X.
1899–1902.—SOUTH AFRICA. TALANA HILL. DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH. RELIEF OF LADYSMITH. TRANSVAAL.
Note.—As the following section deals with contemporaneous events and with members of the Regiment still serving, it has been considered advisable to adopt a simple form of record of events by Battalions and units, leaving to a future historian the compilation of a complete narrative.
FIRST BATTALION.
[Sidenote: 1st BATTALION.]
When, on October the 7th, 1899, war was declared by President Kruger and the Boer Government, the 1st Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Henry Gunning, was at Dundee, Natal, with the exception of G Company, which was at Eshowe in Zululand, and there remained until after the following March.
At Talana Hill (20th of October), the first battle of the war, the Battalion greatly distinguished itself in the attack of the Boer position, and took a leading part in the complete defeat of the enemy.[68] Lieutenant-Colonel Gunning was killed leading the assault, and out of seventeen officers present, five were killed and eight wounded, together with many N.C.O.’s and Riflemen. Major W. Pitcairn Campbell[69] thereupon assumed command.
Then came the retreat to Ladysmith by a forced march under peculiarly trying circumstances, and on the 30th October took place the battle of Lombard’s Kop, which, indecisive in its effect, led to the investment by the Boer Army. The four months DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH was the result, the chief battle being that of Waggon Hill on January the 6th, 1900.
Up to March, 1900, the Battalion lost eight officers and forty-three men killed, eight officers and 180 men wounded, and eighty-one men who died in hospital.
After the Relief of Ladysmith, on the 3rd of March, the Battalion joined the 8th Brigade, 5th Division, and was with Buller’s advance into the Transvaal, taking part in the passage of the Biggarsberg in May, the attacks on Botha’s Pass and Alleman’s Nek (8th and 11th of June).
In August the Battalion assisted in the capture of Amersfoort and Ermelo, and was present at the battle of Belfast (August the 27th), when the armies under _Roberts_ and Buller first joined forces, taking part in the attack on Bergendal.
It subsequently assisted in the occupation of Lydenburg (6th of September), and at the fighting in the Mauchberg (9th of September), and at Pilgrim’s Rest (27th of September). On October the 16th, 1900, the Battalion returned to Middelburg, where it was continually engaged in minor operations until July, 1901, when it proceeded to Cape Colony. Here it built the seventy miles of blockhouses between De Aar and Orange River, which it occupied till the end of the war in June, 1902.
SECOND BATTALION.
[Sidenote: 2nd BATTALION.]
The 2nd Battalion left India, and landed in Natal in October, 1899, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel G. Grimwood, and proceeded at once to Ladysmith, taking part in the battles of Rietfontein (October the 24th) and Lombard’s Kop, in which it fought alongside the 1st Battalion. It served through the DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH, and greatly distinguished itself in the famous fight on Waggon Hill of January the 6th.
Up to the 31st of March the Battalion lost five officers (including two attached) and twenty-six men killed in action, seventy-five men wounded, and 107 who died in hospital.
After the relief it was under the command of Major the Hon. E. J. Montagu-Stuart-Wortley,[70] and, with the 1st Battalion, formed part of the 8th Brigade, 5th Division until the 1st of August, 1900, when it proceeded to Ceylon in charge of prisoners of war.
THIRD BATTALION.
[Sidenote: 3rd BATTALION.]
The 3rd Battalion, under the command of Lieut.-Colonel Robert George Buchanan-Riddell, left England in November, 1899, with the 4th Light Infantry Brigade, under Major-General the _Hon. N. G. Lyttelton_, and landed at Durban on the 30th. It took part in all the battles for the RELIEF OF LADYSMITH, namely, Colenso (December the 15th), Spion Kop (January the 24th), Vaal Krantz (5th–7th of February), and the fourteen days continuous fighting from the 13th to the 27th of February, including the actions at Cingolo, Monte Christo, Hlangwane, Hart’s Hill, and the final battle of Pieter’s Hill, on February the 27th, Majuba Day. The Battalion rightly cherishes with pride the names of Spion Kop, Vaal Krantz, and Hart’s Hill. At Spion Kop[71] it captured by a bold and vigorous stroke the famous Twin Peaks single-handed, rightly considered one of the most notable feats of the war. Lieutenant-Colonel Buchanan-Riddell was killed on the summit at the moment of victory while leading his men, and Major R. Bewicke-Copley[72] thereupon assumed command. At Vaal Krantz, after being engaged for twenty-four hours, the Battalion highly distinguished itself in repulsing the Boer counter-attack.[73] At Hart’s Hill four companies were prominent in the desperate struggle during the night of the 22nd–23rd of February, delivering two bayonet charges and losing over a third of their number in killed and wounded.[74] Part of the Rifle Reserve Battalion was also engaged in this fight. The Battalion lost during this portion of the campaign three officers and forty-six men killed in action, eleven officers and 195 men wounded, while fifty-nine men died in hospital, and eight men were reported missing.
It is worthy of remark that the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions met in the streets of Ladysmith on 3rd of March, 1900, when Sir Redvers Buller entered the town at the head of his army.
After the relief of Ladysmith, the 3rd Battalion with the Light Infantry Brigade of the 2nd Division took part in the advance through Northern Natal, in the passage of the Biggarsberg, and in the attacks on Botha Pass and Alleman’s Nek, 8th–11th June. It entered Heidelberg at the end of June, 1900, and from that date until the end of October it was engaged in the neighbourhood of Standerton and Greylingstad protecting the railway. In November, 1900, Lieutenant-Colonel Bewicke-Copley was selected for command of a mobile column, which, till November the 19th, included his own 3rd Battalion. The Battalion subsequently occupied a line of blockhouses between Machadodorp and Dalmanutha, Eastern Transvaal, till the end of the war.
FOURTH BATTALION.
[Sidenote: 4th BATTALION.]
The 4th Battalion was quartered at Cork during the earlier phases of the war, and was engaged in training and sending out reinforcements to a large extent of Mounted Infantry. It was not until December, 1901, that the Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel E. W. Herbert,[75] sailed to Africa. Landing at Durban, it proceeded to Harrismith, O.R.C., where it constructed and occupied a line of blockhouses running west, and remained there until the conclusion of peace in June, 1902.
RIFLE RESERVE BATTALION.
[Sidenote: RIFLE RESERVE BATTALION.]
The Reserve Battalion, under the command of Major the Hon. E. J. Montagu-Stuart-Wortley, was organised at Pieter-Maritzberg, and composed of officers and reservists of The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and of The Rifle Brigade, who were intended to re-inforce the battalions shut up in Ladysmith. It joined the 11th Brigade at Chieveley, Natal, in January, 1900, and took part in the operations of the 13th to the 27th of February, namely, Cingolo, Monte Christo, Hlangwane, Hart’s Hill, and the final battle of Pieter’s Hill. After the Relief of Ladysmith this improvised Battalion was broken up, and the officers and men of the Regiment were distributed between 1st and 2nd Battalions.
NINTH BATTALION.
[Sidenote: 9th BATTALION (NORTH CORK MILITIA).]
This Militia Battalion of the Regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel William Cooke-Collis,[76] volunteered for active service, and, their services having been accepted, embarked for the seat of war in January, 1900. Landing at Cape Town on February 1st,[77] it proceeded at once to Naauwpoort, and took part in the operations round Colesburg. Leaving Naauwpoort in March, the Battalion was employed protecting the main line of communication and the reconstruction of the railway through the Free State in rear of _Lord Roberts_’ army. It eventually took charge of the line between Vereeniging and Honing Spruit, where it remained for a year, during which its section of the line was never once cut by the enemy; this successful result was in a large measure due to the good work done by the company of Mounted Infantry raised from the Battalion.
The Battalion returned home in August, 1901, and was disembodied.
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Footnote 68:
_Vide Official History of the War_, Vol. I, pp. 131–136.
Footnote 69:
Now Major-General, C.B., and lately A.D.C. to the King.
Footnote 70:
Now Brigadier-General, C.B., C.M.G., M.V.O., D.S.O.
Footnote 71:
_Vide Official History of the South African War_, Vol. I, pp. 398–9.
Footnote 72:
Now Brigadier-General and C.B.
Footnote 73:
_Vide_ “_Times_” _History of the South African War_, Vol. III, p. 324.
Footnote 74:
_Vide Official History of the South African War_, Vol. I, pp. 476–484.
Footnote 75:
Now Colonel, C.B.
Footnote 76:
Now Colonel, C.M.G., and A.D.C. to the King.
Footnote 77:
Two officers died on the voyage out.
THE MOUNTED INFANTRY OF THE KING’S ROYAL RIFLE CORPS.
Note.—The Mounted Infantry raised in the Regiment having played so distinguished a part in the campaign, it has been considered advisable for purposes of historical reference to record their services by battalions. The establishment of a Mounted Infantry Company was 5 officers and 142 other ranks, organised into four sections.
[Sidenote: 1st BATT. M.I.]
A company was raised from the 1st Battalion in South Africa before the war; it fought at Talana Hill (October the 20th, 1899), was in the DEFENCE OF LADYSMITH, and later with Buller’s army until it arrived at Lydenburg in October, 1900. After this it was continually engaged in the Eastern Transvaal, until it joined the 25th Mounted Infantry in October, 1901 (_see below_). This Company lost twenty-five killed and thirty-three wounded during the war.
[Sidenote: 2nd BATT. M.I.]
A Company was raised from the 2nd Battalion upon its arrival in Natal, which was left outside Ladysmith, and, joining Buller’s army on the Tugela, took part in the campaign for the RELIEF OF LADYSMITH with _Dundonald’s_ Mounted Troops. After the relief this Company joined _Gough’s_ Mounted Infantry, and accompanied Buller’s army up to Lydenburg, being subsequently engaged in the Eastern Transvaal, Zululand, and the Orange River Colony until the end of the war. The wastage in personnel was such that only two officers and twenty-nine others of the original company then remained, but the fact that twenty per cent. of the original horses, received in October, 1899, were still doing duty, constituted a notable record in horse management.
[Sidenote: 3rd BATT. M.I.]
The 3rd Battalion contributed one section to “The Rifles’ Company” of the 1st M.I. (_Vide 4th Battalion M.I._).
A second section, formed in December, 1899, fought with _Dundonald’s_ mounted troops in the RELIEF OF LADYSMITH, subsequently joining _Gough’s_ M.I. at Blood River Poort, where it was severely handled and its commander, Mildmay, was killed. This section, in October, 1901, was united with a third section raised in 1900, and joined the 25th M.I. in October, 1901 (_see below_), when the strength was raised to a full company.
[Sidenote: 4th BATT. M.I.]
The 4th Battalion contributed a section to “The Rifles’ Company,” under Captain Dewar, which, together with the section of the 3rd Battalion, and the two sections from the 3rd and 4th Battalions Rifle Brigade, formed one of the four companies composing the celebrated 1st M.I., organised and trained at Aldershot under _Lieutenant-Colonel E. A. H. Alderson_ before the war. The “Rifles Company” was temporarily detached, and, landing at Port Elizabeth in November, 1899, joined the force under _Major-General Sir William Gatacre_, which was defeated at Stormberg on December the 12th, where it was mentioned for its gallant conduct in covering the retreat. The Company was then attached to _French’s_ Cavalry Division, and was at the battle of Paardeburg, where Captain Dewar was killed, and was also present at the surrender of Cronje on the 27th of February, Majuba Day. It then rejoined the 1st M.I.; and took
## part in the battles of Poplar Grove and Driefontein, and the entry into
Bloemfontein (10th of March). It was at the surprise of Broadwood’s Calvary Brigade at Sannah’s Post (31st of March), where it behaved with conspicuous gallantry, and it was at the relief of Wepener, and in the fighting near Thabanchu.
The 1st M.I. were then allotted to _Alderson’s_ Brigade with Hutton’s[78] Mounted Troops, and took part in _Lord Roberts’_ advance upon Pretoria on the 2nd May.
The Company, therefore, was present in the actions of Brandfort, Vet River, Sand River, Kroonstadt, the Vaal River (27th of May), the battle of Doornkop, near Johannesburg (28th–29th of May), the actions at Kalkhoevel Defile, Six Mile Spruit (4th of June), and the entry into Pretoria (5th of June). It was similarly engaged at the battle of Diamond Hill (11th of June); in the fighting south-east of Pretoria and at the action of Rietvlei (July the 16th); in the advance to and operations round Middelburg; in the battle of Belfast (24th of August, 1900); and in the march east from Dalmanutha, including the assault of the almost impregnable position of Kaapsche Hoop during the night of the 12th–13th of September.
From this time till the end of the war this Company was continually marching and fighting in the Orange River Colony and Cape Colony, pursuing De Wet, back again in the Transvaal, in countless forays and skirmishes, in the saddle night and day. When peace was declared it was at Vereeniging, whence it marched to Harrismith, and was absorbed into the Rifle Battalion of M.I. formed at that place.
The 4th Battalion also sent out two complete companies from Cork early in 1901, which were employed in the Transvaal, and subsequently joined the 25th M.I. in October of that year (_see below_).
[Sidenote: 25th (THE KING’S ROYAL RIFLE CORPS) MOUNTED INFANTRY BATTALION.]
On October the 18th, 1901, a complete Battalion of Mounted Infantry[79] was formed from the Regiment—an unique distinction—and consisted of:—
No. 1 Company 1st Battalion. No. 2 Company 4th Battalion. No. 3 Company 3rd Battalion. No. 4 Company 4th Battalion.
The Battalion was concentrated at Middelburg in the Transvaal, and was placed under the command of Major C. L. E. Robertson-Eustace[80] until January, 1902, when he was succeeded by Major W. S. Kays.[81]
The Battalion thus organised was composed of officers and riflemen who had been in the field from the beginning of the war, and were therefore tried and experienced soldiers. It joined _Benson’s_[82] column at Middelburg, a column of which it was said that no Dutchman dared sleep within thirty miles of its bivouac. The ceaseless activity and success of _Benson_ eventually decided Louis Botha, the Boer Commander-in-Chief, to make a determined attempt to destroy his force. To achieve this purpose he collected nearly 2000 men, and by a skilful combination of his troops attacked the column while on the march near Bakenlaagte upon the 30th of October. By a rapid charge he overwhelmed the rear guard, captured two guns, killed _Benson_, and surrounded the column, but was eventually beaten off. The 25th M.I. fought with a stubborn courage, and by their sturdy gallantry kept the Boers at bay and gloriously upheld the traditions of the Regiment, losing in the action eleven men killed, five officers and forty-five men wounded.
Thus—stoutly fought out on both sides by mounted troops of this especial type—ended a fight which has been described as unique in the annals of war.[83] The spirit of the Riflemen will best be understood from the lips of one of the wounded in this gallant fight, who remarked that “they were content if they had done their duty, and felt rewarded if their Regiment thought well of them.”
The Mounted Infantry Battalion of the Regiment ended its short but brilliant career by taking part in all the great “drives” in the E. Transvaal and N.E. of the Orange Free State, and was finally at Greylingstad when peace was declared on the 1st June, 1902.
RIFLE DEPOT.
[Sidenote: RIFLE DEPOT.]
The Depot, under the command of Colonel Horatio Mends, was at Gosport throughout the war. A narrative of the work of the Regiment at this strenuous period would not be complete without grateful reference to the splendid service of administration, training, and equipment, so devotedly performed by the Colonel Commandant, his Staff, and the Company officers generally of the Rifle Depot.
The Adjutant was five times changed, but the Quarter-Master, Major Riley,[84] remained constant to his difficult duties throughout the whole of this trying ordeal.
It is stated that 4470 recruits joined the Depot, were trained, and passed to the various Battalions, while many thousands of Reservists were mobilized, equipped, clothed, and drafted for duty.
The work of discharge at the end of the war was not less severe, but there is no record of failure or of breakdown, and the success of the admirable system of administration was universally acknowledged.[85]
The Rifle Depot was moved back to Winchester on the 29th of March, 1903, after nine years of exile at Gosport caused by the re-building of the Barracks which had been destroyed by fire.
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Footnote 78:
_Vide_ note p. 52.
Footnote 79:
For a more complete account, _vide Regimental Chronicle_, 1902, p. 94.
Footnote 80:
Afterwards D.S.O. This promising officer died suddenly at Cairo, October 4th, 1908.
Footnote 81:
Now Colonel.
Footnote 82:
Colonel G. E. Benson, R.A., a leader of much distinction and initiative.
Footnote 83:
_Vide_ “_Times_” _History of the War_, Vol. V.
Footnote 84:
Major T. M. Riley. Died 28th February, 1908. _Vide Regimental Chronicle_, 1907, p. 115.
Footnote 85:
_Vide Regimental Chronicle_, 1903, pp. 202–207.
## PART IV.
A RETROSPECT.
The preceding pages will have shown that the Regiment from its inception has possessed certain distinctive characteristics which are pre-eminently those required for making Light Infantry and Riflemen of the best type.
Raised in 1755, the Regiment, inspired by the genius of Henry Bouquet, early displayed that strong individuality, that self-reliant courage, and that ready initiative coupled with steady discipline, which won from the intrepid Wolfe himself the proud motto of _Celer et Audax_. In 1797, under the experienced command of Baron de Rottenburg, the famous 5th Battalion (Rifles) was raised as a special type of Light Troops. Thus the 5th Battalion of the Regiment, the first Rifle Corps of the British Army, revived those special qualities of the Royal Americans which had rendered the Regiment so renowned in its earlier years, and were destined to win imperishable fame throughout the Peninsular War.
After a long interval of peace the Regiment from 1836 to 1854 received a similar impetus at the hands of Molyneux and Dundas, and reaped a rich harvest of lasting honour and glory upon the Delhi Ridge by displaying the same supremely valuable characteristics which had distinguished it in America and in Spain. Again, from 1861–1873, under Hawley’s commanding influence and inspiring skill, the Regiment, through the 4th Battalion, opened up a more rapid and elastic system of drill and tactics, a more intelligent treatment of the soldier, and the betterment of his life in barracks, of which the good effects are felt to-day not only in the Regiment but in the Army at large. The qualities thus maintained for a century and a half, have borne in later years abundant fruit, of which the stubborn courage at the Ingogo fight, the calm discipline of the _Warren Hastings_, the eager valour of Talana Hill, and the impetuous assault up the slopes of the Twin Peaks are glorious examples.
To the same special qualities was due the inspiration which created the Mounted Infantry as a portion of the British Army, and it is to the officers and men of the 60th that the inception and success of that powerful arm is largely due.
Let the Riflemen of to-day, who read the deeds of their gallant comrades of the past, remember that if they are to maintain the traditions and increase still more the reputation of the famous Corps to which they belong, it can only be by cultivating the same spirit of ready self-sacrifice and unsparing devotion to duty, and by developing the same prompt initiative, steady discipline, and unflinching courage, which have ever been the secret of the Regiment’s success.
Let each Rifleman also recollect that a distinguished Past is rather a reproach than a glory unless maintained by an equally distinguished Present, and developed, if possible, by an even more distinguished future.
[Illustration:
MAP IV
SOUTH AFRICA
Illustrating the area of Operations referred to in Part III, Sections 7 and 10, also upon Inset map, Part III, Section 8.
_Stanford’s Geog^l. Estab^t., London._ ]
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TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. Silently corrected typographical errors. 2. Retained anachronistic and non-standard spellings as printed. 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. 4. Superscripts are denoted by a caret before a single superscript character, e.g. M^r.