round, 
 assuring us that the garrison was still holding 
 out, but anxiously waiting for that long-looked- 
 for relief. Occasionally some little incident oc- 
 curred to relieve the monotony. One night, 
 when the countersign was " Saskatchewan," one 
 of the Cornwall patrols came along, and was 
 challenged in the usual way : " Halt ! Who goes 
 there ? " " Patrol." " Stand, patrol. Advance one, 
 and give the countersign." " Oh, I can't re- 
 member that blooming word — something like 
 *catch-as-catch-can.' " The patrol was given a 
 lecture on the pronunciation of Canadian names 
 by the sentry, and duly allowed to pass. On 
 another occasion, when the countersign was 
 " Halifax," a French Canadian sentry challenged 
 someone as follows : " Halt ! Who go dare ? " 
 " Friend." " Avance, fren. Say ' haversack ' 
 and pace on. All is veil." 
 
 The daily routine of camp life was broken on 
 the 1 2th of December by the arrival of Red 
 Cross trains from the front, filled with wounded 
 soldiers. The latter were eagerly questioned 
 
 71 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 through the windows. Bit by bit the terrible 
 tale of Magersfontein was gleaned from them : 
 how, the morning before, the Highland Brigade 
 with the Black Watch leading, had been led in 
 mass of quarter-column through the rain and 
 the darkness right up to the barbed wire in 
 front of Cronje's trenches, and how, without a 
 word of warning, and before any deployment 
 could be effected, the hillside in front of them 
 was suddenly lit up with the flame of the 
 Mausers, and a deluge of lead crumpled up the 
 head of the column. General Wauchope being 
 one of the first to fall. Nearly half the Black 
 Watch were stricken down, and in the awful 
 confusion which ensued the whole brigade 
 retired in disorder, the attempt to take the 
 position being a complete failure. It was only 
 by getting scraps of information here and there 
 from different men that anything like a con- 
 nected story of the engagement could be pieced 
 together. It was not until the English and 
 Canadian papers reached us, giving full ac- 
 counts of the battle, that we really understood 
 what had happened. May the day be far dis- 
 tant when the gallant Highlanders are called 
 upon to go through such another terrible ordeal. 
 A conversation I had with a Boer prisoner 
 who passed down on the train about this time 
 surprised me somewhat. He was an intelligent- 
 
 72 
 
Ai "Belmont 
 
 looking fellow, and spoke English very well. 
 He appeared to have a quite settled conviction 
 that it was impossible for the British to win, and 
 smiled incredulously at the idea of such a thing. 
 The impression he gave was that he and his 
 friends were not simple patriots fighting to de- 
 fend their homes, but that they were in the 
 game to give us a good whipping, and he seemed 
 to look forward to the finish, prisoner and all as 
 he was, with evident satisfaction. 
 
 A few remarks must now be made about the 
 treatment of the sick. The routine for sick 
 parade was as follows : One sick parade was 
 held each day, usually in the morning, after 
 breakfast ; duplicate lists were made out of the 
 men " going sick " in each company, and the 
 regimental orderly corporal marched them to 
 the hospital and remained there until all were 
 inspected. The lists were handed in to the 
 doctor, and as he examined each man he marked 
 opposite the latter's name on the lists the ail- 
 ment he was suffering from and whether he was 
 fit to do duty or not. One of these copies was 
 eventually sent to the respective company 
 orderly sergeants, so that the latter knew the 
 number of men they had available for duty. 
 
 It appears that the regimental authorities 
 came to the conclusion that there was shamming 
 going on amongst the men, and that a good 
 
 73 
 
From Qjxebec to Pretoria 
 
 many of them were parading sick in the hope of 
 getting off duty ; at least, that was the ordinary 
 presumption in face of the order then promul- 
 gated, which was to the effect that in future 
 every man attending the sick parade must do so 
 in heavy marching order. 
 
 The questions which naturally present them- 
 selves are : Was this a proper and sensible 
 order, under any circumstances? and, was it 
 necessary ? If a man was shamming sick in the 
 hope of getting off duty, the order might not 
 deter him, but might it not deter men who 
 really were sick ? It is not a particularly pleas- 
 ant occupation, even for a perfectly healthy man, 
 to be in heavy marching order for an hour or 
 so, especially in broiling hot weather, but what 
 must it be for a sick man ? One effect it had 
 was to induce some men of high spirit to remain 
 away from the sick parade when they undoubt- 
 edly should have gone, as they felt that the 
 whole sick parade was looked on with suspicion. 
 
 The answer to the second question is, that the 
 order was not necessary, because a doctor should 
 know whether a man is shamming or not. The 
 doctors seemed to think the sick parades were 
 too large, and hurried through them, merely 
 asking each man a few questions. The ordi- 
 nary, every-day civilian methods, such as using 
 the thermometer and feeling the pulse, were 
 
 74 
 
c4t Belmont 
 
 seldom resorted to. There are, no doubt, some 
 complaints which have very little outward sign, 
 and men could pretend to have them without 
 much fear of being exposed ; but surely a rigor- 
 ous examination by the doctor would have been 
 the proper proceeding, even if it was felt that 
 some men were shamming successfully. The 
 order above mentioned was an insult to the 
 regiment, and should never have been issued 
 under any circumstances. 
 
 The days gradually drifted past, and we soon 
 found ourselves approaching the end of the year. 
 Christmas Day was one of those hot, dusty days 
 which are the rule in that part of the world, and 
 very naturally our thoughts drifted to Canada, 
 where the good old-fashioned wintry day was 
 being celebrated by our friends ; but it was a 
 new experience, and experiences were what we 
 were after. Colonel Buchan had us called to- 
 gether and spoke a few kindly words, telling us, 
 amidst much laughter, that " a pint of beer per 
 man would be issued, but we were to be sure 
 and keep sober." The eatables that had been 
 purchased out of the regimental funds were dis- 
 tributed, and although making a very poor 
 showing, considering that i^i20 was spent on 
 them, yet, added to the regular rations, tended 
 to help things out a little. 
 
 The garrison at this time had been increased 
 
 75 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 by the arrival of the Queensland Mounted In- 
 fantry, a particularly fine, well set-up lot of men, 
 and two companies of the Duke of Cornwall's 
 Light Infantry. 
 
 The New Year was ushered in by the very 
 successful engagement at Sunnyside, under 
 Colonel Pilcher, who had taken over the duties 
 of camp commandant. This affair, with its 
 happy result, was hailed with delight by all, and 
 seemed to put new life into everyone. An 
 account of it will be given in the next chapter. 
 
 On the Qth of January Colonel Pilcher made 
 a reconnaissance to the east, through a part of 
 the Free State. The force consisted of two 
 guns of P Battery, R.H.A., the Queensland 
 Mounted Infantry, two Maxims, and A, B and 
 half of H companies. Royal Canadian Regi- 
 ment. The route lay at first to the south-east. 
 When out about eight miles, A and B com- 
 panies, with one Maxim, were left, under Major 
 Pelletier, the orders being to be in readiness to 
 move at any moment, the rest of the column 
 changing its direction to the east and continuing 
 its journey. At three o'clock in the afternoon 
 orders were received by us to retrace our steps 
 to Belmont. 
 
 The following day the signallers on the kopje 
 sent in word that a force was approaching from 
 the north-east. Two companies were sent out 
 
 76 
 
At "Belmont 
 
 to take up a position to meet the new-comers, 
 one company of Cornwalls and A Company 
 R. C. R., but it turned out to be Colonel Pilcher 
 returning, after having made a detour through 
 the enemy's country. They had no fighting, 
 but managed to gather up and bring in a quan- 
 tity of horses and stock. Colonel Babington, 
 with the 9th and 12th Lancers, a party of the 
 Victoria Mounted Rifles, some mounted in- 
 fantry, and G Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, 
 from Modder River camp, had been on a similar 
 errand, the two forces having come in touch 
 with each other. 
 
 On the 1 6th sports were held, our regiment 
 supplying all the prizes. The usual events were 
 on the programme, and everything passed off 
 most successfully, our antipodean brethren car- 
 rying off the great majority of the prizes. The 
 tug-of-war was probably the most exciting event 
 of the day, the brawny Queenslanders, who only 
 entered one team, while we had one from each 
 company, finally pulling all their opponents over 
 the line. In the evening an open-air concert 
 was held, and the day's proceedings wound up 
 with the distribution of prizes. 
 
 Colonel Rochford-Boyd, R.E., who had suc- 
 ceeded Colonel Pilcher as camp commandant, 
 organized the following force on the 21st of Jan- 
 uary, and started off in a westerly direction : 
 
 77 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 two guns, P Battery, Royal Horse Artillery^ 
 lOO Victoria Mounted Rifles (who had been 
 brought down from the Modder River camp), 
 one Canadian Maxim, one company of the 
 Cornwalls, and A Company Royal Canadian 
 Regiment. The infantry were placed on wag- 
 gons, and Thornhill, otherwise called Cook's 
 farm, was reached before sundown, the distance 
 covered being about twenty miles. The next 
 morning the force marched nine miles farther 
 on to Dover Court farm, or Rooi Pan. The usual 
 reservoir or dam was in evidence, a goodly por- 
 tion of it being dry, and in this A Company was 
 placed, while some fortifications were thrown up 
 round the farm buildings. During the after- 
 noon a patrol of the Victoria Mounted Rifles 
 came in touch with the enemy and were fired 
 on, one man being severely wounded in the 
 arm ; but, as the enemy was in force, the Aus- 
 tralians retired. Although an attack was ex- 
 pected, none came off, but there was not much 
 sleep indulged in, as about midnight one of our 
 sentries fired at what he thought were some men 
 on horseback, which daylight proved to be a 
 small band of horses roaming about. The force 
 remained at this farm for two days, when 
 Colonel Rochford-Boyd received information that 
 a large number of Boers were closing in on us 
 from three directions ; and as we were some dis- 
 tance from our base, with a line of communica- 
 
 78 
 
<At Belmont 
 
 tions very weakly held, a retirement was effected 
 on the evening of the 24th to Thornhill, under 
 cover of the darkness, where we arrived at one 
 o'clock a.m., and found it garrisoned by fifty 
 men of the Queensland Mounted Infantry. Two 
 days later the force was again withdrawn to- 
 wards Belmont, this time to a farm called Rich- 
 mond, where G Company R. C. R. had taken up 
 a position, acting as a line of communication. 
 Colonel Rochford-Boyd evidently made up his 
 mind that he would not retire any farther than 
 this, and set the men to work building fortifi- 
 cations on the surrounding kopjes. 
 
 We remained there until the i ith of February, 
 the only event out of the ordinary which hap- 
 pened being the mobilisation of a mounted force, 
 composed of C Squadron Scots Greys, 600 
 Roberts' Horse, 400 mounted infantry, and the 
 remaining four guns of P Battery. They made 
 a reconnaissance to the north and west, but failed 
 to locate any of the enemy, although they cov- 
 ered a distance of some sixty miles in two days. 
 
 Shortly after midnight on the 12th of Feb- 
 ruary A and G companies, having been relieved 
 by two companies of Munster Fusiliers, packed 
 up, marched into Belmont, and rejoined the 
 regiment after an absence of three weeks. 
 
 79 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 SUNNYSIDE 
 
 ^ I "^HE complete success of this engagement 
 ■^ was mainly due to the clever manner in 
 which Colonel Pilcher surprised his enemy. Not 
 until all dispositions for attack had been made, 
 and the first shell from the Horse Artillery had 
 burst among their tents, did the Dutchmen know 
 of the close proximity of the British force. A 
 wise system of preventing news getting to the 
 enemy had been adopted. For several days 
 before the expedition actually started, natives 
 and others who were ordinarily allowed to move 
 in and out of camp were under strict surveil- 
 lance ; when once the force was launched no 
 one was allowed outside the lines, and in addi- 
 tion to this small guards were left at what 
 farms and kraals were passed on the line of 
 march, to prevent any possibility of the move- 
 ment of the small column being carried to the 
 enemy from these points. Not satisfied with 
 these precautions, a feint movement was made 
 on the 29th of December eastward towards the 
 
 80 
 
Sunnyside 
 
 Free State border, and from all visible indica- 
 tions there was something of interest to be ex- 
 pected in that quarter. When the Belmont force 
 actually did start for the west, Lord Methuen 
 sent a mounted force west to Koodoosberg Drift, 
 while the Orange River garrison sent a similar 
 force westerly along the bank of the Orange 
 River to Marks Drift, both of these forces acting 
 as screens to Colonel Pilcher's movements. 
 
 On Sunday, the 31st December, at 2 p.m., the 
 following force assembled at Belmont: One 
 section P Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, under 
 Major de Rougemont; 250 Queensland Mounted 
 Infantry under Colonel Ricardo, with two gallop- 
 ing Maxims under Lieutenant Pelham; forty 
 mounted infantry of the Royal Munster Fusiliers ; 
 C Company, Royal Canadian Regiment (100 
 men), under Captain Barker, with two R.C.R. 
 Maxims under Captain Bell; one section, includ- 
 ing two ambulance waggons, of the New South 
 Wales Army Medical Corps under Captain Roth, 
 and a few Royal Engineer Field Telegraphists. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Pilcher was in command, 
 while Major Bayley, N.S.W., general staff, acted 
 as staff-officer. A considerable number of trans- 
 port waggons and carts accompanied t"he column, 
 and as these were only lightly loaded, the 
 Canadians were told to ride. Two companies 
 of Cornwalls under Major Asby followed on foot 
 and established a line of communication. 
 
From Quebec io Pretoria. 
 
 It was not until the force actually moved off 
 towards the west that anyone except those in 
 authority knew there was work for it to do in 
 that direction. It appears that the rebellious 
 spirit so prevalent in some parts of northern 
 Cape Colony had affected a considerable num- 
 ber of the farmers and inhabitants of Dutch 
 descent in the vicinity of Douglas, a town about 
 forty miles west of Belmont. It was not a par- 
 ticularly wealthy district, or rather there were a 
 good many impecunious men knocking about ; 
 so much so that the Government had started 
 relief works in the shape of road-making. Good 
 wages were paid the men, and those who had 
 to work at any distance from their homes were 
 supplied with Government tents. These men 
 formed the nucleus of the rebellious movement. 
 They gathered up the Government tents, and, 
 with the rest of the rebellious inhabitants, formed 
 what was known as the Badenhorst laager, at 
 the foot of the Sunnyside kopjes, making them- 
 selves exceedingly objectionable to the loyal 
 farmers for miles around. 
 
 Proceeding in a westerly direction, Colonel 
 Pilcher's small but mobile force passed Rich- 
 mond farm, and by seven o'clock that evening 
 had reached Thornhill. The Boer force was 
 some ten miles to the north. The next morn- 
 ing at sunrise (New Year's Day), guided by 
 
 82 
 
Sunnyside 
 
 Dugmore and Cohen, sons of loyal farmers in 
 the district, a start was made in a northerly 
 direction, and the column marched about seven 
 miles over heavy sand covered with the usual 
 heathery scrub. It was a very hot day and 
 the thirst soon began to be tormenting. The 
 Sunnyside kopjes are composed of a series of 
 ridges culminating in a kopje of some propor- 
 tions, at the northern end of which was situated 
 the Boer camp. When within about four miles 
 of his objective, Colonel Pilcher halted his men 
 and made the final dispositions for attack, send- 
 ing out two reconnoitring patrols from the 
 Queenslanders to the right and left ; but before 
 any information was received from them the 
 main advance was made. Part of the force 
 under Major de Rougemont was sent off to the 
 right, with instructions to establish itself to the 
 east of the main kopje. This force moved 
 off as follows : The Munster Mounted Infantry 
 formed a screen, followed by C Company, Nos. 
 2 and 3 sections leading in extended order ; then 
 came P Battery's two guns and the Canadian 
 Maxims. Being favoured considerably by the 
 contour of the ground, Major de Rougemont 
 found himself after an hour's march in full view 
 and within striking distance of the Boer tents. 
 It was just eleven o'clock. 
 
 Practically the only mishap which occurred to 
 6 83 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 the British force had already happened. The 
 patrol of Queenslanders which had been sent 
 round to the west suddenly found themselves 
 confronted by two Boers not more than fifty 
 yards away among the rocks on a small kopje. 
 Lieutenant Adie, who was in charge, imme- 
 diately dismounted and called on the two men 
 to surrender. Just as he did so, he and his 
 party were fired on by another lot of Boers whom 
 they had not seen, the result being disastrous. 
 One man was killed outright, and Lieutenant 
 Adie and two out of the remaining three troop- 
 ers were severely hit, one of whom subsequently 
 succumbed to his wounds. 
 
 Major de Rougemont, having found the range 
 of the Boer tents to be 1,700 yards, opened fire, 
 the first shell from the 12-pounder bursting 
 nicely over them. That it was a complete sur- 
 prise was very apparent. A scene of the greatest 
 confusion followed, men rushing out of every 
 tent and clambering up the neighbouring kopjes, 
 but mostly to the main kopje just above the 
 laager. It is probable that a good many quietly 
 withdrew at this stage and made sure of an 
 unmolested retreat. The Munster Mounted In- 
 fantry moved more to the north and very 
 cleverly worked their way round the enemy's 
 position, preventing any further escape in that 
 direction, The Queenslanderg were soon in 
 
 84 
 
Sunnyside 
 
 action after P Battery had opened fire. One 
 company was sent well to the left to attack the 
 western slope, becoming hotly engaged as soon 
 as they were within range, while the remainder 
 advanced astride the ridges. Captain Barker 
 took his company to a ridge to the left front of 
 the guns and opened a brisk rifle fire, supported 
 by Captain Bell's Maxims. This practically left 
 the guns without any escort, and No. 4 section 
 had to be sent back to remain with them. The 
 position at this time was as follows : The 
 Munster Mounted Infantry were working round 
 to the north; the Canadians and artillery were 
 on the east, a company of Queenslanders on 
 the south-west, while the main advance under 
 Colonel Pilcher was being made from the south. 
 Major de Rougemont decided to get in touch 
 with the main advance, and ordered No. 3 section 
 of the Canadians to move to the left to join 
 hands with the right of the Queenslanders. In 
 doing so they came under a very brisk fire, as 
 they had to move across the open. This posi- 
 tion was maintained for some little time, and 
 both sides pounded away at each other. Our 
 men were well extended and took advantage of 
 every bit of cover, it being noticed that there 
 was none of that machine-like precision and 
 consequent unnecessary exposure which un- 
 doubtedly accounted for a large percentage of 
 
 85 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 the British casualties in some of the previous 
 engagements. 
 
 The Queenslanders on the west kept up such 
 a very interesting and well-directed fire that they 
 soon dominated that of their opponents. This 
 was a sign for a forward movement to be made, 
 which immediately resolved itself into a general 
 advance. Fixing bayonets, the whole force con- 
 verged rapidly upon the Boers, who, nevertheless, 
 kept up their fire till the very last. The Queens- 
 landers on the west, having the shortest distance 
 to go, were the first to reach the top, when the 
 Boers in front of them all surrendered. The 
 remainder of the enemy, seeing what had hap- 
 pened, decided to surrender, too ; any doubts 
 they may have had about the advisability of 
 doing so being quickly dispelled by the arrival 
 of the Canadians and the rest of the Queens- 
 landers over the crest of the hill, all very much 
 out of breath but ready for anything. 
 
 Forty-two prisoners, mostly rebels, were taken 
 and were subsequently sent down to Cape Town, 
 where they were tried for treason. Twelve 
 casualties were accounted for among them, but 
 their loss was undoubtedly a good deal heavier. 
 As soon as the men had found water and some- 
 what quenched their thirst, a couple of the 
 Boer waggons were run together, ignited, and 
 into this bonfire everything combustible about 
 
 86 
 
Sunnyside 
 
 the camp was speedily thrown, including the 
 ammunition. The Boer rifles were smashed 
 across the boulders and then consigned to the 
 flames. Our casualties were two men killed and 
 one officer and one man wounded, all belonging 
 to the Queenslanders, and all suffered by the 
 western patrol. The complete surprise the 
 Boers received, together with the accurate shell 
 fire from P Battery, must have completely 
 shaken their nerve; and this, together with 
 the excellent style of advance followed by the 
 Canadians and Australians, accounts for there 
 being so few casualties on our side. 
 
 The following morning the force went on to 
 Dover Court farm, and thence to the village 
 of Douglas, where they were heartily welcomed 
 by the loyalist inhabitants. As the place could 
 not be held, these people, to the number of 175, 
 left with the troops on Wednesday morning, 
 Thornhill being reached that evening. Here 
 Colonel Pilcher decided to give his men a day's 
 rest. A Company of Cornwalls was in posses- 
 sion of the place, and they with half of C Com- 
 pany (Nos. 2 and 3 sections), R.C.R. were sent 
 on with the refugees and prisoners to Belmont. 
 During the afternoon Colonel Pilcher received 
 information that a large force of Boers was 
 following him and that their advance guard was 
 already at Dover Court farm. He immediately 
 
 87 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 telegraphed to Belmont to have reinforcements 
 sent out, and decided on a night march, starting 
 at ten o'clock. By daylight next morning, after a 
 trying and weary march, his force was six miles 
 from Belmont and shortly afterwards met A and 
 H companies. Royal Canadian Regiment, who 
 had been sent out to reinforce ; but as there was 
 no further news of the enemy, the whole force 
 came into Belmont. 
 
 So ended the Sunnyside engagement. At the 
 time it was regarded as one of the most skil- 
 fully planned and successfully carried out en- 
 gagements of the campaign, and it will pro- 
 bably be so regarded when the campaign is 
 over. However that may be, the participants 
 returned to Belmont feeling very well satisfied 
 with themselves and proud of their young 
 commander. 
 
 88 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 THE MARCH TO PAARDEBERG 
 
 EVENTS in Belmont had been undergoing a 
 great change. Long Hnes of troops, horse, 
 foot and guns, with hundreds of waggons, had 
 been passing up to the front, some by the rail- 
 way, but mostly by road ; our six companies 
 had been sent up to Graspan and then sent 
 back again to Belmont. The greatest expecta- 
 tion and uncertainty pervaded everything. Lord 
 Roberts, who subsequently proved himself to be 
 the Master Mind of the South African cam- 
 paign, had gathered up the threads in his hands 
 and was evidently preparing to make a move on 
 the left flank of the theatre of war. All sorts of 
 vague rumours were afloat. Some thought that 
 Kimberley was to be relieved by a movement to 
 the west of Magersfontein, others that it would 
 be done from the east side, while others again 
 said that a direct attack in overwhelming num- 
 bers was to be made on Cronje's stronghold. 
 No matter what was going to happen, there was 
 
 89 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 one thing quite evident : the largest army that 
 had yet operated in the war was to be put in 
 motion. 
 
 Whatever conjecture and uncertainty per- 
 vaded the atmosphere as to the general move- 
 ment about to be made, there was news of a 
 definite kind for us on the I2th of February, and 
 of a kind we had been waiting and wishing for 
 ever since we had reached the country : we 
 were to be brigaded at last, and in the best of 
 company. The 19th Brigade had been formed, 
 composed of the 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light 
 Infantry, the 2nd King's (Shropshire Light In- 
 fantry), the 1st Gordon Highlanders and the 
 Royal Canadian Regiment, under the command 
 of Major-General Smith-Dorrien, and we were 
 to proceed immediately to Graspan to join the 
 other three regiments.* Whatever Lord Roberts' 
 plans might be, we would have a share in carry- 
 ing them out. Needless to say, everyone's spirits 
 rose at the prospect. 
 
 That same evening we went up to Graspan 
 by train. No tents were taken. Each man had 
 an overcoat and a blanket, while there was a 
 rubber sheet between two; but we were not sup- 
 posed to carry them, as extreme mobility was 
 aimed at, and the infantry were to march as light 
 
 * For battle honours of these regiments, see Appendix B. 
 
 90 
 
The cMarch to ^aardeberg 
 
 as possible, transport waggons being provided 
 for the blankets, etc. On arriving at Graspan, 
 we bivouacked close to the other regiments of 
 our brigade ; emergency rations were issued, 
 ammunition made up to the required amount, 
 and everything got in readiness for a general 
 advance in the morning. 
 
 The troops with which Lord Roberts struck 
 at Bloemfontein, and made his celebrated move 
 round the left flank of Cronje's position, were 
 the following : 
 
 CAVALRY. 
 Lieut.-General French. 
 
 1st Brigade. 
 Colonel Porter. 
 
 2nd Brigade. 
 
 Brigadier-General 
 
 Broadwood. 
 
 Mounted Infantry. 
 I St Brigade. 
 Colonel Hannay. 
 
 Mounted Infantry. 
 2nd Brigade. 
 Colonel Ridley. 
 
 f 9th Lancers. 
 1 2th Lancers. 
 1 6th Lancers. 
 Carabineers. 
 
 ^ Household Cavalry. 
 Scots Greys. 
 Inniskillings. 
 loth Hussars. 
 
 ist Regiment. 
 3rd 
 
 5th 
 I 7th 
 
 2nd 
 4th 
 6th 
 8th 
 91 
 
From Quebec io Pretoria 
 
 Cape Colonials. 
 
 Over-Sea Colonials. - 
 
 Bailey. 
 
 Rimington's Guides. 
 Roberts' Horse. 
 Kitchener's Horse. 
 
 N. S. W. Lancers. 
 N. Z. Mounted Rifles. 
 Queensland Mounted 
 Infantry. 
 
 ARTILLERY. 
 
 Royal Horse Artillery 
 Royal Field Artillery 
 Howitzers 
 
 7 batteries. 
 8 
 
 2 
 
 INFANTRY. 
 6th Division— Lieut.-General Kelly-Kenny. 
 
 13th Brigade. 
 Major-General 
 C. E. Knox. 
 
 1 8th Brigade. 
 
 Brigadier-General 
 
 Stephenson. 
 
 2nd East Kent. 
 2nd Gloucestershire. 
 I St West Riding, 
 ist Oxfordshire L. I. 
 
 2nd Royal Warwicks. 
 I St Yorkshire, 
 ist Essex. 
 I St Welsh. 
 
 7TH Division— Lieut.-General Tucker. 
 
 14th Brigade. 
 Major-General 
 Sir H. Chermside. 
 
 2nd Norfolks. 
 2nd Lincolns. 
 2nd Hampshire, 
 ist K. O. Scottish Borderers. 
 92 
 
The SMarch to Paardcberg 
 
 15th Brigade. 
 
 Major-General 
 
 Wavell. 
 
 2nd Cheshire. 
 
 1st East Lancashire. 
 
 2nd South Wales Borderers. 
 
 2nd North Staffords. 
 
 9TH Division— Lieut.-General Sir H. Colville. 
 
 3rd Brigade. 
 
 Major-General 
 
 Macdonald. 
 
 19th Brigade. 
 
 Major-General 
 
 Smith-Dorrien. 
 
 2nd Black Watch. 
 
 1st Highland L. I. 
 
 2nd Seaforths. 
 
 I St Argyll and Sutherland. 
 
 2nd Cornwall L. I. 
 2nd Shropshire L. I. 
 ist Gordon Highlanders. 
 Royal Canadian Regiment. 
 
 Added to these were the bearer companies, 
 field hospitals, ammunition columns, Royal En- 
 gineers, and the enormous transport necessary 
 for the feeding of such a number of horses and 
 men away from the railway line. 
 
 Our brigade was in motion at 4.30 on the 
 morning of the 13th, and our march to a farm 
 called Ramdam was in some ways one of the 
 hardest knocks we got, as we suffered more 
 from thirst than at any other time during the 
 campaign. For some reason or other we had 
 to carry our overcoats, although none of the 
 other regiments did ; and an overcoat strapped 
 on one's back for eight and a half hours in a 
 sweltering sun makes a good load, when added 
 
 93 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 to one's accoutrements, etc. We covered only 
 thirteen miles, but on account of delays, caused 
 by one thing and another, we did not reach our 
 destination until one o'clock. The drinking water 
 in the bottles played out early in the day ; even 
 if any were saved, it got quite warm and was 
 perfectly useless to quench thirst. To give an 
 idea how hard a march it was it is only neces- 
 sary to record the fact that fifty-two men of our 
 regiment fell by the wayside, some of them 
 dropping in the ranks in a dead faint. The 
 spirit of the men, however, rose superior to the 
 surroundings, and a song was attempted, the 
 Gordons, who were in front, looking round in 
 amazement ; but our throats would not respond. 
 Our water-cart might have helped the situation 
 out a good deal more than it did, but it was not 
 until our campaigning was nearly over that 
 those in authority seemed to realize that the 
 water-cart was for use and not for ornament. 
 
 At Ramdam we found evidences of previous 
 occupation by a large force. General French, 
 with the Cavalry Division, seven batteries of 
 Royal Horse Artillery, and three Field Bat- 
 teries, had bivouacked there on the night of the 
 nth, and was already forty miles away at Klip 
 Drift, on the Modder River, on his famous ride 
 to Kimberley. The 6th and 7th Infantry 
 Divisions had also bivouacked there, and were 
 
 94 
 
The cMa.rcK to Paardeberg 
 
 following General French as speedily as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 There was a very large dam, full of water 
 •which, under ordinary circumstances, a man 
 would not care to wash his hands in, but every 
 one immediately made for it, notwithstanding 
 that it was so uninviting. One man, who was 
 sitting in a limp position at the edge of the 
 water, assured me that he had just drunk five 
 bottlesful, and was still thirsty. Hundreds of 
 animals being watered and churning it up, men 
 bathing, and others filling their water-bottles 
 out of the same pond — it was a novel sight. 
 Here we were joined by the Highland Brigade, 
 commanded by General Hector Macdonald, 
 and the two brigades formed the 9th Division, 
 under Sir Henry Colville. 
 
 At four o'clock the following morning we 
 continued our march in the direction of the 
 Riet River. As the country was pretty open the 
 infantry marched three regiments abreast, in 
 column of companies, and was accompanied by 
 a proportion of mounted scouts, artillery, am- 
 munition column, medical corps, engineers, 
 transports, etc. A part of the Naval Brigade 
 also joined us, and, taken altogether, the column 
 must have made an imposing spectacle moving 
 across the plain. Waterval Drift, on the Riet 
 River, was reached about noon, and the rest of 
 
 95 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 the day was occupied in getting the guns and 
 transports across. The thirty-two oxen on the 
 4.7 naval guns were quite unable to get up the 
 steep sandy banks, so they were taken off, long 
 ropes attached, and a couple of hundred Cana- 
 dians accomplished the task most successfully. 
 The whole force bivouacked on the north side 
 in the evening. Lord Roberts' headquarters 
 being also there. 
 
 The next day we turned down the river, and 
 marched to Wedgraai Drift. During the after- 
 noon the 15th Brigade (Wavell's) advanced, and 
 after a short engagement took possession of 
 Jacobsdal. That same evening General French 
 led his column into Kimberley. 
 
 Although we knew it not till a few days 
 afterwards. General Cronje, who had been sit- 
 ting in security behind the impregnable lines of 
 Magersfontein, finding that a large mounted 
 force had passed completely round his eastern 
 flank, and that his line of communication with 
 Bloemfontein was threatened, determined to 
 abandon his stronghold. On this same evening 
 of the 1 5th, as soon as darkness set in, he moved 
 his whole force out, and struck boldly for the 
 east. By the next morning he had made a 
 record mxarch of thirty miles, a notable feat 
 when the sandy nature of the soil is remem- 
 bered and the fact is borne in mind that a large 
 
 96 
 
T/ie cMarch to Pa.a.rdeberg 
 
 number of his waggons were drawn by oxen. 
 His force crossed the route General French had 
 followed, and made a dash for liberty consider- 
 ably to the north of Kelly-Kenny's Division, 
 which had reached Klip Drift, on the Modder. 
 The cloud of dust which was raised by and 
 hung over the distant column made the pres- 
 ence of the latter known to the British, who 
 immediately started in pursuit, and it is largely 
 due to the efficient manner in which this 
 division hung on to Cronje's rear and flank 
 that the subsequent hemming in at Paardeberg 
 was made possible. 
 
 The movements of our brigade during the 
 day had simply been a march of a few miles 
 into Jacobsdal, which had been cleared of the 
 enemy the previous afternoon. A convoy of 
 1 80 waggons, in charge of a small escort, was 
 attacked at the Waterval Drift, Riet River, and 
 although a sufficient force to extricate it was at 
 first sent back by Lord Roberts, he subse- 
 quently ordered its abandonment, evidently 
 thinking that it would be better to let it go, 
 in view of the big issues that were at stake, than 
 waste time in rescuing it — a decision fully justi- 
 fied by subsequent events ; but we probably did 
 not appreciate the fact at the time, as the result 
 was to give us our first experience of reduced 
 rations. 
 
 97 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 At nine o'clock that night our brigade was 
 set in motion in an easterly direction. March- 
 ing by night was preferable to marching in the 
 day time, because it was so much cooler, the 
 only drawback being that it was almost im- 
 possible to get any sleep during the day on 
 account of the heat. During the five-minute 
 halts the troops threw themselves down, most of 
 the men being asleep as soon as they touched 
 the ground. Stumbling along in the dark, half 
 asleep, not knowing where we were or where 
 we were going, we at length, just about day- 
 light, reached Klip Drift The men piled arms 
 and dropped down beside their rifles, without 
 waiting to take off a single article of equipment. 
 A couple of hours' sleep was indulged in, when 
 breakfast was ready, and after that it was too 
 hot to think of sleep. Nearly everybody who 
 could get away went down to the river and had 
 a refreshing swim in the muddy water. 
 
 Close by, in a roomy farm-house, were many 
 wounded from the 6th Division, the victims 
 of the fighting with Cronje's rear-guard, for 
 General Kelly-Kenny was hanging on to the 
 retreating enemy and successfully blocking the 
 different drifts to prevent his convoy from 
 getting across to the south. About mid-day 
 General French, by probably the most remark- 
 able feat he ever accomplished, coming post- 
 98 
 
The March to ^aardeberg 
 
 haste from Kimberley, and keeping sufficiently 
 to the north to get round Cronje's army, threw 
 himself right across his path. The Household 
 Cavalry and the lOth Hussars seized a line of 
 kopjes which commanded the Wolveskraal 
 Drift just as Cronje's advance guard was mak- 
 ing for them. The position of affairs, then, on 
 the evening of Saturday, the 17th of February, 
 was as follows : Kelly-Kenny's infantry were on 
 the south side of the river holding the Paarde- 
 berg Drift, while his mounted infantry were 
 perpetually engaging Cronje's rear-guard to the 
 north. General French had, by a clever ma- 
 noeuvre, headed off the retreating army, and 
 was holding the Wolveskraal Drift, so that 
 Cronje's further progress was practically barred. 
 At six o'clock that same evening we got orders 
 to march. We were still about twenty miles 
 from Paardeberg Drift. There was to be fight- 
 ing there for sure in the morning. Would we 
 get a look in? 
 
 The night's march was much like the pre- 
 vious one, only the men were even a little more 
 sleepy. Our regiment was rear-guard, and the 
 rear company on one or two occasions, after 
 the five-minute halts, gathered up some men 
 who were lying sound asleep on the veldt. 
 They had not heard the word to advance, and 
 had not been noticed by their comrades. One 
 7 99 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 man, belonging to a flanking company, was left 
 behind altogether, but fell in with some mounted 
 men, and caught us up the next day. From 
 eight o'clock till eleven a halt was made, when 
 everyone had a good sleep. Much refreshed, 
 we stumbled along in the darkness, through the 
 dawn to the daylight, and reached Paardeberg 
 Drift about 5.30 o'clock on the memorable i8th 
 of February. 
 
 100 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 THE BATTLE OF PAARDEBERG 
 
 ANYONE attempting to give a description 
 of an engagement in which he was actively 
 engaged necessarily finds himself very much 
 handicapped, and can only speak from personal 
 observation of that portion of the battle-field 
 where his regiment found itself placed. A few 
 remarks as to the general scope of the action 
 under review can, however, be added, so that 
 the reader may understand what the engagement 
 was like as a whole. 
 
 As stated in the last chapter, our regiment, 
 having marched from Klip Drift along the south 
 bank of the Modder River, arrived at Paardeberg 
 Drift about 5.30 o'clock on Sunday morning, 
 the 1 8th of February. The head of our column 
 reached there at 4.15 a.m. It was quite ap- 
 parent that we had come up with Kelly-Kenny's 
 Division, as a large amount of transport was 
 spread about all over the place, and troops could 
 be seen moving in all directions. The 65th 
 Howitzer Battery was in action to our right 
 
 lOI 
 
5 
 
 
 5 
 
 « 
 
 «5! 
 
 0". 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 15 
 
The BMe of Paardeberg 
 
 front on a small ridge, shelling the river-bed 
 higher up, and the distant rattle of musketry 
 could be distinctly heard. We were all very 
 much exhausted, and the reduction of our 
 rations to three-quarters of a pound a day was 
 beginning to make itself felt ; but the sound of 
 the firing and the chance of at last getting into 
 a " scrap " put new life into us. 
 
 The position of affairs at this time seems to 
 have been as follows : As soon as daylight 
 broke, Kelly-Kenny's mounted infantry again 
 attacked Cronje's rear-guard, which up to that 
 time had been holding the kopjes to the north- 
 west of Paardeberg Drift. Cronje's main body, 
 with the exception of a cordon drawn round his 
 waggons, which were on the north bank, had 
 already withdrawn into the river-bed and en- 
 trenched itself, and his rear-guard now aban- 
 doned their kopjes and followed their leader 
 into his new position. The western end* of the 
 Boer position, when the rear-guard went down 
 to the river about sunrise, was not much above 
 the Paardeberg Drift, and the whole force occu- 
 pied about three and a half miles of the river. 
 
 The Highland Brigade, which had marched 
 across from Wedgraai, had arrived during the 
 night and commenced crossing the river at 
 
 * It is impossible to speak of the "right" or "left," as the 
 Boer position faced both ways. 
 
 103 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 Paardeberg Drift early in the morning; but after 
 some companies of the Black Watch and Sea- 
 forths had crossed, the brigade was detached 
 from General Colville's command and placed 
 under General Kelly-Kenny, with the exception 
 of the companies which had already obtained a 
 footing on the north side. General Macdonald 
 was wounded in the foot at the drift while these 
 companies were crossing, as at that time the 
 Boers had not withdrawn round the bend (as 
 shown in the sketch). The whole of the Infantry 
 of the 6th Division was extended along the 
 south of Cronje's position, Stephenson's Brigade 
 (the 1 8th) being worked round to the eastern 
 end, the Welsh Regiment being on the extreme 
 right, while General French's force was on the 
 north and east ; thus it will be seen the Boers 
 were completely surrounded. The enemy's 
 waggons and carts were all clustered on the 
 north bank of the river towards the eastern end 
 of the position, and could be plainly seen by 
 everyone. As soon as we halted breakfast was 
 got ready and a ration of rum served out with 
 the coffee. A few of us took the opportunity to 
 go down to the river and have a swim. About 
 8.30 our brigade received orders to go into 
 action. 
 
 Every man must necessarily experience dif- 
 ferent feelings when he is given an order to go 
 
 104 
 
The Battle of Paardeberg 
 
 under fire, and they will vary according to his 
 temperament. A nervousness to a greater or 
 less extent is, I think, felt, just as singers say 
 they are nervous while waiting for their turn to 
 go on the stage ; but, like the singer, once the 
 soldier gets fairly started, all nervousness is a 
 thing of the past, the only result of its tem- 
 porary presence being a bracing and nerving up 
 of the whole constitution for the great work that 
 lies before him. This nervousness is probably 
 less apparent when first going under fire than 
 on subsequent occasions. There is always a 
 keenness on the part of the untried soldier to 
 get into his first action ; he thinks less then of 
 its pains and penalties than he does afterwards, 
 when experience has brought them home to 
 him. 
 
 There was no mistaking the temper of the 
 men of the Royal Canadian Regiment on the 
 morning of the 1 8th of February. It was three 
 months and a half since they left Canada ; they 
 had been in South Africa since the 30th of 
 November. Their great fear had been that they 
 would not be given a chance. " Colonials will 
 only be put at garrison work and on the line of 
 communication," they argued, and " we shall go 
 home without getting under fire, and be more 
 laughed at than pitied." But all these fears 
 were things of the past. Men could be seen 
 
 105 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 going about with a contented smile on their 
 faces, congratulating each other on the realiza- 
 tion of their hopes and aspirations. True, one 
 company had received its baptism of fire, and 
 done the greatest credit to the regiment, at 
 Sunnyside ; but it was only a small part of the 
 regiment, acting as a detached unit, and the 
 very men who composed it were as anxious as 
 any of the others to see the regiment take part 
 in a big battle. 
 
 A finishing touch having been given to the 
 rifles, we fell in, and were marched, first of all, 
 along the south side of the river to where the 
 battery of artillery was in action, as before men- 
 tioned. Our orders were soon changed, how- 
 ever, and we were brought back to the Paarde- 
 berg Drift and crossed the river to the north side 
 with the 82nd Field Battery. The Cornwalls 
 were left on the south side till the afternoon. 
 The water was running pretty swiftly, and in 
 the centre it took an average-sized man up to 
 the armpits. A rope was strung across by the 
 engineers, and the men crossed, in single file, by 
 its aid. Some time was occupied in this pro- 
 ceeding, and it was about ten o'clock when we 
 formed up on the opposite bank. 
 
 We immediately proceeded up the river, 
 marching in column of companies, and took 
 open order, A Company leading, followed by 
 
 106 
 
The Battle of Paardeberg 
 
 C Company, while D and E companies formed 
 the support, and B, F, G and H the reserve. 
 The Gordon Highlanders and the Shropshires 
 moved over some distance to the left and estab- 
 lished themselves more to the north. One over- 
 sight was made at this stage : no explanations 
 were given to the men, or section commanders, 
 as to where the Boers were or what we were to do, 
 and a present-day battle scene is merely a land- 
 scape with no moving thing visible. About a 
 mile higher up there was a big bend in the river, 
 which practically brought it right across our 
 front. We advanced towards this. 
 
 Eliminating the kopjes, which stood back 
 some distance from the river, the battle-field 
 was a good deal like the western prairies of 
 Canada. The Modder River cut its way through 
 the open veldt in a sinuous line, the upper parts 
 of the trees which grew in between its banks 
 just showing nicely above them. There was 
 absolutely no cover for the attacking force, and 
 what made the job all the more difficult and 
 deadly, was that the ground inclined slightly 
 towards the river. Across this open ground, 
 towards the big bend, we steadily advanced. 
 It was not the kind of battle-field one's imagina- 
 tion leads one to expect — not a living creature 
 could be seen — but the rattle of musketry which 
 we had heard all morning now became loud and 
 
 107 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 fierce, and an occasional volley, intermingled 
 with the independent firing, told us that some 
 British troops were in front of us. We formed 
 our opinions of what was before us entirely from 
 what we heard, as we saw nothing except the 
 fringe of trees we were approaching. The 
 bullets were whizzing past us, and throwing up 
 little sprays of sand in all directions as they 
 struck the ground. In a very few minutes we 
 were well in the fire zone, and were ordered to 
 lie down. All round us were men of the Black 
 Watch and Seaforths, the supports of the firing 
 line, which was about 300 yards farther on. 
 These men were lying perfectly prone, taking 
 advantage of every inch of cover, the bullets 
 finding them out even there, as one poor fellow 
 I passed close to eloquently proved with his 
 upturned face and glassy eyes. 
 
 The order was then given to the leading com- 
 panies to advance by alternate sections, at the 
 double. This was a mistake, as the advancing 
 section could not be covered by the fire of the 
 others, the Highlanders' firing line intervening 
 between us and the enemy, and one section 
 getting up at a time naturally drew a concen- 
 trated fire on it from the Boers. Three or four 
 rushes brought us up to the Highlanders, and 
 we extended their line on the right and left, 
 some of our men joining in with the Scotchmen. 
 
 108 
 
The *Bait[e of Paardeberg 
 
 By keeping a wide extension and advancing 
 rapidly we reached the firing line with but few 
 casualties. As we had shaken well out on the 
 right, we completely enveloped the western end 
 of the Boer position, the right of our line resting 
 on the bank of the river. 
 
 And here we remained. Through the fierce 
 heat of the morning, and on through a cold rain 
 in the early part of the afternoon, with nothing 
 to eat or drink except the odd bits of biscuit in 
 our haversacks and the water in our bottles, 
 we lay prone and fired into the trees in front 
 of us. Not a Boer could be seen. We only 
 knew where the enemy was by the incessant 
 rattle of the Mausers and the endless procession 
 of bullets striking all about us or passing over- 
 head, one of which every now and then claimed 
 its victim. 
 
 We had to be most careful where we fired, 
 because it was impossible to know whereabouts 
 the other regiments were. We knew that they 
 were doing much the same kind of work as our- 
 selves, on the other side of the river, and orders 
 were continually being passed up and down our 
 line, first from one end and then from the other, 
 to cease fire. The 82nd Battery was shelling 
 the bed of the river in front of us, enfilading it 
 from the left at long range, which effectually 
 prevented any advance up the river between the 
 
 109 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 banks, although it was at first attempted by a 
 detachment of Highlanders, but immediately 
 abandoned. 
 
 Our casualties were mounting up. Our firing 
 line had been swelled too much by bringing up 
 three companies — a dangerous proceeding, ex- 
 cept at long range, especially when the attack- 
 ing force is entirely exposed and the force being 
 attacked is completely hidden. Captain Arnold, 
 of A Company, the brave and the kind, had 
 fallen mortally wounded, while sitting up trying 
 to locate the enemy in the trees through his 
 field-glasses ; Sergeant Scott, the celebrated 
 oarsman, had fallen with a bullet through his 
 brain, at the head of his section. Altogether, 
 some thirty or forty had been put out of action, 
 and the moaning of the wounded and the cries 
 for " stretcher bearer " went on incessantly in all 
 directions. The wounded had to lie where they 
 were, the men next to them doing what they 
 could in the way of first aid. Stretcher bearers 
 could do nothing in that firing line, as the Boers 
 deliberately turned their fire on them as soon as 
 they got up and began moving about. Three 
 men were struck down carrying Captain Arnold 
 to the rear. 
 
 Drill-book formations were more or less dis- 
 carded ; companies were mixed up. On the 
 
 no 
 
The Battle of Paardeberg 
 
 right small parties of three and four men could 
 occasionally be seen dodging from place to place 
 to try and get into better positions. Some men 
 were sound asleep. Others would fire a few 
 shots and then turn and chat with whoever 
 was beside them. Highlanders, Canadians and 
 Mounted Infantry were all mixed up together. 
 
 As the afternoon wore on the rain ceased, and 
 the sun came out again and dried our clothes a 
 bit. Was nothing going to be done to drive 
 those Boers out of the position in front of us ? 
 Were we to lie there till dark and then retire 
 without having gained anything ? 
 
 The answer to these questions was not long 
 in coming. The Cornwalls had been brought 
 across the river to support us and soon made 
 their presence felt. Colonel Aldsworth, D.S.O., 
 formed up two companies some little distance 
 behind our firing line and ordered them to 
 charge. The first intimation we on the right 
 had of what was happening in our rear was the 
 sound of hoarse cheering. Looking round, we 
 saw the Cornwalls coming up at the charge. 
 There were cries on all sides to fix bayonets and 
 join the on-coming line. When it reached us we 
 jumped up, and joining in the mad rush — Corn- 
 walls, Highlanders, Canadians, and Mounted 
 Infantry, all in one grand melee — went yelling 
 
 III 
 
From Qjxebec to Pretoria. 
 
 and shouting for that hateful line of foliage 
 which had been spitting out death and destruc- 
 tion at us all day. 
 
 It was costly work, but it was exciting to a 
 degree. Poor young Todd, an American who 
 had been out in the Philippine war, yelled out, 
 " Come on, boys ; this beats Manila hollow." He 
 never spoke again. The fusillade that met us 
 from the repeating rifles was terrific. The whole 
 air seemed to be filled with lead ; we were shot 
 at from the front and enfiladed from the donga at 
 the bend of the river on the left ; it is a mystery 
 that so many reached the bank. As we ap- 
 proached the river, we found that a state of 
 things existed which it was impossible to know 
 of from where we had been lying all day. Close 
 to the river the ground sloped rapidly down. 
 The trees, which had seemed to us to be equally 
 on both sides of the river, were all on the other 
 side ; and so were the Boers, still invisible, while 
 the river was practically unfordable. The charg- 
 ing line broke in two ; the right half, seeing 
 some small bushes near the water which would 
 afford a little cover, made a dash for these, while 
 the left half, seeing nothing except an absolutely 
 coverless slope between them and the water, 
 threw themselves down and again opened fire. 
 But their position was not an enviable one, as 
 owing to the sloping nature of the ground they 
 
 112 
 
The "Battle of Paardeberg 
 
 were more exposed than they had been before. 
 Nor had we on the right improved our position. 
 The cover was scanty and we were more or less 
 at the mercy of the Boers, who knew exactly 
 where we were while they were all invisible to 
 us. The small bushes which afforded us some 
 scant cover were cut to pieces with the lead which 
 the Boers poured into them. We were also in 
 great danger from our own artillery, which was 
 still enfilading that part of the river-bed from 
 the left. The Boers drew in their western end a 
 little as the result of our advance. All we could 
 do was to hang on to the ground we had gained. 
 This position remained unchanged until dark- 
 ness set in, when the Boers vacated that part of 
 the river altogether and withdrew some distance 
 round the bend. 
 
 We then had to do what we could for the 
 wounded. No one knew where the field hos- 
 pital was. It was not anywhere within two 
 miles — that was certain. No stretchers could be 
 obtained. The only thing to do was turn to and 
 render what assistance was possible. The work 
 done by some of the men that night was magni- 
 ficent ; it would be invidious to mention names, 
 but there was one man who may be mentioned 
 without fear of anyone feeling slighted. I refer 
 to Rev. Father O'Leary. He tended and soothed 
 the wounded all through that bleak night on the 
 
 "3 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 battle-field, and carried comfort and solace to 
 the dying. His work was not finished until 
 next morning, when Canada's honoured dead 
 having been gathered together and placed in 
 their sandy grave in a little grove of trees some 
 distance from the banks of the fateful river, he, 
 in hushed accents which sent a thrill through 
 everyone within sound of his voice, tenderly 
 committed them " to the keeping of God's 
 angels." 
 
 114 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE SURRENDER OF CRONJE 
 
 nr'HE Royal Canadian Regiment had been 
 * withdrawn after dark to a point about a 
 mile and a half from the scene of the fighting ; 
 but as the men had become so scattered during 
 the day, a good many did not turn up till the 
 following morning, having lost their way in the 
 darkness while trying to find the regiment. The 
 company rolls were called the first thing in the 
 morning, and it looked as if the casualty returns 
 would be much larger than they afterwards 
 proved to be, owing to the number of missing ; 
 but these soon came straggling in from all direc- 
 tions and eventually every man was accounted 
 for. The grim total was soon known : Eighteen 
 killed ; three mortally and sixty severely or 
 slightly wounded.* 
 
 Our first baptism of fire had been a costly 
 one, but the great question was, How had the 
 regiment carried itself? We knew we had not 
 
 * For complete list see Appendix C. 
 8 ,115 
 
From Qjiebec to Pretoria 
 
 gained as much ground as we would have liked 
 on the previous day, but we also knew that under 
 the most trying circumstances no man had 
 flinched, and what had been gained had been 
 held. We also knew that the very keenness 
 and dash of the men, and the way they fearlessly 
 exposed themselves, were responsible for a con- 
 siderable portion of the casualties. But what 
 would be the verdict of our generals, and, above 
 all, what would the Canadian people say ? We 
 had not long to wait for an answer. Our 
 Brigadier, General Smith-Dorrien, came person- 
 ally to the regiment and thanked us for what we 
 had done. He said he was glad when he was 
 first told that the Royal Canadians were to be 
 in his brigade, but that he was more than proud 
 now that he had seen the gallant manner in 
 which they had acted during Sunday's very try- 
 ing engagement. He was proud to be a member 
 of the Empire to which they belonged. 
 
 The following telegram was sent by Lord 
 Roberts to Lord Minto, the Governor-General : 
 
 " The Canadian Regiment has done admir- 
 able service since its arrival in South Africa. I 
 deeply regret its heavy loss in the fighting on 
 February i8th, and beg that you will assure 
 your people how much we all admire its con- 
 spicuous gallantry on that occasion." 
 
 The following telegrani from Sir Wilfrid 
 
 ii6 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 Laurier to Colonel Otter was taken as reflect- 
 ing the feelings and sentiments of the Canadian 
 people, and was very deeply appreciated by all 
 ranks : 
 
 " I desire to convey to you and your men the 
 grateful thanks of the Government and Parlia- 
 ment of the Dominion for your gallantry dis- 
 played on the battle-field. Canada warmly 
 appreciates the sacrifices made by her sons for 
 the honour of the Empire. The wounded have 
 our sympathy, and our prayers for their speedy 
 recovery. Those who have given up their lives 
 will forever be held in remembrance by a grate- 
 ful people." 
 
 The other troops engaged, but whom we could 
 see nothing of during the battle, had had much 
 the same experience as ourselves — the same 
 open level plain to advance over, the same 
 deadly torrent of lead from a perfectly invisible 
 foe to meet, and the same uncertainty as to 
 where it was safe to fire, not knowing where the 
 other regiments were, or how close to the river 
 bank those on the other side might be.* At the 
 eastern end Stephenson's Brigade had succeeded 
 in forcing the enemy to contract his line, so that 
 
 * That the other regiments had suffered equally with ours is 
 shown by the total casualties : Officers killed, 23; wounded, 54; 
 men killed, 271 ; wounded, 851. 
 
 117 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 now the part of the river-bed actually occupied 
 was about two and a half miles long. 
 
 Lord Kitchener had been in charge of Sun- 
 day's operations. On Monday Lord Roberts 
 arrived. With him were General Tucker's 
 Division (the 7th), three batteries of Field Artil- 
 lery and the Naval Brigade, the latter composed 
 of the 4.7 guns and two 12-pounders. During the 
 afternoon these guns were got into position to 
 enable them to effectively shell the river-bed, a 
 few rounds being then fired ; but it was not until 
 the following afternoon (Tuesday) that anything 
 like a heavy bombardment was attempted. 
 This seems a pity, as undoubtedly the Boers 
 were at this time constructing those marvellous 
 trenches and caves which for the remainder of 
 the siege rendered them almost entirely safe 
 from shell fire. Early on Monday morning 
 General Cronje asked for a twenty-four hours' 
 armistice, which was granted ; but on Lord 
 Roberts' arrival, at 10 a.m., it was immediately 
 revoked, as it would simply have been used by 
 the Boers to entrench themselves, free from any 
 molestation whatever ; they also wanted to gain 
 time, as reinforcements were hurrying up to 
 assist them. Hearing that there were some 
 women and children with the besieged, permis- 
 sion was sent to have them removed to a place 
 of safety ; but, for reasons best known to them- 
 selves, this offer was declined. 
 
 118 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 On Tuesday morning a cordon of infantry 
 was drawn all round the laager * and advanced 
 to within about 1,500 yards. No assault was 
 intended, and very little rifle firing took place, 
 but the guns, which by this time had all been 
 placed in the most advantageous positions, kept 
 up a steady and sustained bombardment of the 
 whole river-bed. The infantry were simply 
 in position to prevent any breaking out that 
 might be attempted by the enemy, and at night- 
 fall were withdrawn. The following casualties 
 occurred in our regiment as a result of the long- 
 range rifle fire, all the men wounded being in 
 the reserve : C Company^ Bugler J. B. Holland, 
 very slightly, and Private R. W. Kidner, 
 slightly ; F Company, Private W. Downing, 
 slightly ; H Company, Private A. Parker, very 
 slightly. 
 
 For the rest of the time the besieged held out 
 the settled plan was followed which proved so 
 efficacious, and was brought to a fitting climax 
 by the Royal Canadian Regiment on the morn- 
 ing of the 27th of February. 
 
 The dispositions made by Lord Roberts were 
 as follows : Trenches were dug at both ends of 
 
 * The expression " Cronje's laager" meant that part of the 
 river-bed occupied by his forces. It, of course, also included 
 the waggons and carts upon the bank, which were rapidly 
 demolished by our shell fire. 
 
 119 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 the Boer position, extending from some distance 
 out on the banks right down to the water's edge. 
 These were to be gradually pushed forward as 
 occasion offered, a brigade being assigned to 
 look after the work at each end, while the 
 remainder of the troops surrounded the ill-fated 
 force and the guns kept up an intermittent fire. 
 Our brigade was to look after the trenches at 
 the western end, while the opposite ones were 
 occupied by Chermside's Brigade (the 14th). 
 The following duties were performed by the 
 regiments of our brigade : One regiment went 
 into the trenches for a spell of forty-eight hours, 
 another occupied a large flat-topped kopje to 
 the north-west, to ward off any reinforcements 
 which might try to pierce through from that 
 direction ; the third regiment acted as a guard 
 and escort to the guns, the main body of which 
 was posted on Artillery Hill, a small kopje 
 near the river on the north side ; while the 
 remaining regiment was supposed to have a 
 couple of days' rest preparatory to going into 
 the trenches. 
 
 On Thursday we moved up into the kopje 
 and remained there until Saturday. It was 
 principally a case of outpost work, but under 
 very disagreeable circumstances. The rain came 
 down in torrents. We were without overcoats, 
 and had very little to eat. Our regimental 
 
 120 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 transport had been left on the south side of the 
 river in the first place, and when they attempted 
 to bring it across, the rain had swollen the river 
 so much that the attempt had to be abandoned 
 for the time being. The regimental cooking 
 was carried on under the most absurd condi- 
 tions, the men having to carry the cooked food 
 nearly a mile, and then go a good deal farther 
 than that to refill the pots with water. Captain 
 Bell took the matter in hand, and a few common 
 sense alterations made a material difference to 
 the comfort and convenience of the men. There 
 was not much protection from the rain, as there 
 was less than one blanket per man. They had 
 all become mixed up in getting sufficient for 
 the wounded. 
 
 On Friday afternoon a party from A Com- 
 pany marched down to pay the last sad rites to 
 Captain Arnold, who had passed quietly away 
 that morning. He had practically been uncon- 
 scious ever since he received his fatal wound 
 on Sunday, and there had never been the 
 slightest chance of recovery. We laid him to 
 rest beside an officer of the Argyll and Suther- 
 land Highlanders, on the south bank of the 
 Modder River. His death was a distinct loss to 
 the whole regiment. He was the senior captain, 
 and was rightly looked upon as a particularly 
 efficient officer. But it was to A Company that 
 
 121 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 the blow was most severe. He was an enthusi- 
 astic, painstaking and competent officer, and in 
 addition to this he had endeared himself to 
 every one of his men by the careful manner in 
 which he looked after their interests, and by the 
 sympathy he always evinced in all matters relat- 
 ing to the internal economy of his company. 
 He was exceedingly proud of A Company, and 
 his men were equally proud of their captain, 
 mourning his untimely death very deeply. 
 
 On Saturday we were relieved by the Shrop- 
 shires, and came down off the kopje for the two 
 days' rest before taking our turn in the trenches. 
 Unfortunately a flat piece of ground was chosen 
 for our bivouac, and a heavy rain coming on 
 through the night, we were completely flooded 
 out. By midnight the water had soaked through 
 everything and formed pools on the rubber 
 sheets on which we were lying. Very soon 
 afterwards everyone was up and moving about 
 in a more or less bedraggled condition praying 
 for daylight to come. There is one redeeming 
 feature about South African rain-storms — they 
 are nearly always followed by bright sunshine, 
 so that everything can be dried out. As soon 
 as the sun rose, we rescued our things from the 
 mud and water and moved to higher ground, 
 where we succeeded in drying them during the 
 day. 
 
 122 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 The British troops at Paardeberg were not 
 only a containing force, but they had to ward 
 off the reinforcements which had come up from 
 Ladysmith and the northern frontier of Cape 
 Colony and were continually trying to break 
 through our lines. Some idea of the extent of 
 country covered by our forces may be gathered 
 from the fact that the perimeter of the encamp- 
 ment surrounding the Boer laager was about 
 twenty-four miles. A kopje to the south-east 
 on which the enemy had obtained a footing was 
 cleared on the 20th, while on the 23rd the 
 Yorkshires and Buffs engaged a party of about 
 2,000, inflicting severe loss on them and cap- 
 turing eighty prisoners ; forty more prisoners 
 were taken the following day. These with 
 individual Boers and Kaffirs, who were con- 
 tinually escaping from Cronje's army and 
 giving themselves up, made a considerable 
 number of prisoners on our hands before the 
 final surrender on the 27th. 
 
 On Monday (the 26th) it was our turn to go 
 into the trenches and relieve the Cornwalls. At 
 nine o'clock in the morning we fell in and 
 marched up the river to where the balloon 
 section was at work. The balloon (The Duchess 
 of Connaught) had been doing very successful 
 work during the previous week, as from it a 
 good deal of the Boer position could be seen, 
 
 123 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 and the fire of our artillery was largely directed 
 by the observations made from time to time. 
 At this point a section of a pontoon bridge 
 working on a rope was used as a ferry across 
 the river, and by this A Company crossed, and 
 advancing up the south bank of the river occu- 
 pied the foremost trench on that side ; the other 
 seven companies took possession of the trenches 
 on the north side. These trenches had been 
 commenced by the Shropshires, who had gal- 
 lantly pushed forward on both sides of the 
 river-bed on the 2ist and established them- 
 selves at these points. There was about five 
 hundred yards intervening between us and the 
 Boers, and continual sniping was kept up on 
 both sides through the day when occasion of- 
 fered, but without any apparent result. The 
 main trench on the north side of the river was 
 about 460 yards long, extending almost from 
 the water's edge at right angles, except that 
 part at the outer end, which curved a little to 
 the east. 
 
 Towards evening it became known that some 
 decisive movement was in contemplation. It 
 was well known that the following day was the 
 anniversary of Majuba Hill, and it was generally 
 thought that something out of the ordinary 
 would be attempted. A midnight assault on 
 the main Boer trench by the Royal Canadian 
 Regiment was decided upon. 
 
 125 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 By ten o'clock the following dispositions had 
 been made : H, G, F, E, D and C companies 
 occupied the main trench from right to left, 
 about two hundred Gordon Highlanders being 
 on the extreme left, to act as supports, while out 
 on the left front, about 1,500 yards from the river, 
 were the Shropshires ; thirty Royal Engineers 
 were on the right next the river, B Company 
 was in reserve, while, as before stated, A Com- 
 pany occupied a long semi-circular trench on 
 the south bank, which terminated down at the 
 river opposite the main northern trench. The 
 instructions issued to the latter company were 
 to be on the alert all night and keep a sharp 
 lookout, as it was thought probable the Boers 
 might try to break away in that direction when 
 the assault was made on the other side. The 
 trench, being an extensive one and having only 
 one company in it, was not strongly held. 
 
 At 2 a.m. the order was given to advance. 
 The six companies, C, D, E, F, G and H, imme- 
 diately got out of their trench and formed up 
 in two ranks. The front rank fixed bayonets and 
 extended to one pace interval, the ranks being 
 fifteen yards apart ; the rear rank slung their 
 rifles and carried picks and shovels ; the Royal 
 Engineers also carried entrenching tools. The 
 orders were to advance as quickly as possible 
 towards the Boer trench, and not to fire unless 
 
 126 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 fired upon ; if the Boer trench could not be 
 reached, the ground gained was to be held by 
 the front rank, while the rear rank were to con- 
 struct new trenches under the direction and 
 with the assistance of the Engineers. 
 
 It was a still starlight night when at 2:15 a.m. 
 the Royal Canadians moved forward on their 
 venturesome enterprise. The ground to be 
 moved over was new to all of them. The Boers 
 knew, every inch of it, as they had at one time 
 held it ; and since their retirement to their 
 present position they had narrowly scanned its 
 every feature, and on more than one occasion 
 during the previous nights had covered it with a 
 sleet of lead in the dread that the British were 
 advancing on them. . 
 
 Slowly feeling their way in the darkness over 
 the uneven and broken ground, the men in 
 the two lines moved forward. Not a word was 
 spoken, and every possible precaution was 
 taken against any noise being made. One 
 hundred ! two hundred ! three hundred yards ! 
 The tension was getting extreme. They knew 
 they were advancing on a perfectly constructed 
 trench, strongly held by resolute and desperate 
 men, each armed with the quick-firing Mauser. 
 Eyes tried to pierce the darkness, but nothing 
 could be seen. Were the Boers by any chance 
 asleep? Would they be able to reach those 
 
 127 
 
From Qjicbec to Pretoria 
 
 trenches and decide the question solely with 
 the cold steel ! Four hundred yards ! The men 
 were breathing hard, not from exertion but from 
 nervous excitement. They were surely within 
 striking distance now, whatever happened. 
 Despite the darkness and the unknown ground 
 a few more yards gained would surely enable 
 them to rush those trenches and use the bayonet. 
 Suddenly the report of a rifle rang out sharp 
 and clear, followed instantly by a second. An 
 order was immediately given to the men to lie 
 down. This order was apparently not promptly 
 obeyed by all, as a good many men no doubt 
 thought that a rush would be made for the 
 trench, and were quite prepared to run all risks 
 in the hope of reaching it. That this could not 
 have been accomplished was immediately evi- 
 dent. A perfectly murderous fire was at once 
 opened along the whole line of the Boer trench. 
 It was a second Magersfontein, but this time the 
 troops had had the whole situation explained 
 to them, were properly prepared for their work, 
 and knew what to do. 
 
 It was found next morning that G Company's 
 front rank was only sixty-five yards from the 
 Boer trench. H Company had had the most 
 difficult task during the advance, having to go 
 over and along the broken ground of the river 
 bank, but when the fire broke out most of them 
 
 128 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 were fortunately in a slight hollow ; F and G 
 companies were in the most exposed position, 
 and lost heavily. As soon as the first terrific 
 blast of the firing had subsided somewhat, the 
 rear rank and Engineers began to entrench, the 
 front rank steadily returning the Boer fire. At 
 the same time the Shropshires, who had been 
 given points during the previous afternoon upon 
 which to direct their fire, opened up with steady 
 volleying, sweeping the river-bed in the neigh- 
 bourhood and to the rear of the main Boer 
 trench. 
 
 The entrenching did not proceed as well at 
 the left end of the line as it did at the right, and 
 someone called out in an authoritative voice, 
 " Retire and bring back your wounded." This 
 order was, of course, never issued by anyone in 
 authority, and no one seems to know where it 
 originated, but a contretemps of that kind is 
 always liable to happen during night operations. 
 The order was obeyed by the four companies on 
 the left, and they withdrew to the main trench, 
 one man on jumping into the Gordons' trench 
 receiving a bayonet wound. G and H com- 
 panies either did not hear the order to retire, or, 
 hearing it, came to the conclusion that it was 
 not authoritative and remained where they 
 were. 
 
 The ultimate success of the operation is un- 
 
 129 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 doubtedly due to the part played by these two 
 gallant companies from the Maritime Provinces. 
 While the front rank acted as a covering party, 
 the rear rank and Engineers worked like Trojans 
 at the trenches, and when day dawned it found 
 the two companies entrenched in a commanding 
 position within one hundred yards of the main 
 Boer position. At a quarter past five proposals 
 of surrender were made from the Boer trenches, 
 but no notice was taken of this, as it was im- 
 possible to tell whether or not these proposals 
 came from anyone in authority, and our men 
 kept up their fire and put the finishing touches 
 to their trenches. As soon as daylight broke 
 the balloon went up, and it was seen that there 
 was a small stone building on the south bank 
 from which the new trench could be enfiladed. 
 A party from A Company was immediately 
 ordered forward to occupy it just before six 
 o'clock. 
 
 Shortly afterwards a white flag was seen to 
 be approaching on the north bank, and the 
 Boers got out of their trenches, threw down their 
 arms, and began singing a hymn. By six o'clock 
 two hundred had come forward, and at the same 
 time a large white flag, hoisted above the trees 
 about the centre of the position, announced to 
 the whole British force that Cronje and his army 
 had surrendered and that the great engagement 
 
 was'over. 
 
 130 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 That the Boers could have held out much 
 longer was impossible, but a large force had 
 already gathered to the south-east, and a big 
 attempt at rescue was evidently pending. It 
 was necessar}/ that Cronje's hand should be 
 forced, and it was decided on Monday that the 
 night attack which proved so successful should 
 be launched in the early hours of Tuesday, the 
 27th of February, the anniversary of Majuba 
 Day. Who would have thought when reading the 
 accounts of the British reverse at Majuba Hill, 
 in February, 1881, that it was to be avenged by 
 the Canadian militia nineteen years afterwards 
 in the Orange Free State ? 
 
 Our regiment suffered the only casualties, 
 thirteen killed or died of wounds and thirty 
 wounded.* 
 
 Shortly after six o'clock General Cronje rode 
 to Lord Roberts' headquarters and made an 
 unconditional surrender. Gradually the Boers 
 emerged from their trenches and holes in the 
 banks, and escorts were sent to bring them down 
 to headquarters. They were certainly a motley 
 crew, old, middle-aged and young, some carry- 
 ing blankets, and others pots and pans and 
 articles of food. And so these were the men 
 who had sent the gallant Highlanders reeling 
 
 * For detailed list see Appendix D. 
 9 131 
 
From Qjiebec to Pretoria 
 
 back at Magersfontein ; and these were the men 
 who had held us off for the last nine days and 
 inflicted heavy casualties on us ! The thought 
 uppermost in my mind was, what a power the 
 modern rifle is in the hands of a man who 
 knows how to use it, acting on the defensive. 
 Not counting 150 wounded, 3,919 prisoners fell 
 into our hands, including General Cronje, Major 
 Albrecht, and three officers of the Free State 
 Artillery, twelve commandants, and twenty-one 
 field cornets. They were all despatched that 
 same afternoon under escort to Modder River 
 station, there to entrain for Cape Town. In 
 addition to the prisoners, three 7. 5 -centimetre 
 Krupp field guns, one old pattern 12-pounder 
 quick firing gun, and one Vickers-Maxim auto- 
 matic 3.7-centimetre quick firing gun were 
 taken, together with the prisoners' rifles, a large 
 quantity of Mauser ammunition, and some 
 badly damaged waggons. 
 
 During the morning the regiment was formed 
 up, and Lord Roberts, accompanied by his staff, 
 rode out and congratulated us very heartily on 
 what had been accomplished, attributing the 
 unconditional surrender of General Cronje and 
 his whole force to the success of our attack. 
 In his official telegraphic despatch, dated the 
 27th of February, he speaks of the operation 
 as follows : "At 3 a.m. to-day a most dashing 
 
 132 
 
The Surrender of Cronje 
 
 advance made by the Canadian Regiment and 
 some Engineers, supported by the ist Gordon 
 Highlanders and 2nd Shropshires, resulted in 
 our gaining a point some six hundred yards 
 nearer the enemy, and within about eighty yards 
 of his trenches, where our men entrenched them- 
 selves and maintained their position till morn- 
 ing — a gallant deed, worthy of our colonial com- 
 rades, which, I am glad to say, was attended 
 with comparatively slight loss ;" and again in a 
 subsequent despatch on the 31st of March, " I 
 would here like to mention the distinguished 
 part played by the Royal Canadian Regiment 
 in its advance on the enemy's trenches on 27th 
 February." 
 
 Numerous complimentary telegrams were 
 received by Colonel Otter, the senders includ- 
 ing Lord Strathcona, Lord Wolseley, Colonel 
 Ivor Herbert (formerly commanding the Cana- 
 dian militia), the mayors of several Canadian 
 cities, and others. The following telegram was 
 received from the President of the Legislative 
 Council and Speaker of the House of Assembly 
 of Nova Scotia : " To Colonel Otter : We con- 
 vey to you and the bravest sons of Canada 
 under your command our admiration for distin- 
 guished gallantry displayed, reflecting as it does 
 high honour upon their country. Canada is proud 
 of her sons, while she deeply mourns the brave 
 who have fallen." 
 
 133 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 THE ADVANCE ON BLOEMFONTEIN 
 
 THE regiment bivouacked on the night of 
 the 27th a short distance from the re- 
 mains of Cronje's waggons and carts, on the 
 north side of the river. The shell fire had been 
 directed largely at them, and those that had 
 not been burnt up presented a dilapidated ap- 
 pearance. All sorts and conditions of articles 
 were to be found among the debris, from 
 artillery ammunition to children's clothing, and 
 the men picked up a few souvenirs both here 
 and down in the river-bed, to remind them of 
 the eventful days spent on the great battle-field. 
 As everything taken had to be carried, it can 
 be easily imagined that very little was secured, 
 and these only articles of small bulk. A strict 
 order was issued against taking any Boer rifles, 
 but this apparently did not apply to our officers, 
 most of whom secured Mauser carbines. Some 
 flour and cornmeal was found, and as we had 
 been on the shortest of rations so long, no time 
 was lost in making rather crude pan-cakes and 
 
 134 
 
The Ad'vance on Bloemfontem 
 
 flap-jacks, and boiling the cornmeal into "burg- 
 out." The effect of so much badly cooked and 
 hastily eaten food was rather disastrous with a 
 good many, but they, doubtless, thought that it 
 was better to run the chance of a " pain " than 
 continue hungry. 
 
 On the 1st of March we moved a couple of 
 miles higher up the river, and formed with the 
 Highland Brigade a divisional camp at Os- 
 fontein. Before we left the vicinity of Paarde- 
 berg, volunteer parties went back to the scene 
 of the fighting and carefully improved the last 
 resting places of our comrades, fixing up the 
 graves as well as possible, and placing large 
 stones round them. We remained at Osfontein 
 for nearly a week, resting and getting generally 
 straightened up after the confusion that neces- 
 sarily arises during a period of continued fight- 
 ing attended by a considerable number of 
 casualties. Unfortunately the weather was 
 very wet, the rainy season being well on, and 
 the rain came down in torrents. Our regiment 
 v/as on particularly unfavourable ground, and 
 we had to break up our bivouac, each company 
 moving independently to wherever the contour 
 of the ground made it look more favourable. 
 Some of the men paired off and erected small 
 shelters, wedge-shaped, with the aid of their 
 two blankets — rifles being used for poles — thus 
 
 135 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 leaving them a rubber sheet, or perhaps two, 
 with their overcoats for covering, a trench being 
 dug all round the outside to catch the water 
 as it ran off the blankets. These shelters acted 
 very well, unless the wind got too strong, and 
 were the popular rule with the British regi- 
 ments ; but their blankets were much better 
 than ours, being larger and heavier. Those 
 who did not erect shelters dug trenches in the 
 form of a small oblong, threw the earth into the 
 centre, and lay on top of it. In this way one's 
 covering at night shed the rain pretty well, and 
 the ground being high in the centre, the water 
 could not work in underneath. 
 
 The general appearance of the country sur- 
 rounding our camp was a vast improvement on 
 what we had become so accustomed to at 
 Belmont. Instead of the brown-looking, scrub- 
 covered sand, and the seemingly interminable 
 kopjes of the western border, the district we were 
 now in was much more open ; the short green 
 grass, which the rain did much to improve, giv- 
 ing it the appearance of a fertile pasture land, 
 while a few farm-houses, in groves of trees along 
 the banks of the river, made one of the most 
 picturesque scenes we came across in South 
 Africa. 
 
 On the 6th of March our brigade was put in 
 motion at seven o'clock in the morning, and 
 
 136 
 
The Advance on Bloemfontetn 
 
 marched some six miles farther up the river, 
 the Highland Brigade having gone up the day 
 before. Preparations were in progress for a 
 general attack on a strong position held by the 
 Boers, diagonally astride the river from south- 
 west to north-east, a few miles above a farm 
 called Poplar Grove. This position had a front- 
 age of ten and a half miles and was strongly 
 fortified, the main part of it being to the south, 
 with its right resting on a big hill called the 
 Leeuw Kopje, about two miles to the north of 
 the river, on which was posted a Krupp gun. 
 In the" centre was a large flat-topped kopje 
 called Table Mountain, while a cluster of kopjes 
 at the southern end was known as the " Seven 
 Kopjes." All the main features had artillery 
 mounted on them. 
 
 The forces occupying this position were those 
 which had been trying to break through the 
 British cordon hemming in Cronje at Paarde- 
 berg, reinforced by other Free Staters from the 
 south and south-east who had withdrawn them- 
 selves from northern Cape Colony and Natal as 
 soon as the capital of the Orange Free State 
 was directly threatened. It is now known that 
 Presidents Kruger and Steyn were present with 
 the burghers, having come up to exhort them 
 to make a stubborn resistance to the further 
 advance of Lord Roberts into the Free State. 
 
 137 
 
1 
 
 
 
 
 "^^ A>^o/^S7. 
 
 '-'Q ^^/ 
 
 -i 
 
 i 
 
The c/ld'vance on Bloemfontein 
 
 Lord Roberts' objective was Bloemfontein, 
 and this force at Poplar Grove had to be over- 
 come as a preliminary. The dispositions made 
 were somewhat as follows : Our division, assisted 
 by three naval 12-pounders and a force of 
 mounted infantry under Colonels De Lisle and 
 Henry, was to make a wide flanking movement 
 on the Boer right and drive the enemy from the 
 Leeuw Kopje. General French was to make a 
 similar movement on their left, and to try and 
 establish himself in rear of the centre of the 
 enemy's position, being followed by General 
 Kelly-Kenny, with his infantry division (the 
 6th), who had orders to attack the " Seven 
 Kopjes " and then move on to Table Mountain, 
 to be assisted at the latter place by four 4.7 
 naval guns, some field artillery, and the Guards' 
 Brigade; while the 14th Brigade of the 7th 
 Division, together with artillery and mounted 
 infantry, was to advance up the south bank of 
 the river and make a demonstration towards 
 Poplar Grove drift. 
 
 We were up at two o'clock on the morning of 
 the 7th, and moved off at four, keeping slightly 
 to the north and advancing towards the Leeuw 
 Kopje, the Highland Brigade being between us 
 and the river. Each regiment of the division 
 was in extended order, and, together with the 
 columns to the south, must have made an im- 
 
 139 
 
From Qpebec to Pretoria. 
 
 posing sight. Major Cartwright, who was in a 
 position from which he could see the general 
 advance, said that it was no wonder the enemy 
 cleared out, as " it looked as if the whole British 
 Empire was advancing on them." By twelve 
 o'clock our brigade had reached a point about 
 two and a half miles from the Leeuw Kopje, 
 and a halt was ordered. Looking across the 
 river we could see the enemy were preparing 
 for a general retreat, and our i2-pounders im- 
 mediately opened a long-range fire on a string 
 of waggons which were moving quickly to the 
 east. The Krupp gun on the Leeuw Kopje then 
 opened fire on the i2-pounders, and the latter 
 had to turn their attention in that direction, a 
 very pretty artillery duel taking place. The 
 practice of the Boer gun was exceedingly good, 
 but their shells were, fortunately for our gunners, 
 very bad, and the majority of them did not 
 explode. Our brigade made a detour and took 
 possession of a small kopje overlooking the river, 
 expecting to come in touch with the retreating 
 enemy, but they were already out of range. 
 The Shropshires assaulted the Leeuw Kopje and 
 captured the Krupp gun before it could be got 
 away, only a very slight resistance being made. 
 Altogether we had covered about twenty miles 
 of ground and carried out the duties assigned to 
 
 us most successfully. 
 
 140 
 
The Ad'vance on ^loemfontein 
 
 Unfortunately the forces on the south side of 
 the river, and especially the cavalry, had not 
 been so successful ; and although the enemy had 
 been forced to abandon a really formidable posi- 
 tion, with a comparatively slight loss on our side, 
 yet a splendid opportunity was lost to make the 
 result much more decisive. It appears that 
 General French moved off before daylight to 
 get into the position assigned him, but the 6th 
 Division, which was following, made too wide a 
 detour, and by the time it got to the " Seven 
 Kopjes," French's guns behind and the naval 
 guns in front had dislodged the enemy, while the 
 pressure on the centre and on our side of the 
 river caused a general retreat. The distances to 
 be covered were great, the horses were in the 
 poorest condition, and a well-planned and suc- 
 cessful rear-guard action, which kept French 
 manoeuvring about until the enemy's guns and 
 waggons were well out of danger, were the 
 principal causes of the Boers' successful retire- 
 ment. The action was a disappointing one, as 
 so much was hoped from it, while the only 
 result was the abandonment by the enemy of a 
 particularly strong position. 
 
 We had got so far ahead of our transport that 
 it did not catch us up until the next morning, 
 the night having to be spent just as we were, 
 without overcoats, blankets or rations. It was 
 
 141 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 pretty cold, and the only thing to do was to 
 make small fires and try and get some sleep, the 
 men taking it in turns to gather up something 
 that would burn and keep the fires going. A 
 little flour having been obtained by a few of the 
 more fortunate, from a deserted farm-house, it 
 was mixed with water, and the dough toasted 
 on the embers. Those who in their hurry had 
 taken some lime from the farm-house, thinking 
 it was flour, did not relish being laughed at. 
 
 The next day our Brigadier, Major-General 
 Smith-Dorrien, issued the following in brigade 
 orders : 
 
 " The Major-General commanding the brigade 
 wishes all ranks of the brigade he has the honour 
 to command to understand how thoroughly he 
 appreciates the spirit and zeal shown by them 
 since the brigade assembled at Graspan. All 
 have been called upon for exhausting exertions, 
 and have had to undergo forced marches, short 
 rations, great wettings, want of water and sleep, 
 and severe and trying fighting, concluding with 
 an extremely arduous flank march yesterday of 
 some twenty miles. It will be satisfactory to 
 them to know that yesterday's march turned 
 the Boer position on the Leeuw Kopje and 
 Blue Kopje, and threatened their rear and caused 
 them to retreat in haste, making them cease 
 firing on our naval guns and abandon their own 
 
 142 
 
The (Advance on Btoemfontein 
 
 gun, which the Shropshires eventually captured. 
 It also enabled the Highland Brigade to advance 
 direct on the enemy's trenches without opposi- 
 tion, and further caused the retirement of a large 
 force of mounted men and guns from the Blue 
 Kopje, which force had held the Mounted In- 
 fantry on the left flank of the brigade in check 
 since the morning. It will be gratifying to all 
 to know that, thanks to the untiring energy 
 shown by everyone, the 19th Brigade has estab- 
 lished a high name for itself, which the Major- 
 General feels sure all will continue to do their 
 utmost to maintain." 
 
 The following day we had a rest, and during 
 the afternoon of the 9th we crossed the Modder 
 River, preparatory to starting on the general 
 advance on Bloemfontein. Lord Roberts divided 
 his forces into three columns. General French 
 was in command of the one on the left, and had 
 with him, besides the ist Cavalry Brigade, the 
 6th Division (infantry), Alderson's Mounted 
 Infantry, and a proportion of artillery. The 
 centre column, which was accompanied by Lord 
 Roberts, consisted of our Division (the 9th), 
 the Guards' Brigade, the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, 
 Martyr's and Le Gallais' Mounted Infantry, the 
 65th Howitzer Battery, four 6-inch Howitzers, 
 the Naval Brigade, the ammunition reserve, the 
 supply park, and the 7th Field Company Royal 
 
 143 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 H 
 
 Engineers. The right column, under General 
 Tucker, included the 7th Division, with its artil- 
 lery, the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, and Ridley's 
 Brigade of Mounted Infantry. 
 
 On Saturday, the loth of March, the com- 
 bined movement of the three columns began. 
 We got up at 3.30 a.m., and marched off at 
 daylight, the right and left columns starting at 
 the same time, but they were not within sight. 
 The three infantry brigades in our column 
 marched one behind the other, about a mile 
 apart, taking it in turns to lead. On the first 
 day out the Highland Brigade was in front, then 
 came our brigade, followed by the Guards, the 
 regiments in each brigade marching in line of 
 columns. The cavalry formed a screen in front, 
 while the artillery were on our right, and the 
 interminable lines of transport all over the place. 
 
 By ten o'clock we had marched about ten 
 miles and reached a farm with a very comfort- 
 able-looking house and buildings, the latter flying 
 the German flag alongside a white one ; in fact, 
 from that time on, every building we passed, 
 from the more pretentious dwellings of the 
 wealthier burghers to the Kaffir kraals, had some 
 sort of a white emblem above it. After a couple 
 of hours' rest, we replenished our water-bottles 
 at the " dam " and moved on again, reaching 
 Driefontein about 5 p.m., having covered twenty 
 
 144 
 
The cAdvance on Bloemfontein 
 
 miles. As we approached we could hear firing 
 on our left front, and before we halted we could 
 see shells bursting along a line of kopjes behind 
 Abraham's Kraal. General French's column 
 had come in touch with the enemy, and he 
 moved his cavalry to the south to try and turn 
 their left flank ; but the Boers made a quick 
 movement in the same direction and occupied 
 a kopje about four miles long right across the 
 road. Our Cavalry Brigade (the 2nd), as soon 
 as it reached Driefontein, went to the assistance 
 of the 1st Cavalry Brigade, and assisted in the 
 movement to turn the enemy's left ; but the gun 
 fire from the latter completely outranged our 
 field guns, and very little progress was made in 
 that direction. The infantry of the 6th Division 
 gradually pushed back the Boers from the right 
 of their position, but they made a very deter- 
 mined stand in the centre. As soon as we 
 arrived at Driefontein orders were received for 
 the Guards and our brigade to go to the 
 assistance of the 6th Division, but before this 
 order could be carried out the position was 
 rushed in a very gallant manner by the ist 
 Essex and ist Welsh, supported by the 2nd 
 Buffs. It was a big engagement and stubbornly 
 fought, the British losses amounting to sixty- 
 nine killed, 363 wounded and eighteen missing, 
 while the Boers actually left 102 dead bodies on 
 the field. 
 
 145 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 That evening the left and centre columns 
 bivouacked together in the vicinity of Driefon- 
 tein, and the following day marched to Aasvogel 
 Kop without opposition. It was a very trying 
 march, although the distance was only about 
 thirteen miles. We had orders to march at 
 daylight, and got ready to do so, but these 
 orders were countermanded and we did not get 
 away till nine o'clock, marching through the 
 hottest part of the day, with water very scarce. 
 
 The next day, the nth, we covered about 
 sixteen miles, but as we got an early start and 
 the day was a little cooler, we finished in pretty 
 decent shape, bivouacking at a farm called 
 Venters Vlei, where there was a good supply of 
 water. Lord Roberts' headquarters was still 
 with the 6th and 9th Infantry Divisions, while 
 the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades, under General 
 French, were pushed on to Brand Dam Kop, a 
 farm about seven miles to the south-west of 
 Bloemfontein. 
 
 On the 1 3th of March Lord Roberts proceeded 
 to Brand Dam Kop with the 3rd Cavalry 
 Brigade, the ist and 2nd Cavalry Brigades 
 having already occupied some kopjes over- 
 looking the town, while the 6th and 9th Divi- 
 sions marched to a point on the railway a few 
 miles south of Bloemfontein. We reached our 
 destination — a farm belonging to ex-President 
 
 146 
 
T/^e (Advance on Bloemfoniein 
 
 Steyn's brother — about i p.m. Lord Roberts 
 received the submission of Bloemfontein at the 
 same time, and entered the city, meeting with 
 quite a cordial reception. He made his head- 
 quarters in the official residence of the State 
 President, which Mr. Steyn had vacated the 
 previous evening. The 6th Division entered 
 Bloemfontein on the following day, while our 
 Division did not march in until the morning of 
 the 15 th. 
 
 The troops were all on reduced rations during 
 the four days' hard marching from the Modder 
 River to Bloemfontein, and had, in fact, been on 
 short rations since the i6th of February. We 
 were hungry all the time. Some idea of the 
 hardness of the march can be gathered from 
 the fact that during those four days the three 
 columns lost 796 mules and 3,500 oxen. The 
 weather was hot and water scarce, so altogether 
 a very trying time was experienced. We were 
 glad to be near a civilized town once more, and 
 looked forward to being able to purchase some 
 eatables. During the afternoon some passes 
 were issued, and all those fortunate enough to 
 obtain one had no difficulty in getting commis- 
 sions to execute. Nor were the messages hard 
 to remember ; it was " bread " or " biscuit," 
 " something to eat," " anything." 
 
 Four passes were issued to each company. I 
 10 147 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 obtained one of the four issued to A Company, 
 and managed to get a supply of biscuits, jam., 
 oatmeal, sugar, etc. Bread was not to be had 
 till the following day, so I left an order and 
 went down the next morning at 5.30 and 
 got thirty-eight loaves for the company, at 
 25 cents a loaf It was not long before all the 
 stores were sold out, and the merchants could 
 not get any fresh supplies in, as the military 
 authorities needed the railway as soon as it was 
 open, to bring up clothing, food and remounts 
 for the troops. 
 
 Bloemfontein is a picturesque little town, 
 situated at the foot of a flat-topped kopje, the 
 white of the low buildings contrasting with the 
 green of the many trees making a pretty 
 picture. The principal thing that struck one's 
 eye was the number of signs over shops and 
 stores in English ; nearly every merchant 
 seemed to be a Britisher. The principal news- 
 paper appeared in English, with Dutch transla- 
 tions of the news items on an inside page. 
 Altogether it was a much more English town 
 than we expected to see as the capital of the 
 Orange Free State. 
 
 The town was full of soldiers, all apparently 
 intent on one thing — buying supplies. A more 
 orderly crowd it would be quite impossible to 
 
 find anywhere. At first sight one would have 
 
 i4§ 
 
T/ie c^d'vance on ^toemfontein 
 
 thought that the men must nearly all belong to 
 one regiment, so similar were the uniforms, with 
 the exception of the Highlander's kilt and the 
 slouch hat of the Colonial ; but closer inspection 
 generally showed a badge of some kind on the 
 left side of the helmet or hat, and one began to 
 distinguish cavalry from artillery, the Guards 
 from infantry of the line, Queenslanders from 
 New Zealanders, and Cape Colonials from Tas- 
 manians — a khaki army drawn from the four 
 quarters of the globe, all wearing the uniform of 
 the English Queen. The old Union Jack again 
 floating from the flag-staff over the Government 
 buildings, after an absence of forty-six years, 
 reminded us of all it had cost the British 
 Empire in blood and treasure to re-establish its 
 sovereignty over the land and avenge the insult 
 of the 9th of October, 1 899. 
 
 149 
 
CHAPTER X 
 AT BLOEMFONTEIN 
 
 AS soon as the British had taken possession 
 of Bloemfontein the following Army 
 Order was issued by Lord Roberts : 
 
 " It affords the Field-Marshal Commanding- 
 in-Chief the greatest pleasure in congratulating 
 the army in South Africa on the various events 
 that have occurred during the past few weeks, 
 and he would specially offer his sincere thanks 
 to that portion of the army which, under his 
 immediate command, has taken part in the 
 operations resulting yesterday in the capture 
 of Bloemfontein. 
 
 "On the 1 2th of February this force crossed 
 the boundary which divided the Orange Free 
 State from British territory. Three days later 
 Kimberley was relieved. On the thirteenth day 
 the bulk of the Boer army in this State, under 
 one of their most trusted generals, were made 
 prisoners. On the seventeenth day the news of 
 the relief of Ladysmith was received, and on the 
 1 3th of March, twenty-nine days from the com- 
 
 150 
 
At Btoemfontein 
 
 mencement of the operations, the capital of the 
 Orange Free State was occupied. 
 
 " This is a record of which any army may 
 well be proud — a record which could not have 
 been achieved except by earnest, well-disciplined 
 men, determined to do their duty and to sur- 
 mount whatever difficulties or dangers might be 
 encountered. 
 
 " Exposed to extreme heat by day, bivouack- 
 ing under the heavy rain, marching long dis- 
 tances (not infrequently with reduced rations), 
 the endurance, cheerfulness and gallantry dis- 
 played by all ranks are beyond praise, and Lord 
 Roberts feels sure that neither Her Majesty the 
 Queen nor the British nation will be unmindful 
 of the efforts made by this force to uphold the 
 honour of their country. 
 
 " The Field-Marshal desires especially to refer 
 to the fortitude and heroic spirit with which the 
 wounded have borne their sufferings. Owing to 
 the great extent of country over which modern 
 battles have to be fought, it is not always possi- 
 ble to afford immediate aid to those who are 
 struck down ; many hours have indeed elapsed 
 before some of the wounded could be attended 
 to, but not a word of murmur or complaint has 
 been uttered. The anxiety of all, when succour 
 came, was that their comrades should be cared 
 for first. 
 
 151 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 " In assuring every officer and man how much 
 he appreciates their efforts in the past, Lord 
 Roberts is confident that in the future they will 
 continue to show the same resolution and sol- 
 dierly qualities, and to lay down their lives, if 
 need be (as so many brave men have already 
 done), in order to ensure that the war in South 
 Africa may be brought to a satisfactory con- 
 clusion." 
 
 The bivouac of the 9th Division was to the 
 south of Bloemfontein ; the Highland Brigade 
 was on the right. The whole faced the town, 
 each battalion having a frontage of one com- 
 pany. Our brigade was in the usual formation, 
 the Cornwalls on the right, then the Shropshires, 
 the Gordons, and ourselves, according to sen- 
 iority. We were on a nice open, grassy plain, 
 very different to the desert of the western border. 
 The ground sloped slightly to the north and 
 west, which did not help to make the camping 
 ground of our regiment a particularly enviable 
 spot, especially as the rain often came down in 
 torrents. 
 
 The two leading companies, A and B, could 
 not keep their lines, and had to go in groups to 
 the higher spots and make the best of it. I 
 once saw Colonel Otter take the trouble to walk 
 down through the lines and see how his men 
 were faring, but he did not go past C Company, 
 
 152 
 
At ^loemfontein 
 
 and therefore did not see the worst of it. Not 
 that he had not seen enough to have caused an 
 ordinary man in charge of a regiment to apply 
 to have the camp shifted. It is quite certain 
 that if an application had been made to move 
 the regiment to better ground, permission would 
 have been cheerfully given. The sick parades 
 were unusually large during these days, and a 
 good many men were sent over to the Field 
 Hospital with enteric, never to return. I do not 
 say that the bad state our camp was in, and the 
 miserable condition in which the men had to 
 live, had anything to do with bringing on enteric 
 fever, but it certainly would not help a man in 
 the early stages of the disease, and was con- 
 ducive to bad health generally. 
 
 It is not my intention to take up the question 
 of the Royal Army Medical Corps and the 
 Bloemfontein Field Hospitals, as they were dur- 
 ing March and April at that place, but there are 
 two or three things that struck me, and may as 
 well be noted here. I have read Mr. Burdett- 
 Coutts' letter dealing with the Field Hospitals 
 at Bloemfontein, and am sorry to say that the 
 accusations there made are only too true. The 
 question is, Could anything have been done to 
 avoid it ? Yes ; there was a simple remedy that 
 would have mitigated a good deal of suffering. 
 A good staff of orderlies to look after the sick 
 
 153 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 would have made all the difference in the world. 
 The supply of doctors was very limited, but a 
 doctor can go around and visit a good many 
 men in a day, though an orderly can only 
 properly look after a very limited number. Why 
 did not the principal medical officer get per- 
 mission to take some picked men from each 
 regiment to go and help in the hospitals ? This 
 would have made a very great difference to the 
 sick. Why did the Royal Army Medical Corps 
 struggle along so under-manned and not try and 
 get more orderlies ? They may say, " We couldn't 
 have obtained trained men." Quite so, but I 
 venture to say that with a little careful selection 
 they could have obtained much better men than 
 they already possessed — men who would have 
 been honest, at least. The whole cry of the 
 men who went through any of the advanced 
 hospitals in South Africa, especially during the 
 early part of the campaign, was against the 
 " hospital orderly," A man with enteric fever 
 does not like lying with seven or eight others on 
 the ground in an ordinary bell tent, with his 
 dirty, vermin-covered clothes on, that he has 
 been living in night and day for months ; but he 
 likes still less to be neglected by the man who 
 is supposed and paid to look after him, and who, 
 instead of doing so, steals both his belongings 
 and the very medicine and nourishment that is 
 ordered him by the doctors. 
 
 154 
 
c/lt Bloemfontein 
 
 The principal trouble with the R.A.M.C. is, 
 that there is too much " militarism " about it. 
 Instead of its being a case of doctor and patient, 
 it is too often a case of officer and private. All 
 the " parading " of the sick should be done away 
 with. I have seen men faint in the ranks during 
 the sick parade. The very idea of sick men 
 being " paraded " and " marched " to hospital is 
 repugnant to ordinary common sense. 
 
 Another point that might be mentioned is, 
 that there is a little too much difference made in 
 favour of the wounded as against the sick man ; 
 not that the former should not be attended to 
 first, but the sick man should not be neglected 
 for the other, as is too often the case. One 
 might even go further than that, and say that 
 the sick and wounded should be attended to on 
 their merits ; for instance, a man who is very ill 
 should be looked after before a man who is only 
 slightly wounded. But such is not the case, and 
 our British doctors even attended to wounded 
 Boers to the exclusion of British sick. After 
 the surrender at Paardeberg on the 27th of 
 February, I went back to the pontoon with a 
 message for the adjutant. I crossed over to the 
 north side of the river, and there, lying on the 
 ground amongst the trees on the north bank, I 
 found half a dozen of our men. They said they 
 were sick, but had been unable to see a doctor ; 
 
 155 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 one man was very bad, indeed, with dysentery. 
 Seeing a British ambulance on the south side of 
 the river, I recrossed, and, going up to the 
 surgeon, explained the case. No, he could not 
 possibly go over to see the men, but he would 
 give me some medicine. Looking into the 
 ambulance with which he was moving off", I saw 
 two wounded Boers who had just been brought 
 out of the river-bed. 
 
 I have had occasion to speak of the treatment 
 of the sick of our regiment while at Belmont ; 
 it is with considerable reluctance that the sub- 
 ject is taken up again. Probably the shortest 
 and most effective way to give an idea of how 
 things were managed at Bloemfontein is to take 
 a leaf out of my diary (April i6th), describing 
 what took place one morning when I happened 
 to be regimental orderly corporal, and in charge 
 of the " sick parade." A large parade fell in at 
 6.45 a.m. and was marched to the front of the 
 regimental hospital tent. It was wet and muddy 
 under foot, with a cold damp wind blowing, and 
 a little rain. It was an exceedingly ill-chosen 
 hour, as the breakfast bugle went at seven 
 o'clock, and as the parade lasted between one 
 and two hours, it meant very cold coffee for a 
 good many. On this particular morning Major 
 Wilson was not at the hospital tent when we 
 arrived there, and after waiting some time I 
 
 156 
 
cAt Btoemfontein 
 
 asked the hospital sergeant if it would not be 
 advisable to let the surgeon know the parade 
 was ready. The sergeant did not take kindly 
 to the suggestion, and gave me the impression 
 that waking up Major Wilson was a job he 
 would not care to undertake. However, after 
 we had waited a long time, and it was getting 
 on towards 7.30, 1 got the sergeant to go over, and 
 Major Wilson appeared. He sat inside the tent 
 and interviewed the men one by one, the parade 
 not being over until nine o'clock. 
 
 It was not a pleasant duty to stand by and 
 hear the conversations that went on. Major 
 Wilson apparently seemed to think that it was 
 part of his duty to speak to the men as if they 
 were shamming. He ridiculed their complaints, 
 and treated them generally in an overbearing 
 and most unprofessional manner. Although 
 enteric was raging at the time, the thermometer 
 was seldom or never used. One man on saying 
 he thought he was getting fever and would like 
 to have his temperature taken, was asked by 
 Major Wilson in a sneering way, " how much 
 he would bet that he was feverish ?" 
 
 The orderly sergeant of A Company reported 
 to me that Private Wilkins, whose name was on 
 the report, was too sick to attend the parade, 
 and when his name was called I so reported 
 the matter to the surgeon. I knew of my own 
 
 »57 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 knowledge that the man was seriously ill, as I 
 had seen him lying in his tent for some days 
 and had refrained from putting him on duty, not- 
 withstanding that he had been returned fit for 
 duty from previous sick parades. Major Wilson's 
 only reply was, " He will have to come or I will 
 know the reason why. Does he think I am 
 going to see him ? Anyone would think this 
 was a private dispensary." He went on to say 
 that he knew the " kind of man Wilkins was," 
 and intimated that he considered it was a case 
 of shamming. I tried to explain matters, but 
 he wouldn't listen to me, so word was sent up 
 and Wilkins came staggering down. He was 
 so weak that he could not stand up while the 
 surgeon was speaking to him. The result of 
 the interview was that he was immediately sent 
 over to the Field Hospital with a well-developed 
 case of enteric, his comrades having to carry 
 him over on a stretcher. The day before he had 
 been returned fit for duty from the sick parade. 
 Fortunately he pulled through and rejoined the 
 regiment in September. 
 
 The canteen question again caused some 
 grumbling. It was bad enough to have to pay 
 two prices for everything in Bloemfontein, but 
 even at that it became impossible to get any- 
 thing. Colonel McBean, of the Gordon High- 
 landers, managed somehow to get supplies for 
 
 158 
 
At ^loemfoniein 
 
 his men, and they had quite a decent canteen 
 with reasonable prices whenever it was possible 
 for the regimental authorities to procure the 
 necessaries. True, some of our regimental funds 
 were spent when we first reached Bloemfontein 
 in buying supplies, but unfortunately bad man- 
 agement was in evidence, and instead of making 
 a contract for bread, those in authority purchased 
 flour, baking powder, tea, coffee, sugar, etc.; and 
 it would have been amusing if it had not been 
 a little pitiful to see the men sitting on the 
 ground with each of the above articles spread 
 round them on pieces of paper, wondering how 
 they could make the best of an absurd situation 
 — the water being a mile away and the wood 
 four, to say nothing of an order prohibiting the 
 lighting of any fires except the ones used by 
 the company cooks — and heartily cursing the 
 stupidity of their superiors. 
 
 Our stay at Bloemfontein was broken by two 
 expeditions, both in an easterly direction. The 
 first was as a reinforcement to General Broad- 
 wood at the time of the Sannah's Post reverse. 
 A good deal has been written about this affair, 
 and most of it of an erroneous nature. As our 
 regiment v/as remotely connected with the 
 matter, it may not be uninteresting to give a few 
 details of what actually occurred. Brigadier- 
 General Broad wood, with whom was Colonel 
 
 159 
 
From Quehec io Pretoria 
 
 Pilcher, of Sunnyside fame, was sent out to 
 Thabanchu with the following force : Q and U 
 Batteries, Royal Horse Artillery ; Household 
 Cavalry, i6o sabres ; loth Hussars, i6o sabres ; 
 and Alderson's Mounted Infantry, 800 rifles. 
 On the 30th March General Broadwood received 
 information that a large force of the enemy was 
 advancing on Thabanchu from the direction of 
 Ladybrand, and that another force was working 
 round him to the north. A withdrawal towards 
 Bloemfontein was decided upon. Early in the 
 afternoon the outposts east of Thabanchu were 
 attacked and the retirement began. At first it 
 was intended to go only as far as Israel's Poorte, 
 seven miles distant ; but as it became certain 
 that the northern force of Boers was closing in, 
 it was decided to continue the retirement to 
 Sannah's Post, a farm about twenty-one miles 
 east of Bloemfontein, not far from the water- 
 works. After marching all night this point was 
 reached at 3:30 a.m., the baggage having pre- 
 ceded the force and arrived at 1 1 p.m., under 
 Colonel Pilcher's escort. He found three com- 
 panies of mounted infantry occupying the water- 
 works, and therefore only posted a few groups, 
 by way of outposts, round his baggage for its 
 immediate protection. 
 
 Shortly after daylight, on the 31st of March, 
 a long-range shell fire, to which General Broad- 
 
 160 
 
At ^loemfont^in 
 
 wood's Horse Batteries could not reply, was 
 opened on his force from the north-east. He 
 immediately gave orders for a retirement on 
 Boesman's Kop, a hill some distance to the west 
 on the Bloem.fontein road. U Battery and 
 Roberts' Horse were instructed to accompany 
 the baggage, while General Broadwood person- 
 ally superintended the operations of his rear- 
 guard, where, to all appearances, the only danger 
 lay. But the Boers, with a courage and clever- 
 ness which will ever redound to their credit, had 
 during the night worked quietly round in front 
 of the column and occupied a dry water-course 
 called the Koorn Spruit, about 2,000 yards west 
 of Sannah's Post. As is invariably the case, the 
 baggage train, as soon as it came under shell 
 fire, immediately began to stream off of its own 
 accord, and was well on its way to the west 
 before Roberts' Horse could get out in front of 
 it and act as an advance guard. Nearly the 
 whole of the convoy was permitted by the Boers 
 to cross the water-course, and five guns of 
 U Battery had actually gone down into the spruit 
 and been quietly taken possession of by the 
 enemy before the alarm was given. Roberts' 
 Horse came under a short-range rifle fire, sus- 
 taining much loss, and, wheeling about with 
 Q Battery, the remaining gun of U Battery, and 
 the rest of the cavalry, retired to take up a posi- 
 
 161 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 tion from which they could properly operate. 
 Owing to the horses in the battery being shot 
 down, the latter came to a halt about 8cx) 
 yards from the spruit, and came into action 
 under a heavy rifle fire. 
 
 This was the position of affairs when General 
 Broadwood came riding up from where he had 
 been with his rear-guard. Working his mounted 
 infantry round the right or southern end of the 
 Boer position, and reinforcing gradually to the 
 left towards Boesman's Kop, he formed a pivot 
 round which the guns subsequently withdrew, 
 two of Q Battery's having to be abandoned 
 owing to the loss in horses. By about eleven 
 o'clock the force was practically clear, with the 
 loss of seven guns and the whole of the convoy. 
 
 Such was the action of Sannah's Post. Lord 
 Roberts ascribes the success of the ambush to 
 the action of a patrol sent out over night to 
 Boesman's Kop from the waterworks' force, 
 with orders to return at daylight. This patrol 
 was unable to return on account of the spruit 
 being occupied by the Boers, but took no means 
 to make the presence of the enemy known to 
 the column. The ambush was certainly a piece 
 of daring which has hardly been equalled during 
 the campaign, as the slightest untoward event 
 would have easily upset the carefully-laid plan, 
 with big chances of a complete annihilation of 
 the whole Boer force. 
 
 i6z 
 
c4t Btoemfontein 
 
 When General Broadwood found himself hotly 
 pressed in his retirement from Thabanchu, he 
 asked Lord Roberts for reinforcements. General 
 Colville was instructed to march to the assist- 
 ance of the retiring column, with the 9th Divi- 
 sion, early the next morning. At four o'clock 
 we were astir, and got away shortly after day- 
 light, the Highland Brigade leading. It was 
 not until nearly noon that the force reached 
 Boesman's Kop, and General Colville sent word 
 to that effect to General Broadwood, who, it will 
 be remembered, had by that time extricated his 
 force, but was still sharply engaged with the 
 enemy in the hope of recapturing guns and 
 convoy. General Broadwood sent back word 
 that the best way to assist would be to advance 
 directly on the spruit, but General Colville, 
 without proceeding personally to see how mat- 
 ters stood, and contrary to the suggestion of 
 General Broadwood, decided on a wide flank 
 movement to Waterval Drift, a point some dis- 
 tance to the north of the scene of the engage- 
 ment. General Broadwood, hearing of this, 
 decided that nothing further could be done, and 
 began sending his units on to Bloemfontein. 
 General Colville has been severely criticised for 
 his action on this occasion, and apparently not 
 without reason. It, no doubt, had a good deal 
 to do with that officer's subsequent withdrawal 
 II 163 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 from South Africa and his being placed on the 
 retired list. 
 
 It will be readily seen that although remotely 
 connected with the action at Sannah's Post, we 
 had no hand in it ; in fact, if General Colville 
 had acted on the suggestion and advanced his 
 Division direct on the spruit, and a general 
 action followed, our regiment would probably 
 not have seen much fighting, as we were rear- 
 guard and in charge of the baggage. 
 
 This position is not the most pleasant one 
 a regiment can occupy on the march, and the 
 usual ups and downs were not absent on the 
 occasion under review. A rear-guard, especially 
 if there is much baggage, is generally late in 
 starting, and later still in reaching its destina- 
 tion. If, unfortunately, a drift is reached late 
 in the afternoon and all the transport has to 
 be got across, the night will be well advanced 
 before the men settle down in bivouac, and the 
 worst of it is, you know while still at the drift 
 that all the rest of the force are quietly cooking 
 what should have been their mid-day meal ; if 
 the rear-guard get theirs much before midnight 
 they are lucky. 
 
 Towards noon part of the convoy, composed 
 entirely of ox waggons, came to a halt, and A 
 and D companies were ordered to remain with 
 them and continue the journey later on. Half 
 
 164 
 
cAt Bloemfontein 
 
 the battalion went to Boesman's Kop, the other 
 two companies going straight on to Waterval 
 Drift, whither we followed them when the oxen 
 had had a good graze. 
 
 On the way we passed most of General 
 Broadwood's force going into Bloemfontein, a 
 very dejected-looking lot. A good many of the 
 Mounted Infantry were leading their horses, and 
 here and there a riderless horse, keeping up with 
 the column of its own accord, told its own story. 
 Ambulance waggons with wounded, men on 
 horseback with arms and heads tied up — it was 
 not an encouraging sight, but they were the 
 remnant of a body of men who had made one 
 of the most gallant fights, under exceptionally 
 trying circumstances, that the campaign can 
 boast of. 
 
 What with slow moving and occasional stops, 
 the waggons did not reach the drift, some 
 twenty miles from Bloemfontein, till nine o'clock. 
 It was pitch dark, and no one to meet us to 
 show us where the other two companies were. 
 Unfortunately our baggage was with them, and 
 as we couldn't find them, it was a case of getting 
 through the night without overcoats or blankets. 
 As I did not relish the outlook, I went over to 
 some waggons and, routing out a Kaffir driver, 
 asked him if he could lend me a blanket for the 
 night. " Oh, no, he hadn't an extra one, couldn't 
 
 165 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 do anything." I told him I thought it would 
 be worth about a shilling for me to have the 
 loan of a blanket until the morning. The sight 
 of the silver, I am thankful to say, had the 
 desired effect. 
 
 The next afternoon we marched back to 
 Boesman's Kop and rejoined the regiment, which 
 returned to Bloemfontein on the 3rd of April. 
 The next day the Division got orders at noon 
 to march at two o'clock. Proceeding in a south- 
 easterly direction, we marched until half-past 
 eight. The following morning we were up at 
 4 a.m. and continued our march at half-past six, 
 having been joined by three batteries of field 
 artillery and some cavalry. After proceeding 
 a few miles a general halt was called, and then 
 the whole force retraced its steps. It appears 
 that one of the mobile Boer forces which were 
 overrunning the south-east corner of the Free 
 State at that time was expected along that way 
 and we were to deal with it, but it evidently 
 changed its direction and went off somewhere 
 else. 
 
 On returning to Bloemfontein we found that 
 
 our tents had come up from Belmont, and we 
 
 slept in them that night, the first time we had 
 
 decent shelter from the weather for two months ; 
 
 but our further stay did not prove to be of long 
 
 duration. On the 21st of April we again started 
 
 166 
 
At Bloemfontein 
 
 on what was understood to be another two or 
 three days' operation east of Bloemfontein, but 
 we did not see the town again till we were on 
 our way home, as, owing to the exigencies of 
 the campaign, our objective point turned out to 
 be Pretoria. 
 
 167 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 BLOEMFONTEIN TO HOUT NEK 
 
 WHILE we were at Bloemfontein operations 
 were being carried on on a large scale to 
 clear the south-eastern corner of the Orange 
 Free State of the enemy. On account of the 
 enforced long wait after Bloemfontein was occu- 
 pied, to procure remounts, outfit the men, get up 
 supplies along a single line of railway, with 
 several broken bridges, from a base 750 miles 
 distant, and prepare generally for the further 
 advance northwards of the army, the Boer forces, 
 which had been completely demoralised by the 
 crushing defeat at Paardeberg, followed by 
 severe handling at Poplar Grove and Driefon- 
 tein and the occupation of one of their capitals, 
 found time to reorganize themselves into several 
 formidable columns, and practically took the 
 offensive, reoccupying Ladybrand and concen- 
 trating between Brandfort and Thabanchu. 
 The force which so cleverly closed in on General 
 Broadwood proceeded southwards, gathered up 
 
 three companies of Royal Irish Rifles and two 
 
 168 
 
Bloemfontein to Hout Nek 
 
 of Mounted Infantry at Reddersburg, and oc- 
 cupied Dewetsdorp. As it was necessary to 
 clear out the south-east and reheve Wepener, 
 where Colonel Dalgety with a small force of Cape 
 Colonials was closely besieged, Lord Roberts 
 put several columns in motion, the result being 
 that Dewetsdorp was reoccupied and Wepener 
 relieved, the Boers retiring to the north. 
 
 As a part of the operations, Major-General 
 Ian Hamilton, with the 2nd Mounted Infantry 
 Brigade under Brigadier-General Ridley and 
 our old friends, P Battery Royal Horse Artillery, 
 were sent out on the 22nd of April, with instruc- 
 tions to reconnoitre the waterworks, and if he 
 found them weakly held to occupy them and 
 call up our brigade as reinforcements. 
 
 The previous day we had marched to Spring- 
 field, a farm about seven miles east of Bloem- 
 fontein, and relieved the i8th Brigade, which 
 joined the new i ith Division at LeeuwKop under 
 General Pole-Carew. We remained there the 
 following day, and on the 23rd received orders 
 to support General Hamilton at the waterworks, 
 he having occupied them and driven the Boers 
 into the kopjes on the farther side. We reached 
 the waterworks just after dark. The following 
 morning at sunrise we continued our march, 
 crossed the river at the waterworks, and, joining 
 General Hamilton's force, completely cleared 
 
 169 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 the hills of Boers, the resistance being of the 
 slightest. General Hamilton was then rein- 
 forced by the addition of a field battery and was 
 ordered to advance on Thabanchu, presumably 
 in the hope that some of the Boer forces moving 
 north from Dewetsdorp and Wepener would be 
 headed off. 
 
 The Highland Brigade arrived during the 
 night to relieve us, and we started the next day 
 (the 25th) at nine o'clock, our regiment being 
 advance guard. Preceded by a screen of 
 mounted infantry, we marched in an easterly 
 direction until noon, when we found our further 
 progress barred by a large number of the enemy, 
 who had taken up a position with several guns 
 on some kopjes, on each side of the road at 
 Israel's Poorte, one of the numerous " neks " or 
 small passes where roads pass through ranges of 
 kopjes. General Hamilton's dispositions were 
 soon made, and he decided he would not press 
 home a frontal attack. Moving the artillery up 
 so that all the guns could be brought to bear on 
 the enemy's position, our regiment and Mar- 
 shall's Horse were ordered to advance towards 
 the main ridge and take up a position within 
 about 600 yards of it, opening a steady rifle fire, 
 while the other three regiments of the brigade 
 were taken over by General Smith-Dorrien to 
 the left, and Ridley's Mounted Infantry made 
 
 170 
 
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 \V"t 
 
 
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 /i^ 
 
 
 
 N- -1 
 
 ^ 
 
 
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 I 
 
 I 
 
 
 
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 J 
 
 t 
 
 5 
 « 
 
 vr?^ 
 
 
 
 
 -^J^** * tt « 
 
 X^T^Tr 
 
 V 
 
 
 5! 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 an extended flank movement to the north, to 
 threaten the Boer Hne of retreat. 
 
 It took General Ridley some hours before he 
 could get into position to bring pressure to bear 
 on the Boers' right flank, and in the meantime 
 the artillery and the rifles kept up an incessant 
 fire. As soon as their line of retreat became 
 threatened, however, the Boer fire began to 
 slacken, and Colonel Otter gave the order to 
 move forward. We immediately advanced and, 
 with Marshall's Horse, occupied the line of 
 kopjes in front. By the time this was effected 
 it was getting dark, so we bivouacked on the 
 ground we had won. Our casualties were : 
 Colonel Otter, slightly wounded ; Private J. 
 Defoe, of H Company, killed ; and Privates 
 Culver (enlisted as Raymond), G Company, and 
 Lance-Corporal Burns, D Company, severely 
 and slightly wounded respectively, the total 
 casualties being about 20 killed and wounded. 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Buchan assumed command 
 of the regiment, as Colonel Otter had to go back 
 to Bloemfontein. A great deal of regret was 
 expressed on all sides over Colonel Otter's 
 wound, and everyone was glad it was not more 
 serious. Colonel Otter was always very cool 
 under fire, and inspired confidence in whatever 
 part of the field he happened to be ; his hand- 
 ling of the regiment at Israel's Poorte was 
 specially commended by General Ian Hamilton. 
 
 172 
 
*B!oemfontem to Hout Nek 
 
 The next morning we rose at three o'.clock, 
 marched into Thabanchu, and hoisted the British 
 flag. The brigade was broken up for the time 
 being, and each regiment sent to different points 
 to guard the approaches from the south and 
 east, as it was still thought that the retreating 
 Boers from Dewetsdorp and Wepener had not 
 yet passed through. Our regiment was sent out 
 about three miles to the south-east, to guard a 
 nek at Victoria Farm, through which one of the 
 main roads passed, two Royal Horse Artillery 
 guns being with us. We spent the afternoon in 
 digging trenches and erecting stone fortifications, 
 which we occupied at night, hoping that in the 
 morning we should have the opportunity of 
 meeting the Boers with the usual conditions 
 reversed ; but the daylight only brought Run- 
 die's Infantry Division, who told us that the 
 enemy had kept off to the east. We moved 
 back into Thabanchu, and bivouacked close to 
 the town. That same evening B and D com- 
 panies were detailed to go with the Gordon 
 Highlanders to the assistance of a party of 
 Kitchener's Horse, which was reported to be 
 surrounded on a kopje some five miles to the 
 north. In the darkness the force was led in a 
 wrong direction, and returned to camp during 
 the afternoon of the next day. It is reported 
 that when daylight broke they found themselves 
 about five miles to the south of the village, but 
 
 173 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 we never quite got at the facts, as the partici- 
 pants were reticent. Kitchener's Horse suc- 
 ceeded in beating off the Boers, and reached 
 camp about midnight. 
 
 The following morning (the 28th) we were 
 astir at three o'clock, and marched out (six 
 companies) in a northerly direction, taking part 
 in a movement extending over a wide area, 
 under the direction of General French. Besides 
 Hamilton's force, there were Gordon's and Dick- 
 son's Cavalry Brigades, while Rundle's Division 
 held the town and menaced the centre of the 
 Boer position. It appeared that some of the 
 forces which had been operating in the south- 
 east corner of the Orange Free State were 
 laagered to the north-east of the big Thabanchu 
 Mountain, and were holding the latter with 
 artillery and riflemen, while their flanks were 
 extended a great distance over very rough 
 country. 
 
 Our brigade was the first to come in touch 
 with the enemy at Kitchener's Horse Hill (so 
 called because of the fight there the day before), 
 and came under a brisk fire, but it did not take 
 long to clear the Boers out ; in fact, when they 
 saw that a determined advance was being made 
 on them, they left the position and made off. 
 Dickson's Cavalry Brigade then advanced, and 
 Ridley's Mounted Infantry made a sweeping 
 
 174 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 flank movement farther out to the west, so as to 
 drive in any of the small parties distributed 
 out on the Boers' right flank, the object being 
 to work round the northern end of the moun- 
 tain and get at the laagers. Gordon's Cavalry 
 Brigade was on a similar errand in the opposite 
 direction. 
 
 After our brigade had occupied Kitchener's 
 Horse Hill, we were distributed about on some 
 of the smaller ridges adjacent to it, and re- 
 mained there the greater part of the day. 
 Dickson pushed forward into the more open 
 country to the north, and when he had worked 
 well forward and was almost within striking 
 distance of the enemy he sent word to Hamilton 
 asking him if he could assist him. Hamilton 
 immediately gave orders for a general advance, 
 and our brigade made for a big hill called Eden 
 Mountain, a continuation to the north of Tha- 
 banchu Mountain. Being thus supported, Dick- 
 son continued his advance, and at last came 
 within sight of the main Boer force, which was 
 quietly withdrawing to the north-east. As soon 
 as the British appeared, a well-directed shell 
 fire was opened on them, and at the same time 
 a large force which had detached itself from the 
 main body moved smartly round to the north 
 and west with a couple of guns to cut off 
 Dickson's retreat. As Gordon on the other 
 
 176 
 
Btoemfontein to Hout Nek 
 
 flank had failed to get through the nek, and no 
 diversion could be expected from that quarter, 
 Dickson had to withdraw as quickly as possible, 
 the result of the day's operations being very 
 nearly the exact opposite of what was intended. 
 
 It was nearly dark when we made good our 
 footing on Eden Mountain, and the chill evening 
 air, after a hard climb which had warmed us up, 
 made our teeth fairly rattle ; however, shortly 
 after it got dark, we were ordered down, a feat 
 which was accomplished with some difficulty, 
 and we marched back to Thabanchu, arriving 
 there at half-past ten. 
 
 The next day was Sunday, and our brigade 
 was. given a much needed rest. We could hear 
 artillery fire going on intermittently all day, and 
 one shell came over a low ridge at the back of 
 our bivouac, falling within two hundred yards 
 of us ; but we were getting used to that sort of 
 thing, and it caused no excitement, hardly a 
 man taking the trouble to get up to see what 
 had happened. At seven o'clock that evening 
 a rather unusual event occurred — the church 
 bells in the village ringing the inhabitants to 
 their several places of worship, while the sound 
 of the artillery fire reverberated round the 
 mountain. That same evening General Hamil- 
 ton received orders to march on Winburg, 
 through Jacobsrust, as the right flank of the 
 
 177 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 general northern advance, our column to be 
 strengthened at Jacobsrust by the newly-formed 
 2 1st Brigade (Derbys, Cameron Highlanders, 
 Sussex and C. I. V.) under General Bruce Ham- 
 ilton, Broadwood's Cavalry (2nd Brigade), an- 
 other horse battery, two more field batteries, 
 and two 5 -inch guns. 
 
 We commenced our northward march from 
 Thabanchu on Monday morning, the 30th, at a 
 quarter to six, and had covered about seven 
 miles when the advance guard found the enemy 
 in a strong position at Hout Nek, barring our 
 further progress. The road at this point runs 
 along and over some very undulating ground, 
 bounded on the west by Thaba Mountain, a 
 more or less fiat-topped hill of large extent, 
 while to the north and east the ground rises to 
 a series of rough kopjes. On Thaba Mountain, 
 dominating the road, a large force of Boer rifle- 
 men was collected, the approaches to it from 
 the south and east sides being covered by the 
 fire of two guns. On the east and north were 
 long-range guns, supported by the main body 
 of the enemy. Our right and right rear were 
 threatened throughout the day by the eastern 
 force. 
 
 By ten o'clock we were in action, the main 
 attack being directed against Thaba Mountain. 
 The Shropshires were the leading battalion of 
 
 178 
 

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 12 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 our brigade, and they deployed to hold the 
 enemy in front, supported by the guns, while the 
 Gordons were ordered to advance up the south- 
 ern slopes of the mountain and support Kitch- 
 ener's Horse, who had already made good their 
 footing on it Our regiment, with the mounted 
 infantry, took up a position on the right, facing 
 the Boer guns on the east, and the Cornwalls 
 remained with the baggage. This position was 
 maintained until early in the afternoon, the 
 Gordons having worked their way over about 
 half of the mountain ; but the Boers, seeing the 
 determined attempt made to secure this hill, 
 reinforced their men there to such an extent 
 that no further progress could be made. During 
 this time the peculiar sight was witnessed of the 
 British and Boer artillery both shelling the 
 same hill (see sketch). General Hamilton 
 ordered the Gordons to be reinforced, and 
 two companies of Shropshires, with our regi- 
 ment, moved across to work up the hill behind 
 the Gordons. As we did so we came under the 
 most severe shell fire we experienced during the 
 campaign. The two Boer guns on our right 
 were firing segment shells, and their practice was 
 exceedingly good, each company being enfiladed 
 as it crossed the open ground before reaching 
 the hill. That only six or seven men were hit 
 seemed almost a miracle. A wicle extension and 
 
 i8q 
 
^toemfontein to Hout Nek 
 
 rapid movement contributed largely to the im- 
 munity from heavy casualties. About this time 
 the Boers on the right and right rear made a 
 strong demonstration against the Mounted In- 
 fantry, and their shells found the baggage 
 waggons and gave them a good shaking up. 
 These were got into a safer place and pre- 
 parations made to meet what looked like a 
 determined attack, but the enemy did not seem 
 desirous of coming to closer quarters in that 
 direction. 
 
 When we made good our footing in support 
 of the Gordons, it was getting on towards dark, 
 and an order came up from the General that the 
 hill must be cleared at all costs. It was decided, 
 therefore, that the regiments should be strung 
 across the hill, and at seven o'clock (after dark), 
 a general advance should be made with fixed 
 bayonets to sweep the entire feature. Wiser 
 counsels apparently prevailed, and the whole 
 force fixed bayonets, lay down exactly where 
 it was, posted guards in front, and waited for 
 daylight to renew the fight. General Hamilton 
 decided that his force was not strong enough 
 to operate successfully over such an extent of 
 ground, and sent word to General French at 
 Thabanchu asking for reinforcements. 
 
 At daylight the next morning the attack was 
 
 renewed, B Company and some Shropshires 
 
 i8i 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 worked well round to the left, a good deal of 
 ground being gained. While this was going on, 
 the 8th Hussars, a Lancer regiment, a field 
 battery, and the East Yorkshire regiment arrived 
 from Thabanchu. The field battery and the 
 infantry were sent to support the right and right 
 rear, where the pressure was still strong ; the 
 cavalry and a horse battery were sent right 
 round the mountain to threaten the line of 
 retreat, and about noon a determined effort was 
 made by the infantry to dislodge the Boers. A 
 general advance, the brunt of which was borne 
 by the Gordons and Shropshires, had the effect 
 of sending the Boers pell-mell down the hill, 
 where some of the cavalry were successful in 
 getting in amongst them. The Boers on the 
 right immediately withdrew into the hills, sub- 
 sequently joining their comrades and retreating 
 in great disorder to the north. We got our 
 waggons across the nek during the afternoon, 
 and bivouacked a couple of miles on the other 
 side. Although the total casualties were under 
 a hundred, I consider the action at Hout Nek as 
 the hardest fight we took part in, always except- 
 ing Paardeberg. Our casualties were: Lieuten- 
 ant J. M. Ross, B Company, slightly wounded; 
 Pte. H. Cotton, D Company, killed ; Ptes. R. 
 Irwin and C. K. Rorison, B Company, slightly 
 wounded ; Bugler P. R. Foster, D Company, 
 
 182 
 
Bloemfontem to Hout Nek 
 
 slightly wounded ; Pte. J. Letson, G Company, 
 slightly wounded ; Pte. J. A. Lutz, G Company, 
 very slightly wounded. 
 
 The next day we were up before daylight 
 expecting to continue our march, but orders 
 came after breakfast cancelling the previous 
 order ; and as several men of our regiment v/ere 
 missing, an armed search-party was sent out to 
 search Thaba Mountain. The only body we 
 found was that of a young Englishman belong- 
 ing to Kitchener's Horse. Our missing men had 
 all turned up by the time we got back to camp 
 in the evening. During the day Generals Bruce 
 Hamilton and Broadwood joined the column 
 with their commands, coming from the direction 
 of Kranz Kraal, and preparations were made for 
 a forward movement in the morning. Lord 
 Roberts having put in motion the centre and 
 left columns, which, together with ours, consti- 
 tuted what was called the Grand Army. 
 
 183 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 HOUT NEK TO KROONSTADT 
 
 ON May 3rd the Winburg column, as we were 
 now called, marched sixteen miles to 
 Isabellafontein, where the cavalry skirmished a 
 little with Boer patrols. The next day we had 
 barely got started when we heard a rattle of 
 musketry in front, and on breasting a ridge saw 
 the cavalry exchanging shots with the enemy, 
 who were on a long line of low kopjes running 
 east and west near the Welkom Drift on the Vet 
 River, supported by about a dozen guns. All 
 dispositions were made for an infantry attack, 
 but two incidents occurred which rendered this 
 unnecessary. Our two 5-inch guns came into 
 action, and their excellent practice, supported by 
 the field-guns, soon dominated the Boer fire, 
 while at the same time a cleverly executed 
 manoeuvre by the Household Cavalry, 12th 
 Lancers, and Kitchener's Horse prevented the 
 junction with the main body of a large force of 
 Boers from Brandfort which was coming up to 
 their assistance. As their plans were completely 
 
 184 
 
Houi Nek to Kroonstadi 
 
 frustrated, they retreated hurriedly, their dead 
 and wounded being left on the field. 
 
 Although the Boers made a precipitous re- 
 treat we did not expect that they would pass 
 the kopjes to the north of, and commanding, the 
 Vet River without making a stand, but such 
 proved to be the case, and on the 5th of May 
 the column marched sixteen miles to Winburg 
 and entered the town unopposed, the British 
 flag being immediately hoisted. General Hamil- 
 ton received a message from Lord Roberts, 
 congratulating him and the Winburg column, as 
 we had arrived at the latter place two days 
 before it was expected we would, notwith- 
 standing we had been meeting with opposition 
 all along the route. The draft, or reinforcements, 
 which had been sent out to us from Canada 
 under Lieutenants Carpenter, Winter, Boyd 
 and MacDonald, caught us up at this point, by 
 a series of hard forced marches from Bloemfon- 
 tein, and were warmly welcomed by the regi- 
 ment. The new men were distributed among 
 the different companies. 
 
 The next day (the 6th), having been relieved 
 by General Colville with the Highland Brigade, 
 who were following us up all the time, we 
 marched ten miles north to Dankbarsfontein, 
 and the centre and left columns, which had had 
 a smart engagement at the Vet River the 
 
 185 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 previous day, occupied Smaldeel Junction. 
 Lord Roberts called a general halt on the 7th 
 and 8th, to give the troops a rest. Continual 
 marching on reduced rations, with a weight of 
 thirty pounds on one's back, soon begins to 
 tell. Our biscuit ration was three-quarters of 
 a pound per day, and the meat, when it reached 
 the men in the shape of cooked food, never 
 averaged much over half a pound, although 
 one pound per man was drawn in the first 
 place. The animals were driven along with 
 the column, and it can easily be imagined that 
 they were in anything but good condition. The 
 very freshness of the meat was a drawback, as I 
 have seen it cut up and put into pots to boil 
 before it got cold. When the regiment's ration 
 of meat was drawn, the first thing done was to 
 select the best part for the officers' mess ; then 
 the staff- sergeants' mess, of which the quarter- 
 master-sergeant was a prominent member, came 
 next, after which the meat went to the com- 
 panies. Not that more than their share was 
 taken by either of the above-mentioned messes, 
 but as fried steaks are much more palatable 
 than greasy boiled meat, that part of the animal 
 most suitable for steaks was appropriated, and 
 consequently the proportion of bone and fat in 
 the share which went to the men was so much 
 the greater. 
 
 186 
 
Hout Nek to Kroonsiadt 
 
 Another feature of the ration question might 
 have been improved upon. I always understood 
 that the reason we were kept on a reduced 
 biscuit ration was, not so much because the 
 supply in the country was short, but because it 
 was impossible to keep up a proper supply with 
 the columns, on account of the difficulties of 
 transport ; and the latter being the reason, I 
 never could understand why the tea and coffee 
 ration was reduced, as surely the bulk to be 
 carried did not amount to much. In addition 
 to getting a reduced tea and coffee ration, we 
 used to lose in other ways. Almost every day 
 we were on the trek coffee was boiled in the 
 morning, and the meat would not be cooked 
 until the day's march was over, generally in the 
 evening ; consequently, unless there was time 
 afterwards to make the tea, which was rarely 
 the case, we would go without it. But, strange to 
 say, instead of the tea accumulating, as it should 
 have done under such circumstances, and the 
 men getting the benefit of a strong brew later 
 on, on most occasions no ration would be issued 
 until the first one was used up, and the men 
 would simply be that much out. The result 
 was that the men insisted on the tea and meat 
 both being cooked, no matter what time it was, 
 and I have seen one or other dished out at mid- 
 night, the men, other than the cooks and 
 orderlies, turning in in the meantime. 
 
 187 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 On May 9th we marched ten miles to Bloem- 
 plaats, near the Sand River, on the north bank of 
 which the enemy had taken up strong positions 
 covering the drifts. A few shots were exchanged 
 by the right flank patrols with the Boers, who 
 were working round and crossing the river higher 
 up, and some shells were sent at a party of 1 50 
 who exposed themselves on the other side. The 
 principal excitement of the afternoon was the 
 rushing through the camp of a large herd of 
 antelope, which had apparently been driven for- 
 ward by the wide movement of the general 
 advance until their further progress was barred 
 by the river. They were about the size of the 
 Canadian white-tailed deer, and at first were seen 
 to be rushing up and down between the camp 
 and the river. Finally they turned and streamed 
 right through the lines, a good many men try- 
 ing to catch them ; but a runaway horse with no 
 intention of stopping until he had to would 
 have been just as easy to get hold of The 
 temptation to shoot was very great, and a good 
 many shots were fired, but it was dangerous 
 work, and the result was that a mounted infantry- 
 man was wounded. An order was issued that 
 night forbidding shooting at game in the future. 
 The only other place where a similar thing 
 happened was when our column reached the rail- 
 way south of Bloemfontein from Poplar Grove. 
 
Hout Nek to Kroonstadi 
 
 As we got to the railway we noticed a, herd 
 of spring-bok racing up and down across our 
 front, finally breaking away to the rear. They 
 had evidently a strong dislike to crossing the 
 railway. 
 
 The operations on May loth, when the pas- 
 sage of the Sand River was forced, were amongst 
 the most extensive of the campaign. From 
 General French, on Lord Roberts' left, to the 
 Mounted Infantry on our right, the ground 
 covered must have been nearly twenty-five miles, 
 and the Boers, although numerically weaker, 
 occupied all important points, being specially 
 strong on the flanks ; so much so that General 
 French met with a lot of opposition, and our 
 right was at times dangerously threatened ; the 
 main attack, however, broke through the line at 
 all points and the engagement was over by 
 noon. 
 
 An early start was made, and the main efforts 
 of our column were directed towards Junction 
 Drift, which the Derbys had taken possession of 
 the previous evening, just forestalling about 400 
 of the enemy, who advanced at dark, not think- 
 ing the drift was occupied. The artillery were 
 the first to get into action, and by six o'clock 
 Bruce Hamilton's brigade, which was on the left, 
 began crossing the drift, and deployed on the 
 farther side. At the same time our brigade, still 
 
 189 
 
X 
 
 
 
 
 «> 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 v> 
 
 
 «. 
 
 «^ 
 
 b 
 
 » 
 
 
 
 
 
 «QCQ 
 
Hout Nek to Kroonstadt 
 
 keeping on the south side, advanced towards the 
 river more to the right, which at this point was 
 thickly fringed with scrub and strongly held by 
 the Boers, their main position being on a series 
 of ridges rising up from the river to the north 
 and ending in a line of low kopjes a mile or a 
 mile and a halfback. As the 2ist Brigade began 
 working its way across the drift on the left, the 
 /th Division of the main army converged to- 
 wards it, and by a simultaneous assault, sup- 
 ported by artillery, cleared the heights beyond. 
 Meanwhile the pressure on our right flank had 
 become more severe, and our brigade gave all 
 its attention to warding off what looked like a 
 threatened attack on a large scale. Our regiment 
 and Kitchener's Horse bore the brunt of the fight- 
 ing at this point, B Company being in advance. 
 On going forward to engage the Boers in the 
 scrub, the latter went a little too far, and came 
 under a very heavy rifle fire from the concealed 
 enemy. The success of the 2ist Brigade and 
 7th Division, however, had the effect of weaken- 
 ing the pressure at our end, and a general re- 
 treat soon took place, work then being started 
 to get the baggage and guns across the drift. 
 
 A and H companies had been acting as escort 
 to the two 5 -inch guns all morning, and had a 
 good view of some interesting artillery practice. 
 The first shot was fired just at break of day, and 
 
 191 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 went shrieking over our heads across the river 
 to where a Boer laager was supposed to be. 
 Some mounted infantry, who had been acting as 
 a picquet down near the river, had an exciting 
 time getting away, when they withdrew towards 
 us, having to run across some open ground, 
 where they were freely potted at by Boers who 
 had come down into the scrub on the opposite 
 side. The guns moved over more to the left, 
 after sunrise, to engage a long-range Boer gun 
 which was posted on a kopje about three miles 
 north of the river. They caught sight of us 
 moving across and fired at us, but although their 
 aim was good, their shells did not burst. A big 
 cloud of smoke as the gun fired was all we could 
 see, and then, waiting for a few seconds, the 
 shell coming through the air could be heard, 
 followed by a thud as it struck the ground and 
 threw up a cloud of dirt twenty feet high. As 
 soon as the range-finders got the distance, our 
 gun pointed its nose up in the air and flung a 
 shell. While the shell was in the air, probably 
 three-quarters of the way across, the white smoke 
 from the Boer gun appeared and immediately 
 afterwards our shell struck. The dust, etc., from 
 the explosion seemed to actually mingle with 
 the smoke of the other gun. Our third shot 
 put the gun out of action. 
 
 Our casualties during the engagement were : 
 
 192 
 
Hout Nek to Kroonsiadt 
 
 Pte. E. Armstrong, A Company, slightly wound- 
 ed ; Pte. R G. W. Floyd, B Company, killed ; 
 Pte. G. W. Leonard, B Company, died of 
 wounds ; Pte. A. McLean, B Company, severely 
 wounded. 
 
 As soon as the action was over the big guns 
 were hauled across the drift, and the two com- 
 panies, A and H, still accompanied them. We 
 marched about five miles and then bivouacked, 
 Broadwood's Cavalry keeping more to the east 
 and occupying Ventersburg after a little skir- 
 mishing. We found that the remainder of the 
 regiment had stayed at the drift for the night, 
 and the baggage with them. We each had one 
 blanket, which we were carrying, but it was get- 
 ting on towards the South African winter and 
 one blanket was not much good. We were also 
 without rations. The result was that one of 
 those little things happened which did so much 
 to foster good feeling between the different regi- 
 ments of our brigade. As soon as the Gordons 
 and Shropshires heard how we were situated, the 
 former brought us over some of their blankets 
 and a ration of rum, and the Shropshires made 
 tea for us that evening and coffee the next 
 morning. 
 
 All the Boers who had been opposed to the 
 British force retired on Kroonstadt, the capital 
 — since Bloemfontein had been taken — of the 
 
 193 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 Orange Free State, where, we understood, a 
 determined stand was to be made. 
 
 A general advance took place the next day, 
 and half the distance between the Sand River 
 and Kroonstadt was made. As our column was 
 converging from the east, and the main army 
 was marching directly north, the latter got ahead 
 of us and halted that night within eight miles of 
 Boschrand, where the enemy was holding a 
 strongly entrenched position to defend the town. 
 During the night, however, it was evacuated, a 
 hurried retreat to the north being decided upon, 
 and Lord Roberts entered the second capital of 
 the Orange Free State and hoisted the Union 
 Jack, President Steyn having transferred him- 
 self and the seat of Government, in a Cape cart, 
 to Lindley on the previous day. During the 
 morning we had pressed on, expecting every 
 minute to hear firing from the direction of the 
 main column. When word was received that 
 all the positions had been vacated by the enemy, 
 the pace slackened up, and in the middle of the 
 day we were given three hours' rest. We sub- 
 sequently marched to Kroonstadt Spruit, about 
 three miles south-east of the town, and bivou- 
 acked among the small kopjes which we had 
 previously understood were to be one of the 
 features of the most stiffly contested battle-field 
 
 of the campaign. 
 
 194 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 KROONSTADT TO DOORNKOP 
 
 LORD ROBERTS halted from the I2th to 
 the 22nd of May at Kroonstadt, in order 
 that the railway Hne, on which he was depend- 
 ing for his supplies, could be repaired. It was 
 necessary, however, before the main advance to 
 Pretoria should be recommenced, that the flank- 
 ing columns, which had been drawn into the 
 main body at Kroonstadt, in the expectation of 
 a stubborn fight, should be again extended. It 
 was also necessary that Mr. Steyn should be 
 followed up, and still another of his capitals 
 taken possession of 
 
 We had two days' rest at Kroonstadt, and 
 they were certainly very much needed. I re- 
 member being so stiff from the effects of the 
 steady, hard marching that I could scarcely 
 move about. However, a couple of days' rest 
 improved matters a little. Lord Roberts, accom- 
 panied by his staff, went round to the different 
 bivouacs and inspected the regiments. We could 
 hear them cheering him after he had been 
 13 195 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 through their lines, the sound coming nearer and 
 nearer. We were told we would be called upon 
 for the same thing, but on no account was there 
 to be a "tiger." "Tigers," we were given to 
 understand, were low-down things, only indulged 
 in by people from wild and woolly regions, 
 and Lord Roberts would think we were wild 
 and woolly instead of a barrack-square regiment 
 if we let ourselves loose in such a manner. This 
 incident illustrates somewhat the apparent fear 
 there was that in some way we should show a 
 little independence or individuality. We were 
 always made to copy any little " wrinkles " of 
 the British regiments, and our drill was changed 
 half a dozen times to make it conform to some- 
 thing some of the other regiments did which 
 took the adjutant's eye. At Windsor Castle, 
 after being reviewed by the Queen, we had 
 dinner in the riding-school. The officers lunched 
 with the household. When we drank the Queen's 
 health we gave three cheers and a " tiger," the 
 London papers describing it next morning as a 
 supplementary Canadian cheer of special vigour 
 and heartiness. After that the " tiger " was 
 trotted out on all occasions. 
 
 On the 15th of May our column was again 
 put in motion, and we marched five miles in 
 the direction of Lindley. The next day we 
 did not start till three in the afternoon, but 
 
 196 
 
Kroonstddi to Doomkop 
 
 once we did start we made up for the rest, 
 as we kept going till nine o'clock and covered 
 about fourteen miles. I have a note in my diary 
 that tea was dished out half an hour after mid- 
 night. We should probably not have had to go 
 so far, only the veldt was burning in all direc- 
 tions, and we had to keep on until we got a 
 suitable camping ground. When first seen in 
 the distance, the burning grass, which looked 
 like a string of camp fires, was hailed with satis- 
 faction, as we thought the cavalry which was 
 ahead had halted, but a will-o'-the-wisp was 
 never more misleading. 
 
 On the 17th of May we got an early start, and 
 although having to cross two difficult drifts, 
 we covered sixteen or seventeen miles, having 
 halted in the middle of the day for a couple of 
 hours and gathered up firewood, which had to be 
 carried five miles, not a stick of any kind being 
 visible from where we subsequently bivouacked. 
 As the transport was much delayed, we had 
 to shiver in the cold for some hours before 
 we got our blankets. Some water I left in my 
 canteen that night showed a good coating of ice 
 in the morning. We were still about fourteen 
 miles from Lindley, but General Broadwood, 
 who had been keeping well ahead, had already 
 received the surrender of the town. 
 
 The next day the 21st Brigade went on to 
 
 197 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 Lindley, but as some patrols were sniped at to 
 the north of our bivouac, denoting the presence 
 of the enemy, and as a convoy was expected 
 from Kroonstadt with much needed supplies, our 
 brigade, with a battery of artillery and some 
 mounted infantry, were left behind, with orders 
 to bring along the convoy and join the rest of 
 the column, when it turned north from Lindley 
 on its way to Heilbron. The Cornwalls and 
 four companies from our regiment, with the field 
 battery, went out to reconnoitre to the north, 
 but no enemy could be seen. 
 
 On the 19th we moved to the north-east in 
 order to strike the main column, and came up 
 with it the following day (Sunday), just in time 
 for our mounted troops to take part in forcing 
 the passage of the Rhenoster River. The un- 
 expected attack on their right caused the Boers 
 to retreat northwards in great haste. Some of 
 their waggons were plainly visible for a time, 
 and we wondered why the artillery was not 
 brought up quickly, as they looked to be within 
 range and darkness was setting in. It turned 
 out afterwards that General Smith-Dorrien's 
 aide-de-camp, who was sent back to bring up 
 the guns, was thrown from his horse and ren- 
 dered unconscious, the order consequently not 
 being delivered. We camped that night on the 
 north side of the Rhenoster River, a couple of 
 
 198 
 
Kroonstadt to Doornkop 
 
 hours after dark, having marched about eighteen 
 miles. The other part of the column had been 
 fighting a rear-guard action all day, the Boers 
 who had been hanging on the outskirts of 
 Lindley following up as soon as the town was 
 vacated ; thus two rear-guard actions proceeded 
 simultaneously, the one in front of us and the 
 one behind. 
 
 On Monday we marched to Witpoort Farm, 
 eight miles from Heilbron, and the following 
 day (the 22nd) advanced on the town which for 
 a few hours had been the fourth capital of the 
 Orange Free State, ex-President Steyn, with his 
 council, leaving hurriedly for the east when he 
 heard of our approach. After that we gave up 
 capturing Orange Free State capitals and turned 
 our attention to the one across the Vaal. Gen- 
 eral Broadwood, moving with his cavalry and 
 guns on our left front, came within view of the 
 tov/n of Heilbron just in time to see the tail end 
 of a Boer convoy disappearing over the top of a 
 ridge to the north, and immediately gave chase. 
 He succeeded in capturing seventeen Boers 
 and fifteen waggons. In the meantime we had 
 come up, and as we were the leading regiment, 
 G, H, and A companies were extended in skir- 
 mishing order and advanced directly on the 
 town. As no opposition was met with, and the 
 
 officials surrendered to General Smith-Dorrien, 
 
 199 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 we marched through the streets, posted sentries 
 on the principal buildings and stores, and closed 
 them up. Later in the day we were able to 
 purchase some bread, cornmeal, sugar, etc., the 
 stores being well stocked. 
 
 On the same day that we occupied Heilbron, 
 Lord Roberts commenced his northern advance 
 from Kroonstadt. The Boers had retired to the 
 kopjes north of the Rhenoster River, and made 
 elaborate preparations to bar his further pro- 
 gress, but the success of our movements thirty 
 miles to the east had so threatened their left 
 flank that they deserted their positions without 
 firing a shot, and Lord Roberts was able to 
 cross unopposed, and on the 24th of May 
 reached Vredefort Road Station. From Heil- 
 bron we inclined towards the railway and came 
 in touch with Lord Roberts' column on the 
 24th of May, passing over a very rolling, open 
 country, just freshly burnt, the light ash from the 
 grass filling the air and making the men look 
 like sweeps. The artillery horses showed signs 
 of great exhaustion that day, and more had to 
 be abandoned than I had ever noticed before. 
 We marched thirteen miles. The biscuits were 
 all gone and flour was issued instead. We 
 bivouacked at 2 p.m., and spent most of the 
 afternoon trying to do a little cooking. In the 
 evening a ration of rum was issued and the 
 
 200 
 
Kroonstadt to Doomkop 
 
 Queen's health drunk. The regiments of the 
 2 1 St Brigade cheered and sang the National 
 Anthem in turn, then our Brigade took it up, 
 and the cheering and singing passed along the 
 whole line, the sound gradually dying away in 
 the distance. 
 
 With the exception of Generals French and 
 Hutton, the former of whom crossed the Vaal at 
 Parys, on the 24th, the main army was again 
 united. Lord Roberts then changed his plans, 
 and instead of continuing as the army of the right 
 flank, General Hamilton was ordered to move 
 across the railway and advance to the Vaal on 
 the left of the main column. This strategy 
 proved most successful, as the Boers, thinking we 
 were going to cross at Engelbrecht's Drift, east 
 of the railway, had collected a large force there 
 to oppose us, whereas, after two days' marching, 
 we crossed the river and stood upon the terri- 
 tory of the South African Republic without 
 firing a shot. The crossing was effected at 
 Wonderwater Drift, at 3.30 p.m.. May 26th. 
 Colonel Otter, who had recovered from his 
 wound, joined us early in the morning, very 
 thoughtfully bringing up with him some sup- 
 plies, clothing and boots. We had been living 
 on what we could make out of dry flour, water 
 and wood being very scarce for some days, and 
 the three-quarter pound of hard-tack which we 
 
 20 1 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 got for the next four days tasted sweeter than 
 ever. The English army biscuit is certainly a 
 good one. We once or twice were served out 
 with biscuits captured from Boer convoys, and 
 found them to be very inferior to our own and 
 full of weevils. 
 
 Once across the Vaal we halted, and as we 
 were all very dirty, especially from the effects of 
 the last march, which had been through heavy 
 sand, we made for the river and had a good wash. 
 The main body only got as far as Taaibosch 
 Spruit on the 26th, but on the following day 
 they crossed the river and bivouacked at Ver- 
 eeniging, the Grand Army thus securing its 
 footing in the Transvaal preparatory to striking 
 at the principal capital of Dutch power in South 
 Africa. 
 
 On May 27th we continued our march and 
 covered about fourteen miles, reaching Rietkuil 
 just at dark. Before we started a Cape cart 
 came into the bivouac, containing an old Dutch- 
 man and two women, a dirty pocket handker- 
 chief on a forked stick fastened to the seat doing 
 duty as a flag of truce. Colonel Otter inter- 
 viewed the old gentleman, after which he sent 
 him and his belongings over to headquarters to 
 be dealt with. It was our day for rear-guard, 
 and although the head of the column started 
 about 8 a.m., we did not get away till nearly 
 
 202 
 
Kroonstadt to Doomkop 
 
 eleven. The country was very rolling, and at 
 times a splendid view of the whole column could 
 be obtained, as when, for instance, we breasted 
 one of the larger ridges and everything was laid 
 out before us. Away in the distance, distinguish- 
 able only through field-glasses, the main body 
 of mounted troops could be seen, their advance 
 guard being entirely out of sight ; then the 
 advance guard of the infantry, followed by the 
 two brigades, the different regiments marching 
 independently, some of them a couple of miles 
 apart ; batteries of artillery, with the main 
 column and the long string of waggons, proba- 
 bly five or six parallel lines of them, creaking 
 along behind their teams of skinny mules and 
 oxen — the whole column, from the cavalry ad- 
 vance guard to the screen behind us, covering a 
 distance from front to rear of about ten miles, 
 with a breadth of four. 
 
 The next day we had an easy march to 
 Syperfontein, and bivouacked about noon on 
 the south side of a range of kopjes. Our orders 
 were to be in readiness to move at a moment's 
 notice, to assist in an action which was expected 
 to develop in front of Lord Roberts. General 
 French, who, ever since we crossed the railway 
 to the west, had been advancing on our left 
 front, came in touch with the enemy, posted in a 
 strong position to the north of the head-waters 
 
 203 
 
From Qjxebec to Pretoria 
 
 of Klip River, and with General Button's 
 Mounted Infantry operated over a large tract 
 of country, trying to pierce their lines, but with- 
 out success. The day's operations consisted 
 chiefly of an artillery duel, the casualties on the 
 British side being light. As this was the first 
 opportunity we had, the waggons brought up by 
 Colonel Otter were hauled to the front, and the 
 afternoon spent in issuing clothing, the winter 
 khaki made of serge. A couple of prisoners 
 were brought in by some of our mounted men 
 during the afternoon. They were both Western 
 Americans, and of a pretty good class. In con- 
 versation with a staff officer, they stated that 
 they had been captured owing to their friends, 
 the Boers, having taken their horses when they 
 decided that a retreat was necessary, " When 
 a Boer makes up his mind it is time to get out," 
 one of them said, " he takes the first horse he 
 can catch, if his own is not handy ; if the nearest 
 one should happen to belong to the Comman- 
 dant, so much the worse for the Commandant. 
 We knew the Boers were retiring all round us, 
 and when we thought it was about time to with- 
 draw, and looked round for our horses, we found 
 they had taken them, and of course we couldn't 
 get away." Asked as to where he thought the 
 Boers would make a determined stand, he re- 
 plied, with a sneering drawl, " Not much this 
 
 204 
 
Kroonstadt to ^Doomkop 
 
 side of the Mediterranean, I guess." Late that 
 evening three-quarters of a pound of biscuit was 
 issued for the next day, and it was suggested to 
 us that we had better try and keep some for 
 the day after, as there was no more on the wag- 
 gons, and it was uncertain when more could be 
 obtained ! 
 
 On the 29th May we made an early start, our 
 orders being to march eighteen miles to Florida, 
 a suburb to the west of Johannesburg ; but the 
 rocky ridges of Doornkop (the battle-field where 
 Jameson's ill-fated force surrendered in January, 
 1896) had to be crossed, and unless French and 
 Hutton were more successful than they had been 
 the previous day, it meant that we would have 
 to drive the Boers out of their positions before 
 we could reach our objective. The undulating 
 nature of the country was becoming more pro- 
 nounced as we advanced north, and the long 
 lines of ridges steeper and more frequent, while 
 the quartz rock, which had first led the gold- 
 seekers to the rich veins of the Witwatersrand, 
 showed ever more plainly on the surface. The 
 incessant boom of artillery on our front and 
 right front gradually sounded louder. Evidently 
 the mounted brigades had failed to dislodge 
 the enemy, and an infantry attack would have 
 to be launched. About one o'clock, as we 
 overtopped a ridge, we came in view of a level 
 
 205 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 piece of ground, extending for some distance in 
 front of us, on the opposite side of which rose a 
 small kopje, surmounted by French's horse bat- 
 teries flinging their shells at a bigger kopje 
 two miles farther to the north ; but it was easily 
 seen from the return fire that the enemy's guns 
 were much the heavier. The previous afternoon 
 General French had been operating several 
 miles east of this position, and, leaving a force 
 of mounted infantry to hold the ground he had 
 been occupying, he moved the greater part of 
 his force to the west, to try and turn the 
 enemy's right and continue his march to the 
 north. His later movement had had the un- 
 expected effect of locating what proved to be 
 the Boers' main position. 
 
 There are certain occasions v/hen no words 
 are necessary to inform the infantryman that 
 it is " up to him " to do some fighting. The 
 present was one of these. Descending into 
 the plain in front of us, and marching in the 
 direction of the small kopje already mentioned, 
 we *' parked" our waggons about the centre, and 
 crossing a small swampy stream, the head 
 waters of the Klip River, met the whole of 
 French's force, cavalry and horse batteries, 
 going to the rear. The situation stood ex- 
 plained. French had found an enemy too strong 
 for him to dislodge ; Hamilton with his infantry, 
 
 206 
 
Kroonstadt to Doornkop 
 
 his field artillery, and his 5 -inch guns, must 
 undertake the job, while the cavalry leader took 
 his squadrons and 12-pounders to the west and 
 north to help the main attack by executing a 
 flank movement on the Boer right. 
 
 We moved up to the south slope of the small 
 kopje, the artillery guns were dragged up and 
 placed in position, and the dispositions made for 
 attack ; but General French had not had time 
 to cover the ground necessary to make his flank 
 movement felt, so a short halt was called. We 
 had marched about twelve miles and were 
 tired ; two hundred yards farther and we would 
 be under fire. While we rested we discussed with 
 each other the probabilities of the coming fight. 
 But we did not rest for long ; the short afternoon 
 would soon be gone ; there were no more rations 
 on the transport ; to stay where we were was 
 impossible ; the enemy's lines had to be broken 
 through. 
 
 Their position was well chosen. Posted 
 among big rocks on the top of a long ridge, 
 supported by heavy guns, the main body of 
 their riflemen faced our brigade. Away to the 
 west a second ridge, tending to the north, was 
 strongly occupied, while another force still far- 
 ther to the west was posted on a detached hill 
 covering the whole right flank. The position 
 was about six miles in extent. The main Rand 
 
 207 
 
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 v = 
 
 ^ V 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 ?i 
 
 i 
 
 ^ 
 
 If 
 
 1 i? 
 
 
 tn 
 
 1 ^ t 
 
 i^ 
 
 ■r *< « 
 
 \ 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 
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 ^i 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^ ?^. 5 
 
 ^ 
 
 <.^*iV 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 i^*i\ 
 
 
 
 a 
 r 
 
 
 
 
 , M tt////^^ 
 
 
 ^73 
 
Kroonstadt to Doornkop 
 
 ridge stood out prominently to the north, and on 
 it was posted a long-range gun. 
 
 The 2 1st Brigade, supported by two field 
 batteries, moved over to the left to deal with the 
 right of the Boer position, while our brigade, 
 under cover of two field batteries and the 5 -inch 
 guns, advanced to the main attack. The Gor- 
 dons were the leading regiment that day, and 
 they were placed in the centre, the Cornwalls 
 being on their left and our regiment on the 
 right, the Shropshires remaining with the 
 baggage. The three regiments advanced, each 
 with a frontage of two companies, in four lines, 
 the latter 1 50 yards apart, an extension of from 
 twenty to thirty paces being observed between 
 the men. As soon as we advanced over the 
 ridge we had been waiting behind, the ground 
 sloped rapidly away only to rise with a gradual 
 incline to the ridge opposite, the distance be- 
 tween the two ridges being about two miles. 
 The Boers had fired the grass, and as there was 
 a light wind from the north, it was burning 
 towards us and we had to run through the flame 
 about half way down the slope, beards and eye- 
 brows in some cases getting badly singed. From 
 that point we were on burnt ground, the khaki 
 showing up well against the black. 
 
 The method had been adopted of having a 
 different company leading every day on the 
 
 209 
 
From Qjiebec io Pretoria. 
 
 march, consequently F Company was in front 
 on the 29th, and we went into action in the 
 following formation : F and G companies in the 
 front line, H and A in the second, then B and C 
 followed by D and E. We had not proceeded 
 far when the right of our lines came under 
 a nasty cross-fire from some Boers in a farm 
 building and trees on our right. One of the 
 drawbacks to the wide extensions now adopted 
 when advancing to the attack was immedi- 
 ately apparent. The officers commanding the 
 right and left half battalions were on the left 
 of the lines — that being the directing flank 
 — consequently they did not know what was 
 happening on the right, as the configuration of 
 the ground prevented them from seeing. The 
 obvious movement was for one of the companies 
 on the right to change direction and protect the 
 flank, but a captain does not care to take the 
 responsibility of acting on his own initiative, 
 especially when he has specific orders to carry 
 out, and his company forms part of a general 
 movement. Fortunately our Maxim came up 
 and by a well-directed fire drove the enemy 
 from that particular point. 
 
 Our orders were to advance within about i ,000 
 yards of the ridge opposite and keep up a sus- 
 tained fire. I understand the Gordons had the 
 same orders. Covered by a heavy shell fire 
 from our two batteries and the 5 -inch guns, we 
 
 210 
 
Kroonsiadt to Doornkop 
 
 advanced down the slope and part way up the 
 opposite incline. The front line established itself 
 i 1 a good position from which to open fire, and 
 the second line reinforced. This position was 
 maintained till sundown. In the meantime the 
 Gordons, once away from the Brigadier, took 
 matters in their own hands. Halting every now 
 and then to reply to the fire of their opponents, 
 they gradually drew nearer the crest, and not- 
 withstanding the withering fire poured upon 
 them, rushed the position at the point of the 
 bayonet in the most brilliant manner. The 
 clearing of the main feature had the effect of 
 weakening the resistance in front of us, and we 
 advanced rapidly up the slope only to see the 
 last of the Boers scampering away on their 
 horses. On the left the attack was led by the 
 C. I. v., supported by the Camerons, while the 
 Derbys drove the enemy from the kopje on the 
 west, all the positions being cleared just as it got 
 dark. The honours of the day were easily with 
 the famous Gordon Highlanders. I cannot 
 imagine anything finer, from a military point of 
 view, than the sight they presented on May 
 29th, at Doornkop. They marched up to the 
 muzzles of the Boer rifles with a calm and even 
 stride, which was the admiration of all who saw 
 them. They were never steadier on the parade 
 ground of Edinburgh Castle. Nine officers and 
 eighty-eight men put out of action in so short a 
 14 211 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 ■time testified to the severity of the fire they 
 were subjected to, but I believe if there had only 
 been a half company left it would have closed 
 with its foe. 
 
 Our casualties, fortunately, were light : Pte. J. 
 
 E. Davies, A Company, severely wounded ; Pte. 
 •J. B. Robinson, B Company, severely wounded; 
 Pte. J.Jordan, C Company, severely wounded ; Pte. 
 
 F. S. Richardson, E Company, severely wounded ; 
 Ptes. A. V. Evans and J. Hill, F Company, 
 slightly wounded ; Ptes. A. Haydon and A.J. B. 
 Mellish, G Company, slightly wounded. 
 
 The total casualties in Hamilton's column 
 were two officers and twenty-four men killed, 
 and nine officers and io6 men wounded. 
 
 We formed up on the ground we had won and 
 waited for orders. It was quite dark and very 
 cold, so we wrapped ourselves in our blankets 
 •and lay about on the ground. At length a 
 messenger, who had been sent off to find the 
 Brigadier, returned and told us we were to make 
 our way over to where the Gordons were, about 
 a mile to our left. We stumbled along the 
 rocky ridge from which our friends, the Boers, 
 •had lately been firing at us, and found our com- 
 rades in arms settling down for the night. We 
 all of us did what we had often done before 
 r — went to sleep hungry — this time with the full 
 knowledge that there was nothing at all to eat 
 in the morning. ; .; is— _ 
 
 3U 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 PRETORIA 
 
 WHILE we were fighting at Doornkop the 
 main column had occupied Germiston, 
 a suburb of Johannesburg, meeting with only 
 slight opposition. The principal stand to de- 
 fend the Witwatersrand was made at Doornkop, 
 and the signal defeat inflicted on the Boers there 
 had the effect of clearing all the surrounding 
 heights, and the Johannesburg authorities made 
 an unconditional surrender to Lord Roberts. 
 
 The following morning we were up at four 
 o'clock. It was still dark, and no fires were 
 allowed, as it was not known whether the Boers 
 had deserted the ridges farther back and the 
 main Rand ridge, from which the Long Tom 
 had been firing the previous day. The order 
 about the fires was practically unnecessary, as 
 we had neither fuel nor food. At the first streak 
 of daylight the Mounted Infantry advanced and 
 found all the country to the north clear. We 
 waited until nine o'clock, and then marched 
 five miles to Florida. It was heavy work and 
 
 2J3 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 the pace was very slow. We were played out. 
 Hard work in the open air with only about half 
 the proper amount of food soon reduces vitality. 
 " Fine drawn " infantry the newspaper corre- 
 spondents called us. It was probably the nicest 
 way they could put it. 
 
 At noon we reached Florida, a mining suburb 
 to the west of Johannesburg, consisting, apart 
 from some mines, of one store, a small semi- 
 private hotel, and two or three houses. It was 
 our first sight of the Rand. Innumerable mine 
 buildings, all of a substantial character, stretched 
 away to the east as far as the eye could reach. 
 It was a forest of smoke-stacks. Round Florida 
 were several large properties ; a few had their 
 pumps going to keep the water down, but most 
 of them were doing no work at all. A small 
 artificial lake, two or three large groves of 
 planted trees, and substantial roads made a 
 pretty picture after the interminable treeless 
 veldt over which we had been marching. 
 
 We bivouacked to the right of the road, leav- 
 ing room beside us for the Gordons, who had 
 stayed behind to bury their dead. There is not 
 much cheering or hurrahing in a hard campaign. 
 No bands play the weary soldier along on his 
 march. Sometimes the pipers of the Highland 
 regiments struck up, but it was hard work for 
 them, and marching across the rough veldt made 
 
 214 
 
Pretoria 
 
 it too hard for the men to keep step. With head 
 thrust a little forward, and eyes fixed on the 
 ground, carrying his rifle the way it suits him 
 best, taking his own step, and saying very little, 
 the soldier marches stolidly along, and if he 
 arrives at his destination he does all that is re- 
 quired of him. His joys and sorrows are in- 
 dulged in temperately. There was not a cheer 
 from any of the regiments when Cronje surren- 
 dered at Paardeberg. " Hulloa, what is that over 
 there above those trees ? " " Looks like a white 
 flag, all right. By Jove, it is ; thank God, it's 
 over." A few moments of excitement ; staff- 
 officer comes galloping up from headquarters, 
 looks through his glasses, and then ejaculates 
 half to himself, " It's all right ; it's a surrender ; 
 they're massing." We heard while on the march 
 to Pretoria that Mafeking had been relieved. 
 We always thought it would be. We were ex- 
 ceedingly glad to hear the definite news, but we 
 did not celebrate ; we left that for the people at 
 home. 
 
 About an hour after we had settled down in 
 bivouac the Gordons came along, headed by 
 their pipers. We knew they felt about as weary 
 as we did, but when they came to our lines 
 they braced up and swung past to the skirl of 
 the pipes with the same old debonair swagger 
 that does duty for church parades in Edinburgh, 
 
 215 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 and is characteristic of the regiment. We had 
 been eye-witnesses of their gallant conduct the 
 previous day, and a spontaneous impulse ran 
 through our regiment, " Let's give them a 
 cheer ! " and as they wheeled round on to their 
 ground on our right, every Canadian jumped 
 to his feet and hurrahed till he was hoarse. It 
 was the heartiest and most spontaneous thing I 
 witnessed during the whole campaign. The 
 Gordon officers came over to express their 
 appreciation, and a sergeant who met one of 
 our men down the line a couple of months after- 
 wards said, " There is one thing the Gordons 
 will never forget, and that is the cheer you fel- 
 lows gave us after Doornkop." 
 
 Early in the afternoon a double ration of meat 
 was issued, and half a pound of cornmeal. I 
 was fortunate enough to get a meal in the even- 
 ing in the semi-private hotel. The building was 
 buried in a grove of trees, and hard to find. The 
 meal consisted only of corned beef and dry 
 bread, provisions being scarce, owing to the war, 
 but it was as good as roast turkey and plum 
 pudding to me, and the sensation of once more 
 sitting down on a chair at a table in a room was 
 not the least enjoyable part of the proceeding. 
 
 The following message was received by Gen- 
 eral Hamilton from Lord Roberts : " I am 
 delighted at your repeated successes, and grieve 
 
 216 
 
Pretoria 
 
 beyond measure at your poor fellows being 
 without their proper rations. A trainful shall 
 go to you to-day. I expect to get the notice 
 that Johannesburg surrenders this morning, and 
 we shall then march into the town. I wish your 
 column, which has done so much to gain posses- 
 sion of it, could be with us. Tell the Gordons 
 that I am proud to think that I have a High- 
 lander as one of the supporters on my coat-of- 
 arms." 
 
 The next day we did not move, but on June 
 1st we marched five miles and bivouacked within 
 about four miles of Johannesburg. Passes were 
 given to a good many men, who went into the 
 town and procured supplies. On Sunday, June 
 3rd, we continued our northward march and 
 made about fifteen miles, keeping a little to the 
 west. The following day we got an early start, 
 and continued in the same direction. We were 
 now within a good day's march of Pretoria, and 
 many were the ideas which crowded through 
 one's mind. How long would the city stand a 
 siege ? Visions of interminable trenches being 
 dug, of heavy artillery bombardment, of numer- 
 ous assaults on those frowning forts, floated 
 up one by one. The culmination of the great 
 campaign was almost in sight. " Over my dead 
 body," Kruger had said. It would probably be 
 another Sebastopol ; but it would finish it — that 
 
 217 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 was the one good feature about it. Pretoria, 
 with its elaborate forts encircHng it, each mount- 
 ing big guns, had to be reduced, the British flag 
 hoisted in the place of the Vierkleur, and the 
 South African problem would be solved. 
 
 We had barely got started on our march, 
 when a sudden change was made in direction. 
 The head of the column swung sharply to the 
 north-east, and we followed. What did it mean ? 
 It was not long before rumours were flying 
 about, but one which seemed to be authentic 
 was that Pretoria had surrendered without firing 
 a shot. To say that we were incredulous at 
 first is to put it mildly ; but as the rumour was 
 persistent, and emanated from the General's 
 staff, we gradually came to believe it. The 
 effect was magical. Fatigue was forgotten. 
 We quickened our pace, and there was more 
 chatting and laughing in the ranks than I had 
 ever heard before. We were told we had to 
 make a very long march and push along as 
 rapidly as possible, but that did not matter — we 
 seemed to have new life in us. Pretoria had 
 fallen, and consequently the Boer power was at 
 an end. 
 
 About noon we were rather surprised to hear 
 the distant boom of cannon, and, as we pro- 
 ceeded, it became louder and louder. Evidently 
 there was something wrong, but no one could 
 
 218 
 
Pretoria 
 
 give any explanation. Towards the middle of 
 the afternoon, after a long, hard march, we 
 reached Six-mile Spruit. That an action on a 
 large scale was proceeding was very evident. 
 From the spruit the ground rises in successive 
 parallel ridges, culminating in the hills on which 
 the southern forts are situated. Shells from our 
 guns could be seen bursting all along ; evidently 
 Pretoria had not surrendered. The first ridge 
 had been taken before we arrived, and British 
 guns could be seen working on it. The mounted 
 troops kept to the left, while the 19th and 21st 
 brigades advanced up the ridge and opened fire 
 on the Boers, who were still holding the second 
 ridge. 
 
 Lord Roberts, with the main column and siege 
 guns, had found both banks of Six-mile Spruit 
 occupied by the enemy, but pushed the latter 
 back without much trouble to the first ridge, 
 where a good deal of their artillery was posted. 
 The heavy guns were pushed up to the front 
 and the enemy's fire soon silenced. They then 
 worked round Lord Roberts' left, but our force, 
 converging to the right, closed the gap between 
 the two columns. Our mounted infantry pushed 
 round the Boer right, and Colonel De Lisle's 
 corps, composed mostly of Australians, got 
 within rifle-shot of Pretoria. The Boers vacated 
 all their positions before dark, and made a 
 
 219 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 hurried retreat through the town. Colonel De 
 Lisle sent an officer, Lieutenant Watson, New 
 South Wales Mounted Rifles, under a flag of 
 truce, into Pretoria to demand the surrender of 
 the town, and a letter was sent to Lord Roberts 
 from Commandant-General Botha, asking for an 
 armistice for the purpose of arranging terms 
 under which the city would be handed over to 
 the British. Lord Roberts replied that the sur- 
 render must be unconditional, and a further 
 letter was received the next morning, at five 
 o'clock, from the Commandant-General, stating 
 that he would not defend the place any longer, 
 and entrusting the women, children and property 
 to Lord Roberts' protection. 
 
 On June 5th we were up bright and early. 
 We were not sure whether there was to be more 
 fighting before we entered the capital, but the 
 general opinion, from what we had seen the 
 night before, was that an unopposed entry was 
 before us, and so it turned out. At sunrise we 
 moved off, our regiment being the leading one 
 of the column, and passed along the narrow 
 defile through which the road runs into Pretoria 
 from the south-west. Lord Roberts' column 
 entered by the southern road. Emerging from 
 the hills we found ourselves in a valley about a 
 mile and a half wide, running east and west, and 
 there, three miles to the right, lay the city of 
 Pretoria. It was a welcome sight, for was not 
 
 220 
 
Pretoria. 
 
 this the end of the campaign ? The capital had 
 fallen ; the great wealth-producing Rand was in 
 our possession ; the principal towns were occu- 
 pied by our troops ; we controlled nearly all the 
 railways. Speculation was rife, as we marched 
 along, as to how soon we would be sent down 
 country. The outside limit allowed was two 
 weeks. 
 
 Once in the valley we advanced about a mile 
 and, turning off the road, came to a halt, and 
 there we remained until nearly noon. Lord 
 Roberts having decided to make a ceremonious 
 entry at 2 p.m. We were on a slope facing the 
 city, and the column was all gathered together 
 for practically the first time. Pole-Carew's Divi- 
 sion and Henry's Mounted Infantry occupied a 
 similar position a mile south of the city. I 
 think Lord Roberts wanted the inhabitants to 
 see something of the British forces, and took this 
 opportunity of making a peaceful but practical 
 demonstration. 
 
 At noon we moved to the west of the race- 
 track and bivouacked, our orders being to march 
 into the city at two o'clock. The principal point 
 of interest in Pretoria is Church Square. Here 
 are situated the Raadzaal and Law Courts 
 handsome buildings both ; but the general effect 
 is spoiled by the old Dopper Church right in the 
 centre of the square. Close beside the church 
 is a large pedestal, at that time just completed, 
 
 221 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 and waiting for the statue of Paul Kruger. 
 Lord Roberts, with Lord Kitchener and all his 
 staff, took up a position on the south side of the 
 church, facing the Raadzaal. The only band 
 which could be mustered (the Derbys, I think), 
 was placed on the opposite side, and the great 
 march past began. 
 
 The Guards fixed bayonets and headed the 
 procession, followed by the Warwicks, the Yorks, 
 the Essex and the Welsh. Then our turn came, 
 and we were followed by the 21st Brigade. It 
 was the climax of the campaign, even if it was 
 not the end of the war. I shall never forget 
 that parade. Ragged and tanned, footsore and 
 weary, dirty and gaunt, we trudged along the 
 western road leading into the square ; past the 
 race-course, where the British prisoners had 
 been kept ; past Paul Kruger's house ; through 
 lines of transport and mounted troops moving 
 in different directions ; past British sentries 
 guarding piles of arms the burghers were busy 
 surrendering ; a " Halt ! Fix Bayonets ! " and 
 then on into the square. 
 
 As we wheeled round the corner the band 
 
 struck up " The Boys of the Old Brigade." I 
 
 thought it was the sweetest music I had ever 
 
 heard. We squared our shoulders, chucked out 
 
 our chests, and put all the ginger we could into 
 
 our step. I hope everyone else felt as much 
 
 222 
 
Pretoria. 
 
 stirred up as I did ; if so, they experienced a 
 sensation they will not forget in many days. 
 Out of a regiment of i,i 50 men, we entered Pre- 
 toria with 438. We had marched 620 miles on 
 scant rations since being brigaded on February 
 1 2th, had assisted in the capture of ten towns, 
 had fought in ten general engagements and on 
 many other days, and had stood shoulder to 
 shoulder all through with British regiments of 
 long and great tradition. But what thought we 
 of perils and hardships ? We stood on June 5th 
 as the representatives of the Canadian people 
 in the Grand Army of the British Empire, in 
 the surrendered capital of the enemy. And 
 there was " Bobs," a little thinner and some- 
 what browner than when we last saw him at 
 Kroonstadt, but sitting his horse in the same 
 old incomparable style, and the light of his eye 
 as undimmed as ever ; while on one side of him 
 sat Kitchener, and on the other our gallant 
 brigadier, Major-General Smith-Dorrien, who 
 had led us successfully and well during the past 
 four months. 
 
 It was one of those unique moments which 
 only come to a man occasionally during a life- 
 time. It will never be forgotten. If anyone 
 asks me what I consider the greatest occasion 
 in my life, I say that it was when I marched 
 past Lord Roberts in Pretoria, June 5th, 1900, 
 with the Royal Canadian Regiment. 
 
 223 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 AFTER PRETORIA 
 
 ALTHOUGH the Boers had been driven 
 from pillar to post before the relentless 
 advance of Lord Roberts' victorious army ; 
 although one of their capitals had been in our 
 possession for nearly three months, and the erst- 
 while Chief Executive was a fugitive, roaming 
 about the country with his " Government " in a 
 Cape cart ; and although the second capital — the 
 heart if not the brains, because the brains often 
 gave signs of existing in large proportions in the 
 Cape Colony — of the Dutch Republics, notwith- 
 standing its elaborate forts and its unique posi- 
 tion, political and strategic, had surrendered with 
 barely an effort, and the President was living in 
 a railway car, out on the Delagoa Bay line, with 
 his only asset the gold he had stolen from the 
 banks before 'he hurriedly took his departure 
 from the city, it did not take long to find out 
 that the unexpected was going to happen. 
 
 224 
 
After Pretoria, 
 
 A favourite motto of the Boers must be : 
 
 " He who fights and runs away 
 Will live to fight another day " — 
 
 applied, of course, in a different way to the origi- 
 nal meaning. It is absolutely no disgrace to a 
 Boer to run away ; it is simply part of his 
 method of fighting. I could never agree with 
 those who called the Boers cowards. They are 
 not. They certainly have no esprit de corps — in 
 fact, no sense of morale. They fight as they 
 think — more or less independently. A Boer 
 stays in a position just as long as he can put 
 men on the other side out of action ; once they 
 close in on him, and he sees the position cannot 
 be held any longer without endangering his life, 
 he jumps on his horse, makes off, and takes up 
 a new position, ready to do battle again in the 
 same way when his enemy reappears. If he had 
 remained at his post and died there, his death 
 would have been a direct loss to his cause, offset, 
 perhaps, by the example of his gallant conduct 
 — an example totally lost on his friends, however, 
 as they could not understand, much less appre- 
 ciate, it. The ultimate result of that style of 
 fighting is a defeat bordering on annihilation, 
 but it takes time and costs the opposite side 
 men and money, especially in a country so ad- 
 mirably suited to that kind of warfare as South 
 
 Africa. 
 
 225 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 Bloemfontein and Pretoria did not prove to 
 be the nerve centres to the Orange Free State 
 and the South African Republic that London is 
 to England or Paris to France. The pastoral 
 character of most of the inhabitants probably 
 accounts for what appears at first sight to be an 
 abnormal state of affairs, but be that as it may, 
 although the Boers were driven out of all the 
 principal towns, and their main army had to 
 retire from Pretoria along the Delagoa Bay line, 
 they were about as much a fighting entity as 
 they had ever been, and Lord Roberts had to 
 set about, once the railway behind him was re- 
 stored, to deal both with the main body and 
 the separate commandoes which had escaped 
 round our flanks as we marched north, and were 
 operating at different points below us. The 
 main body of the Boers retired fifteen miles east 
 of Pretoria, on the Delagoa Bay Railway, and 
 took up an extensive position at Diamond Hill, 
 from which they were driven by Lord Roberts 
 after severe fighting on the nth and I2th of 
 June. They then retired from point to point 
 along the railway, being finally broken up at 
 Koomati Poort at the end of September. 
 
 Immediately after the fall of Pretoria our 
 
 brigade was split up, the Shropshires being 
 
 sent down on the line of communication. We 
 
 understood that the Royal Canadian Regiment 
 
 226 
 
SERGEANT HART-McHARG 
 
 From a photo taken in front of the Staats Artillerie barracks, Pretoria, completed just 
 previous to the British occupation 
 
(After Pretoria 
 
 was to act as garrison in Pretoria with the 
 Gordons, but it proved to be a rumour without 
 foundation. The day after we entered Pretoria 
 we were moved over to the east side, and 
 bivouacked beside the Waterval road. We con- 
 gratulated ourselves on the fact that we were 
 going to have an opportunity to get fed up a 
 bit. During the evening most of the prisoners 
 who had been released by the cavalry at Water- 
 val (fourteen miles north) came streaming past. 
 A good many came over to our lines and stayed 
 the night with us. They were certainly a unique 
 collection, representing as they did nearly every 
 regiment in the service. I had conversations 
 with three — a trooper of the i8th Hussars who' 
 had been captured during the action at Talana 
 Hill, October 20th, 1899 ; a Devon who had, as 
 he expressed it, been " one of the unfortunate 
 escort to the guns at Colenso," and the third an 
 artilleryman, a victim of Sannah's Post. The 
 close confinement and weary monotony, to say 
 nothing of the lies they were regaled with by 
 their guards about British defeats with appalling 
 slaughter, must have made their incarceration a 
 trying experience. 
 
 Needless to say, the " barrack square " busi- 
 ness made its appearance without delay, but this 
 time it was not going to stop at half measures. 
 The following is from my diary, June 7th: Reveille, 
 15 227 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 '6 a.m.; roll call ; breakfast at 7 ; muster parade 
 at 9 ; orderly room, 10.30 ; orders to wash 
 trousers* and helmet covers. Just as they were 
 drying and the adjutant was talking about get- 
 ting razors in Pretoria and making all the men 
 shave, orders came to move at 2.30 p.m., ten 
 miles south, the Hamilton column having been 
 reconstituted, the Suffolks taking the place of 
 the Shropshires. Got to our destination about 
 9 p.m." 
 
 So we were on the trek again. There was one 
 consolation, however — we would not have to 
 shave. There should be an Army Order for- 
 bidding shaving on active service. Not that it 
 would be very necessary. I know of only two 
 regiments in South Africa which indulged in 
 the luxury — the Household Cavalry and the 
 Gordons. Poor Gordons, we often used to pity 
 them — it was the one pull we had over them. 
 When we were on the march and happened to 
 bivouac fairly early in the afternoon and could 
 get a good rest, we could lie on our backs and 
 watch the unfortunate fellows nearly all on their 
 feet shaving each other. I do not suppose there 
 were a dozen unbroken looking-glasses in the 
 whole regiment ; and think of the condition the 
 razors must have been in ! We often thanked 
 
 * We had only one pair. 
 228 
 
(After Pretoria 
 
 our lucky stars that we had been told to, leave 
 our razors at Cape Town. It was the only thing 
 that saved us. 
 
 We camped that night to the east of Irene 
 Station, and the following morning moved across 
 the railway and turned south. General Smith- 
 Dorrien had been put in charge of the lines of 
 communication from Kroonstadt to Pretoria, and 
 the different regiments were distributed along 
 the railway. On Sunday, the loth of June, the 
 Gordons and ourselves reached Elandsfontein, 
 the Suffolks and Cornwalls having been left at 
 different points along the route. We remained 
 there a couple of days, and were able to purchase 
 some supplies, rice and oatmeal being bought 
 out of the regimental funds — the most sensible 
 use the money was ever put to, always excepting 
 what was spent on the sick and wounded. Our 
 next move was to Springs, which we entered, 
 after two days' march, unopposed. 
 
 Springs is the terminus of the branch line 
 running east from Johannesburg, and is an 
 important coal centre. When Lord Roberts' 
 column had passed through Germiston on its 
 way to Pretoria, a large number of the enemy 
 retired by rail to Springs, damaged the engines, 
 and established a laager twelve or fifteen miles 
 from the village. We remained at Springs until 
 the 2nd of August, doing the regulation garrison 
 
 229 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 duties. Guards, outposts and patrols, standing 
 to arms every morning before daylight, and 
 plenty of trench digging occupied nearly all 
 our time. The weather was cold, and Colonel 
 Otter arranged with the owners of some build- 
 ings to get us housed. A concert hall, the 
 school-house, and some detached buildings close 
 by were utilized, and proved very comfortable 
 quarters in many ways, especially as we had 
 been without shelter for so long. Our stay at 
 Springs was very uneventful. One or two false 
 alarms, an attack which was easily repulsed, 
 and a reconnaissance eight or ten miles to the 
 east without any result, were the principal events 
 out of the ordinary routine. That the Boers 
 were hovering about in the neighbourhood was 
 evident, as our scouts (some men of Loch's 
 Horse) often exchanged shots with their patrols, 
 and one of our men was killed. A Company lost 
 a second officer, Lieutenant M. G. Blanchard, 
 who died from the effects of shrapnel wounds 
 received at Roodev^al on June 8th. He had been 
 invalided back to Bloemfontein when we reached 
 Kroonstadt on our march to Pretoria, and hav- 
 ing recovered sufficiently, was on his way up to 
 rejoin the regiment, and had got as far as 
 Roodeval, which was then railhead. Christian 
 De Wet came along after defeating and captur- 
 ing the Derby Militia at the destroyed Rhen- 
 
 230 
 
After Pretoria 
 
 oster bridge, three miles north of the station, aad 
 called on the 200 " details " — men of different 
 regiments going north to rejoin, army post-office 
 men with 2,000 bags of mail, and some of the 
 Army Service Corps in charge of clothing and 
 supplies — to surrender. The Boers had four 
 guns and fourteen hundred men ; the British were 
 without guns and a good proportion of them 
 non-combatants, but they refused to surrender. 
 They fortified the solitary station building and 
 the cars standing on the track with the bales of 
 clothing and post-bags, and defended their posi- 
 tion for six hours ; but it was no good, the shell 
 fire was too much for them, and they eventually 
 had to give in. Lieutenant Blanchard was 
 struck in several places by a shell during the 
 engagement and succumbed to his wounds a 
 week later, being buried at Kroonstadt. He 
 was a painstaking and courageous officer ; those 
 who were with him on the 8th of June testify to 
 his utter disregard of danger and plucky be- 
 haviour under most trying circumstances. His 
 death was much regretted, especially by the 
 members of A Company. Lieutenant A. H. 
 Macdonell and his servant were also at Roode- 
 val, and were taken prisoners by De Wet, march- 
 ing about the country with him for some weeks 
 before they were released. 
 
 The natives working in the different coal 
 
 231 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 mines got a half holiday from their employers, 
 put on their war paint, and, armed with assegais 
 and knob kerries, gave us a very interesting war- 
 dance. They chanted songs in a monotonous 
 voice, the purport of which, it was explained to 
 us, was that they hated the Boers, were glad we 
 had beaten them, and would like to fight them 
 themselves. They had the usual Kaffir costume, 
 supplemented by strings of beads and the Zulu 
 bunches of horse-hair fastened below the knee 
 and at the elbow. I had some idea of buying 
 a few of these horse-hair appendages as a 
 relic of South African barbarism, but I was 
 called away to attend to some matter and the 
 opportunity passed. A few days afterwards, in 
 patrolling the railway, I went to Brakpan, and 
 going into a store, saw some of these articles 
 hanging up. I was rather surprised, and asked 
 the storekeeper if he had them for sale. " Oh, 
 yes, we sell them to the natives." " Why, where 
 do you get them from ? " I asked in astonish- 
 ment. " From Chicago," he replied ! 
 
 There was one feature of our stay at Springs 
 that I would like to mention. As Colonel 
 Otter was camp commandant, the adjutant had 
 a good deal of executive work to do at the 
 station, and Lieutenant Winter, of Ottawa, was 
 made assistant adjutant, doing all the regimental 
 work. I do not think there was a more popular 
 
 232 
 
After Pretoria. 
 
 man in the regiment than Lieutenant Winter, 
 and he gained his popularity simply by carrying 
 out his duties in a strict but gentlemanly 
 manner. 
 
 During the afternoon of the 2nd of August 
 the seven companies (G Company being on the 
 armoured train) suddenly got orders to entrain 
 as soon as possible and proceed to Wolvehoek, 
 a small station on the main line south of the 
 Vaal, the junction of the short line to Heilbron. 
 No one knew what it all meant. We had been 
 daily expecting to get the news that we were to 
 return to Canada, as we thought that as the 
 hostilities proper were practically over, and the 
 fighting had developed into guerilla tactics pure 
 and simple, the regular army ought to be able to 
 deal with it. We left Springs about lo p.m., 
 and travelled all night in open trucks. We 
 reached Wolvehoek at nine o'clock the following 
 morning, but there were no orders for us, so we 
 unloaded the train and remained there until the 
 following morning, when we were ordered to 
 march towards Vredefort. 
 
 The extensive operations which had been 
 carried on by Lieutenant-General Hunter, with 
 the help of several columns, in the south-east of 
 the Orange River Colony, had resulted in the 
 surrender of General Prinsloo and 4,140 men 
 in the Brand water Basin on the 30th July. 
 
 233 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 Christian De Wet had been with Prinsloo when 
 the cordon was first being drawn round the force, 
 but before it could be completed, viz., on July 
 15 th, he managed to escape with 1,500 men and 
 five guns, accompanied by Mr. Steyn, and made 
 for Lindley, followed by Broadwood's Cavalry 
 and Ridley's Mounted Infantry. De Wet pro- 
 ceeded in a north-westerly direction, crossed the 
 railway, and took up a strong position in the 
 hills east of Reitzburg, Broadwood following to 
 Vredefort. Not being strong enough to attack, 
 he established himself there and waited for 
 reinforcements. 
 
 A couple of days' marching brought us to the 
 vicinity ^f Vredefort, where we remained the 
 two following days. On the eighth we started 
 off in a north-easterly direction, and the next 
 day got to within three miles of the Vaal. We 
 travelled with Ridley's baggage, and I was 
 forced to the conclusion that there was alto- 
 gether too much of it, considering the size of his 
 column. If it always moved along at the same 
 rate as it did that day, the pace of the Mounted 
 Infantry was not any faster than that of the 
 infantry proper. That same night we were 
 roused up at ten o'clock, and had to march on to 
 the drift, getting settled down again about 
 I a.m. 
 
 De Wet had managed to cross the Vaal 
 
 234 
 
After Pretoria. 
 
 River at De Wet's Drift, some distance west 
 of Vredefort, and made off in a northerly 
 direction, several columns converging from dif- 
 ferent points to try and catch him. In those 
 days it was the usual thing for British infantry 
 to chase Boer mounted men, and we were 
 accordingly sent after him. At the Vaal River 
 we were put into Major-General Fitzroy Hart's 
 brigade — Northumberlands, Dublins, Derbys, 
 and half battalion Somersets — and having 
 crossed to the north, made a hard march 
 of sixteen miles, the dust being particularly 
 bad. The next day, August nth, we covered 
 eighteen miles, the dust still being very bad and 
 the wind high ; in fact, it was so painful to the 
 eyes that the only way to get protection was to 
 hang a pocket handkerchief in front of one's 
 face and trust pretty much to luck to avoid 
 holes and anthills. On August I2th and 13th 
 reveille was at 1.30 a.m., and we marched off at 
 three, the first day crossing the railway at 
 Welverdiend and turning to the west. On the 
 14th we changed direction to the north, and had 
 two reveilles in one day by way of a change — 
 one at six a.m. and the other at 10.30 p.m. After 
 the latter we marched from midnight until day- 
 light, and covered about twelve miles ; this made 
 twenty-four miles in less than twenty-two hours. 
 The next day we had it a bit easier, but on the 
 
 23s 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 17th we were up at 12.30 a.m., and moved off at 
 one, no coffee being cooked, as we were to get to 
 a drift on the Elands River by sunrise and have 
 breakfast then. The guide turned out to be 
 wrong in his calculations, and we marched twenty 
 miles before we reached the drift, not getting 
 there until after ten o'clock. We were rear- 
 guard that day, and the sides of the road for the 
 last three or four miles were strewn with played- 
 out men of the other infantry regiments, a good 
 many of whom were asleep. I think they all 
 caught us up after we halted. From this point 
 we made our way to Krugersdorp — De Wet 
 having got clean away to the north — arriving at 
 our destination on the 22nd of August. It had 
 been hard marching, but the weather was fairly 
 cool, and full rations were issued all the time. 
 For the last forty or fifty miles we were on the 
 Mafeking-Krugersdorp road, the same that 
 Jameson brought his force along in January, 
 1896. A few of us got together and sang 
 choruses in the centre of the battalion whenever 
 we were on decent roads, and it helped the 
 marching a good deal. 
 
 Arrived at Krugersdorp, we received orders to 
 leave Hart's brigade and entrain for Pretoria. 
 We reached Pretoria, August 24th, at sundown, 
 and bivouacked beside the station. The next 
 morning we marched through Pretoria and out 
 
 236 
 
After Pretoria 
 
 to Eerste Fabrieken, twelve miles east, on the 
 Delagoa Bay line. We passed the British 
 Residency, the Commander-in-Chiefs head- 
 quarters, and Lady Roberts (Lord Roberts was 
 away) came down to the street with her 
 daughters and shook hands with Colonel Otter. 
 We were in the middle of one of our choruses, 
 and they seemed much interested in the singing 
 as we swung past. 
 
 237 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 THE RETURN 
 
 WHEN we left Hart's brigade at Krugers- 
 dorp, we turned ov^er our second line of 
 transport, i.e., the baggage waggons and mules, 
 to the Army Service Corps Department, but 
 retained the first line, ammunition carts and 
 water-cart, and brought them with us to Pretoria. 
 We were fully under the impression that orders to 
 proceed home were awaiting us at headquarters, 
 as the period for which we enlisted was drawing 
 to a close. We reached Pretoria on the 24th of 
 August. We were due in Canada on the 15th 
 October. When we were with General Hart, 
 Colonel Otter told us during a mid-day halt 
 (August 14th) that he had reminded the 
 authorities that our period of service would 
 expire on the 15 th October, at which date the 
 regiment should be in Canada, and added, " I 
 have no doubt the Chief of Staff will take the 
 necessary steps to have the matter attended to 
 when we get back to the railway." Colonel 
 Otter certainly expected different instructions to 
 
 238 
 
The Return 
 
 those he received when we got to Pretoria. A 
 staff-officer at the station told him that we were 
 to march out to Eerste Fabrieken the following 
 day, and that our baggage would go out by 
 train. Neither Lord Roberts nor Lord Kitchener 
 were in town ; in any event, Colonel Otter's 
 communication might not have reached them. 
 On the way out to Eerste Fabrieken we left 
 three companies at Silverton, but later on 
 one was withdrawn and three companies were 
 sent farther up the line, A and B companies 
 remaining at Eerste Fabrieken with head- 
 quarters. G Company was still on the armoured 
 train. 
 
 Eerste Fabrieken was a good post. There 
 was plenty of corrugated iron about — a favourite 
 building material in many parts of South Africa 
 where wood is scarce — and it did not take us 
 long to fix up little huts and shelters for our- 
 selves. A stream of water near by offered the 
 best of bathing accommodation, and the duties, 
 such as guards, outposts and patrols, while they 
 came round to each man with frequent regu- 
 larity, were not onerous. 
 
 Some stiff fighting was going on farther up 
 the line and troops were passing daily, some on 
 the railway, others on foot. The cosmopolitan 
 character of the South African irregular corps 
 was demonstrated one afternoon when a party 
 
 239 
 
From Qpebec to Pretoria, 
 
 of the 2nci Brabants passed close to our bivouac 
 and halted over night Three men came over 
 to our lines and we " swapped lies " with them, 
 as we used to call it, for a couple of hours. One 
 was a Canadian, the second an American, while 
 the third was an Australian. The two former 
 were much interested in some old Canadian 
 newspapers we had, especially in the report of a 
 prize-fight, the contestants apparently being 
 well known to them. We were much amused 
 at their descriptions of the amount of discipline 
 maintained in their ranks. " Our captain," they 
 said, " is a brother of the Earl of Airlie, who was 
 killed at Diamond Hill the other day. He was 
 out ranching in Texas for a few years, and is an 
 ideal leader for fellows like us. When we fall 
 in in the morning we never take our pipes out 
 of our mouths, and the words of command we 
 get through the day are of the fewest : ' Shake 
 out on the left and take a look at that bit of 
 country over there ; * or, when the bullets begin 
 coming we generally hear some such command 
 
 as this : ' I think the are over on that kopje 
 
 to the right front, boys. Come on and get 'em. 
 Every man his own general.' " 
 
 These were the men who, with their sister 
 regiment the ist Brabants, some of the Cape 
 Mounted Rifles and Kaffrarian Rifles, Driscoll's 
 
 Scouts, and a few Royal Scots Mounted Infantry 
 
 240 
 
7he Return 
 
 and Royal Engineers (i,6oo men altogether), 
 under Colonel Dalgety, kept at bay for sixteen 
 days 6,000 of the enemy at Wepener. When 
 this small force was finally relieved and marched 
 into Thabanchu, the British regulars turned out 
 and presented arms to them as they marched 
 through the streets. 
 
 I was detailed on the 20th September to take 
 a couple of prisoners into Pretoria (father and 
 son), and was somewhat struck by their con- 
 versation. " We didn't want to fight," they kept 
 on telling me ; " Kruger and the politicians in 
 Pretoria are responsible for the war. We don't 
 know anything about it and are sick of the 
 whole business." One felt sorry for these men, 
 but were they telling the truth ? While in 
 Pretoria I met a corporal belonging to Roberts' 
 Horse and had a long conversation with him, in 
 the course of which I mentioned the talk I had 
 had with my two prisoners, and said what hard 
 luck this war was on these farmers. My new- 
 found friend disabused my mind somewhat of 
 the train of thought I was indulging in, by re- 
 counting an experience he had when the war 
 first broke out. He was an intelligent, well-set- 
 up man who had been in the Kimberley police 
 force for six years and had been working in the 
 cyanide plant of one of the large mines on the 
 
 Rand for some time before the war. When 
 
 241 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 hostilities appeared imminent, the workers in 
 the mines were at first told that on taking an 
 oath of neutrality they would be allowed to 
 remain and continue work ; but this arrange- 
 ment was suddenly cancelled, and they were 
 bundled out of the city on cattle-trucks and 
 shipped south. There were over three thousand 
 of these men, and long delays ensued in getting 
 them away and across the border. By the time 
 they got to Kroonstadt they were famished, the 
 majority of the men having brought very little 
 to eat with them. My friend, with a few others, 
 took advantage of a long wait at Kroonstadt 
 and went into one of the streets near the station 
 to endeavour to obtain some supplies. Meeting 
 a mounted man who proved to be a Field Cor- 
 net, they asked him what the chances were of 
 buying some food, and he told them that he did 
 not think they could get anything, as nearly all 
 the food-stuffs had been commandeered ; how- 
 ever, if they would wait where they were he 
 would go and see the Landrost and let them 
 know what could be done. The little party 
 waited a short time and the Field Cornet re- 
 appeared, but instead of being accompanied by 
 the Landrost, he had gathered up a squad of 
 Mounted Free Staters, each armed with a whip, 
 and they insultingly drove the famished men 
 through the public street back to the cattle- 
 
 242 
 
TAe Reiam 
 
 trucks. The Corporal, at parting, told me not 
 to be misled by what the Boers might say under 
 the altered conditions ; that they were almost a 
 different race of men from the insolent, dom- 
 ineering crowd who held sway before they saw 
 they were beaten. 
 
 We heard nothing about the going home 
 movement for some time. It appears that Lord 
 Roberts, on hearing from Colonel Otter, had 
 communicated with the Imperial authorities, and 
 the latter asked the Canadian Government to 
 allow the regiment to remain in South Africa 
 until the end of the war, the reply received 
 being to the effect that the question of future 
 service rested entirely with the men. 
 
 On the 8th of September, 1900, the following 
 telegram was received by Colonel Otter from 
 Lord Roberts : 
 
 " Trust that as many as possible of the Royal 
 Canadians will prolong their service until the 
 end of the war. They have done such gallant 
 service it would be a pity for any of them to 
 leave, now that the end seems so near." 
 
 Unfortunately Colonel Otter took the wrong 
 course in dealing with this matter. He knew 
 the men were anxious to get home, now that 
 their term of service was up, or he never would 
 have reminded the authorities about the matter, 
 or made the remarks he did on the 14th of 
 16 243 
 
From Qjnebec to Pretoria. 
 
 August. The Canadian Government made no 
 mistake : " The matter must be left entirely to 
 the men," they said ; but to the men it was not 
 left. Colonel Otter, " after consulting the offi- 
 cers at headquarters," sent the following reply 
 to Lord Roberts : 
 
 " September 8th, — Replying to yours of yes- 
 terday, your wishes will gladly be complied 
 with. Would ask permission for one or two 
 officers and few men, whose cases are urgent, to 
 be given leave to return at once." 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Buchan was in charge of 
 a rest camp at Elandsfontein ; Major Pelletier 
 was with C, E and F companies at Groot Oli- 
 fants River ; G Company was doing duty on an 
 armoured train, and D and H companies were 
 at Silverton, so that the only officers at head- 
 quarters, besides Colonel Otter, were the sur- 
 geon, the adjutant, the quarter-master, and three 
 company officers. One of the latter was in 
 Pretoria when the meeting took place ; a second 
 was not asked his opinion, so that one company 
 officer answered for all the men. The staff- 
 officers naturally could not speak for them. 
 
 About the same time as the above took place, 
 or to be more precise, on the 9th of September, 
 the following telegram was sent by the officer 
 commanding line of communication, Pretoria- 
 Middleburg : 
 
 244 
 
The "Jietum 
 
 " War Office wires all men of Canadian regi- 
 ment engaged to serve one year, whose services 
 expire in October, and who do not voluntarily 
 extend their services, are to be sent to Canada 
 as soon as possible. Please ascertain, and report 
 to me by telegraph, number of officers and num- 
 ber of men of your regiment who wish to pro- 
 ceed to Canada under this order, and, secondly, 
 the number who desire to remain for further 
 service in South Africa. Information required 
 under both heads for the regiment under your 
 command now at Elandsfontein, Silverton, 
 Eerste Fabrieken and Olifants River. Repeated 
 — Elandsfontein, Silverton, Eerste Fabrieken 
 and Olifants River." 
 
 As soon as all the facts were before them, the 
 rank and file naturally showed resentment at 
 once, and said they would not stay. In the 
 meantime Colonel Otter had received the fol- 
 lowing reply to his telegram of the 8th, from 
 Lord Roberts : 
 
 " September 9th, — Many thanks for your satis- 
 factory reply. By all means give leave to one or 
 two officers and few men, whose cases are urgent, 
 to return at once." 
 
 When the feelings of the men became known, 
 Colonel Otter sent another message to Lord 
 Roberts : " I regret to inform you, that owing to 
 fear of loss of employment or business, the great 
 
 245 
 
From Quebec io ^Pretoria 
 
 majority of officers and men, R.C.R., feel they 
 cannot, with justice to themselves or families, re- 
 engage for further service in the country, and 
 desire their discharge in Canada on the 15th of 
 October next, in accordance with the terms of 
 their engagement, and I must therefore ask that 
 such may be done." 
 
 Lord Roberts is nothing if not a statesman, 
 and decided under all the circumstances not to 
 take " No," as expressed in the above telegram, 
 for an answer. He wired as follows to Colonel 
 Otter: "September 13th, — I much regret the 
 decision which the officers and men of the Royal 
 Canadian Regiment have come to. It is un- 
 likely that their services would be required much 
 longer, and their going away now will prevent 
 their taking part in the annexation ceremony I 
 hope to hold at Pretoria, and being present at 
 the parade I understand Her Majesty contem- 
 plates honouring by her presence on the return 
 of the troops that have been taking part in this 
 war. If, on receipt of this, you inform me that 
 the officers and men still wish to return to Can- 
 ada, the necessary transport arrangements will 
 be made." 
 
 On receipt of this telegram the proper course 
 was adopted, and the question left to the men, 
 it being tacitly understood that the extension of 
 
 time would not be for longer than the end of 
 
 246 
 
The Return 
 
 October, Lord Roberts himself intending to go 
 home then. A and B companies decided to 
 comply with Lord Roberts' request. The rein- 
 forcements which had joined us during the cam- 
 paign, and whose time was consequently not up, 
 were not asked whether they wanted to stay or 
 not, but were gathered up and formed into a new 
 company called I Company. The other com- 
 panies, with a few individual exceptions, decided 
 to return to Canada. 
 
 Colonel Otter then sent the following telegram 
 to Lord Roberts, September 15th : "About 300 
 non-commissioned officers and men of R.C.R., 
 with proportion of officers under my own com- 
 mand, will gladly prolong service until end of 
 war. The remainder regret that, for reasons 
 already stated, they must ask for return to Can- 
 ada in shortest time possible." In about a 
 week's time the six companies, under com- 
 mand of Major Pelletier, went down to Cape 
 Town and sailed for Canada on the Idaho. 
 
 It may seem strange to people who were sit- 
 ting comfortably at home, quietly attending to 
 their business at the time, whose only idea of 
 the war was drawn from the newspaper corre- 
 spondents' reports and highly-coloured pictures, 
 and who imagine a campaign is like a prolonged 
 spectacular sham fight, that the men of the 
 Royal Canadian Regiment were anxious to 
 
 247 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 return home. It must be remembered that we 
 were all civilians, and nearly all had business 
 interests which were suffering more or less by 
 our absence. We had volunteered for service 
 when the war broke out, and had done our share 
 up to the fall of Pretoria. After that the enemy 
 had adopted guerilla tactics, and it was felt that 
 the regular army "ought to deal with the matter 
 alone. We had enlisted for a year, and our time 
 was up. We had not been in a decent engage- 
 ment since the battle of Doornkop ; it was simply 
 a case of either garrison work or chasing on 
 foot men mounted on horses. The first Austra- 
 lian contingents were of the same mind as our- 
 selves, and were clamouring to be sent back to 
 Australia. 
 
 Of course, there was a certain amount of out- 
 side influence at work, notably in the case of the 
 City Imperial Volunteers. They were sent 
 home, and Lord Roberts told them, when bid- 
 ding them good-bye in Pretoria, that the reason 
 of their being sent back was because he knew 
 they were all volunteers, and had left situations 
 and employment which they were anxious to 
 get back to. Our men naturally said, " And 
 what about us ? Surely we have as much right 
 to be allowed to get back to our work as the 
 C.I.V. We have been out here longer than they 
 have, and our time of service is up, while theirs 
 
 248 
 
TAe Return 
 
 is not. And if it comes to that, surely this 
 quarrel is as much theirs as ours." I think the 
 method adopted as to the Colonials, in regard to 
 their time of service, was a mistake all through, 
 and although some of us prolonged our service 
 at Lord Roberts' request, we felt that we should 
 never have been asked to do so. I think it 
 would be a good plan in future not to expect 
 volunteer regiments to remain on active service 
 for more than a year. 
 
 When Major-General Smith-Dorrien heard we 
 were leaving, he sent the following telegram to 
 Colonel Otter : 
 
 " No words can express my disappointment 
 at not seeing you and your gallant corps again. 
 Please say good-bye to all ranks ; wish them 
 from me great good luck, and tell them that I 
 feel that any credit I may have gained in this 
 war I shall owe largely to the splendid way the 
 Royal Canadians served me. I shall always 
 hope for the time when I may have the honour 
 of commanding them again. There are no finer 
 or more gallant troops in the world."- 
 
 On the 25th of October we went into Pretoria 
 and took part in the formal annexation cere- 
 mony. Lord Roberts entered the square at the 
 head of his staff, the Royal Standard was hoisted, 
 and the band played the National Anthem ; then 
 General Maxwell, military governor of Pretoria, 
 
 249 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria. 
 
 read the formal proclamation, after which Lord 
 Roberts decorated some men with the Victoria 
 Cross, and a general march past took place, 
 every branch of the service being represented. 
 The ceremony was witnessed by a large number 
 of people, notable amongst them being a group 
 of Basuto chiefs, who had come up with Sir 
 Godfrey Lagden, the Commissioner of Basuto- 
 land, to see the formal annexation of their old 
 enemy's country to the British Empire. 
 
 A few days afterwards we entrained for the 
 Cape. If there is one recollection of our exper- 
 iences in South Africa more pleasing than any 
 other, it is the good fellowship which existed 
 between ourselves and all the regiments, British 
 and colonial, we came in contact with ; and this 
 remark applies particularly to the regiments in 
 the 19th Brigade. It was a great piece of good 
 fortune for us that we were brigaded with three 
 such gallant regiments, under a general who 
 made one of the reputations of the campaign. 
 It would be quite impossible to speak too 
 highly of the soldierly friendliness extended to 
 us by the Cornwalls, Shropshires, and Gordons, 
 and I doubt very much whether any brigade 
 serving in the campaign contained four regi- 
 ments which pulled so well together as we did. 
 We saw more of the Gordons than of the other 
 two regiments, but this was due to force of 
 
 250 
 
TAe Return 
 
 circumstances. Whenever we were in bivouac, 
 we were always on the left of the line and the 
 Gordons next to us, consequently we were more 
 in touch with them. 
 
 Major-General Smith-Dorrien is a man with 
 a distinguished record. He has a breast-full of 
 medals ; is a member of the Distinguished Ser- 
 vice Order, and has already received signal 
 promotion for his successful work during the 
 South African campaign. He took the keenest 
 interest and pride in his " Colonial " regiment, 
 and lost no opportunity of showing it when- 
 ever occasion offered. He was always a good 
 friend to us, and we thoroughly appreciated his 
 many excellent qualities. Although we had not 
 expected to see him again when he sent the 
 telegram already quoted, he arrived in Pretoria 
 before we left, and came out to where we were 
 bivouacked to see us, being received with such 
 ringing cheers by all the men that he could have 
 had no doubt of our feeling towards him. 
 
 May he have long life and a still more dis- 
 tinguished career before him ; and may the 
 Cornwalls, the Shropshires and the Gordons add 
 many laurels to their splendid fame. 
 
 Arrived at Cape Town, we immediately em- 
 barked on the Hawarden Castle, and sailed the 
 following day for England. We were fortunate 
 in our travelling companions, the Household 
 
 251 
 
From Qjxebec to Pretoria 
 
 Cavalry and A Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, 
 being on board with us. All three regiments 
 got on very well together, and as the men 
 were left alone and not worried with a lot of 
 duties, the voyage, though slow, passed off very 
 pleasantly. 
 
 The rivalry existing between British regi- 
 ments was very apparent on the Hawarden 
 Castle. As everyone knows, the Life Guards 
 consider themselves as being quite apart from 
 and superior to any other corps, while the Horse 
 Artilleryman, especially if he belongs to the 
 Chestnut Battery, as our friends were called, 
 considers himself to be the very salt of the 
 earth. Each regiment kept entirely to itself, 
 but both were most willing to chum up with 
 our men. On one occasion I remarked to an 
 Artillery sergeant that the Guardsmen were a 
 very decent lot. " Oh, yes," he replied, " they're 
 all right, but we don't take much stock in those 
 lady-killers." 
 
 Strathcona's Horse were in the same column 
 with A Battery for some time, and I inquired 
 from a stalwart gunner his opinion of the corps, 
 and got the following dry response : " Well," he 
 said, " we could always sleep with our boots off 
 when they were doing the scouting." 
 
 We landed at Southampton on the 29th 
 November, and a record of the doings of the 
 
 2!;2 
 
The Return 
 
 Royal Canadian Regiment while away from 
 Canadian shores would hardly be complete 
 without a reference to the reception accorded us 
 in England. That we expected we should be 
 heartily received is not to be denied, but our 
 most sanguine expectations were more than 
 realized. From the time we got out of the train 
 at Addison Road station, in London, until the 
 Lake Champlain sailed from Liverpool, every- 
 one we came in contact with seemed to vie with 
 the other in welcoming and entertaining us in 
 the most hearty manner. 
 
 We reached Addison Road at half-past two, 
 and as the train pulled into the station the 
 band of the Scots Guards played the National 
 Anthem, followed by "The Maple Leaf" and 
 "Sons of the Empire." On the platform to 
 meet us were Major-General Trotter (command- 
 ing the Home District), accompanied by his staff; 
 Lord Strathcona and some Canadians ; Lord 
 Onslow, Under-Secretary of the Colonies, and 
 many others. Preceded by a troop of the Royal 
 Horse Guards, the Scots Guards' band, and the 
 drums and fifes of the Coldstream Guards, 
 we marched to Kensington barracks through 
 streets packed full of cheering people, our rear 
 being brought up by an escort from V Battery, 
 Royal Horse Artillery. Marching through the 
 streets of London behind a good band was a 
 
 253 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria, 
 
 new experience after slouching eleven hundred 
 miles over the veldt, and none could appreciate 
 it more than ourselves. The cheering at times 
 w^as so loud that the men in the first section of 
 fours could not hear the band. At the barracks 
 we were received by the Duke of Abercorn, 
 Chairman of the Colonial Reception Committee, 
 and other members, and everything possible was 
 done to make us comfortable. 
 
 The next day we went down to Windsor by 
 special train. Windsor was quite as enthusiastic 
 as London, if not more so. The Grenadier 
 Guards' band played us up to the Castle through 
 decorated streets and cheering crowds, and we 
 formed up in the great quadrangle. Almost im- 
 mediately afterwards Her Majesty appeared in 
 a private carriage, accompanied by Princess 
 Henry of Battenburg and Princess Alice of 
 Albany, and we received her with the " Royal 
 Salute." It was an impressive ceremony, salut- 
 ing the great Sovereign whom we all loved and 
 revered. The inspection of the Royal Canadian 
 Regiment was one of the very last public acts 
 performed by Her Majesty. We marched past 
 the carriage in sections of fours to the tune of 
 "Vive la Canadienne," and on re-forming the 
 Queen addressed us in a strong clear voice, wel- 
 coming us to England, thanking us for our ser- 
 vices, and wishing us a safe return to our homes, 
 
 254 
 
The Return 
 
 to which Colonel Otter made a suitable reply. 
 The inspection over, we gave three hearty cheers, 
 and Her Majesty's carriage was driven to the St. 
 George's gate so that we could again march past, 
 proceeding to the riding-school, where we had 
 dinner. At three o'clock we marched to the 
 station, the crowd being so dense and enthusi- 
 astic that our formation was broken up and the 
 third company had a hard job to get into the 
 station. Several people were injured, and some 
 women fainted, but no serious damage was 
 done. We left Windsor feeling that we would 
 treasure for the rest of our lives the happy 
 memory of the gracious reception accorded us 
 by our Queen. 
 
 The next day some general sight-seeing was 
 indulged in, followed by a reception at the 
 Guildhall by the Lord Mayor, and on Sunday a 
 church parade to Westminster Abbey was held, 
 where Canon Wilberforce preached us a special 
 sermon. 
 
 On Monday we went to Buckingham Palace, 
 and were taken round the Royal Gardens and 
 Royal Mews, all the State carriages being drawn 
 out for our inspection and a good many of the 
 horses paraded in the square. We then pro- 
 ceeded to Chelsea barracks, and in the afternoon 
 we were reviewed with the Household Cavalry 
 by the Prince of Wales at the Regents Park 
 
 255 
 
From Quebec to Preioria. 
 
 Cavalry Barracks, Albany Street. We hardly 
 recognised our old friends of the Hawarden 
 Castle in those scarlet and blue figures, sur- 
 mounted by steel and brass helmets and waving 
 plumes, but they were the same old lot and 
 welcomed us to their barracks most heartily. 
 His Royal Highness was accompanied by the 
 Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of 
 York, the Princess Victoria of Wales, the Duke 
 of Cambridge, Lord Wolseley, Sir Evelyn Wood 
 and other members of the Headquarters Staff. 
 The First and Second Life Guards and Royal 
 Horse Guards were reviewed first, and then our 
 turn came. Marching on to the parade ground we 
 presented arms to the Prince of Wales, while the 
 Second Life Guards' band played the National 
 Anthem. A close inspection was then made by 
 His Royal Highness and officers of the Head- 
 quarters Staff, two German military attaches 
 asking permission to accompany the cortege 
 following the Prince, and appearing to be very 
 much interested in us. The inspection over, we 
 marched past, and re-formed in front of the 
 Prince, who, accompanied by the Princess, came 
 forward and made a short address of welcome 
 and congratulation. Three cheers brought the 
 proceedings to a close. The evening was 
 devoted to theatres, as all evenings were, the 
 management of the leading play-houses always 
 
 256 
 
The Return 
 
 kindly sending plenty of complimentary tickets 
 up to the barracks. 
 
 Tuesday, the 4th, saw the regiment at Ports- 
 mouth, conveyed there by special train, and 
 the visit was certainly of the greatest interest, 
 especially the inspection of the famous gunnery 
 establishment on Whale Island. There were 
 types of every kind of warship in the harbour, and 
 these were visited, cheers being exchanged with 
 the bluejackets as we put off from the various 
 vessels. The Mayor of Portsmouth received us 
 at the station, while at the dockyard we were 
 met by Admiral Pelham Aldrich and a large 
 staff of officers, lunch being served in the mili- 
 tary gymnasium. Admiral Sir Charles Hotham, 
 Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, was among 
 those assembled at the station to see us off on 
 our return journey to London. 
 
 The next day we visited the Houses of Par- 
 liament. On all these journeys about London, 
 and to and from the theatres in the evening, we 
 were driven in special " br«akes," each holding 
 * about thirty men. At the House of Commons 
 we were met and welcomed by Mr. Chamber- 
 lain, the Colonial Secretary, who conducted us 
 through the House and explained the features 
 of interest connected with its arrangements and 
 procedure. We were then conducted to the 
 House of Lords by three ex-Governors-General 
 
 257 
 
From Quebec io Pretoria 
 
 of Canada — the Duke of Argyll, the Marquis of 
 Lansdowne, and the Earl of Aberdeen. When 
 we were seated on the benches, the Marquis of 
 Lansdowne delivered a short address, in which 
 he humorously remarked that he had rarely 
 seen the House so well filled. 
 
 On the conclusion of our visit to Westminster, 
 we returned to the barracks, and at one o'clock 
 marched across to Kensington Palace to take 
 luncheon with Princess Louise, Duchess of 
 Argyll, and the Duke of Argyll, the Princess 
 having come down from Scotland on purpose to 
 entertain us. Covers were laid for three hundred 
 in the King's Chamber, the Blue Hungarian 
 band playing during the luncheon in an ante- 
 room. The Duke of Argyll in proposing Colonel 
 Otter's health referred to the palace as an old 
 Dutch house, it having been built by Dutch 
 William, who was a very good Britisher. He 
 said he hoped it was a sign of the times, and 
 that their present opponents in South Africa 
 would in time become as good Britishers as 
 William HI. had. He paid a high tribute to 
 Canadian institutions, and Canada's model 
 constitution, founded on the basis of justice and 
 freedom, and trusted we would see those great 
 principles flourishing in a short time from the 
 Cape to the Zambesi. We then sang "The 
 Land of the Maple," and Colonel Qtter thanked 
 
 258 
 
The Return 
 
 the Princess Louise and Duke of Argyll on his 
 own behalf and on behalf of the regiment for 
 the kind manner in which they had received 
 us, assuring them that our visit to Kensington 
 Palace would be one of the happiest recollections 
 of our stay in London. Colonel Otter was 
 certainly the right man in the right place at the 
 head of the regiment in London. His gentle- 
 manly and courteous bearing made him emi- 
 nently fitted to fulfil the many and onerous 
 duties which fell to his lot, and everyone voted 
 him a great success. After the luncheon we 
 were escorted through the Palace by our hosts, 
 and shown the many items of interest, including 
 the room where the Queen was born and the 
 toys and doll's house she played with in her 
 childhood. 
 
 A visit to Brighton was scheduled for 
 Thursday, the 6th, but the " wearing " effects of 
 a round of banquets, entertainments and recep- 
 tions were beginning to tell, and only sixty men 
 could be mustered under Major Rogers to go 
 down on the special train which conveyed us 
 from Addison Road. The reception was as 
 enthusiastic as it could be, and the streets were 
 packed with people. It would simply be repeti- 
 tion to keep on saying that we were received 
 enthusiastically everywhere we went — that must 
 be understood. It always seemed like a trium- 
 17 259 
 
From Qjiebec to 'Pretoria. 
 
 phal procession. After luncheon, which was 
 served in the Royal Pavilion, Major Rogers 
 explained that the exceeding kindness of the 
 English people had accomplished what Mauser 
 bullets and enteric fever had failed to do — it 
 had decimated the ranks of the Royal Canadian 
 Regiment. 
 
 On Friday we were the guests of the Govern- 
 ment at Woolwich arsenal, and after being 
 shown all through the extensive and interesting 
 works, had luncheon in the artillery barracks. 
 In the evening the Mayor, Sir H. S. King, M.P., 
 and Corporation of the Borough of Kensington 
 entertained us to a banquet in the Kensington 
 Town Hall, the hall being appropriately and 
 tastefully decorated with Imperial emblems and 
 Colonial flags. After the banquet the officers 
 of the brigade of Guards gave a concert in our 
 honour. 
 
 Saturday morning was devoted to general 
 sight-seeing, and we went in the afternoon to the 
 Queen's Park and witnessed a football match 
 between Notts County and the Corinthians. On 
 Sunday morning we attended St. Paul's Cathe- 
 dral, and this practically brought our London 
 programme to a close. The next morning we 
 entrained for Liverpool. Only a few of the 
 principal entertainments have been mentioned ; 
 we received so many invitations, both public and 
 
 260 
 
The Return 
 
 private, that it was impossible to accept them 
 all. The reception and farewell at Liverpool 
 formed a fitting climax to our English visit, and 
 we left the shores of the Motherland with the 
 highest possible appreciation of the thorough- 
 going manner in which all classes, from our 
 august Sovereign to the humblest inhabitant of 
 the land, had welcomed and befriended us. 
 
 On arrival in Canada no time was lost in the 
 disbandment of the regiment, and we betook 
 ourselves to our different homes, there to enter 
 again into those civilian pursuits and peaceful 
 occupations which we had left a little over a 
 year before to take our share in the common 
 defence of the Empire. Unfortunately, all those 
 who went with us did not return. No body of 
 men can take their proper share in a great 
 campaign and expect to come through without 
 suffering casualties. The Royal Canadian Regi- 
 ment was no exception to the rule. Some of 
 our best men fell victims to the shot and shell 
 of the enemy ; others to that dread disease* 
 which filled so many graves. But what better 
 death can a man die than to lay down his life 
 for the honour of his country ? If their relatives 
 and friends need any consolation, it is surely 
 only necessary to assure them that these heroes 
 
 * See Appendix E. 
 261 
 
From Quebec to Pretoria 
 
 died the most glorious of all deaths. The 
 foundation on which will be reared the splendid 
 edifice of an Imperial British Empire is cemented 
 by their blood, and their names will be handed 
 down to posterity as an undying example of 
 Canadian patriotism. They bore the brunt of 
 the campaign ; they are its Heroes. To them be 
 the honour and the glory. 
 
 262 
 
EPILOGUE 
 
 THE BOER RIFLEMAN'S SONG 
 
 Lay my rifle here beside me, set my Bible on my breast, 
 
 For a moment let the wailing bugles cease ; 
 As the century is closing I am going to my rest — 
 
 Lord, lettest Thou Thy servant go in peace. 
 But loud through all the bugles rings a cadence in mine 
 ear, 
 
 And on the winds my hopes of peace are stowed ; 
 The winds that waft the voices, that already I can hear, 
 
 Of the rooi-baatje* singing on the road. 
 
 Yes, the red-coats are returning ; I can hear the steady 
 tramp. 
 After twenty years of waiting lulled to sleep, 
 Since rank and file at Potchefstroom we hemmed them 
 in their camp, 
 And cut them up at Bronkhorst Spruit like sheep. 
 They shelled us at Ingogo, but we galloped into range. 
 And we shot the British gunners where they showed. 
 I guessed they would return to us — I knew the chance 
 must change, — 
 Hark ! the rooi-baatje singing on the road. 
 
 Rooi-baatje is the name given by the Boers to the red-coated 
 British soldier. 
 
 263 
 
Epilogue 
 
 But now from snow-swept Canada, from India's lornd 
 plains, 
 From long Australian outposts hither led, 
 Obeying their Commando as they heard the bugle's 
 strains, 
 The men in brown have joined the men in red. 
 They come to find the colours at Majuba left and lost ; 
 
 They come to pay us back the debt they owe ; 
 And I hear new voices lifted, and I see strange colours 
 tossed, 
 'Mid the rooi-baatje singing on the road. 
 
 The old, old faiths must falter, the old, old creeds must 
 fail ; 
 I hear it in that distant murmur low ; 
 The old, old order changes, and 'tis vain for us to rail ; 
 
 The great world does not want us — we must go. 
 And veldt and spruit and kopje to the stranger will 
 belong ; 
 No more to trek before him we shall load ; 
 Too well, too well I know it, for I hear it in the song 
 Of the rooi-baatje singing on the road. 
 
 — Anon. 
 
 264 
 
APPENDIX A 
 
 NOMINAL ROLL OF OFFICERS 
 
 COMMANDING OFFICER 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel W. D. Otter, Canadian Staff, 
 A. D.C. to the Governor-General. 
 
 SECOND IN COMMAND 
 
 Major L. Buchan. 
 Major O. C. C. Pelletier. 
 
 Captains and Lieutenants of Companies 
 
 A Company. 
 
 B Company. 
 
 C Company. - 
 
 ' Captain H. M. Arnold. 
 Lieutenant M. G. Blanchard. 
 M A. E. Hodgins. 
 
 II S. P. Lay born. 
 
 Captain D. Stuart. 
 Lieutenant J. M. Ross. 
 
 M J. C. Mason. 
 
 r. R. H. M. Temple. 
 
 ^ Captain R. K. Barker. 
 Lieutenant W. R. Marshall, 
 C. S. Wilkie. 
 F. D. Lafferty. 
 265 
 
Appendix A 
 
 D Company. 
 
 E Company. 
 
 F Company. 
 
 Captain S. M. Rogers. 
 Lieutenant W. T. Lawless. 
 
 11 R. G. Stewart. 
 
 u A. C. Caldwell. 
 
 '' Captain C. K. Fraser. 
 Lieutenant A. E. Swift. 
 II A. Laurie. 
 
 II C. J. Armstrong. 
 
 ' Captain J. E. Peltier. 
 Lieutenant H. A. Panet. 
 It L. Leduc. 
 
 n E. A. Pelletier. 
 
 G Company. - 
 
 H Company. 
 
 ' Captain W. A. Weeks. 
 Lieutenant F. C. Jones. 
 If J. H. Kaye. 
 
 C. W. W. McLean. 
 
 Captain H. B. Stairs. 
 
 Lieutenant H. E. Burstall. 
 u R. B. Willis. ' 
 
 M J. C. Oland. 
 
 Regimental Adjutant 
 Major J. C. MacDougall. 
 
 Battalion Adjutants 
 
 Lieutenant A. H. Macdonell. 
 II J. H. C. Ogilvy. 
 
 Quarter- Master 
 
 Captain S. J. A. Denison. 
 266 
 
Appendix A 
 
 Medical Officers 
 
 Surgeon-Major C. W. Wilson. 
 Surgeon-Captain E. Fiset. 
 
 0. C. Machine Gun Section 
 Captain A. C. Bell (Captain Scots Guards). 
 
 Reinforcements 
 
 Lieutenant A. J. Boyd to A Company. 
 
 1. A. E. Carpenter to B Company. 
 .1 C. F. Winter to F Company. 
 
 ., J. A. MacDonald to G Company. 
 
 267 
 
APPENDIX B 
 
 BATTLE HONOURS 
 
 The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry 
 
 Dettingen. 
 
 Salamanca. 
 
 Peninsula. 
 
 Sebastopol. 
 
 Dominica. 
 
 Pyrenees. 
 
 Waterloo. 
 
 Lucknow. 
 
 Roleia. 
 
 Nivelle. 
 
 Punjaub. 
 
 Egypt, 1882. 
 
 Vimiera. 
 
 Nive. 
 
 Mooltan. 
 
 Tel-el-kebir. 
 
 Corunna. 
 
 Orthes. 
 
 Goojerat. 
 
 Nile, 1884-85 
 
 The King's (Shropshire Light Infantry) 
 Nieuport. Pyrenees. Sobraon. 
 
 Tournay. 
 
 Nivelle. 
 
 Punjaub. 
 
 St. Lucia. 
 
 Nive. 
 
 Goojerat. 
 
 Talavera. 
 
 Toulouse. 
 
 Lucknow. 
 
 Fuentes d'Onor. 
 
 Peninsula. 
 
 Afghanistan, 1878-80. 
 
 Salamanca. 
 
 Bladensburg. 
 
 Egypt, 1882. 
 
 Vittoria. 
 
 Aliwal. 
 
 Suakim, 1885. 
 
 The Gordon Highlanders 
 
 Mysore. 
 
 Pyrenees. 
 
 Charasiah. 
 
 Seringapatam. 
 
 Nive. 
 
 Kabul, 1879. 
 
 Egmont-op-Zee. 
 
 , Orthes. 
 
 Kandahar, 1880. 
 
 Mandora. 
 
 Peninsula. 
 
 Afghanistan, 1878-80. 
 
 Corunna. 
 
 Waterloo. 
 
 Egypt, 1882-84. 
 
 Fuentes d'Onor. 
 
 South Africa, 1835 
 
 . Tel-el-kebir. 
 
 Almaraz. 
 
 Delhi. 
 
 Nile, 1884-85. 
 
 Vittoria. 
 
 Lucknow. 
 
 Tirah. 
 268 
 
 ChitraU 
 
APPENDIX C 
 
 LIST OF CASUALTIES AT PAARDEBERG, 
 February J8th, J900 
 
 KILLED 
 
 Sergeant VV. I. Scott A Company. 
 
 Private W. E. Jackson n 
 
 A. Maundrell it 
 
 J. Todd M 
 
 J. H. Somers n 
 
 R. Smith B Company. 
 
 J. A. Donegan n 
 
 W. White 
 
 J. H. Findlay C Company. 
 
 W. T. Manion n 
 
 Z. R. E. Lewis D Company. 
 
 O. T. Burns n 
 
 C. E. E. Jackson .... n 
 
 Corporal R. C. Goodfellow . . E Company. 
 
 Private C. Lester m 
 
 II A. McQueen i. 
 
 ,1 C. H. Barry m 
 
 II R. D. Taylor G Company. 
 
 269 
 
Appenotx C 
 
 DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED FEBRUARY 
 
 I 8th 
 
 Captain H. M. Arnold . . A Company, Feb. 23rd. 
 
 Private P. H. McCreary. G n n 19th. 
 
 II G. Johnstone . . . H n ,1 27th. 
 
 WOUNDED 
 A Company 
 
 Corporal A. O. Lohman Dangerously. 
 
 Private H. J. D. Andrews Severely. 
 
 A. C. Beach u 
 
 F. Finch-Smiles . . n 
 
 C. C. Thompson ,, 
 
 C. W. Duncafe Slightly. 
 
 H. MacKenzie n 
 
 H. E. Niebergall „ 
 
 J H. Dixon Very slightly. 
 
 B Company 
 
 Lieutenant J. C. Mason , , Severely. 
 
 Sergeant J. Shreeve .... m 
 
 Corporal J. Smith ,, 
 
 II L. Power n 
 
 Private A. E. Paddon t. 
 
 II John Kingwill 1, 
 
 Sergeant G. R. B. Sippi Slightly. 
 
 Private C, D. McLaren . ........ ., 
 
 A. H. Wheatcroft ,. 
 
 V. F. Marentette ., 
 
 W. J. Green 1, 
 
 E. Baugh ,, 
 
 J. B. Corley n 
 
 J. Day n 
 
 270 
 
Appendix C 
 
 C Company 
 
 Private J. Kennedy Severely. 
 
 „ S. M. Ward u 
 
 -t R. H. McLaughlin n 
 
 n J. F. H. Usher Not serious. 
 
 Corporal M. M. Stewart Slightly. 
 
 Private W. Vanderwater n 
 
 It W. L. McGivern n 
 
 n J. H. Sutton Very slightly. 
 
 I. E. C. Day n 
 
 D Company 
 
 Colour-Sergeant C. H. Thompson. Severely. 
 
 Private J. L. H. Bradshaw n 
 
 II C. P. Clarke. n 
 
 M A. Macaulay .... n 
 
 II A. Laird Slightly. 
 
 II J. D. Coleman n 
 
 V C. A. Gibson Very slightly. 
 
 .1 W. J. Ritchie m 
 
 E Company 
 
 Private A. C. Shaw Severely. 
 
 II J. F. Gorman Not serious. 
 
 Corporal T. D. Moore Slightly. 
 
 Private W. Mclver n 
 
 II A. P. Thomas n 
 
 11 A. J. Turner n 
 
 II G. P. Robarts n 
 
 D. R. McGill Very slightly. 
 
 271 
 
cAppendix C 
 
 F Company 
 
 Sergeant F. W. Utton Severely. 
 
 Private J. A. Scott ., 
 
 If W. L. Hunter Slightly. 
 
 I. W. LaRue n 
 
 .1 J. A. A. Hudon ., 
 
 If H. P. McLaughlin n 
 
 G Company 
 
 Private B. Gifford Not serious. 
 
 -I J. N. Johnston n 
 
 11 J. F. Waye n 
 
 H Company 
 
 Private G. D. McCollum . . . Severely. 
 
 It W. J. Regan Not serious. 
 
 II W. F. Adams Slightly. 
 
 Summary 
 
 Killed i8 
 
 Died of wounds 3 
 
 Wounded 60 
 
 Total 81 
 
 272 
 
APPENDIX D 
 
 LIST OF CASUALTIES AT PAARDEBERG 
 Febnjary 27th, 1900 
 
 KILLED 
 
 Private F, C, Page C Company. 
 
 Corporal A. Withey F Company. 
 
 Private G. Orman n 
 
 Corporal F. \V. Withers G Company. 
 
 Private J. B. Scott -. 
 
 II J. M. Johnston n 
 
 II W. A. Riggs II 
 
 DIED OF WOUNDS RECEIVED FEBRUARY 
 
 27TII 
 
 Corporal W. S. Brady. . . . D Company, 27th Feb., 1900. 
 II C. T. Thomas . . n n >i 
 
 M F. J. Living .... n <• 
 
 Private F. Wasdell E Company, m m 
 
 " A. Roy F Company n «< 
 
 II J. G. Sievert u 2nd March, n 
 
 273 
 
(Appendix D 
 
 WOUNDED 
 Major O. C. C. Pelletier Slightly. 
 
 C Company 
 
 Private J. R. Vickers Severely. 
 
 II H. Cozzens Very slightly. 
 
 n N. F. Gray n 
 
 „ C.W.Allen .1 
 
 D Company 
 
 Private C. Holland Slightly. 
 
 II J. F. McConnell n 
 
 Corporal G. G. Hulme Very slightly. 
 
 E Company 
 
 Lieutenant C. J. Armstrong Slightly. 
 
 Corporal T. E. Baugh m 
 
 Private J. A. Theriault m 
 
 F Company 
 
 Corporal J. A. Macdonald Severely. 
 
 Private A. Bajot n 
 
 II H. Proulx Not serious. 
 
 II A. Sutherland n 
 
 Sergeant W. Peppiatt Slightly. 
 
 Private O. Matheson n 
 
 II Charles Harrison n 
 
 G Company 
 
 Private M. J. Quinn Dangerously. 
 
 Corporal F. W. Coombs Severely. 
 
 Private H. E. Durant m 
 
 274 
 
(Appendix 2> 
 
 G COMV .\^Y—Co)itinuc(i . 
 
 Private A. Pelkey Severely. 
 
 A. Simpson m 
 
 H. Leavitt n 
 
 W. W. Uonohoe n 
 
 J. A. Harris Not serious. 
 
 F. \V. Sprague n 
 
 H. Fradsham Slightly. 
 
 W. C. Unkauf Very slightly 
 
 N. T. Brace it 
 
 SUMMARY 
 
 Killed 7 
 
 Died of wounds 6 
 
 Wounded 30 
 
 Total . . 43 
 
 18 
 
 275 
 
APPENDIX E 
 
 LIST OF NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND 
 MEN WHO DIED OF DISEASE 
 
 Sergeant A. Beattie Bloemfontein .April 14, 1900 
 
 ir P. Clunie England July 
 
 Private E. DesLauriers .... At sea Nov. 
 
 n M. C. Chappell. . .Belmont Dec. 
 
 II J. E. Farley .... .Orange River. Feb. 
 
 II J. J. Purcell II . . n 
 
 M D. L. Moore n . . m 
 
 II J. Adams Jacobsdal .... Mar. 
 
 II W. J. H. Ross .. ..Wynberg, C.C. n 
 
 It H. Forrest Bloemfontein . n 
 
 ■ 1 R.Harrison n ..April 
 
 II W. S. Blight .1 .. -I 
 
 II W. G. Adams n . . n 
 
 (I J. Curphy n . . m 
 
 11 E. Purcell n . . m 
 
 II H. B. Barr Naauvvport ... n 
 
 II E. Zong Bloemfontein . May 
 
 II R. Liston M . . ti 
 
 II W. Haines Johannesburg. June 
 
 n W. F. Whitley n .. k 
 
 11 G. H. Bolt Naauwport ... m 
 
 M A. F. Van Norman. Bloemfontein . n 
 
 ,11 J. Rasberry n . . May 24, n 
 
 11 E. Mullins Kroonstadt . . June 11, n 
 
 .1 L. La Rue Wynberg, C.C. n 24, n 
 
 I W. Duhamel Norval's Pont, n 27, n 
 
 ,1 R. Irwin Bloemfontein .July i, m 
 
 G. P. Farrell England Sept. 16, 1. 
 
 n "^^R. Lecouteur Worcester, C.C. n 30, n 
 
 ■ Accidentally killed (fell from tniin). 
 276 
 
 6, 
 
 II 
 
 --> 
 
 1899 
 
 13, 
 
 II 
 
 5- 
 
 1900 
 
 II, 
 
 II 
 
 14, 
 
 II 
 
 I, 
 
 II 
 
 6, 
 
 ir 
 
 31, 
 
 II 
 
 14, 
 
 n 
 
 15, 
 
 II 
 
 16, 
 
 II 
 
 18, 
 
 II 
 
 22, 
 
 II 
 
 30, 
 
 II 
 
 I, 
 
 II 
 
 -7 
 
 -5 
 
 M 
 
 6, 
 
 II 
 
 19, 
 
 II 
 
 I, 
 
 II 
 
 7, 
 
 II 
 
c>^ 
 
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