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“They reached Gannahoek, following the tracks of mounted horses, and Smuts nearly surprised a column of Bedford and Winterberg DMT and a section of Nesbitt’s Horse resting in a sheltered spot. Capt Welshman, out scouting on a hill, spotted the Boers creeping into position and fired a warning shot. Lieutenant SA Callaghan made up for his tardiness when he took up a position on a hill and drove the Boers back. Trooper AC Bates was killed in the first volley, but Tprs Allan and P Nel, who was wounded in three places, showed exceptional pluck and saved the patrol that was in a tight corner. Lieutenant Callaghan received a mention in despatches for ‘coolness and good disposition in repulsing the enemy at Gannahoek’. Tpr Nel’s citation read ‘although wounded in three places, he still fought and rendered valuable service’. Reitz described it more casually in “Commando”, saying that they rode up the gorge and saw an English foraging party going off. Ben Coetzee killed a member of the troop, a local farmer called Brown, and the rest of the patrol raced off.” “General Jan Smuts and his Long Ride” by T & D Shearing, p65

After landing at Port Elizabeth, the second contingent of Lovat’s Scouts entrained for Aliwal North and tasked with actively patrolling the border along the Orange River to prevent Boer commandos from entering the Cape Colony. During the third week of September 1901 two companies of the contingent were operating about 8km apart, each with a 15 pounder gun of the 38th Bty, RFA. One company under Lt-Col the Hon A D Murray had moved to Quaggafontein Farm, 23km south-east of Zastron, and Lord Lovat, with the other company, was encamped 6km northwest of Elandskloof. In an attempt to join Gen J C Smuts in the Cape Colony, Gen P H Kritzinger’s commando attacked Murray’s camp as the moon set on the night of 19 September. The pickets were completely surprised, and the Boers were in the encampment before a shot was fired. They poured two volleys into the officers’ tents, turned and raked the other ranks’ tents, and then directed their heavy rifle fire into the horse lines. There was chaos and confusion in the dark, the screaming of dying men and horses, shooting, and horses galloping. Murray was shot while leading a bayonet charge and his adjutant, Capt E O Murray (no relation), was also killed. A party of 35 men made their way, under cover of darkness, to Lord Lovat’s camp. The Boers remained in the camp for about an hour, collecting food, clothing and ammunition and, when they departed, they took the gun and the wounded with them. Lord Lovat, on hearing the firing, stood to arms and, at dawn on the 20th September reached Quaggafontein. The dead were brought away and buried at Elandskloof. Col A Thorneycroft and his Mounted Infantry arrived at the scene and set off in pursuit of Kritzinger. The next day, he recovered the gun and 10000 rounds of small arms ammunition and succeeded in killing two Boers and taking twenty prisoners. The Quaggafontein action cost the British 54 casualties, of whom 18 were killed and 36 wounded.

On 18 September a Boer laager was discovered at Vlakfontein, south of Sannaspos. A force of about 200 Officers and men (12th Company, Mounted Infantry and Bedford Mounted Infantry) under Capt H M Tufnell, Essex Rgt with 2 guns of “U” Battery, RHA, left Sannaspos to co-operate with a party of 30 SA Constabulary in making a raid on the laager. They were surrounded by a superior Boer force, and after fighting creditably for four hours they were compelled to surrender. One Officer and 5 men were killed, and 24 men wounded while 6 Officers and 85 men were taken prisoners. The two guns were captured, a moral gain to the Boers out of all proportion to the actual value but were recovered on 2 October. Post-war the incident was considered to be of sufficient importance to be the subject of Special Account No 26 in WO 108/372 “SA Surrenders”: this covers the action in minute detail.

In August 1901, after a “Krygsraad” by the Boer leaders, a commando under Botha moved southeast toward Natal. The cold spring rains made the march difficult for the Boers’ horses, and on 14 September, Botha let his 1000-man commando camp near Utrecht to permit the horses to recover. Meanwhile, Gough’s 24th Mounted Infantry (MI) moved by train from Kroonstad (OFS) to Dundee in Natal. After receiving reports that Botha and 700 Boers were nearby, Gough led his MI from Dundee to De Jager’s Drift, a ford on the Buffalo River. Dismissing the intelligence reports as ‘exaggerated’ he led three companies on a reconnaissance across the river. Through his field glasses, he spotted some 300 Boers who dismounted at a farm near Blood River Poort. Leaving Lieut-Col H K Stewart with 450 MI in the rear, Gough moved forward into a plain in the early afternoon, planning to surprise the Boers at the farm. Unknown to Gough, Botha was moving around his right flank with 700 men. Botha’s mounted attack completely swamped Gough’s outnumbered force. Lieutenant Llewellyn Price-Davies, KRRC, won the Victoria Cross for valiantly defending the two field guns of the 69th Battery, RFA. Gough was captured but managed to escape on foot when night fell. On the British side, 4 officers and 19 men were killed or mortally wounded, 21 wounded and 240 captured. According to Boer policy at this stage of war, when supplies were very hard to get, the captives were stripped of their rifles, any useful gear and most of their clothing but were allowed to walk to the nearest British post. The Boer “bag” consisted of the two field guns, 180 rifles and a large quantity of small arms ammunition. The 200 captured horses turned out to be in poor condition and of little use to the raiders. Boer losses were light.

Eight DCM (Edw VII): Serjt. H.C. Cook. 9th Lancers; QSA, 7 clasps Belm, Mod R, RoK, Paard, Jhburg, D Hill, Witt; 3610 Corpl. H.C. Cook. 9th Lancers; KSA, 2 clasps SA’01, SA’02: 3610 Serjt. H. Cook. 9th Lancers; BWM & AVM with MiD: Condr. H.C. Cook. Remt. Dept.; Rl Vict.Medal (GeoV): unnamed as issued; Army MSM (GeoV, swivel suspender): Sub. Condr. H.C. Cook, I.M.L.; Army LS&GC Medal (GeoV): Staff Serjt. H.C. Cook. India Misce List. Henry Charles Cook enlisted in the 9th Lancers in 1893. He 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”. Cook’s WWI service was with the Indian Army Remount Department and between March 1918 and June 1919 he was Mentioned in Despatches 4 times for the Mesopotamia Theatre: twice as Staff Sergeant and twice as Sub Conductor. During the Prince of Wales’s 1921-22 India Tour he was Conductor in Charge of the Stable Establishment and received the Royal Victorian Medal for services rendered.

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!

“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

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.

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

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.

Col Scobell with a force of ‘A’ and ‘D’ Squadrons, 9th Lancers as well as Cape Mounted Riflemen was tasked with capturing Commandant Lotter’s Rebel Commando of some 120 men. He succeeded in narrowing the chase in the first week of September 1901 to an area in the Tandjesberg Mountains, north of the Pearston-Graaff Reinet road. Armed with information from the FID and guided by local coloured scouts, Scobell, on the fifth day of a six-day mission, found his quarry on the farm Paardefontein (one of two farms in Bouwershoek), near the hamlet of Petersburg. Believing that Lotter’s men occupied a farm building, Scobell ordered a night march in pouring rain and deployed his 1100 men on some ridges overlooking the farm. Actually only 5 of Lotter’s men were in the farmhouse: Lotter and the rest of the Rebels had taken shelter from the rain in a nearby 30-by-15-foot stone sheepkraal, which was partially topped with a corrugated iron roof. At dawn, a squadron of Lancers was sent to investigate the kraal. The commanding officer, Lord Douglas Compton dropped his pistol near the entrance. As he dismounted to pick up his weapon, the Boers opened fire. Compton escaped, but the six men behind him were mowed down. Immediately, a thousand rifles opened up on the fearfully outnumbered Boers in the sheepkraal. After some 45 minutes of the unequal contest, the Boers surrendered. They suffered 13 killed (5 who were shot down as they fled from the farmhouse) and 46 wounded, while 61 unwounded survivors were hustled into captivity. Scobell’s force lost 9 men killed/died-of-wounds with a further 8 men wounded. Lotter and four of his officers were later executed by the British authorities as rebellious subjects, guilty of High Treason under arms and Murder. As one historian points out, “In losing Lotter, the Boers had lost more than a tenth of the guerrillas in the Colony south of the Orange - the British Empire was a bottomless well when it came to replacing lost troops.” Johannes van Eden from the farm Weltevreden, Somerset East stated “Burgher and Spy” under Rank on his ABO application form and noted service in the Commando’s of Genl Kritzinger and Commandant Lötter. He was one of the unwounded Rebels taken prisoner at Paardefontein and was sentenced to death on 20 September 1901 in Graaff Reinet for High Treason under arms and murder. This was commuted to Penal Servitude for life on Bermuda, but the Royal Commission reduced the sentence to 3 years in November 1902. He returned to the Cape Colony on the SS Sunda and was sent to Tokai Gaol on 16 Feb 1903 as prisoner no 374. He was granted partial amnesty on 25 March 1903.

On 27 August General Muller suggested to Captain Oliver “Jack” Hindon that he with his Scout Corps again “bag” a troop train on the northern line in order to obtain sorely needed ammunition from the only source available to the Boers. Shortly after daybreak on 31 August 1901 Hindon, his 2 I/C Henri Slegtkamp and his Scouts ambushed a mixed goods/military/passenger train in a cutting near Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria. The Boers were positioned on top of the east side of the cutting and the train was derailed. The first charge was triggered by Slegtkamp and the second by Hindon. According to Hindon’s biography, he considered the Boer position (safely looking down into the open trucks) so commanding that he called on the troops in the open carriages to surrender. The offer was rejected and in the ensuing skirmish Col Vandeleur of the Irish Guards and 9 men were killed and 4 Officers and 17 men wounded. Casualties were predominantly from the West Riding Regiment but a civilian passenger, Miss Jacoba Page, was slightly wounded. There were no casualties on the Boer side. Hindon’s primary object with the ambush was realised. Ammunition was obtained in more than ample quantities and, in addition, the Boers made off with dynamite and seldom-tasted delicacies such as sugar, coffee, tea, salt and even a case of champagne. The latter was put to good use that evening by the Corps to raise a birthday toast to Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

On 27 August 1901, near Alkmaar, Pte B Knowles and Pte W Galon were part of the garrison of a blockhouse consisting of seven men in the vicinity of a train that was derailed and attacked by the enemy. They volunteered to go out and defend the train, which they did, and kept the enemy off till support arrived. (London Gazette, 3 December 1901, p8548). Both men were promoted Corporal by the Commander-in-Chief.

Lord Kitchener in his despatch of 8th September 1901, dealing with operations in the Eastern Transvaal, stated: “On 17th August a force of the South African Constabulary and Morley’s Scouts which had been patrolling under Captain Wood, SAC, in front of the Constabulary posts to the south of Bronkhorst Spruit Station, unexpectedly came upon and attacked a greatly superior Boer force which was halted at Middelburg, 23 miles south of the railway. The enemy, who were subsequently reported to have numbered 800, were completely surprised by the sudden rush of our men. Twenty-three Boers were killed, 11 were taken prisoners, a large number were wounded, and all their horses stampeded. Our success, however, was rather short-lived. Discovering that the force by which they had been attacked was a small one, the enemy rallied, assumed the offensive, and drove our men back after a hand-to hand fight in the direction of Bronkhorst Spruit. In the retirement the Boers were able to recover the 11 prisoners who had been taken from them and to capture 14 of our men, including Captain Morley of Morley’s Scouts, who was dangerously wounded. Our other casualties were 1 man killed and 5 men wounded.”

During the first weeks of August 1901 the columns of Gorringe and Crabbe succeed in pushing the Rebel commandos of Kritzinger, Van Reenen and Wessels northwards past Venterstad. On 13 August, Gorringe clashes with Kritzinger on Rooifontein, between Steynsburg and Venterstad. During the follow-up operations at Ruiters Kraal (Steynsburg district) Sgt Major A Young, Cape Police, displayed most conspicuous bravery by galloping alone ahead of his men into 20 Boers who were falling back on another position held by the enemy, and shooting one Commandant (Calman Lion-Cachet) and capturing the other (Erasmus). Young received the Victoria Cross in Cape Town on 9 August 1902. General P H Kritzinger was eventually captured on 16 December 1901 but, unlike Commandants Scheepers and Lotter, was not executed. Burger P.D. Rousseau. Pierre Daniel Rousseau was a student at the Victoria College, Stellenbosch when the war broke out and he sympathised with the Boer cause. He took up a teaching position in the Molteno district, where he joined Kritzinger’s Commando in 1900. He was wounded at Ruiters Kraal and subsequently taken PoW. In an Afrikaans publication, “Oomblikke van Spanning” (Stressful Moments), the war memoirs of P J du Plessis, Rousseau is quoted on p59 (freely translated): “During one of the English ‘drives’ my commandant, Kolman Leon-Cachet, on 13 August got a bullet through the head. He was a bold man… In the same action I was severely wounded but rode the whole night with my commando… General Kritzinger was almost captured while his secretary, Van Rensburg, was taken prisoner. While he was taking off his bandoleers, he dropped the knapsack with money and documents in the grass. It contained a fair amount of money, as well as despatches and papers concerning all commandos at that time in the Cape Colony. At a later stage Tennant cross-examined me to establish the whereabouts of the knapsack. The day after I was wounded Gen Kritzinger joined us again. I was in such a bad condition that he ordered Uncle Daantjie van der Heever of Ruigtevlei to take me in a light carriage to Venterstad from where the British sent me by ambulance wagon to Norvalspont. General Kritzinger told me after the war that a shepherd found the knapsack and that it was returned to him (K) by the farm owner with despatches but without the money.” After recovering in Norvalspont Hospital, Rousseau was sent to Graaff-Reinet where he was sentenced to Death by Hanging for High Treason under Arms and Murder on 16 Jan 1902. This was commuted to Penal Servitude for life on St Helena, with the Royal Commission reducing the sentence to 2 years. On St Helena he ran a school for the other PoW’s. He was back in Cape Town on 6 January 1903 and was transferred to Tokai Gaol as Prisoner No 265, being granted partial amnesty on 23 March 1903. After the war, he held various teaching positions and was promoted to Inspector of Schools. In later years he was a Director of the Afrikaans business institutions, Sanlam & Santam. He died on 22 November 1954. His son, Dr P E Rousseau, applied for his father’s ABO medal in November 1969. After some problems, due to the Transvaal Archives initially supplying an incorrect date of his return to South Africa, the medal was issued in May 1970. Interesting Speculation: If P D Rousseau had been hanged or shot (as were a number of Cape Rebels), would South Africa have had anything similar to the SASOL plants and would there have been a town called Sasolburg? In the mid-1930’s and the 1940’s his son, Dr P E Rousseau, was at the forefront of local Oil-from-Coal extraction technology and he was the first Managing Director of SASOL.

“On 3rd August 1901, a patrol retiring, and Captain Mitchell, 3rd Dragoon Guards, being dismounted, they took back a spare horse to him; this being killed, Corporal Taylor again returned to him and assisted him to mount. On both occasions the Boers were close and firing heavily, and on the second were galloping to take the officer.” London Gazette, 15 November 1902, p7382 and Army Order 399 “Promotions for Distinguished Gallantry in the Field

The following is taken from “With the Eighth Division” by Pte E C Moffett: “From Harrismith on the 27th a small force of Yeomanry, aided by the Harrismith Light Horse, under Major Peacock, left at midnight to operate against Boers about twelve miles away from the town. Early the following morning they surprised a Boer patrol hidden in a donga, who fled, leaving their horses, arms, and ammunition behind. The main body of the enemy retired, taking up a stronger position. Lieutenant Moore, with a portion of the Yeomanry, advanced to attack them, while the remainder of the force was kept as a support. Unfortunately the enemy were found to be in much greater numbers than was anticipated, and the attack ended disastrously, Lieutenant C. H. Moore and one trooper were killed, seven or eight wounded, and Lieutenant Stutfield with thirty-five men, after firing all their ammunition and attempting to break through, were taken prisoners. The remainder of Lieutenant Moore’s party got back to Major Peacock’s supports, upon which the latter returned to Harrismith. The captured Yeomanry were subsequently released near Fouriesburg”. The incident is also covered in depth in WO108/372 (SA Surrenders) and an Afrikaans History of Harrismith. According to the latter source the PoWs were sent over the border into Basutoland and returned to Harrismith on foot a week later.

Early on the morning of 28 July 1901, near N’qutu, a 400+ Boer commando made a determined attack on a column consisting mainly of the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment (130 men) and the 8th Hussars (70 men) and accompanied by 3 guns of the 67th Bty, RFA under command of Major Jervis-Edwards. The Boers made desperate efforts to capture one of the guns but did not succeed. In the end six men were killed/died of wounds and three were wounded. The enemy was driven off with much loss. C.C. Murchie. Natal M.R. Murchie was attached to the Natal Volunteer Composite Regiment when he was killed at Nondweni. An eye-witness account of his demise is given in “War with Johnny Boer”, p482-483: “Just before the gun was so determinedly attacked, Major Jervis-Edwards (our commander), a sergeant of the Hussars and four men left our place to go and see where they could take up another position, but as they did not return, Major Henderson came to where we were, and said he was very anxious about Edwards, and called for four volunteers to go with him to look for the commander. Sergeant [C.C.] Murchie, myself and another young fellow named Lewis stepped out. [One of the lieutenants also seems to have volunteered]. The firing at this time was the heaviest of the day. We advanced up the ridge, taking what cover we could behind anthills. When we had gone 60 or 70 yards, we saw two Boers on top of the ridge, and the lieutenant gave the order to drop. I took one anthill and Murchie another, about five yards away. Just as we dropped there were two reports. I thought they had passed between us, and turned to Murchie and said, ‘That was close’, when to my horror I saw he had received one of the bullets and was lying on his back. I called him by name, asking him where he was hit, but he never spoke, groaned or moved. Major Henderson was the only one of us that could see the Boers, so he fired four shots at them. The lieutenant and myself got up alongside Murchie and found that the poor fellow was shot through the heart, so I took his watch, ring and money, and then we retired, rolling over anthills and crawling on our bellies, for the Boers were firing all the time”.

Lace is a historic diamond mine, some 30 km NW of Kroonstad. It was discovered in 1896 and the first mining operations were started in 1901. On 27 July 1901 Lieutenant G Fraser with 20 Imperial Yeomanry men and 14 native guards were ordered to patrol as far as the Mine. On arrival he learnt that Boers had recently been seen in the neighbourhood. Rashly searching for them, his party had to retire to a hut near Doorn River (Doringspruit on current maps) on encountering a large Boer force. After fighting for 1½ hours Fraser surrendered: their horses were all killed, and bullets were penetrating the walls. According to WO 108/372 (SA Surrenders) the natives were shot one by one as they left the hut, and a Yeoman was shot whilst lying wounded on the ground.

Steinaecker’s Horse was raised in June 1900 by Major F. von Steinaecker (who had served earlier as a lieutenant in the Prussian Army) to operate in Zululand and on the Swaziland border of the Transvaal. In time, Steinaecker’s Horse occupied the entire lower veldt to the Olifant’s River, manning over a dozen permanent posts. On 22 July 1901 approximately 100 troopers from Steinaecker’s Horse returned from a mission bringing in some prisoners, stock and some surrendered Burghers to Bremersdorp in Swaziland. Following them was a force of Boers under Generals Opperman, Smuts and Grobbelaar, which outnumbered Steinaecker’s Horse. Steinaecker’s men quickly abandoned Bremersdorp, but on 23 July 1901, the Boers caught up with the unit and began a running battle in which Steinaecker’s Horse lost 4 men killed in action, numerous wounded and captured and the loss of their baggage train.

“…on the other flank, Scobell, quitting Graaff Reinet on the 20th, reached Smithvale next day. He had seen little of the enemy, but hearing of a commando, 120 strong, under Lategan, at Tweefontein, twenty-five miles to the east, at the junction of the Sneeuw and Voor Sneeuw Berg mountains, he detached the Cape Mounted Riflemen, only 90 in number, under Lukin, to attempt to surprise them by night. In spite of the length of the march Lukin’s men brilliantly carried out their task. Lategan’s band was completely scattered; many of the Boers fell: eleven, including a Field Cornet, with 105 horses, were captured.” Official History, Vol IV, p232.

“Near Doornbult on the western railway line, hearing that the line was mined, Cpl Sims (Royal Engineers) took Ptes Donohue & Moore (3rd Btn. Welsh Regt) with him and proceeded to the spot on a trolley, and though fired on from the bush, removed the mine.” “Mentions” in London Gazette, 15 November 1901, p7381.

“At Garstland’s Kloof near Waterkloof, in the very mountainous country west of Cradock, Kritzinger sprung an unpleasant surprise on Crabbe’s column on July 17. Leaving the guns and transport in Garstland’s Kloof, the column had climbed over the mountains on July 16 and sometime after nightfall reached the farm Jackalsfontein, which Kritzinger’s men had just left. The Boers had not ridden far, however, and at dawn they crept back, shot down two of the pickets and seized a commanding ridge only 700 yards from the column’s bivouac. As a result of the heavy Boer fire, most of the column’s horses broke their lines and stampeded down the road, where they ran straight into the hands of the enemy. All day long the fight continued in extreme heat and with water at a premium. Kritzinger, who had been reinforced by Lotter’s commando, called on the column to surrender but the men held their ground. At nightfall the men, led by Captain Dick of Grahamstown, fixed bayonets and marched some 25 miles to reach Mortimer station, south of Cradock. The column suffered seven casualties in all….”. “Prince Alfred’s Guard” by Neil Orpen, p117.

On 14 July the Connaught Rangers, under Major Moore, entrenched in a position at Zuurvlakte, between AliwalNorth and Jamestown, had to withstand a determined attack by the combined commandos of Fouche and Myburg. The enemy pressed forward with great boldness but were finally driven off at dusk after many hours’ fighting, during which our casualties were seven men killed, three officers and 17 men wounded. Kitchener’s Despatch of 8 August 1901. The grave of the 21-year-old Boer Field Cornet Japie Olivier is still at its original place on the battlefield where he was buried together with the British casualties. Olivier was shot through the spine and immediately paralyzed. He was initially nursed in a nearby farmhouse but died a few days later. The Connaught Rangers’ casualties were re-interred in Aliwal North.

A report came in that some Boers, including the Geldenhuijs brothers, had taken shelter in Theron’s stables at Martinshoff. A party of newly raised DMT and Town Guard were sent to flush them out. With the group went Capt Barry S Moore of the Army Service Corps. The Boers suddenly ran firing from the stables and got away. They had hit Sergt Walter Calverly in the buttocks and Cpl CS Biggs in the leg. Because noises were still being heard in the shed, Moore began throwing fire balls to give light as the DMT men rushed the building. Soon afterwards Johannes Meintjes saw somebody moving along the shed’s open side at a crouch. He challenged three times and fired. The man fell. He ran over and found, to his horror, he had fatally wounded Capt Moore. The noise was from wounded animals. The Coldstream Guards congratulated the DMT on their first attempt at night work, but their morale had taken a heavy blow. “Commandant Gideon Scheepers and the Search for his Grave’ by T & D Shearing.