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  17 SEPTEMBER 1901 - MODDERFONTEIN

  By archie777 · Posted 10 minutes ago

  Douglas Haig’s account (from a letter to his sister, Henrietta, 22 September 1901): “You will have heard ere this of the terrible losses C Squadron 17th Lancers sustained on Tuesday last.   I trained the regiment from Stormberg to Tarkastad to head Smuts’ commando which had broken SW from near Dordrecht.   The Squadron in question under a most capable officer (Sandeman) was holding a position about 14 miles [22,5km] from Tarkastad to prevent the enemy coming south.   I was out with the squadron on the previous day (Monday) when it marched from Tarkastad. The weather for several days had been terribly wet. However, it cleared for an hour about 3 o’clock and Sandeman lunched with me (off some of those nice tin things you sent me from Cabbett) on the fatal koppie on which next day so many poor fellows were killed.   I got back to Tarkastad at 9pm. Next morning was very foggy. However, his patrols reconnoitred the two passes at the exits of which Sandeman had his camp. All was reported clear, but about noon a message was sent to Sandeman that the Boers were advancing to attack his camp.   A troop moved out at once. The officer in charge of it saw some men in khakee [sic] whom he took to be some of Gorringe’s column which was expected north of the post.   These men levelled their rifles at him when about 200 yards [180m] distant. He shouted to them ‘Don’t fire. We are the 17th Lancers.’ (These irregular corps often fire at one another by mistake.)  The Boers, as such they proved to be, opened fire at once and emptied several saddles. Before the troop got back to camp the enemy had worked up a donga to the rear of the camp. Again, their khakee [sic] dress assisted them.   They were now between Sandeman’s squadrons and another squadron which was about three miles [4,8km] distant.   Seeing khakee [sic] dressed men in rear of camp, they were allowed to approach quite close before fire was opened on them. Our men held the position to the last, and not a man surrendered. Out of 130 men, 29 were killed and 41 wounded.   The other men were still fighting when the next squadron came to their support and the enemy made off. All the officers were either killed or wounded.” The 17th Lancers lost more men killed in action on that day than on any other single day in its long history, including even the Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava in 1854!
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  16 SEPTEMBER 1901 - ZOETLIEF

  By archie777 · Posted 34 minutes ago

  “On the evening of the 15th a column numbering 250 left Vryburg and reached Zoutlief in a storm of wind and rain. The next morning the men proceeded to Thanet and found the Boers in strength.   A hot engagement then ensued. The Boers, who comprised Van Zyl’s and Van der Merwe’s commandos and numbered 400 strong, took up a position covering a house which appeared to be their headquarters.   They were shelled vigorously, but a number of shells failed to explode in consequence of the heavy rain of the previous night. Soon afterwards Keeley’s scouts from Maribogo reinforced the British left flank and endeavoured to cut off the enemy’s retreat.  A company of the Fifth Imperial Yeomanry from Devondale ran the gauntlet of the enemy’s fire in grand style while galloping to reach a kopje which it was necessary to hold. The men raced by ones and twos across the ground under the enemy’s fire and gained their object with the loss of one killed and ten wounded.   A body of the enemy who had been fighting in trenches near the farmhouse surrendered on condition of their lives being spared. They proved to be 14 well-known and dangerous rebels from the Vryburg district.” “The Times”, 2 Oct 1901
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  5 SEPTEMBER 1901 - BOUWER’S HOEK / PAARDEFONTEIN

  By archie777 · Posted 42 minutes ago

  DCM (Edw VII): Pte J.M. Haines, Cape M. R.   Haines was Mentioned in the LG of 3 Dec 1901 “For conspicuous gallantry in the capture of Lotter’s Commando near Petersburg, Cape Colony, on 5th September 1901”.   The entry also stated that he was accordingly “awarded a DCM, War Office Telegram, No 9599, dated 9th October 1901”.   He served with the Cape Mounted Riflemen for the duration of the war (including Wepener) but unfortunately his QSA and KSA became separated from his DCM.
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  10 SEPTEMBER 1901 - WATERVAL

  By archie777 · Posted 46 minutes ago

  Gen Louis Botha was born in Greytown in 1862. In 1884 he took part in an expedition under the leadership of Lucas Meyer to reinstate Chief Dinuzulu in Zululand.  As reward Dinizulu gave them a piece of land, of which Botha’s portion was the farm Waterval, 24 miles north-west of Vryheid. During the war, British troops destroyed Botha’s farmhouse on Waterval with dynamite and photos of the damaged house were sent to his wife Annie in Pretoria. The Bothas never returned to Waterval.   The LG of 3 December 1901, p8546, carries a Mention for Lieutenants Nicoll and Wells of the Johannesburg Mounted Rifles “For dash and judgement in attack on position at Waterval on 10th September 1901”.   The Johannesburg Mounted Rifles operated in this vicinity at the time, but it is not known what the Waterval attack of 10 September entailed.   Six DSO (Vict);  QSA, 6 clasps CC, Tug H, OFS, RoL, Tvl, L Nek: 243Sjt. A.G.B. Nicol. Bethune’s M. I.;  KSA, 2 clasps SA’01, SA’02: Capt. A.G.B. Nicol, D.S.O. Johannesburg M.R.;  14-15 Star: Lt. A.G.B. Nicol, S.A.S.C.T. & R.;  BWM & AVM (Bil): Capt. A.G.B. Nicol
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  7 SEPTEMBER 1901 - NEAR GRIQUATOWN

  By archie777 · Posted 52 minutes ago

  On 7 September 1901 a Boer patrol tried to take horses which were being grazed at Bonteheuvel, about six miles from Griquatown.   Private G Dymond was killed by a shot through the head, but the guard under Sergeant T Riley succeeded in bringing all the horses back. “The Dukes” by Angus G McKenzie, p45.