TO ZAND RIVER.
On the March--Formations--Protection--Necessity of Mounted
Troops--Engagement at Welkom Farm--Capture of Winburg--Soldiers and
their Boots--Naval Guns.
In order to enable the force to be concentrated, the 21st Brigade halted
on the 2nd of May at Jacobsrust, continuing their march the following
day to Isabellafontein. The names of some of the farms are very curious
and depend greatly on local conditions. The thick-skulled Boer farmer
when he first arrived and selected his farm lost no time in dubbing it
with a title, which, in after years, appears somewhat incongruous and
confusing, as numbers of farmers hit upon the same happy idea of naming
their locations Klipfontein, Doornberg, or Leeukop; and the result is
that there are hundreds of places in the Orange River Colony with the
same name--Doornkops are as common as dirt, whilst Deelfonteins, and
farms called Modderfontein, or Muddy Spring, are quite numerous. Then,
again, the settler, instead of naming his farm from the physical
properties of the land or the quality of the water, frequently called it
after his vrouw, so that one often came across farms called Ellensrust,
for instance. Many others are named after animals, such as
Hartebeestefontein, Wildebeeste Hoek, or Quaggafontein, while others are
called Welkom Rust or Wonderfontein, the meaning of which is apparent.
The farms are all fenced with barbed wire, of generally three strands,
with posts of wood or, more usually, of big slabs of quarried stone.
These wire fences were of course a great hindrance to all mounted men
and had to be cut in all directions.
On the march we used to move in column of fours, unless the veldt was
broad and open, when we still kept our fours but moved the companies
out to the right and left, so that we were really in a column of double
companies moving in fours to a flank. This was a very good and simple
formation, since the companies could open out or close in to the centre
without difficulty, and at any time they were all handy and ready to
move in any direction without the slightest delay. The battalion seldom
or never moved in column of companies, as it was found that this was the
most tiring formation of all in a long march, especially when the men
were carrying a full kit. This full kit consisted of rifle, with
magazine charged; haversack, with one day's complete rations and one
day's issue of tea, sugar and biscuit; canteen and water-bottle;
sidearms and equipment with 100 rounds of ammunition; and a blanket,
strapped on the waistbelt at the back. All this totals up a good load,
but there was nothing that could have been dispensed with, the blanket,
which was most cumbersome and unwieldy, being really as necessary as
anything.
The officers wore equipment the same as the men, and nearly all of them
carried a rifle or a carbine. This was a most necessary precaution, as
there is no doubt the enemy invariably directed their fire on the
officers, and of course anyone seen to be dressed differently to the
men, or not carrying a rifle, would be immediately spotted by the Boers.
I asked some of the prisoners this question when we were escorting them
from the Golden Gate, and they said at once that they always
concentrated their fire on those who appeared to be the leaders.
The advanced flank and rear guards were always found by the mounted
troops, who kept well away from us; as indeed they ought to, if they
intend to keep the column beyond rifle shot of the enemy, which may be
taken as fully 2,000 yards, or about a mile and a quarter. It will
easily be seen what a farce a flank guard of infantry must be, unless
it can move at such a distance from the column as will enable it
effectually to protect that column, without hampering it or checking its
progress. On the other hand, if the flank guard gets too far away from
the column, it is liable to be cut off itself, whilst if it remains too
close in, it does no good and merely masks the fire of the main body. It
is a difficult question to answer--how is a column to protect itself in
these days of long range rifle fire unless it has mounted men?
I saw a column on the march once which consisted of an infantry
battalion with its full complement of transport and with a couple of
guns, with their wagons, and the way the flank guards were put out was a
study in how _not_ to do it. Imagine an enormous rectangle, stretching
along the road and extending about 200 yards on each side of it, the
ends and sides of this rectangle being composed of men moving in single
file and about three or four paces apart. Inside this rectangle was the
main body, the baggage and the guns; and it is easy to conceive that,
owing to so many men being used to form the ends and sides of the
rectangle, there were hardly any left to make up the main body or to act
as a reserve, while, from the formation adopted, nothing could be done
by the men forming the sides, except to lie down if they were attacked.
I never saw a more hopeless instance of slavish adherence to the drill
books and utter want of common sense and adaptability to the conditions
of service in this country. The commanding officer, who was a Staff
College man, has since been badly stellenbosched.
A story is told of General Smith-Dorrien which is very characteristic of
that gallant officer and worth repeating.
It seems that on one occasion, somewhere in South Africa, the officer
commanding a certain battery of artillery was somewhat chary of getting
too close to the enemy: perhaps he was thinking of his horses.
Getting tired of finding the battery to be always out of effective
range, the General sent an order that the battery was to be brought up
to where the 19th Brigade flag was planted. So the Major limbered up and
advanced his battery up to the General, who promptly galloped on, flag
and all, another 600 yards nearer the enemy, where he stuck his
flagstaff into the ground and waited for the battery to carry out their
orders, to come "up to where the flag was!"
On the 4th May, whilst on the march northwards, we had our first
experience, as a battalion, of shell fire at the engagement of Welkom
Farm, or Wellow as it is sometimes called. The brunt of the fighting was
borne by the Cavalry and Mounted Infantry, but the enemy dropped several
shells in our direction, two of which burst at the head of the
battalion, but luckily did no damage. The battalion had advanced in
column of companies, extended of course, in support of the mounted
troops, who were manoeuvring on our front and on our left. To our right
and left front the hills converged and were held by the enemy's
riflemen, who were, however, out of range. A couple of companies were
detached to guard our right flank, moving parallel with us and keeping
the enemy behind his cover, whilst a couple more advanced against the
hills on our left front, which had by this time been cleared by our
cavalry, not before they had come under shell and pom-pom fire and had
experienced a few losses. One of our men,[1] was severely wounded on
this occasion.
After climbing the low hills on our left front, we sat and watched the
remainder of the Brigade coming along, and waited until the Cavalry had
scouted some miles to our front before we finally left our position.
A very good view was obtainable from this hilltop, and it was disgusting
to have to sit still and watch the Boer convoy trekking away in a
north-easterly direction and about 4 miles off. We could see the wagons
and long lines of bullocks distinctly, and little specks, which were
probably mounted men, darting about up and down the road. However,
nothing could be done to stop them, and so they slowly passed out of
sight.
It was very interesting to see, watching from the top of the hill, one
of the other regiments of the Brigade advancing in attack formation, in
column of companies extended about ten paces; and, even at the very
great distance they were away, it was curious to notice how the officers
and section commanders showed up in the intervals between the long
extended lines. They were, of course, in their proper places and only a
few paces in rear of their sections, but, even two miles away, one could
recognise the black speck in front of the centre of the company, and the
other tiny atoms moving along in rear of the half-companies and
sections.
There is no doubt it is a sound principle that, when extended, officers,
supernumeraries and buglers should invariably march in the extended line
amongst the men, from whom, if this is done, they are practically
indistinguishable. The companies and sections can just as well be
controlled from the ranks as from any other position half a dozen paces
in rear, and the reduction in the size of the objective which the enemy
is looking at is worthy of consideration.
During the afternoon we went on to the farm near the river and there
camped, but after this long day's work we still had the pickets to
furnish, and sent out several companies to the hills to the north and
west of the camp for this purpose. However, picket duty, except for the
slight extra marching entailed, is no great hardship on a fine night
when wood and water are plentiful, and one has always the consolation of
knowing that some other regiment will be on duty the day after.
Winburg was reached on the evening of the next day after a long and
tiresome march. We camped near the railway station, and found the piles
of wooden sleepers very easily split and very useful for our fires. The
town is situated at the end of a branch railway which joins the main
line at Smaldeal Junction, about 20 miles off, and which will in time,
no doubt, be prolonged to the north-east and connect with Senekal, which
is distant about 34 miles. Winburg is a small town of the usual
description--Church in the middle of the market square, a couple of
small hotels, two or three decent-sized general stores and a few small
houses. The railway makes a curious curve when entering the town, and
runs round three parts of a circle before it finally pulls up at a tiny
station.
The line and the station buildings were untouched when we arrived, but
no engines or rolling stock were left for us. The Boers had not long
been gone when our cavalry entered the town and demanded its surrender,
but our horses were too much done up for the mounted troops to continue
the pursuit. The Boer forces were so very mobile--as they naturally
would be when moving about in their own country and acting always on the
defensive--that to allow our mounted troops to get too far in front and
away from the infantry would have been a tactical error. It might have
resulted in the separation of our columns and their attack in detail by
the Boers, who would then have had a great advantage.
The battalions in the Brigade were ordered to be weeded out of all men
unable to perform steady and continuous marching, and we accordingly had
to leave a goodly number of lame ducks behind in charge of Major
Panton.[2] Some of them had bad and worn-out boots, ruined, most likely,
by the salt water on board ship, and by the want of dubbing but the
large majority were suffering from sore feet, caused in nine cases out
of ten either by badly-fitting boots or by want of attention to the
feet. These had occurred in spite of orders and warnings without number,
but it seems impossible to get the soldier to pay any attention to his
feet.
There is not a medical man or a pedestrian who will not say that it is
absolutely necessary to change the socks frequently and to wash the feet
invariably at the end of a march. There is not a soldier in the service
who will not insist that this practice softens the feet and leads to
blisters and subsequent falling out.
Until some very drastic measures are introduced preventing men from
receiving boots too small for them, and legislating for their better
preservation and for proper cleanliness of the feet, our army will never
be able to march any better than it does at present. The man to blame is
the man who wears the boots, but he cannot be brought to see that, or to
listen to words of experienced men who were marching with soldiers when
he was in his cradle. The agonies which some men will endure from a
badly-fitting boot are beyond belief. I have seen, in Ireland, a man
draw out his foot, covered with blood, from his boot, after a 5 miles'
walk, and be unable to march for weeks afterwards.
The pluck and endurance and indomitable perseverance shown by men with
ill-fitting boots proves devotion worthy of a better cause, but it has
been a marvel to me for the last twenty years, why bitter experience has
never taught the foot soldier to wear boots large enough for him. It is
a well-known fact that after some marching has been done, a larger size
in boots is required, as the feet swell and need more room; but the
soldier, with an 8-2 foot when he joins, will go on asking for 8-2 boots
until doomsday, and will have a grievance if he is compelled in the
field to wear a pair of 9-3's, as he should be.
Whilst on the march we were compelled to resort to individual cooking,
since every man carried his own ration, and this practice worked well,
although a great deal of time was taken up by each individual which
might have been better employed in sleep or rest. The men seemed to be
always cooking; what with looking after the fires, collecting wood and
_mest_, or dried cow-dung, and fetching water, the whole camp seemed to
be perpetually moving round their camp fires, frying and boiling until a
very late hour at night. The issue of flour instead of biscuit was
responsible for a great deal of the time wasted in cooking. Some of the
companies used to arrange for the cooks to prepare, in the camp kettles,
hot water for the men to make their own tea, but it was impossible to
arrange to cook the meat in this way, as each man had his own portion
served out to him by his section commander.
Many men cooked and ate their scrap of meat in the early morning, others
finished it off at the mid-day halt, whilst a great number threw away
their little bit of tough trek ox rather than carry it all day, steaming
and jostling about in a smelly canteen, or wrapped in a dirty piece of
rag and crammed into a haversack, cheek by jowl with some tobacco and a
pair of socks, perhaps.
This canteen was the only cooking pot the men had, although in the
course of time many of them procured tin cans, the Australian "billy,"
to assist in making their tea or coffee. The canteen is not an easy
thing to keep clean at the best of times when it is in constant use, and
we had no opportunity of replacing those which wore out by the constant
cooking.
We had to thank De Wet for this. One of the trains which was wrecked by
him contained many thousands of new canteens which, months afterwards,
could be seen lying by the side of the line, reduced to their original
factor of sheet iron.
After leaving Welkom Farm the rearguard was overtaken by the Highland
Brigade, who were following in support to our Brigade; with them were
two of the famous 4.7 naval guns, manned by a party of bluejackets--at
least the men wore straw hats, but the rest of their kit was the same as
ours.
The guns had been rigged up on temporary field carriages, designed by
some bold man, which would have made an official in the Royal
Gun-carriage Factory turn ill with horror.
First of all came bullocks--about forty of them--dragging an
absurd-looking gun, mounted on an equally curiously-made limber, with
enormously broad wheels. This was dragged muzzle first, contrary to all
precedent, with the gun pointing over the bullocks' backs. The trail was
supported on a little low carriage with a boom sticking out behind like
a tiller; and a tiller it was undoubtedly, for two bluejackets hung on
to it, and, by shoving it to port or starboard, guided the gun in the
proper direction.
Whilst in Winburg the following order was issued by General Ian
Hamilton, commanding the entire force, which was henceforward called the
Winburg Column:--
_Extract from Brigade Orders. Winburg,
5th May, 1900._
"The G.O.C. Winburg Column has much pleasure in informing the troops
under his command that he has received from the F.M. C.-in-C. in South
Africa a telegram, in which Lord Roberts expresses his high appreciation
of the good work recently performed by all ranks in the Winburg Column.
His lordship has yet to hear of the further success achieved by the
capture of Winburg. During the past thirteen days a portion of the
Winburg Column has marched over 100 miles, fighting the enemy on nine
separate occasions, and capturing two important towns. The other portion
of the column has borne at least its full share of the very successful
operations which have followed the battle of Houtnek. The G.O.C. cannot
therefore but feel that his column has fairly earned, not only the
praises of the F.M. C.-in-C., which are published separately, but also a
day or two of comparative rest. In the same message, however, in which
Lord Roberts expresses his high appreciation of the successes we have
achieved, he directs us not to slacken our efforts for several days to
come. The enemy is hurrying northwards to concentrate, and it is of
nothing less than national importance that his movements should be
impeded, and his guns and convoys if possible captured. Thanks to the
good work which has already been accomplished, this column now finds
itself better placed to carry out the Field-Marshal's wishes than any
other portion of the troops under his command. The opportunity is a
great one, and Gen. Ian Hamilton confidently appeals to the officers and
men of the Winburg Column to make the very best of it, regardless of the
fatigue and privation which will probably have to be undergone before
success is secured."
The next day--the 6th of May--we made an afternoon march, together with
the 19th Brigade, Smith-Dorrien's, and the Cavalry and Mounted Infantry,
of about 9 miles, to a farm called Dankbarsfontein. The "fontein" in
this instance belied its name, and instead of being a gushing spring of
clear, sparkling water, which would have pleased the heart of Sir
Wilfred Lawson, it was a succession of dirty puddles which would have
created dismay among the ranks of the A.T.A. had there been any of their
members left!
We remained a couple of days at this festive spot, but marched on the
9th of May to Bloomplaats. This was a well-to-do farm, with plenty of
water and good grazing, and with a herd of half-tame buck which careered
about all round the camp at 40 miles an hour, raising clouds of dust. Of
course some sportsmen went out and stalked these frolicsome animals, and
were followed by others, the result being that in a short time there was
a good deal of indiscriminate shooting going on, and life hardly became
worth living; so that these keen _shikaris_ had to be fetched back. The
amusing part of the show occurred later, when a Mounted Infantry picket,
who were lying about on the look-out a mile or so away, had a shell
dropped close to them by the Boers. They scattered with promptitude, and
a few more shells came over in the same place. We could not see the Boer
gun, which was fully two miles away, for a long time, but at last we
caught the flicker of the sun on the breech block as it was swung into
position.
In addition to all the firing at the buck every time they raced round
our camp, there had been a good deal of desultory firing going on all
the afternoon between the Mounted Infantry, who were on our right, and
the Boers, who were holding some low hills some miles from us. We could
see a few mounted Boers riding about now and then, but their guns were
well concealed, and their men did not show themselves.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Private D. Downer of A company.
[2] Major Panton ultimately succeeded in marching these men (drawn from
all four battalions) up to Irene, where they rejoined the Brigade on the
9th of June, three days before Diamond Hill. They had covered 15 miles a
day, acting as escort to a large ammunition column.