TO SPRINGS.
Boers retreat during the night--Elandsrivier station--Through the
Boer positions--To Pretoria--Off again--Irene---Bad state of
clothing and boots--Difficulty of repairing the latter--To
Springs--Clothing and stores obtained from Johannesburg.
During the night the Boers vacated their position absolutely, so on the
13th June we made an early start, and the Brigade moved round to the
south-east in a circular direction and then headed east to Elandsrivier
station. On the way we passed some low hills on the south which had been
held the day before by the enemy, and we saw the place, at the foot of
the hills, where their horses had been standing, apparently for many
hours. These were the horses which had been seen by the General, but
which it was too dark for our shells to reach. The ground was also
strewn with Mauser cartridge papers and boxes, showing that they must
have refilled their bandoliers at this place before starting. Their
final position at Diamond Hill was plainly visible, due north of this
spot, the intervening ground being flat and open veldt; and it was,
possibly, very wise of them to have retreated during the night, and not
exposed themselves to the risk of being caught with open country in
their rear and no cover for miles.
Elandsrivier is a small roadside station, with no town or houses near.
The Boers had done all the damage they could, smashed the water-tank and
pump, broken into the booking-office, looked into the safe with the aid
of a hammer and cold chisel, and written a notice for us on a sheet of
paper which we found pinned to the wall.
It was written in pencil and ran as follows:
"Sorry not to have found here the price of a ticket to St Helena.
DE VAN DER MERWE,
Lieut.-Colonel Commanding the Potchefstroom Infantry.
Elandsrivier, 12th June, 1900."
Possibly Colonel De Van der Merwe has, ere this, been provided with a
free passage to the island he mentions!
The Camerons rejoined us on the 14th, having been detained with their
baggage and the convoy all this time, and having to their great sorrow
missed all the fighting.
On the next day, the 15th of June, the Brigade moved off towards
Pretoria, passing on the road the Diamond Mine, and entering the defile
which had formed part of the main Boer position on the 12th. This defile
had been, seemingly, held in great force by the enemy, and it was
somewhere on the right of the defile that they had had their gun in
position: the defile, which was the main road to Pretoria, wound in and
out, the track threading its way among the hills for some considerable
distance.
About half way through we passed a farm with a large dam, and here there
were numerous indications of the recent presence of a large body of
Boers with their wagons, as the ground was covered for some space with
hoofmarks, remains of fires, cartridge papers, etc. This laager had been
immediately in rear of the final Boer position, which we passed, black
and frowning, on our left; from the front it was steep and impassable
and covered with huge rocks; on top, the hill sloped to the rear, and
the descent on the enemy's side was easy, so that the position presented
many points in favour of the Boers.
On either side of the defile, or pass, at this point were huge ravines
covered with black rocks, running up into the hills: one of these
ravines on our left was recognised as being the one which had lain
between us and the enemy, and just beyond it was the hill which we had
occupied.
We were now just clearing the defile, and the position revealed itself
to us in all its massive strength: on the right it ran back for miles,
a huge wall of rock, black and glistening, and rising almost sheer out
of the plain, but with a low glacis of grassy veldt in front; on the
left the position was more in the nature of a range of grass covered
hills, with some broken ground and a few isolated kopjes in front. This
was the ground that we had manoeuvred over on the two previous days,
and, having now passed through the Boer position in two places, we were
quite at a loss to understand why they did not make a better stand, and
we thought ourselves very fortunate in having escaped with the moderate
loss that we had experienced.
The road to Pretoria wound off to the right, and passed for some miles
at the base of this precipitous range of rocks, which continued to run
in a northerly direction towards Pretoria.
We camped at night at the foot of these hills, at a farm called Schwartz
Kopje; from here the range became lower and lower until it merged into
the hills round Pretoria.
Around us were many farms, and some country houses belonging to Pretoria
people, whilst a few miles to the north lay the railway line, and a
large distillery at a spot called Eerstefabrieken.
Lord Roberts wired to the War Office on the 14th of June as follows:--
"As I telegraphed yesterday from our outposts 15 miles east of Pretoria,
the Boers evacuated their position during the night of the 12th. They
had paid so much attention to strengthening their flanks that their
centre was weakly held, and as soon as this became evident on the 12th I
directed Ian Hamilton to attack.
"He moved against Diamond Hill with the Sussex, Derby and City Imperial
Volunteers, supported on his left by the Guards' Brigade under Inigo
Jones.
"It was grand seeing the way our men advanced over difficult ground and
under heavy fire. The casualties were, I am thankful to say, less than
100--a very small number considering the natural strength of the
position that had to be carried. Our seizure of Diamond Hill caused the
Boers to feel that they were practically surrounded, and this resulted
in their hasty retirement. They were being followed yesterday by some of
our mounted troops.
"Hamilton speaks in high terms of the three battalions above mentioned,
and of the admirable manner in which the 82nd Field Battery covered the
advance, the good work performed by De Lisle's Mounted Infantry, and the
valuable assistance afforded by the Guards' Brigade."
Next day we made our second entry into Pretoria, this time from the
East. The place was full of troops, the Guards' Brigade, 19th Brigade,
and others being camped close to us on the east of the town. On Sunday,
the 17th, and the next day, we remained in camp, but spent a good deal
of time roaming over the town, and buying bread and whatever else we
could find to eat. Although the first day was Sunday, the Canteen people
found out that the worthy shopkeepers of Pretoria were not averse to
turning an honest penny, and were mostly inside their shops, like
spiders in their webs, waiting for business--but only, of course,
through the back door. The Canteen laid in a good stock, although at
famine prices, but in the afternoon the District Commissioner ordered
the shops to be opened, so that the troops could buy what they wanted.
This thoughtful act was productive of much benefit to the rank and file.
Too much rest, however, has always been an unknown quantity to the 21st
Brigade, so the next morning we trekked again, and, going through part
of the town, we were all pleased to find that Lord Roberts had come out
in the early morning to see us go by. The band struck up the march
past, and we all looked our best and strode onward as though we had only
just landed. There is one point about Lord Roberts which every man on
that column realised, and that is the power of the veteran
Commander-in-Chief to see more in a glance than most men in a prolonged
stare. There were few men in the battalion who did not catch the
Field-Marshal's piercing eye as we went past, and each felt that his
innermost thoughts were being ferreted out. General Kelly was by his
chief's side, and looked very pleased to see his old regiment, and to
hear the familiar old tune.
We reached Irene in good time, and found there Captain Mackenzie and
about a hundred men, mostly lame ducks: they had been left at Irene when
we were there last in order to escort a battery by rail to Vereeniging,
and had now returned, having completed this duty.
Unfortunately for them they had missed all the fighting of the 11th and
12th round Diamond Hill, but their turn was to come in good time. A
large number of soldiers of all regiments, released prisoners, were at
Irene employed in repairing the railway line. The Boers had blown up the
bridge some time previously, but it was an easy matter to make a
diversion, and the traffic was not stopped for long.
From Irene, Captain Wroughton and myself were sent on by the General by
train to Johannesburg, with orders to buy canteen stores and some
clothing for the men, and to rejoin at Springs in two days time. As
regards clothing, the men were pretty well in rags, and their boots were
in tatters. The khaki serge, with which the reserve men had been
provided, was shoddy of the worst quality, and wore out with the
greatest rapidity: the City Imperial Volunteers, who were all dressed,
or rather undressed, in it, were a piteous sight: in fact they were so
badly off that many of them had bought themselves tweed and moleskin
trousers in Pretoria, to cover their nakedness.
The khaki drill lasts much longer, and has the advantage of being
washable: besides, it keeps the dust out much better than the serge, or
rather shoddy, and it possesses the further advantage of being all of
one colour: it was a common sight to see men in serge with coats and
sleeves, or pockets, of quite different shades, while, as for trousers,
they were all the colours of the rainbow. Khaki drill is, of course, not
so warm as the shoddy, but the addition of cardigan jackets and drawers
enables men to suit themselves as to warmth. We had never received the
warm coats issued to many regiments; we could not have carried them if
we had, as we were so short of transport; but De Wet had collared all
our clothing, boots and mails at Rhenoster. By the way, the British
soldier, no matter how generous he may be to an enemy, will never
forgive De Wet for destroying all the mails on that occasion, as the
harm that was done and the uneasiness that was caused to thousands of
friends at home was inflicted on the unfortunate writers of the letters,
not on the soldiers to whom they were addressed.
As regards boots, we were in a terribly bad way; the incessant marching
and want of grease, which we had no means of carrying, and the absence
of any means of executing slight repairs had played the deuce with them.
Our shoemakers were always at work in camp, whenever there was a halt
for a day; but leather and other materials were not easily procurable,
and we should have needed at least twenty-five men to cope with the work
in the time available: nor is any provision made for carrying tools and
leather in the wagons. On every march quite a number of men, who had no
boots, had to be carried on wagons, and I have often seen men walking
along with no boots at all, merely their putties twisted round their
feet. Nothing could be done, either, to improve matters: boots were not
to be had, although in every town a demand was at once made for all the
boots in the shops. Those produced were either Bond-street shoes, or
else miners' boots, which are not intended for walking in, as a number
of our officers and men, who tried them, found to their cost.
It seems such a farce to establish shoemakers' shops in peace time, when
there are hundreds of civilian cobblers to be had, and then, immediately
a regiment goes on service and the shop would be of some benefit, to
close it.
Another ridiculous anomaly, which will hardly be believed, is that in
the Artillery, the drivers, _who never walk_, carry two pairs of ankle
boots, one on their feet and one on their saddles; but, in the Infantry,
_who never ride_, only one pair of boots is allowed, those on their
feet!
The advance on Pretoria had been so rapidly executed that the railway
was occupied, day and night, in bringing up food for the troops, and had
absolutely no room for stores, clothing, boots, or even, for some time,
for the mails.
On the 20th of June the battalion left Irene, and marched about 14 miles
to Vlakfontein, bivouacing near the head quarters of the East Rand
Exploration Company: the evening was enlivened by the biggest veldt fire
experienced, as yet, during the campaign. With a strong wind blowing, it
came down on the Brigade camp at such a pace, that although steps were
taken to burn a fire guard along the hill above the camp, when the fire
was about a mile and a half away, yet the zone was completed only just
in time; indeed several carts had to be hurriedly removed to places of
security.
Next day the march was continued through the usual undulating country;
on the way a vast pan, or depression in the ground more or less full of
water, was passed: it was fully a mile across, and, although at the time
nearly dried up, it gave us an idea (for it was the first that we had
come across in the course of our wanderings) of what these enormous
natural reservoirs must be in the rainy season.
On the right flank, large numbers of tall chimneys and mining shafts
could be seen about eight miles off, which proved to belong to the coal
mines of Boksburg and Brakpan. These must be most prosperous centres in
times of peace, but just then only one or two gave signs of being at
work, and probably they were only pumping to keep the water within
limits.
This 21st of June was eventful from the fact that it brought the first
rain which the battalion had experienced since leaving Glen; and as all
our notable events were heavily scored and immense successes, so was
this thunderstorm. Rain and hail came down in torrents, followed by a
fall of snow, which was more interesting than pleasant; and the
unfortunate battalion, which on this day was on baggage and rear guard,
reached its camp at Springs wet and wretched after a tramp of about
fourteen miles.
Fortunately the weather cleared up, and this, with a plentiful supply of
coal procured from the railway station, completely altered the
complexion of affairs; and, as is usual with soldiers (particularly on
service), in half an hour all trouble was forgotten.
The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry was in garrison at Springs: they
formed part of General Smith-Dorrien's Brigade, which was on the line of
communications between Pretoria, Johannesburg and the Vaal; they had
fixed themselves up in the large engine shed at the railway station, and
were quite settled down, with bugle calls and other camp comforts.
Springs is purely a railway station, there being no town or village, or
anything of that kind; in course of time this little station will find
itself on the direct line, via Middleburg, to Delagoa Bay, as the branch
line, which already exists, to the coal mines at Springs is undoubtedly
on the direct road between Johannesburg and the main line at Middelburg;
this new line will save a considerable journey round by Pretoria, and
will enhance the importance of Johannesburg, bringing it into direct
communication with the sea.
Captain Wroughton and I, when we left the battalion at Irene, had a long
journey to Johannesburg: we started at half past six in the evening and,
although the usual run by train is about two hours, the distance being
only 24 miles, yet we did not get into the Park station until 1.30 a.m.
Later in the day we went round to the larger shops, and bought stores
and tobacco for the Brigade canteen to the value of about L1,500. We
were lucky to be able to buy about L350 worth of English tobacco, at
such a price as enabled it to be sold retail at 8s. a pound, the usual
price in the shops in Johannesburg being 12s. a pound; but we had been
told of a Bonded Customs store in Johannesburg, in which was a large
quantity of tobacco belonging to Boer dealers, whose property had been
confiscated; this was being sold by our Government to the British
troops, so we decided to purchase a large quantity.
We then went round to the wholesale clothing merchants to try and buy
shirts, trousers and socks for the men of the Brigade, and were
fortunate in finding a large quantity in a store owned by Lazarus and
Jacobson; we took all the shirts they had and all their stock of socks,
and that of another large firm close by. The trousers were very fancy
articles: they were mostly of moleskin and corduroy, cut in the approved
coster pattern "saucy over the trotters," and we took all that we could
find large enough to fit our men. We visited several other large
warehouses, but could find no more of the articles we wanted. At the
railway goods station we had some trouble with the stationmaster, who
was a new hand. He was a sergeant in an Infantry regiment, who, of
course, tried to introduce red tape into the matter, and kept back the
cases, two whole truck loads of them, saying that they were officers'
mess stores and that we must pay freight first; all this trouble with
the train starting in half an hour, and the Brigade leaving Springs, the
other end of the line, the next morning. However, this stationmaster
listened to reason eventually, and we got away at last, only two hours
late, and arrived at Springs during the night. Early the next morning
the stores were transferred to ox wagons, and went on with the Brigade.