CHANGES IN CAPE COLONY
We must now return to Colesberg after the departure of General French.
The Boers, doubtless much relieved to get quit of him, still occupied a
semicircular set of camps from east to west round the north of the town,
while the British, in the same manner, occupied the opposite half of the
circle, and so continued, by dint of much fighting and skirmishing, to
keep them in check. On the 9th February the Dutchmen threatened the
right flank of the British, and shot one of Rimington's Guides. During
the morning Captain Cameron, commanding the Tasmanian Contingent, with
Captain Salmon and fifty Australians and Tasmanians, started out from
Rensburg on a reconnaissance. He was supported by a detachment of the
Inniskilling Dragoons under Captain Stevenson-Hamilton. The enemy was
soon encountered, and promptly gave the Australians a warm time as they
advanced across the plain. These cleverly took shelter and returned an
active fusillade, but the Boers seemed to be everywhere in overwhelming
numbers. The Australians with great gallantry took possession of a
kopje, and maintained their grip of the position for a good hour and a
half; but the crowds opposing them were too great, and when the Dutchmen
worked round to the rear and fired on their horses, they thought it high
time to come down, mount, and retire, amid a hurricane of lead from the
foe. The same action was repeated, the holding of another kopje, and the
evacuation of it in consequence of the arrival, in the rear, of the
Boers; and finally a retirement had to be effected across the open plain
exposed to fierce volleys from the pursuing enemy. Strange to say, very
few of the Colonials were injured, though they held their ground
throughout the day with wondrous pluck, and tackled the Boers with
dexterity equal to their own. Indeed, the coolness and courage of
Captain Cameron were reflected by his men, and Captain Salmon, whose
baptism of fire it was, made a remarkable display of talent in the
field. Of grit and gallantry there was no end. Specially noticeable was
the pluck of Corporal Whiteley of the Tasmanians, who hurried to the
rescue of a dismounted comrade, and through a storm of bullets brought
him to a place of safety.
More of the Australians on the same day came in for a good share of
work. A reconnaissance was made from Slingersfontein by the
Inniskillings and some Australians under Captain Moor. The Australians
discovered the enemy in the act of preparing to shell the British camp
from the south-east. They therefore took up a position on a hill some
9000 yards from camp, but here were assailed by a party of Dutchmen who
endeavoured to force them to surrender. So close had the Boers
approached, that their shouts calling them to give up their arms could
be heard by the Colonials. For answer, however, the Australians only
fixed bayonets and yelled defiance! Their position was most critical;
nevertheless they held their ground with such fierce tenacity that the
Burghers were cautious of approach. Meanwhile, through the maze of fiery
elements and in the teeth of the enemy, a sergeant and two troopers had
galloped off to inform the commanding officer of the safety of the
little band, and of their intention to make a good fight of it until,
under cover of the shades of night, they could effect an escape. This
they eventually did. Three of their number were wounded and one was
killed in the act of succouring a wounded comrade.
On the 11th of February, at Rensburg, a picket of five Victorian Rifles
had a nasty experience. After pluckily holding a post for several hours,
during which they were fired on by the Boers from an adjacent kopje,
they were forced to retire. Three of the party were slightly wounded,
and one gallant fellow, who had helped the others to mount and escape,
was missing. A patrol from Jasfontein, consisting of eight Tasmanians
and eight of French's Guides, also came to grief. Only two Tasmanians
and three Guides returned to camp, the rest being captured by the enemy.
In course of the day's work Trooper Bosch distinguished himself. On his
way with two comrades to join the main body at Slingersfontein he came
on a large party of Boers on a hill. Though fired on, the party made off
in hot haste, when Trooper Bosch, who was ahead, came suddenly on a
solitary horseman. The two riders, each believing the other to be a
friend, approached, then discovering their mistake, they raised rifles.
But Trooper Bosch being the quicker, promptly disarmed his antagonist
and made him prisoner. With the Dutchman in charge, Bosch and his
companions proceeded. Presently they came on seven Boer riders. On these
the scouts opened fire, with the result that the enemy hurriedly made
off, leaving behind them one wounded, who was taken prisoner. So the
three scouts returned to camp very proud of their "bag."
The correspondent of the _Melbourne Herald_, accompanied by Mr. Cameron,
the Australian correspondent, bearing a flag of truce, went to the Boer
line west of Rensburg to make inquiries from Commandant Delarey
regarding Mr. Lambie and Mr. Hales, the missing Australian
correspondents. They were blindfolded before being taken to the Boer
camp, where they were informed that Mr. Lambie had been killed, and
were handed the portrait of his wife, which had been found in his
pocket. Mr. Hales, owing to a fall from his horse, had been taken
prisoner. The correspondents were informed that some 120,000 men were
fighting with the Federals, which was probably a piece of Boer bravado.
[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING THE OPERATIONS ON THE ORANGE RIVER.]
It was now found necessary to retire from Coles Kop and the outposts
round it, as the Boers had placed a 40-pounder off Bastard Nek, and thus
commanded the vicinity. The Wiltshire Regiment retired from Pink Hill,
and the Australians and Bedfordshire Regiment moved from Windmill Hill.
The Berkshire Regiment had also to move from their post--indeed, a
wholesale withdrawal became imperative owing to the activity of the Boer
pieces. There was now no camp west of Rensburg, and presently the camp
at Slingersfontein had to withdraw on Rensburg, the eastern flank being
threatened. There were Boers on all sides busily shelling the hills, and
the overwhelming number of the enemy made retreat to Rensburg
inevitable. In the course of the fighting Colonel Coningham was mortally
wounded.[8]
On the 13th the British "strategically" evacuated Rensburg, and General
Clements fell back on Arundel. The guns from Coles Kop were safely
removed, and a Maxim was destroyed to save it from the clutches of the
enemy.
The retirement was quite orderly. On the previous day the stores and
baggage-waggons were removed. After the evacuation the Boers held a
prayer-meeting, and offered up thanks for their success. They then
marched off in small parties to their various outposts, chanting in
nasal tones their favourite hymns.
The gallantry displayed by the members of General Clements' force during
the retirement was amazing. It is found impossible to note all the acts
of pluck and heroism which took place, and elicited the profound
admiration of those who witnessed them, but especially noticeable was
the devotion of some score of the Mounted Victorian Rifles. These were
surrounded by the enemy--caught in a veritable trap--but they refused to
surrender, and declared they would "die game." They fought like heroes,
not one of them being left to tell the tale.
Near Dordrecht, too, which had been occupied by General Brabant, the
Colonial forces were performing prodigious feats of pluck. They forced
the rebels to abandon the country between Dordrecht and Penhoek. During
the attack on a Boer laager on the 16th, Trooper Drysdale bravely rushed
to the succour of Sergeant Weinecke under a close and heavy fire and
carried him off to a place of safety. The young Colonial was promoted to
the rank of lieutenant in recognition of the valorous deed.
Unfortunately two gallant officers--Captain Crallah and Lieutenant
Chandler--were killed.
Curiously enough, when the Boers and British became acquainted with each
other they grew friendly with great rapidity. When Captain Longhurst,
R.A.M.C., from Arundel, was attending wounded Australians, he remarked
on the exceeding kindness of the enemy to the wounded. He also
fraternised with the Boer commander, and discovered they had mutual
friends in London. The "Tommies" chatted most amicably with the Boers,
notwithstanding the fact that their bandoliers were filled with
soft-nosed bullets. To account for their having them, the Boers said,
"We must use whatever we can get." It was suggested that their
ammunition--since they were of the northern district--had been obtained
for the purpose of hunting big game at the Limpopo. This excuse the
"Tommies" accepted, and one wounded in the thigh said good-humouredly,
"Well, I wish you'd been kind enough to hit me lower down." Another
informed a Boer that the British had specially come to deliver them out
of the House of Bondage. The Boer was sceptical, whereon "Tommy"
enlightened him. "Africander bondage," he explained, with a wink of the
eye.
The moral effect of the relief of Kimberley soon became obvious. Barkly
West was occupied by troops on the 21st of February, and there was
evidence that the country west of Cape Colony and Kimberley was
gradually settling down.
On the same day, General Brabant occupied Jamestown, some twenty miles
north of Dordrecht, and seized quantities of horses belonging to the
enemy, who in their retreat modestly had recourse to "Shank's pony."
During a reconnaissance of the Boer position at Stormberg, a party of
scouts under Captain Montmorency, V.C., got within some fifty yards of
the enemy, and a fierce and fatal combat ensued, which resulted in the
sad loss of one of the most brilliant officers of the day.
The object of the reconnaissance was to ascertain the strength of the
Boers at Stormberg. Accordingly, with four companies of Mounted Infantry
drawn from the Royal Scots, the Northumberland Fusiliers, the Derbyshire
Regiment, and the Royal Berkshire Regiment, with the 77th and four guns
of the 74th Batteries Royal Field Artillery, the Derbyshire Regiment
(Sherwood Foresters), a portion of De Montmorency's Scouts, and some
Cape Police, supported by the armoured train under the charge of
Lieutenant F. J. Gosset, 2nd Royal Berkshire Regiment, Sir William
Gatacre occupied Molteno early on Friday morning the 23rd. Preceded by
thirty Scouts, Captain de Montmorency, Lieutenant Hockley, and Colonel
Hoskier, the force marched in the same direction that was to have been
taken on the night of the fatal affair in December. Unfortunately the
Scouts, on nearing their destination, came on a party of dismounted
Boers, and these, as the British rushed up a kopje, executed the same
feat on the other side of the hill. Though both instantly took cover,
the scouts got the worst of it, each one as he raised a head being laid
low by the fatal bullets of the completely hidden foe. Among the first
to fall was Captain de Montmorency,[9] who, gallant fellow, was
creeping round to a flank to surprise the enemy. Not long after Colonel
Hoskier[10] received his second wound, a mortal one, and two comrades,
Collett and Vice, adventurous and dashing Colonials, were shot through
the head. Lieutenant Hockley, rendered almost blind and senseless by a
wound between the eyes, was taken prisoner. A gallant attempt to rescue
the Scouts was made in the midst of a tremendous storm. All were
drenched to the skin. The thunder and lightning rendered artillery fire
almost impossible, and very few of the daring party got away from the
scene of the fight. On the kopje by Shoeman's Farm were left seven
killed and five wounded.
On the following day the bodies were recovered by the military
chaplains. Deeply to their regret, they discovered that the dead had
been robbed, and it is asserted that a Boer was seen in the feathered
hat of the heroic leader of the Scouts, while even the clothes of the
others had been filched by some despicable Dutchmen. Mr. Duncombe-Jewell
in the _Morning Post_ gave a pathetic account of the affair:--"The
chaplains to the forces, Father Ryan and Rev. R. Armitage, proceeded
under a flag of truce on the following morning to recover the bodies.
This they were permitted to do, but they found that the Boers had
stripped and robbed the slain, one of them riding about in triumph with
poor De Montmorency's hat, with its black riband ornamented with the
white skull and cross-bones and the black ostrich feather at the side,
hanging at his saddle-bow. So far did they carry these ravages, that on
the tunic, which they hastily replaced as the chaplains approached,
there remained only one button. The rest of the unfortunate men were as
shamefully treated, the three buried by the Boers before the arrival of
the flag of truce being interred without either clothing or ceremony of
any sort."
A sad funeral took place on the Sunday following, when the remains were
buried. The band played a dirge as the procession--in which was the
younger officer's gallant servant and comrade, Byrne, V.C., of
Omdurman fame, and his favourite grey Arab pony--wound its way through
the town to the Molteno Cemetery. Wreaths were placed on the
newly-turned earth by the General and his staff--ephemeral symbols, but
in this case emblems of lasting lament for heroes sacrificed on the
altar of duty.
[Illustration: HINDOO REFUGEES FROM THE TRANSVAAL IN CAMP AT CAPE TOWN
Photo by Alf. S. Hosking, Cape Town.]
In a Divisional Order General Gatacre recorded with deep regret the news
of the death of Captain Montmorency, V.C., commanding Montmorency's
Scouts, and of Lieutenant-Colonel Hoskier, 3rd Middlesex Volunteer
Artillery, who were killed at Schoeman's Farm. "By their deaths," the
order concluded, "the division has lost two very valuable officers."
While this affair was taking place at Molteno the West Riding Regiment
was distinguishing itself at Arundel. The troops were preparing to clear
some kopjes held by the enemy when some Boers suddenly advanced on them.
The West Ridings stood their ground grandly, waited with fixed bayonets
the arrival of the Dutch horde, and then promptly advanced and scattered
them. Unfortunately Captain Wallis was shot dead. Lieutenant Wilson was
wounded, but rescued in the midst of a leaden blizzard by a gallant
sergeant (Frith), who rushed to his assistance and carried him off on
his back to a place of shelter. Scarcely had he done so than he was
wounded in the face--in the left eye and nose. Lieutenant Wilson and
Sergeant Frith were placed in an ambulance, but owing to the tremendous
storm which prevailed at the time, their waggon lost its bearings and
wandered aimlessly throughout the night. The sufferers reached hospital
on the following day. On the 26th Colesberg and Colesberg Junction were
held by our troops, and on the 27th Rensburg was reoccupied.
On the 5th of March Captain M'Neill, who after the death of Captain de
Montmorency was appointed to the command of Montmorency's Scouts,
discovered that the Boers had evacuated Stormberg. The Scouts now
pursued the enemy, determining to keep him on the run. This they did
over rugged country and at great personal risk, eventually chasing the
Dutchmen to and beyond Burghersdorp.
On the 7th of March General Gatacre occupied Burghersdorp, and the
railway arrangements towards Stormberg and Steynsburg were being hurried
on in view of the coming operations. The enthusiasm of the loyal
inhabitants of the district was great and their relief intense. The
greetings from one and all were most effusive, the National Anthem was
sung, and the British flag hoisted with jubilation so great that many
wept at the relaxation of the long strain.
General Gatacre issued a proclamation requesting rebels to surrender and
give up arms, when they would receive a pass to their farms, and where
they were to remain till called to account later. Some few rebels
appeared to the summons, but many were still shy and were waiting, as
the phrase says, "to see which way the cat jumped."
The oath administered to rebels was as follows:--
"I, a British subject, do hereby and hereon swear and declare
that I was forced by the Queen's enemies to take up arms
against Her Majesty's troops, and that the rifle and ammunition
were issued to me by Commandant ----, that I joined the
commando on or about ----, and left it on or about ----. I now
hand in my horse, rifle, and ammunition, and, if permitted,
will proceed direct to my own farm, to remain there as a loyal
British subject until Her Majesty's pleasure be made further
known. I further promise to hold no further communication,
either directly or indirectly, with Her Majesty's enemies, or
to aid or abet them in any way whatever, under penalty of
death."
General Clements now took up his quarters at Norval's Pont, on the south
bank of Orange River. The north bank was still being strongly held by
the enemy, who had succeeded in blowing up the bridge two days
previously.
Aliwal North was next occupied, but the occupation was attended with
severe fighting across the river. But the British took up tenable
positions, while the Boers, after a wholesome experience of British
fire, removed their laager from the hills. The inhabitants of the town,
despite the fact that our entry was accompanied by shells, were full of
enthusiasm. Colonel Page Henderson and his advance party seized the
heights beyond Lundean's Nek. The enemy shelled the bridge with Krupp
guns with great vigour, and twenty men were wounded. The British from
their entrenched positions silenced these barkings, but were then
attacked by the Boer riflemen, who were finally driven off by the Border
Horse and a Maxim gun. A waggon of ammunition was captured and several
Boers. There were general complaints as to the treatment experienced by
British people in the place, and there was some satisfaction when Mayor
Smuts was subsequently arrested on a charge of treason.
Railway and telegraphic communication were now carried to Burghersdorp.
Everywhere the commencement of a new system was evident. In the
north-eastern districts of the Free State the rebels, on the withdrawal
of the commandos, slowly returned to their senses. Both English and
Dutch loyalists were beginning to breathe freely; they had both equally
suffered from Boer oppression. Europeans and natives were jubilant at
the now continual laying down of arms by rebels and Boer refugees along
the whole of the Colonial borders. The Boer refugees, some of whom were
in a pitiable plight, many of them having subsisted for weeks mainly on
bread and water and a species of coffee made from rye, were anxious for
protection. They stood in fear of their lives, as Commandant Olivier had
threatened to shoot those who should surrender. Major Hook of the Cape
Police, with his smart men, occupied Barkly East, and at Lady Grey
British rule, after three and a half months of oppression, was
re-established. It is pleasing to record that the heroic postmistress
returned to her post there with an increased salary. The total collapse
of the rebels was impending, and there were now only animated arguments
among loyalists and others as to the treatment which should be given to
those who had engaged in and fostered the lamentable revolt. All voted
for the speedy appointment of a Judicial Commission. Though a policy of
revenge was to be deprecated, it was urged that the ringleaders should
be punished with exemplary severity, as a deterrent for the future, and
for the purpose of demonstrating to those who had suffered annoyances,
loss, and anxiety, that there was some advantage in the maintenance of
loyalty in trying circumstances.
AT BETHULIE
Sir William Gatacre, owing to the species of general post that had been
set on foot by Lord Roberts' successful advance, suddenly found himself
released from the shackles that had bound him. As we know, the enemy had
retreated from Stormberg, and from Burghersdorp. Towards the Orange
River they had betaken themselves in hot haste, and it was now time to
fly after the retreating foe, to catch them, if possible, at the river.
At Bethulie there was still the railway bridge. But even as it was
neared it ceased to exist. Fragments filled the air. The Boers had blown
it up behind them, and wrecked iron was all that displayed itself to the
British troops. The road bridge, however, remained; a structure valued
by the Colony at L100,000. Of course that would go directly, and the
great question was whether the British troops, by putting the spur on
their already jaded energies, would be able to reach the place in time
to defend it. Captain M'Neill and thirty Scouts made a rush for it; and
only just reached the scene of action in time! The Derby was never more
hotly contested. The Scouts, like hunted fiends, had sped over obstacle
and acre to gain the goal before the fell work of the Boers could begin.
They won by a neck. The Boers were already buzzing along the bridge,
manipulating with wire and explosive, putting the finishing touches on
their design! At sight of the British there was a stampede to north of
the river. Here the enemy had supports. (The Scouts carefully hid the
fact they had none.) Here the enemy ensconced himself and prepared to do
his worst. The Scouts took up their position in the kraal of a farm from
which they could sweep the northern approach to the already laid mines,
and sent back word urgently praying for reinforcements. Others took
their well-deserved rest. Meanwhile with ferocious tenacity some eleven
of them held on to the bridge, hawk-eyed, watching, firing, hiding,
dodging, anything that should gain time till the reinforcements could
appear. On the other side, only a question of yards off was the
foe--numberless, it seemed to them, sniping, potting, and banging with
every missile at their command, and determining to hang round the
precious bone of contention, the valuable road bridge. The British
maintained the same determination. Perhaps a touch, an unseen movement,
would set the whole string of dynamite mines in motion; perhaps in this
moment or the next, with a roar and a rumble, the clear atmosphere would
be decked to blindness with little bits--bits of the bridge that stood
before them--bits, too, of the men that were! Still they hung on. It was
a grievous subject for contemplation, a sorry possibility to roll in the
wrappings of meditation. But fear they scorned. The Boers in vast
numbers thronged on the opposite side, bullets from Mausers and
Martini-Henrys spurted and flicked up their little wisps of dust till
sand became thick as a veil between Boer and Briton. But still the hardy
Scouts clung to their post. Moments, every one long as days, sped on;
hours passed, night waned, day broke. Still the tiny British band of
braves behind bush and boulder stayed with rifles cocked and pointed at
the bridge. They dared not approach, but they defied the enemy to
venture. Then, with morn, the eternity of anxiety was ended--they were
reinforced by the Cape Police! Later the artillery came up. Oh, the sigh
of relief! The bridge was saved! Oh, the rejoicing to hear the grand
bark of British guns, and see the great earth mushrooms opening up to
the sky on the opposite side! Then, at eventide came the supreme deed,
among deeds no less worthy. Shot and shell were now falling on all sides
of the mined bridge. The Boers were firmly ensconced across the front;
hidden and sniping, and now and then appearing and firing boldly. The
gloaming was otherwise peaceful, the purple shades of evening blending
with the gentle, rippling golden grey of the river. Then from his
fellows advanced one Lieutenant Popham of the Derbyshire Regiment.
Straight to the threatened bridge, already peppered with the storms of
the enemy, he went, crossed to the other side, and quick as thought
deftly cut the connecting wires for firing the mines! By a miracle no
Boers observed the act, an act that rendered abortive all their
ingenious efforts and made the British masters of the situation. Then
followed more plucky feats. Young Popham, on advancing through the
trenches, had come across large, suspicious-looking boxes. He returned
to the British lines. He gathered together some of the goodly men of his
regiment, and with them again made his way to the threatened bridge. The
sight of the party was the signal for a volley from the Dutchmen, but
still they pursued their way to the boxes. "Dynamite, by Jove!" said
one; "Kingdom come!" said another. But up they took them, and there
and then, under a storm of bullets that now meant more even than death,
the splendid fellows marched back again. The astonishing feat cast
dismay over the Federals on the other side of the water, as it filled
with admiration and pride all in the British camp who were privileged to
view a sight seldom seen in a lifetime. And then, later on, as though
the quality of heroism were inexhaustible as the widow's cruse of oil,
another splendid act followed on the heels of the foregoing ones. In the
dead of night Captain Grant of the Royal Engineers groped his way to the
bridge. The Boers were on the alert, but he groped cautiously. The
soldier's martial step gave way to the catlike burglarious tread! It was
ticklish work that had to be done--work that needed time and nicety of
touch. But he meant to do it, and one hint, one rumour of activity would
have roused the whole Dutch horde and ruined his plan. The bridge, as we
know, was mined. Lieutenant Popham had cut the wires. But the charges of
dynamite were somewhere. These Captain Grant found, removed, and
dexterously dropped, buried for ever in the purling river! Then with
infinite care he detached the other connecting wires, and the bridge was
safe! This was the beginning of the end. A few more passages at arms,
and then the British on the 15th of March crossed the Orange River.
[Illustration: CONVEYING WOUNDED TO WYNBERG HOSPITAL CAMP.
Photo by Alf. S. Hosking, Cape Town.]
Yet another brilliant act was performed soon after the arrival of the
troops at Bethulie. Captain Hannessy of the Cape Police, an officer on
General Gatacre's staff, was detailed to capture the railway station,
which was situated some distance from the town. This he did. He examined
the telegraph room, found the instrument intact, and learnt by
communication with Springfontein that there were Boers still in that
direction. Without hesitation he at once set off, in company with
another adventurous spirit (Captain Turner of the Scouts), on his way to
Springfontein. They commandeered a trolley and moved up the line. On
nearing the station they saw two trains with steam up, ready for
departure. Within the building were Boers--not slim Boers this time--but
snoring ones, with bandoliers awry and rifles lollopping. It was a
moment to be grasped. The rifles and the bandoliers were gently removed.
Then the sleepers were awakened. They rubbed their eyes, and found, not
rifles or bandoliers, but that they were prisoners of war! They were
without arms, resistance was useless. They were escorted to the railway
trucks; an engine-driver was found, and presently the two officers with
their "bag" (two trains and eight prisoners) returned in triumph to
Bethulie. Here their big-game hunting was vastly appreciated, as at this
time, their engines having been left on the other side of the river, the
capture of rolling stock was of tremendous importance. Soon after this,
troops from Bloemfontein were sent off to occupy Springfontein.
FOOTNOTES:
[8] Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Coningham, 2nd Battalion Worcestershire
Regiment, was born in 1851, and joined the army in 1872. His first
appointment was to the 103rd Foot, afterwards the 2nd Battalion Royal
Dublin Fusiliers, with which he served until 1891, when he was
transferred as major to the Worcestershire Regiment. Colonel Coningham
was an adjutant of Militia from 1889 to 1894. He also served in the
Soudan with the Frontier Field Force in 1885-86.
[9] Captain the Hon. Raymond Harvey Lodge Joseph de Montmorency, 21st
Empress of India's Lancers, and commanding De Montmorency's Scouts in
South Africa, was the eldest son of Viscount Frankfort de Montmorency,
K.C.B. He was born on February 5, 1867, joined the army on September 14,
1887, as second lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment, and was
promoted to a lieutenancy in the 21st Lancers, November 6, 1889. In this
rank he served in the campaign in the Soudan in 1898, and was present at
the battle of Khartoum, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for the
following service:--"At the battle of Khartoum on September 2, 1898,
Lieutenant de Montmorency, after the charge of the 21st Lancers,
returned to assist Second Lieutenant R. G. Grenfell, who was lying
surrounded by a large body of Dervishes. Lieutenant de Montmorency drove
the Dervishes off, and finding Lieutenant Grenfell dead, put the body on
his horse, which then broke away. Captain Kenna and Corporal Swarbrich
then came to his assistance, and enabled him to rejoin the regiment,
which had begun to open a heavy fire on the enemy." Lieutenant de
Montmorency, in addition to being mentioned in despatches and receiving
the V.C., had also the British medal and Khedive's medal with clasp. He
was promoted to captain August 2, 1899, having in the previous October
been despatched on special service to South Africa, when he raised and
commanded the special body of scouts whose gallant services have under
him been so frequently referred to in connection with the operations in
the neighbourhood of Stormberg and Dordrecht.
[10] Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant F. H. Hoskier was a well-known
Volunteer officer, who had brought the force which he commanded to a
high state of military efficiency. He held a certificate for proficiency
in several subjects, and had obtained special mention in examinations in
tactics, besides having qualified as an interpreter.