TOPIC:

1900 - Kimberley siege day 101 (81%). Ladysmith siege day 83 (69%). Mafeking siege day 103 (47%). Long Cecil fired for the first time.
1901 - Cunningham attacked by Potgieter at Middelfontein.


Long Cecil and George Labram

In Kimberley:

De Beers 28 pounder opened this morning from No 2 redoubt Kimberley at the Intermediate Pumping Station and Kampersdam. The enemy at the former cleared out and went into earth works they have made a short distance from it on each flank.

The transport animals are showing signs of hard work and an indifferent forage ration. The work is now very heavy as the different defence works are so scattered, and only a few of the leading merchants have carts, no forage being available for their animals.

Very early this morning (about 3 am) 6 heavy reports were heard from the relief column direction.

Major Fraser reports from Beaconsfield that 2 new posts are being made by the enemy, one near Jacobs Fort, one to the West of the Alexandersfontein Hotel, both facing Davis Heap.

News received to-day that Buller’s column was in sight of Ladysmith.

The following messages were sent by search light signal this evening:
(1) about allowance for Harding’s wife No 126;
(2) about 2 natives. No 127.

“From Kekewich, to Methuen. Jan 23rd. Very many thanks for news supplied me yesterday from Eustin has had very cheering effect on public.”

“From Kekewich to CSO L of C. Jan 23rd No 128. Am informed that telegraphic correspondence in possession Post-master General Cape Town may throw light on J J Michau’s actions immediately prior to war.”

Jan 23rd No 129, answer as to the two natives.

In Ladysmith:

Soon after dawn our own guns along the northern defences from Tunnel Hill to King's Post woke me with an extraordinary din. They could not have made more noise about another general attack, but there was no rifle fire. Getting up very unwillingly at 4.30 a.m., I climbed up Junction Hill and looked up the Broad valley, but not a single Boer was in sight. The firing went on till about six, and then abruptly ceased. I heard afterwards that Buller had asked us to keep as many Boers here as possible. I suppose we expended about 200 rounds of our precious ammunition. A cool and cloudy sky made the heliograph useless, but in the night the clouds had served to reflect the brilliance of Buller's searchlight.

So far the Boers have passed us all round in strategy, but in searchlights they are nowhere, though Bulwan makes a grand attempt. All day from King's Post or Waggon Hill I watched the Great Plain of Taba Nyama as usual. Now and then we could see the shells bursting, but the Boer camps have not moved.

The ration coffee has come to an end, except a reserve of 3 cwt, which would hardly last a day. The tea ration is again reduced. The flour mixed with mealy meal makes a very sour bread. The big 5th Lancers horses are so hungry that at night they eat not only their picket ropes but each other's manes and tails. They are so weak that they fall three or four times in an hour if the men ride them. Enteric is not quite so bad as it was, but dysentery increases. The numbers of military sick alone at Intombi, not counting all the sick in the camps and hospitals here, are 2,040 to-day.

In Mafeking:

The usual sniping continues on the western front, but peace, punctuated occasionally by one-hundred pound shell, is more or less prevalent on the eastern. As regards our food supply, luxuries purchased at store are a thing of the past, as the authorities have taken charge of all tinned and other eatables in the place. We have now stood four months' siege, and it seems probable that this may be indefinitely prolonged, and it is mainly owing to the private enterprise of Mr. Benjamin Weil, the representative of Julius Weil & Co. here, that we are really ready to stand, as far as provisions and stores go, as long a time again. In addition to having supplied all the Government required, he laid in large stocks on his own account, and when the history of the siege of Mafeking comes to be written, he will be found to have played by no means the least important part. In addition to the white troops employed, and to the Baralongs, who defend their own stadt, we have four other black contingents: the Fingoes under Webster, the Cape Boys under Corporal Currie, C. P., a detachment of Baralongs under Sergeant Abrahams, and the "Black Watch" under Mackenzie, a mixed Zulu crowd. These gentry, to their huge delight, are continually engaged in endeavouring, with some success, to spend as much gunpowder and spill as much blood as in them lies. The Cape Boys, under Corporal Currie, who took charge of them after Captain Goodyear's wound, from which I am glad to say he is recovering, have done notably good service, their motto and apparently only principle being " Don't know retiring." In this there is a good deal of common sense; for the Boer, though not very dangerous when faced, becomes deadly and dangerous when he can shoot quietly at you as you retire. There is another portion of our defences—or perhaps that is a misnomer, I should rather say of our forces—to which I have hitherto not alluded, and that is the excellent transport service. All the mules were individually selected by Colonel Baden-Powell and Colonel Walford, assisted by Mr. Dunlop Smith, A.V.D., and Mr. Mackenzie, transport officer, and anybody who saw the beautiful spans of mules turned out for the driving competitions would have felt that in all cases their choice was well justified, and the condition of the mules reflected the greatest credit on the squadron leaders (for each squadron leader is responsible for his own transport), conductors and drivers, and to the care and supervision given by the two officers before mentioned. The driving was excellent, and the mules looked in the pink of condition.

Rather heavy shelling, and more sniping ihan usual. There were several casualties, mostly natives, one shell exploding in a hut and killing and wounding most of its occupants. From this date the authorities have taken over all stores of food and drink, and nothing, even luxuries, can be obtained without an order from headquarters.

From the diary of William Watson, Ladysmith, January 1900:

Our batteries are making much noise, also the rebel’s maxims. Their big guns are silent this morning. No shells have been sent into the town. Possibly the rebels are in retreat, and carrying off their artillery. If they succeed in this, it will be much to their credit.—The war has already dragged on for three months longer than it ought to have done, and foreign nations will look upon these brigands as a mighty, able to withstand the whole British army for four months. — The rebels guns have just opened on the town. I was in hopes they had given us up as too hard a nut for them to crack, but we are getting it hot. — Still much noise of machine guns, toward Bulwan. — Some small, insignificant poor devils, arrested for alleged traitorous correspondence with the rebels. Our chiefs, have let the Arch-traitors, go free, and now they drop down on poor, ignorant men who are miserable enough already. The very worst of all traitors, are the Cape government, Africander Bond, some very rich land-owners in Natal, and some mongrel Britons here, and in Cape Colony.

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

Twelve weeks besieged today. Bullet not in yet, but for three days his guns have been pounding away almost incessantly, and when the light is good, his shells can be seen bursting over a long line of ridges to the west, so we conclude he is working round that way to cut the Boers off from the Orange Free State railway.

In last night’s orders it said that all news from Buller continued to be most satisfactory, and that our relief was within measurable distance; and they would not have committed themselves to even so vague a statement as that unless they knew that it was a certainty within three or four days. I’ll give him till the end of the week; that’s four days, and after that I shall growl if I don’t get my letters. Meanwhile, we are having a fairly peaceful time, with few shells and no attacks. Blunt came back from hospital two days ago, and Tringham (Queen’s) yesterday, so our numbers are filling up. I don’t expect we shall get any more, as all will be sent to Maritzburg for change as soon as the line is open, and Gunning will probably go home. Masterson is doing very well, but will not be fit to move for some time. I hear that the last sack of mealies was ground into meal yesterday, so they will soon be run out.

I suppose there is still plenty of flour as we get fresh bread daily, and the sugar is still going. I am keeping very fit, though I am exceedingly thin and have now got down to 9st. 5 lb. I am rather curious to see what my lowest siege weight will be.

1900 - From the diary of Trooper A J Crosby, Natal Carbineers

On guard 1.20 to 3.45. Attended Mounted Parade after being dismissed from guard. Usual routine. Feeling unfit, but trying hard to overcome it. Warned for picquet to support N.M.P. on Cossack Post, with Forder, Mason (Ladysmith Squad) in shale donga. On first post 7 to 9. Fine night. Search light on Bulwana playing the whole night. Saw Hayes at the I.L.H. camp during the morning. He had only joined a few days. Looking terribly thin.

1900 - From the diary of Miss Bella Craw in Ladysmith

I have got to hardly know day from night. I have simply slept the whole day from nine o'clock to half past six this evening, so have heard no news nor even rumours. I didn't know even that there had been any shelling, and Bert tells me another fell in his garden during the morning. This makes the sixth or seventh there, but fortunately the house has always escaped.

We are in the thirteenth week of our Siege and we actually have fresh meat, such as it is, still served out as rations, but it has got to every alternate day with "Bully beef", which I think is preferable to that black poverty-stricken so-called fresh meat. I hope it does not come to horse flesh although Dr. Horneybrook says it was so good the other day.

1900 - From the diary of Major George Tatham, Natal Carbineers

Purchased some stores for house from Commt. Dept. Biscuits 30 lbs. at 6d. Sugar 20 lbs at 4d. Rice 16 lbs. at 4d. Mealie meal 40 lbs at 3d. Tinned Meat 20 lbs. at 1/-.