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  12 SEPTEMBER 1900 - NELSHOOGTE

  By archie777 · Posted 2 minutes ago

  On this date, Maj Gen French’s cavalry division occupied both sides of Nelshoogte Pass during their advance to Barberton.   This action forced the Boers under Assistant Commandant General Tobias Smuts to retire.   DCM (EdwVII): Tpr. Latham Imp: Lt Horse;  QSA 4 clasps RoM, Tug H, RoL, Tvl: 155 Tpr. G.W.J. Latham Imp: Lt Horse George Latham enlisted in the ILH at Pietermaritzburg on 22 September 1899 and was discharged on 12 October 1900.   His DCM, as well as that awarded to Tpr James was gazetted on 27 Sept 1901 without a citation.   However, Gibson in “The History of the Imperial Light Horse”, p220/1 describes the event that led to the two awards: “When the column was climbing the high Nelshoogte (Nels Heights), which could have been held by a thousand determined men against an army, great difficulty was experienced in dragging the Naval guns and the wagons up the steep hills.   To add to the difficulty, a sniper on the side of the mountain kept up a persistent and effective fire, at about 800 yards range, getting a horse or dropping an ox dead in its yoke with every other shot.   Two of the most experienced I.L.H. scouts, Troopers James and Bob Latham, were despatched to deal with the lone sniper and the firing soon stopped. The two scouts on rejoining the Regiment reported that they had found an old Boer with long white hair and beard, firing at the column with an ancient Martini Henry with a 100 or more cartridge in an old haversack by his side. “What happened to him?”. “We had to shoot the poor old chap, and this is his rifle, haversack and ammunition.” “Why on earth did you not ‘hands up’ the old man and take him prisoner?”   “It is all very well to talk like that. The old chap had taken up such a position that we could neither flank him, or get behind him and it meant that we had either to get him or he would have got us, so in shooting him it really amounted to shooting in ‘self defence’!” It was felt that it was an unique achievement for one old man, about 70 or 80 years of age to put himself against some 5000 troops. He must have realised that there could only be one end to his foolhardy but glorious act.   The men thought that the poor old Burgher was, no doubt, too old to go on Commando and scorned to be relegated to the lowly position of doing odd jobs about the wagons for the women and children, so he took a hero’s way out of his dilemma.
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  5 SEPTEMBER 1900 - GATSRAND

  By archie777 · Posted 13 minutes ago

  On 4 September 1900 in the Gatsrand, near the present Fochville, Commandant Danie Theron was planning an attack with General Liebenberg’s commando on General Hart’s column.   Whilst out scouting to discover why  Liebenberg was not at the agreed position, Theron ran into seven members of Marshall’s Horse. Contemporary Boer sources allege that Theron killed three and wounded the other four.  The column’s escort was alerted by the firing and immediately charged up the hill, but Theron managed to avoid capture.   Finally, the column’s artillery, six field guns and 4.7-inch naval gun, were unhitched and the hill bombarded. The legendary Republican hero was killed in an inferno of lyddite and shrapnel.    Eleven days later, the body of Commandant Danie Theron was exhumed by his men and later reburied next to his late fiancée, Hannie Neethling, at her father’s farm (Eikenhof, Klip River.)    The SAFF Casualty Roll contains the name of only one man (MacMillan) of Marshall’s Horse: he was mortally wounded in the incident.   The “Official History” Vol III, p376 mentions:  “Near the scene of the previous day’s encounter the guns fired on a party of the enemy, killing four, of whom one was Commandant Daniel Theron, a well-known captain of scouts.”
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  4 SEPTEMBER 1900 - SCHOEMAN’S KLOOF

  By archie777 · Posted 20 minutes ago

  A party of 4 men of the 18th Hussars were attacked by Boers. The Sergeant in charge was wounded but got away with one of the men while Lambert and the other man were captured. Lambert re-joined his unit in Lydenburg on 19 Sept 1900. WO 108/372 (SA Surrenders).   3406 Pte. F.W. Wyatt. 18/Hrs.  Wyatt was the “other man” who was captured. He must have spent some 10 days moving around with his captors: according to his Service Papers “Recovered Lydenburg 19/9/00”. 
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  31 AUGUST 1900 - QUAGGAFONTEIN

  By archie777 · Posted 27 minutes ago

  “On 31 August 1900 the 3rd Cavalry Brigade under Col Little and the Colonial division under Col Dalgety were marching for Krugersdorp when they were attacked on the farm Quaggafontein (11 km east of Derby) by some 450 burghers with guns from Asst Cmdt-Gen de la Rey’s commando.   During the action De la Rey arrived with some 600 more burghers and artillery, and Dalgety sent the Kaffrarian Rifles on an enveloping attack around the left flank of the Boer position, where they bore the brunt of the enemy fire as the cavalry pulled back.   Once this was accomplished, the Kaffrarians advanced, only to be pinned down by a withering hail of bullets from Boers who had been waiting for them l on a group of rocky kopjes. They remained in this exposed position until sunset when firing ceased. The British lost 11 men killed in action and 6 officers and 26 men wounded.” The Regimental History by Francis Coleman.
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  27 AUGUST 1900 - BERG-EN-DAL / DALMANUTHA

  By archie777 · Posted 33 minutes ago

  DCM (VR) 2860 Cpl. W. McDonald, 2nd. Gordon High’drs; India Medal 3 clasps RofChit, Punj Fr 97-98, Tirah 1897-98: 2860 Pte. W. McDonald 1st. Bn. Gord. Highrs;  QSA 4 clasps Elandsl, DoL, L Nek, Belf: 2860 Pte. W. McDonald, Gordon Highrs.;  KSA, 2 clasps SA’01, SA’02: 2860 Serjt. W. McDonald, Gordon Highrs.  William McDonald’s handling of his machine gun attracted widespread attention at the time: Buller’s Despatch of 13 September 1900 (LG 8 Feb 1901, p963):   “One very noticeable incident in the attack was the great tactical skill with which the Maxims of the Gordons, Inniskillings, Rifle Brigadeand Devons were handled by their respective detachments. The fire of these guns contributed materially to the successful result of the assault.   General Kitchener especially brings to notice the conduct of No. 2860 Corporal William McDonald, Gordon Highlanders, and of Lieutenant A.C. Jeffcoat, of the Inniskilling Fusiliers, while in command of gun detachments” Buller’s Despatch of 9 November 1900 (LG 8 February 1901, p977): No 2860 Corporal W. McDonald  – ‘This non-commissioned officer was in charge of the machine guns of the battalion, and his conduct on all occasions was specially worthy of commendation’   Official History , Vol III, p400-1: ‘The lines of the Rifle Brigade rolled on, and they had come within eight hundred yards of the kopje, when the Police, who were watching keenly through the interstices of their  toppling ramparts, showed that some of them still lived by delivering a fierce volley.   It was followed by a withering magazine fire, not only from the kopje itself, but from some schanzes which, thrown up in advance of the main position north of the line, took the battalion in flank. Halting his men for a few moments to reply, Metcalfe deflected to the left one company from his reserve to deal with the northerly trenches, and another to the right to gain touch with the line of advance of the Royals.   With the Rifle Brigade had gone the machine gun of the Gordon Highlanders, in charge of Corporal W. McDonald, who, utilising the pause, audaciously took his weapon into the foremost line, whence he  poured bullets against the kopje.’ Times History, Vol IV, p454: “The Riflemen threw themselves on the ground and replied; their Maxim and that of the Gordons, which Corporal Macdonald had gallantly brought up in support, proving at this moment of great service”.   The Joyous Patriot: Ralph Verney, Editor David Verney, p19: “Several men deserved the V.C. that day, though they won’t get it, especially a Corporal of the Gordon Highlanders who brought a Maxim gun on his back right up into the first line amid a storm of bullets, and fired away as quietly as if he was practising on the range”.