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6 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 10 Jan 1900

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Please note, this archive item contains racist language and/or imagery, as written by the document’s author. This has also been preserved in the transcript of the item. Some content is highly offensive, but it is preserved here for the purposes of historical study and reflection.

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The copyright of this material belongs to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. It is available for reuse under a Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-commercial license.

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Preterion’s[?] Farm Camp

Tugela River E of Colenso

10 Jan 1900

[Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] I am a man of foresight or you would not have got the last letter I sent you until it was a week late. We left Cheveley Camp where we had been nearly a month & marched here yesterday. It had poured with rain all the previous day & night & when we started it was evident we were for a day of it, the carts sank into the ground up to their axles while simply being loaded so soft was the ground I knew from this we would have a rough time. We started at 8am the retracing our steps towards Frere & when I say us bear in mind not the 13th Hussars only but some 25000 to 30000 men with them 17 miles of Transport. which looked like a huge snake crawling over the hills The day was dry the heat great & after the rain very muggy we were performing one of the most difficult feats in strategy viz a flank march in the presence of the enemy, the miles of waggons not only represented tents & food for horse & men but the naval big guns which had been taken to pieces & into which as many as 40 oxen were placed. The first cart to turn over was one of ours a man being under & the cart on top of him, we expected to find him like a pancake but I am glad to say not a hair was off him. Our road was up hill & down hill in the valleys, between the hills rivulets were yet running & it was owing to these that our transport had such terrible experiences.

To describe it in detail I cannot suffice to say that a waggon would enter the drift as it is called with every available oxen on it [,] it would reach the water but the pull up the other side was impossible the mud reached up to ones knees, the waggon stuck in the most hopeless manner & nothing but emptying them of their contents was of the least use. You can fancy the condition of the various articles after they had been placed in the mud? To urge the animals along the Kaffir drivers use long whips & howl, gesticulate & whistle screams like fiends while they crack their whips like the report of a gun. I thought of that dear boy & how he would have enjoyed the sight especially when the mule waggons entered the water & stuck[,] the mules fell, some were dragged along, the waggon sank deeper & deeper, the whips cracked[.] English & Kaffir swear words were freely used, while I lay with my back to our cart

[[2]] heap surveying the scene while mules for Transport[sic] waggon lay behind waiting their turn. But this drift was childs[sic] play to the next which had a lead out of it placed at one angle of 45° a yard thick in mud & yet we got through guns & all. It is true that though we got through 24 Hours ago miles of transport at the present moment waiting to cross & the same yelling & screaming is still going on. We got to our camp at 7 pm viz after 11 hours marching with not a bite of anything to eat, on arrival we got some bans buns the mess Sergt. had just brought up from ‘Martizburg a piece of cake & bottle for mineral water Bus[?], not a very big dinner after so many hours fatigue, the cart containing the bully beef was miles behind, the one containing my tent was still at the drift. But I had some kit with me & that contained my kettle & tea[.] I made a fire while the horses were being looked after & made some tea for Morton the other servant & myself[,] no milk or sugar, but we all enjoyed it, the wood was wet so was the ground & it took some time to boil that kettle. The tent arrived just as the rain began to fall out when[sic] the fire in I went to the tent[,] got under my waterproof & smoked & thought of you.

Fancy how those sailors must have worked to get these heavy guns over the drift. (Sudden orders just arrived for us to leave at once so I must close this for the present, I expect we go to Spring field[sic])

13′ January (Some say 12th Some say it is Saturday others Sunday no one knows) I left off in a hurry as we had to march off to Spring field[sic], we left in the evening & did a night march there being a faint moon. The road was excellent but dusty & if you could have seen those thousands of figures tramping along smoking but rarely speaking the wind blowing big clouds of dust in our wake which occasionally hid the entire scene from view, or through which might faintly be seen the figure of the man in front of you the same colour as the dust & equally dry.

We got to Spring field[sic] at midnight & had something to eat, our last piece of bread (for we are now on biscuit) & pitched camp with thousands of others our camp was all rock, how we found room to picket our horses is a wonder. The men preferred to sleep in the open being too tired to pitch camp. Morton & my other henchman were very tired & soon fell asleep & the next morning was quite unconscious that it had even rained. The next day we left about 8am & crossed the Little Tugela Bridge

[[3]] & performed the shortest longest march I have ever done in my service we marched 3 miles & it took nearly nine hours, rather a record, the great delay was in crossing a river full of rocks & boulders over every inch of which the transport had to travel. I got in out of temper for the final time with a face burning as if burned with a hot iron up to that time I had not had my clothes off for three days, & I may say have not washed for 24 hours as owing to the state of my face washing was an impossibility, it throbbed & burned but I rubbed it over with some stuff called Hazeline Snow[1] & to day[sic] it is much better, still I think I will grow a beard & whiskers to protect me against a future grilling remember the sun is perfectly vertical so that nothing casts a shadow if you stand upright there is no shadow on the ground ever with this intense sun.

14 Jan I fell asleep after I wrote the above yesterday being rather tired. We spent the day doing nothing & I was glad of the rest & feel to day[sic] as fit as a fiddle the only thing is one does not feel very full I want a big ration of rice to take the place of no bread & there is none. That being so I will go without, Last evening I went down & had a wash in a stream. I found a puddle quite clean the size of a wash hand basin with a minute trickle running into it, by dint of great care I did not disturb the mud at the bottom before I washed my face & head, & then I finished the balance of my body[.] While drying three women about the first I have seen around the donga & stood & looked at my manly proportions & I think admired them for they watched for a long time & then getting on the high bank above me had a prolonged peep. Two were poorly clad but the third wore a scarlet robe with hair done up like this*.[2] I don’t[sic] know how it is done but it is very curious they were jet black & typical negroes extremely repulsive with immense figures in front & by no means deficient behind.

To day[sic] I went over to Buller’s camp which is close to ours & got introduced to Scofield who is his ASC, a gunman, he is a good pal of M’Kenzies[?] (who is at De Aar) & also of Jarvis’s & a friend of Tollman’s — I explained that I wished to let him know a V.O was in camp if one was required it he was very glad as he did not know one was near. I then saw an old patient of mine a pony belonging to Lord Serrand hit in the neck with a piece of shell at Colenso.

[[4]] Gerrard though a Yeoman is on Buller’s staff, he explained that Treeves[3] the celebrated surgeon had operated on the wound at Frere after I had seen the case (it passed from under my care as we remained at Cheveley) & that it was doing well until a few days ago. Like me Treeves could find no shell. I have operated upon it again to day[sic] & I hope to cure it. I am going to stick to Buller’s staff if I can until we get to Ladysmith when of course matters[?] will be liberated. I then went around the camp & looked up all likely to require veterinary attendance & was of some use.

I then examined the Boer position from an immense hill we hold, It is a beautiful sight we occupy the hills on the south of a winding river which looks like a brilliant serpent at our feet, in the distance we can see the mirror at Ladysmith flashing signals to us below at our feet in the drift a passage across the river [1 word illeg.] by our guns & where much blood has yet to be shed[.] The Boer position is behind some hills about 2 miles off & they have dug rifle pits for a mile or two on either side. They have a very strong place & will take a lot of turning out, every day[sic] makes their position stronger they are working like niggers entrenching themselves[,] in the distance can be seen their camp. We are not ready to attack but I can see how the attach shall be made & I should like to make it, not from the front as I fear it may be done but from two flanks. It is not as strong a position as Colenso but still a very difficult one. (I am aware this writing is bad but I am sitting on the ground writing on the back of my looking glass & this does not help one much). There is only 1 squadron of the Regt here, the others are behind about 5 miles & 10 miles respectively, we are Corps Cavalry. I hope we may stick to Bullerino[?] as it may be useful in the future.

I forgot to tell you the comical side of our march here I saw on one waggon a small kid & on another a foal! The first halt the foal was lifted off the cart & its mother nursed it on the side of the road! Fancy this & we making a flank march in the presence of the enemy.

Yesterday we bought some fowls & had a feast[?] one escaped & the whole camp chased it, I roared with laughter the hen ran towards a tent & over the tent ropes tripped the men in chase & we laughed till some sides were sore. After dinner being moonlight we saw two goats near the

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[[1]] camp, they were chased & after a ripping run secured amid applause, the mother goat gave us milk for breakfast this morning. While the fun attended to their  captive amused us for some time. Yesterday your [5 lines redacted].

 

Tell them how much I liked the cards & that when I see Kruger[4] I will let him have a look at them.

Your little thought on the day you wrote your letter the calamity which was befalling our force, it was well you did not for your anxiety must be very great though personally is pleases my vanity to hear it. Strange you do not mention in your letter having received one from me sent from Durban, then I wrote a few days later from Mooi River, then from Frere & the day before the battle from before Colenso[.]

I hope all these came safely to hand, they are a record of my feelings at the time & if I dont[sic] return (which I will) will be a comfort to you in the future. I am writing this in bed on the looking glass again, as I hear the post goes out in the morning viz Monday instead of Thursday as it did at Cheveley. What a good thing I write pieces of my letter every day, or this mail would have been very scrappy[?]. [5 lines redacted] very pretty place very wild but cooler than our previous camps & water more convenient. I went to bathe with Jarvis this evening & more ladies turned up & admired him, I will get him to take a photo of the scene as he has a camera.

All the natives are tracking trecking[sic] away from here on accord of the coming battle there are not many but they carried off children goods & chattels all on their heads.

I believe we open fire to morrow[sic], the sooner the better as the rifle pits ought to be destroyed & the work stopped before we attack. Now I wish I had a hand camera, I would have had some ripping views.

In your letter you make no mention of your Aunts’ lawyer, this is good, matters much must be better than I thought — Poor old Lea[5] I am sorry for him I will write as soon as I can find time, when I can harden my heart to the task I must write

[[2]] to Lucy, M’Fadyean, & Lea. [8 lines redacted].

By the bye Elandslaagte[6] is pronounced E-Lands-lag-ter. The next battle may be known as that of Potchkeifer Sprint the sprint is a shallow part of the bed of the river & it is said to be the only part where we can cross. Right across the front of it on the Lady Smith[sic] road is a rifle trench & many a man will not reach as far as that on the Road to Ladysmith. Buller has written an inspiring order saying we are going to relieve our comrades in Ladysmith & warning all against the use of the white flag by the Boers, we are to pay no attention to it unless they lay down their arms & hold up their hands nor are we to notice bugle sounds they have copied ours and sound ‘cease fire’ when it suits them. At this moment my tent companion Wise has been aroused from his slumbers to turn out on out-post duty 4 miles off to be there by dawn & watch for Boers digging pits with orders to fire on them. He knows no more of the country than I do & has to find his way there by night fortunately he has the moon until 3am but after that he will have to blunder along as best he can. We now have maps of the country, but will you believe it that so little did the authorities suspect trouble south of Ladysmith that the country was never surveyed from a military standpoint & all the maps south of Ladysmith are locked up there!!

I am still looking anxiously for my decoration Gazette it cannot now be far off — the decoration itself may not arrive for a year, but no matter what happens mind you apply to the War Office for them if they do not turn up in good season as my son must have them [3 lines redacted].

When I return home I should be so used to the life of a gipsy that I will have to live in a tent in the back garden

[[3]] sleep on the ground & never know the use of sheets or pillows. Morton continues to do well, his backbone is improving, he marches on foot every day & though he looks tired at the end, he sticks to his work when he gets in & my other servant is a fraud & practicably useless.

The candle is going out. I will finish this epistle in the morning [2 lines redacted].

15 January. A month ago since the battle & we are now preparing for another. This letter must go this morning if I could delay it a day or two I might be able to give you an account of our second battle, for I rather think matters will open to day[sic] in which case one should be at Ladysmith before the end of the week.

Remember me to all enquiring friends my [6 lines redacted] you think fit, in fact as I have said before I was should like the letter’s kept as a record of the campaign, as I keep no diary. [4 lines redacted].

Am very glad Hayleriggs[?] asked them. Remember me to them I hope they [1 word illeg.] pleasant neighbours.

[17 lines redacted]

[[4]] I am amazed to think I cannot fill up this page for you but the letter must go to the post.

No scorpions in this camp thank goodness[.]

[No Valediction]  

(Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study the electronic images of this document where possible – http://www.rcvsve

[1]  Skin Cream created by Burroughs Wellcome & Co. Ltd, a pharmaceutical company established in London in 1880

[2] Illustration of  a Female head in side profile.

[3] Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet, GCVO, CH, CB (15 February 1853 – 7 December 1923) was a prominent British surgeon of the Victorian and Edwardian eras

[4] Paul Kruger (1825-1904), President of the South African Republic 1883-1900

[5] Arthur Sheridan Lea (1853-1915), physiologist

[6] Battle of Elandslaagate

7 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 19 Jan 1900

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Content warning:

Please note, this archive item contains racist language and/or imagery, as written by the document’s author. This has also been preserved in the transcript of the item. Some content is highly offensive, but it is preserved here for the purposes of historical study and reflection.

Terms of Use
The copyright of this material belongs to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. It is available for reuse under a Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-commercial license.

[FS/2/2/4/2/7]

Camp name unknown N of the Tugela & clod close to Acton Holmes.

(Ventner’s Sprint Camp River Tugela)

Just found out the name of camp 24.1.00

[Words Redacted] of 19 January 1900

[Line Redacted]

 

*[1]

I fear you may have some difficulty in reading certain parts of this letter

[Salutation Redacted]

We left the camp of Spearman Hill when on the day I last wrote to you, at night & made a night march to some point about 6 miles due East. It was not quite dark but the road in places was awful impossible to describe up & down hill through stormy weather how the transport got over is a miracle. not[sic] a word was spoken nor a pipe allowed as we were making a flank march to cross the Tugela above the position occupied by the enemy[,] about 11 pm we halted & down came the rain, fortunately it did not last long, but I had my waterproof & well gummed boots on, for hours we stood on the side of the road in a field of long grass which was soaking wet & at daylight we expected to cross the river by pontoon, but the operation was delayed all day the enemy was in occupation of the ford & had to be driven out ours was a very strong position & about 2pm we advanced advanced to the river

We had nothing but biscuit & broth all day & water from the nearest ditch, we waded in water like soup & drank the same[.]

The delay in crossing was considerable, miles of transport, during the pontoon operation a man was killed by a long shot through the neck, the cavalry forded a river & here a chapter of accidents occurred, some men were carried away Tremayne our Adjutant jumped in & tried to save him & Wise my tent fellow jumped into to save another, he got his man out but Tremayne’s man was drowned & Tremayne was only got out with difficulty though both expert swimmers. Tremayne was unconscious but has recovered the river is most dangerous & awful currents.

I crossed by the pontoon but I thought my little horse was lost, he nearly fell over through fright here also two mules we lost by drowning. We bivouacked again that night & of course it again rained though not heavily. Though our kits were kept down to 20lbs I carried on my mule all I wanted my [illeg], valise & w’proof sheet. I was thankful a saddle for my head, or a tin of bully beef or waterbottle[sic], all equally soft to lie on did not keep one awake, others were so cold at 3am they could not sleep & had to walk about. Breakfast was light but I have since found the way of tackling biscuit which renders it palatable & quite easy to bite.

[[2]] Before leaving this camp I got a wire to say Crawford was dead, he died at Maritzburg the previous night — Poor fellow I am very sorry I only saw him a fortnight before & he then said he was better than he had been for years. His poor wife & children have my heartfelt sorrow[.]

Gladstone being close with the Royals I went over & showed him the wire. He is the next Senior, until we get to Ladysmith & relieve Matthews. This day being later the 18th we moved off to the left towards the Orange Free State to cut off the retreating Boers should the attack which is being made at three different points on the river succeed. The fight we expected would take place on the 18th but it did not we had so much transport to get over, we continued advancing slowly to our left to get round the Boers & our advance party came in with some of them killing & wounding 30 including a Free State General killed & taking 20 prisoners. We lost a few men (not of the 13th) but on the whole the day though slow was useful. You cannot imagine the country we crossed streams with rapid current (another horse drowned) hills at an angle of 45° up which every waggon[sic] had to be drawn by hand & places which one would have said it was impossible for wheel transport to get over. We got to the camp at dusk the 13 being left behind on a Kopje[2] a mile or so to the rear.

Got an excellent dinner of bully biscuit & marmalade & again bivouacked there was a very heavy dew soaked everything but my waterproof saved me & I got up from the grass quite dry. All this time I have not shaved & my face is so sore I can only sponge it lightly[.] You might recognise me but I doubt it with nearly a weeks[sic] growth on my face. I ought to have said I left Morton behind & my other servant at the old camp opposite Potgieters drift but I have the [2 words illeg.]. I left them behind as they have to march & I knew we were going to Ladysmith by a circuitous route. Close to this camp is a kraal[3] [1 line redacted], there I found a woman stark naked sitting on the ground, she was about 16 years of age & took no notice of us [2 lines redacted] she & a decrepit old woman were the sole occupants[.] The young woman I think was an imbecile

[[3]] I got Jarvis to take 2 photos of her [1 line redacted] & hope to show it to you some day. She was an absolute animal. Before we left Spearmans Hill I got Jarvis also to photo Morton asleep his usual occupation. To day[sic] we expect a fight if the other attacks along the river can be pushed home. Imagine the extent of our operation when I tell you our front is not less than 10 miles in length & probably much more. Firing has been going on more or less all night & again this morning but not in our vicinity. This brings me up to date[,] more later as events occur.

24 Jan. What events have occurred since I last wrote we moved on the evening of the day I made my last entry to a place called Acton Holmes not far from here. The place is one mass of rocks & boulders & these we had to move on one side before we could find a place for the horses. As for ourselves we dug out & removed all the rocks & stones we could but many went so far into the ground that their removal was impossible. We passed a pleasant night & as I looked up at the stars over my head I wondered whether that the same could be seen from the Croft.[4] It was the last sleep many had for in the morning the battle began, the first indication we had of it was a shell which exploded in a kraal to our front we had no conception where it came from probably fired 5 miles away & with smokeless powder. One of the most terrifying features of modern warfare is the destruction wrought by a foe who cannot be located, he may be near or far, but he continues to pump in his iron & lead while escape from it is impossible in asmuch[sic] as one has no idea which direction is a safe one

Well this the first day of the battle lasted from about 7 am to 7.30 pm, & more or less throughout the night. We did not again come under fire until about 11am when a little circumstance of intent to me occurred. The Regt.was hidden in a nullah[5] n ot only out of sight but to keep it away from an infernal gun the position of which we could not locate. I was letting my horse graze with the bit out of his mouth when I saw a Maxim gun hurrying up to the front, leaving my bit hanging on my the

[[4]] hilt of my sword I slipped the snaffle into his mouth girdled up & cantered forward about 100 yards or so. I halted put up my glasses when I suddenly heard the hissing of a shell it came nearer & nearer & just as I thought it would hit me on the head I ducked down I heard it strike the ground & explode & looking behind we saw a column of dust 20ft in height about 100 yards behind me & exactly where I was grazing my horse only a minute before — I wish you could have seen yours truly scuttle back, I had no time to put my glass back in their place as shell after shell was falling, then I remembered I had hung my bit on my sword & that the reins were probably dragging along the ground & might bring me down in addition the ground was stony rocky & very difficult to get over so that my position for a few minutes was not comfortable. Of course bear in mind they were not firing at me but were only anxious to locate the position of the cavalry.

Later in the day they dropped two shells into a squadron of the Royals as they crossed a field close to this place I was watching the advance of the squadron from a hill some distance off at the moment for they were well on our left. You cannot imagine the startling effect of two shells dropped one after the other into a mass, they scattered like chaff before the wind is in all directions men without horses, horses without men, some the right others to the left & strange to say as we subsequently learned without the loss of a horse or a man. To recount all the operations of this day would be impossible I could only see what was occurring over about 4 miles of country[.] Our fire was terrific & we set fire to more than one of their positions. I ought to have explained before that their positions were well chosen the tops of high hills while nothing but the valleys below were left for us. The irregular Cavalry took one hill a very steep one I could not believe my eyes as I saw the men some with & some without horses crawling up the side of this sugar loaf hill[6]

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[[1]] now known as Childe’s Hill from the name of the man who led the assault & was killed, of him later. The game went on all day & night found us tired & sleeping close to the base of Childe’s Hill having previously to get all our animals & waggons through a river. Fortunately I had a good dinner that night even though the night of a battle & slept in a ploughed field, at any rate if not so clean it is softer than the velt[sic]. I must have been tired as I fell asleep soon & [3 lines redacted].

On the following day (21 Jan) we moved early from the ploughed field & went back over the drift & river to our old camp about 1 mile further back as we were exposed to the fire of a long range gun, we got back after a short time & had settled to breakfast when suddenly there was a hissing sound of an approaching shell & one dropped not far from where we were sitting, a second came still nearer & it was evident our position was known, we moved a little further forward under cover of a hill & there we have been for two days the battle going on day by day with monotonous regularity. There are 12 guns on our right which pump in shrapnel all day. Hitherto both sides have observed Sunday as a day of rest, but last Sunday we fought all day & it is now Tuesday & we have not yet got their position. It was confidently believed that we would get to Ladysmith by Wednesday (to morrow[sic]) but that is impossible.

Major ChildeLate R H Guards came out to one of the Regts of irreglar cavalry or Mtd infantry. He was originally Childe-Pemberton but dropped the P. He led his men up the steep hill in gallant style & soon after they got to the top a shell hit him on the head & killed him. Now it is a curious fact that the night before at dinner Childe said he knew he would be killed the next day, & though the fellows chaffed him he persisted in his statement & dictated his own Epitaph which he directed to be placed on his grave. It was as follows: —

[[2]] “Is it well with the Child? It is well!” Now this is a most extraordinary coincidence & worth telling to people. The man was killed as he said he would be, he was buried early the next morning & by evening a simple wooden cross with his rank name & regt, date of death, & the above Epitaph upon it was erected  No parson buried him, he was buried by a brother officer nothing but his belts were taken off even his spurs were buried with him & I knew him by sight, he leaves a wife but no family. There is no telegraph officer here so that no one can send her a wire.

There he is in his grave two days (he is buried 100 yards from where I am writing this) & his friends ignorant of the fact but perhaps it is just as well so. Great sympathy is felt for him, it is [3 lines redacted].

He was buried on the 2nd day of the fight & since that we have not had very active employment the Artillery hammering is incessant but it does not interfere with our movements. Yesterday I went & had a bath in the river & washed my clothes, I only have those I stand up in & they have not been off since last Monday week viz 9 days today boots the same. So I determined to wash everything Jarvis & I proceeded to the River & we did it well I washed shirt, drawers[,] socks, cholera belt[7]

It took 3 hours for the things to dry during which time we sat on the rocks or in the water shaved & otherwise wasted time while the clothes dried. It would have been a sight for a photograph[,] I in the water up to my neck with a cascade playing on me my helmet on my head & smoking my pipe, Jarvis sitting on the rocks shaving, while a short distance behind was a battery of howitzers[8] pumping in 50lbs Lyddite shells into an enemy 2 miles off a curious scene for a quite[sic] South African river.

I ought to explain before I go further that I have shaved. I know this will be a great relief to you & it was to me, I now protect my face with that valuable red silk pock’ h’chief[sic] & so prevent it from getting burned though in the effort I am more like a Guy Fawkes than a reasonable being. If only my little son could see me, he would laugh for a week[.]
[[3]] *[9] this is the appearance I present from the side. I find the manoeuvre an excellent one.

Last night we got 5 minutes notice that a convoy of sick & wounded were going back to Frere & that the Medical officers would take back letters for England. I tore out a page from a book & wrote you a few hasty lines, this letter had been started but was very incomplete so I thought it best to send you a short note to show you I was fit & well rather than send you an incomplete letter — I was sorry for the haste in which it was written, but the man was standing waiting for it, I sent a scrawl & without a stamp. I do not know when this letter will go, but I will keep it addressed & ready to close at a moment’s notice.

The place I sleep in would greatly amuse our two dear mites, there is a pack saddle & a Field pannier, the one forms the head of my bed the other the side. *[10] Across the pack saddle & pannier I stretch my waterproof & this keeps off the rain & wind from my face & the heavy dews. Close to my head is my revolver waterbottle[sic] & haversack. I sleep in clothes, boots woollen waistcoat (if very cold sweater also) & Ulster[11]. So you see I am well protected at night. The ground of course is hard & one rises in the morning very stiff & sore from contact with such an unyielding surface.

Of course I have received no letter from you for last week, it is said that our mail got as far as the Tugela & was sent back, if so it is very rough on us. I hope to receive from you the newspapers containing a full account of all our movements, for as you truly say though on the spot we know the least excepting of things occurring in our immediate vicinity.

This battle will be the most remarkable in History, it is now in its fourth consecutive day, & though we are pushing on slowly still progress is not rapid. The people in Ladysmith are we hear suffering great privation eggs are 30/- a dozen. Even here things are at famine prices which are scarce. Soldiers are offering 5/- for a packet of 10 cigarettes!! I will soon be out of tobacco so must nurse what little I have. — I shall certainly be glad when Ladysmith is relieved.

[[4]] *[12] I hear Crawford died from dysentery. Poor fellow. Will it improve my prospects!!!

24 Jan. Last night or rather at 3 am to day[sic] we made a night attack on the enemy. The artillery pounded away for an hour & then the infantry went in. In the still night air the streams of lead as the infantry fired volleys was exactly like the escape of steam from a steam engine[.]

It was most curious one does not notice the sound during the day. A battle by night is a very weird sight. I am glad I did not lose it.  The result of the night attack we do not yet know, though it is possibly available to the city clerk on his[?] way to London this morning, but the fact remains that this is the fifth day of the battle & we have got very little further ahead. Really the Boers are very serious antagonists. They have a gun which fires eight times in succession a one pound shell[,] each shell is dropped at a different range. The noise it makes is exactly like Pow Pow Pow & so on repeatedly for eight shots. Its[sic] a devilish contrivance & we cannot locate its position. Yesterday we lost in one regt alone 1 officer & 15 men & I think Pow Pow has some thing[sic] to say to it.

I hear this morning that letters are being sent in so to atone for the shabby note which was sent you a day or two ago I will send this off up to date. I trust to you keeping all these letters as they are my diary of the war.

Firing is still now going on against the hill we tackled last Saturday, so that I judge the night attack had not the fullest measure of success. [3 lines redacted].

Nearly a fortnight since I heard from you the letters are in the country but we cannot get them. Ten days since we started on this show & I have never been out of my clothes & boots except to bathe. You can imagine how we look [5 lines redacted].

[No Valediction]

 

 

 

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[1] Annotated by Smith with ‘Keep’

[2] South African Dialect, a small hill in a relatively flat area.

[3] Either a village of huts enclosed by a fence, or an enclosure for cattle or sheep

[4] Smith’s home – The Croft, Little Heath, Charlton, in South East London

[5] A watercourse, riverbed or ravine

[6] Comparing the hills to the Sugar Loaf, Monmouthshire which are mountains in South Wales

[7] a flat strip of flannel or knitted wool worn around the abdomen under a shirt as a preventive measure against cholera

[8] A short gun for firing shells on high trajectories at low velocities.

[9] Caricature by Smith of his self-fashioned technique to protect his face from sunburn

[10] Drawing by Smith of his sleeping arrangements.

[11] A long loose overcoat

[12] Later annotations added to the top of the page ’19th Jan Tugela’ and ‘January 00’

8 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 22 Jan 1900

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[FS/2/2/4/2/8]

North of the Tugela

22 Janry 00

[Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] We have been fighting for three days & I have an abundance of news but no time to write it. There is no telegraph or post office here, but a convoy is going in to morrow[sic] morning of wounded & the Medical officer is taking letters with him. I can only say that I am fit & well

[Letter Damaged and Incomplete — No valediction]

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9 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 24 Jan 1900

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[FS/2/2/4/2/9] (1)

*[1] Ventners Sprint Camp 24 Janry 1900 Send me a nice Red & Green silk pocket h’chief[sic] mine are looking seedy I like a large one. Register it my pet.

[Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] It was only this morning that I sent you my last letter & yet here I am already writing another. I hope you are doing the same for me, for though you are not experiencing the stirring times we are, yet every detail of the life led by you [1 line redacted].

We have just learned that our night attack was successful, one General (Woodgate) being killed, further I learn we are doing well & that Buller expects a 7 day battle[,] this is our fifth day of it. The Relief of Ladysmith will live in History as per-manently[sic] as the Relief of Lucknow.[2] I would not miss if for any thing[sic] There is probably no man living outside our force which has seen five consecutive days fighting. We are lying under a hill out of shell fire our turn will come when we get the enemy on the move.

Jarvis & I have built a tent d’abris formed of our two waterproof sheets hung on a pole & supported at both ends here is a sketch of it [illustration][3], it is the envy & admiration of all, the poles are iron & taken from a neighbouring farmers gate & fence, held in position by wire stays. Of wire here theres hundreds of thousands of miles in this country nothing else is used for marking out & separating the different farms there is not such a thing as a hedge to be seen anywhere.

In this shelter we passed last night & its rain in absolute comfort, how those dear mites would love a tent of this sort I will put them up one the first summer I spend at home

28th Jan. Since I last wrote much had occurred a detail of it would fill a volume & [1 line redacted] the fact is that we have been again defeated & have had to retire or rather retreat. When I last wrote we were doing well & our spirits rose under cover of a night attack we seized a hill what was said to be the key of the position during the whole of that day the fellows on this hill

[[2]] were exposed to a perfect hell fire for 16 hours they stood it & finally at night it had to be evacuated, at once Buller made up his mind no to press the attack again & our retreat was only a matter of time. Such is the history of this disaster in a nut shell now for details.

You will remember that the disaster occurred on the 5th day of the battle at a time when we were doing well along a front not less than 12 miles in length. The hill which was captured during the night was a big one in the centre of the position with sides so steep that a man could only crawl up them with difficulty while to get horses or guns up was an impossibility. It was strange that the Boers did not put guns on this hill if the operation had been possible for their side, they had only a relatively small body of men on it & it is now said that we did exactly what they wanted viz seize the hill get established there & then their batteries hidden behind at a position where we could not possibly see could then knock us to pieces while we had not a gun with which to reply. If this really was their scheme it reflects the very greatest conduct of their Generals & very little on our own. We fell into the trap & got knocked to pieces. Strange that men who were not Generals should have remarked days before that the Boers had no guns on this hill which looked suspicious on the face of it. Well the hill was taken during the night attack the Lancashire Fusiliers leading. The first Boer sent who challenged us was an Englishman!! He called out who goes there? The Captain of the Lancashires told his men to lie down on their stomachs while he went forward alone & wh with this no further ado bayonetted[sic] the wretch in several places. It was on this regt[sic] the brunt of the attack fell & on Thornycroft’s lot. During the morning following the seizure the party was exposed to a heavy cross rifle fire, at about 2 pm the Boer Artillery opened on them & I never saw anything more dreadful their shrapnel shell fired from a long distance off burst over the heads of our unfortunate people in a veritable storm. I counted the shells bursting

[[3]] at the rate of seven a minute & we have since learned that it was a seven gun battery which wrought the havoc & with our own shrapnel captured with the guns at Colenso!! This hell fire lasted 21/2 hours, legs were torn off men blown to pieces, others scorched beyond recognition still they[sic] devoted band held out, at last a white flag was shown it is said by an officer of the Lancashires[sic] & the Boers advanced from their trenches to seize them. Up jumped Thorneycroft an immense man with a loud voice & said [“]No surrender while I am here! back[sic] to your trenches & the Boers slunk off as if they obeying an order from their own officer. The Colonel of the Lancashires[sic] was wounded & a prisoner. I knew him in the Soudan a very good fellow, the command fell on Thorneycroft & at night time all that was left of this devoted band came down the hill. I saw Thorneycroft yesterday & I took off my helmet & waved it as I met him, he lost 50% of his men & 11 officers one of the latter Petre (pronounced Peter) was a good friend of Jarvis’s & a Yeoman — poor Jarvis was much cut up. Lord Petre brother of the above is a Roman Catholic Bishop & Petre had exposed a wish that it anything happened to him [1 word illeg.] he would like to be buried by a R.C. Great delay being experienced in finding one his funeral was delayed & Jarvis by great good luck was able to be present[,] he was buried on the side of the road on our side of the Tugela & with the body was a bottle inside which was the name of the deceased date of death & other information in case the body is wished for at home. Jarvis also photo’ed[sic] the spot. Next day after the evacuation of the hill two parsons R.C & P the latter Gedge rode up to the hill under a red cross flag & with a party of body snatchers & buried the dead[.] I dont[sic]  know the exact number but about 300 poor fellow[s] were left for ever on Spion Kop the name of the hill & when I took my last look at it yesterday morning I thought of all the sorrows that

[[4]] wretched hill would give to hundreds of homes in England.

While the dreaded shrapnel fire was going on that I just described, I tried to avoid looking at it knowing that each [1 word illeg.] meant death & mutilation to dozens, but one was fascinated & try to avoid it as I could, I constantly found my eyes turning on the fateful hill on which a hidden battery was pumping iron & fire.

When on the 6th day of the battle it was known that we had returned from the hill during the night a fearful gloom fell over us & soon we heard that Buller had given up the game. We still shelled their batteries & our infantry engaged them when ever[sic] they could, but we had orders to get off of at once our 17 miles of transport & get it over the river without delay in the mean time we keep off the attention of the Boers by shell fire. The transport took 11/2 days to get over the two bridges & this left the way open for us but then we knew that if we retired in the face of the enemy they would shell us & our rickety pontoon bridges (only 2) & simply wipe us out, so the retreat was keep[sic] a dead secret & the time was to be night but when no one knew. Our first stroke of luck came on the 8th day, it commenced to rain & the hills occupied by the Boers were covered with mist & at once the order went round that we were to leave at 6pm instead of 10 pm as arranged.  Now you cannot conceive the road we had to pass over the first place was a drift over a small fordable stream with banks at his slope [illustration][4] through the rain the banks were so slippery that neither horse nor mule could get a foot hold. The carts of ammunition etc had to be pulled up by hand & all without making a noise for our watchful enemy was only 3 miles away & would have shelled us all night had he had the faintest notion what was on. By the time we got over this drift it was dark & still raining & we blundered along the road to the bridges over the Tugela. So dark was the night (Thank God) that I could

[FS/2/2/4/2/9] (2)

[[1]] only just see my horses ears!! Precautions were taken to keep camp fires going the whole time to deceive the Boers & gradually this force of over 20 000 men horses guns waggons[sic] conveyed from a front of several miles are to one point on the river where some boats with planks on them formed our only means of escape. No lights but of the dimmest description were allowed near the bridge in case the enemy fired — one single shell would have wrecked the proceedings, & as 20000 were jammed into a space smaller than Trafalgar Square each waiting their turn to walk over a bridge not so wide as our dining room, & without a rail or rope at the side, with a sif swift running stream below, it was no light hearted job, [2 lines redacted] — We had to wait our turn to crawl down the sandy bank of the river a false step on which would have landed one in the Tugela below — “Keep well to the right”. “Keep close to the left when you reach that lantern then follow the faint light which is the centre of the bridge” [4 lines redacted]. The crossing was jumpy, I led my horse, he could not see the river it was so dark, but he heard it & he felt the bridge rising up & down to the current, he snorted, an ammunition waggon[sic] in front of me conducted by some Irish soldiers halted on the bridge. I felt now that my horse was gone for a halt was fatal, but no it started once more & we were across, “Turn to the right & make for that lantern” we did so over stones the size of several paving stones, reaching the lantern the holder said “make for that light  it is in the centre of the bridge”. Another bridge! what horror! (the Tugela at this point has two arms) this latter bridge was fairly easy & it was roped at the side, nothing but the fact that it had carried 17 miles of transport could

[[2]] have given one the needful confidence to have walked over it with a nervous horse[,] the guide led us to the edge of the bridge, & then left us with the in inky darkness. We led our horses. I got too much to the right & fell in a donga about 21/2 feet, crawled up the other side, fell in another, then a third, finally determined that I had come to much to the right, then made to the left & fared better, finally after a long pull arrived at the farm house we had shelled the day of our arrival, & here a big fire was burning & we gladly warmed ourselfes[sic] — I ought to say that by this time the ‘we’ was represented by the Farrier Major & a man leading my mule The regiment we had lost in the darkness but we stuck close to some other mounted corps until we got to the bridge, but after that we lost it, & so only three men & four animals crossed with of the us. At the Farm Yard I determined to stop until the moon rose at 3am it now being about 10pm, still raining, wind blowing, horses shivering, & men ditto[.] The ground was too wet to lie on so there was no help for it we stood for all three hours & longer, waiting for a moon we could never see from clouds, or for the early streak of dawn — at 4am we started walking up the hill from the river for you will readily understand that our position was a  serious one if the Boers’ opened [1 word struck through, illeg.] fire for we were lying in a basin while they were on the hills above, we climbed up our side of the basin & by dawn no British Army could be seen, it had disappeared truly ‘over the hills’ but not ‘far away’.[5] We watched the Boers in the morning, before the wind rose they fired a few sniping shots at nothing, as it rose & the morning became clearer & nothing could be seen of the army which for eight days had been sitting below them, first one head then another appeared at the trenches & finally two men rode down the hill, they soon rode back when they found that we & the bridge had gone bag & baggage & that the most difficult & most successful retreat in the annals of the British army

[[3]] had been carried out. Try & imagine what it would be to take half a dozen men & horses over a bridge in pitch darkness & land them in safety some miles in the hills on the other side, & then think what it means to take a whole army!! It is the only bright spot in this campaign& it is a record. The morning broke as we stood in safety on the hills. They could have shelled us here, but we were in a position to reply & they contented them-selves[sic] with firing a shell at what was left of Thornycroft’s devoted band as they were the last to wind their way up the hill. [2 lines redacted]. We cooked some breakfast here & after an hour moved on to this our old camp Spearman’s Hill where we arrived at 12 noon after 18 hours continuous work, anxiety & bad weather, I lay on the ground with a tarpaulin for my head & slept in the sun for half an hour . Tents[,] an unknown luxury for days[,] were soon up, a good lunch, a sleep in the afternoon on a hospital stretcher (such a luxury) a good bath, clean clothes & to bed in Pyjamas was civilization indeed to one who had been in his clothes & on the bare ground for nine days. We soon forgot our troubles but not our defeat[.] to[sic] live as we are living now we can scarcely understand, though to any one introduced all at once to our present system would not regard it as civilization at all. [2 lines redacted].

The retreat was carried out in excellent spirit the men were cheery, not a grumble, cracking jokes & it even struck one that they thoroughly enjoyed it. Of course few except the officers recognised the extreme gravity of the situation & it was well they did not[.] I heard one man say in the inky darkness can anyone what regt[sic]  is this ‘I dont[sic] know’ was the reply, well could can anyone tell me who I am? Another man was heard to say to a chum “Well this is the frostiest job I have been on, since I came to South Africa. Here we have been in the rain for hours without Cloaks ‘cause they

[[4]] have been are on the waggon[sic] & now when we’re wet to the skin, a blooming Staff Officer comes round & says you can lie down men for a short time if you like”. This has to be heard to be appreciated. It was a fine & inspiring sight to see our infantry which had been lying out night after night without cloaks on the hill side, decimated by bullets & shell fire, & retired during a wet & stormy night, march off the next morning with a fine swing & cheery confident bearing, carrying behind them on stretchers more of the men last wounded, or the wounded man hobbling along with his arms around the neck of two comrades. The sight of this infantry made one feel that we were not yet beaten & had plenty of life in us yet.

I saw Schofield (pronounced Skofield) ADC to Buller & a very good friend of MacKenzie’s[,] he had had a letter wire to say MacKenzie was dead having died of Typhoid at De Aar. Mrs Mackenzie was devoted to him & was is on her way out to S. A. to nurse him, she has a brother in the service who will meet her at Cape Town & break the news to her. Schofield told me that he really does not know what he will do without MacKenzie so great was the friendship between them. This war will be the means of breaking up many homes & bringing untold misery to thousands. It has drawn some few closer together who perhaps did not suspect the depth of their attachment, but such are in the minority, the misery, waste of life & loss of friends pre-dominates[sic]. Yet we must give their people the ‘knock’ Ladysmith as I told Sir EW[6] on [1 line illeg.] not through Natal but by the Orange Free State, A good victory then an advance on Bloemfontein would mean the relief of Kimberley & Ladysmith by drawing off the Free States. We must carry the war into their own country to make them feel it. Personally I have experienced all I wished to experience [3 lines redacted] & much I did not wish to experience two defeats & two retreats

[FS/2/2/4/2/9] (3)

[[1]] [5 lines redacted] but we must first whack the Boer.

Now my narrative is brought up to the time of our arrival here. I should explain that Spearman Hill is on the Tugela about 15 miles to the W of Colenso. I wrote to you from this place before going to the battle of the Upper Tugela & told you a drift known as Potgieters existed here across which troops could be passed. Now I gather that Buller is going to try & force the Potgieter position it is a very strong one, but we have an immense force of Artillery here & ought to crush the Boer fire — I believe we have also got some of the ‘Pow Pow’ guns I hope so, I should like the Boers to taste them. They actually had the cheek to ‘Pow’ ‘Pow’ our balloon the other day as it was quietly over-looking their position, one shell knocked off the helmet of the fellow in the car & put 5 holes in the balloon so he telephoned to be pulled down. Really I think this act of the Boers vulgar & inconsiderate!

One sad feature in this war is the way the people living in the country have suffered. All British sympathisers have had their farms ruined by the Boers[.] All Boer sympathisers have had their farms sacked & destroyed by the British. Not far from where I write is a pretty farm home surrounded by trees (all planted no others in the country) owned by a man name[d] Pretorious who has 5 sons the father & sons are all fighting for the Boers. Well this mans[sic] farm implements have been burned, his home sacked glass china & crockery have been smashed & thrown into the garden lace curtains torn down & used to keep flies off the horses. Iron bed steads broken up, feather beds ripped up & the contents emptied. I saw one room full of feathers bier[?] glasses & drawing room furniture pulverized. all[sic] I saw left was a first class harmonium & some music, the instrument I expect was too heavy & strong to smash up

[[2]] on the wall of the house was written “Shoot the traitor’ ‘Bayonet him’ etc[.] However the man is far away but his pretty home is a wreck. Close to his home is his cemetery & here lies the bones of his ancestors & of his daughter who married an Englishman named Spearman hence the name of this hill. It appears that every S.A. farm has its cemetery & this one can readily understand considering the distances people are apart. [Words redacted] I arrived here & in the afternoon of the next day in came our letters. I only got one everybody else two viz. 22nd & 29 Dec. I only got one from the 22nd so live in hopes of that of the 29th turning up besides this I got Punch[7] & Truth[8] for these very best thanks. Your letter was naturally tinged with anxiety but you cheer up at the end when you got my cable, & the language in which you have expressed your thanks for that cable [1 line redacted]. One result of my cable going from P’martizburg[sic] is that you have addressed my letter there, this was a mistake & may account for your letter of 29 Decbr not yet having come to hand[.] I am not at PMb[sic] nor likely to be, address your letters to the Regt. Natal Field Force South Africa that will find me. Should we whack Paul[9] is the next fight & relieve Ladysmith I do not think the war will be further prosecuted in Natal everything will have to be done from the Free State side in which case the 13th may go back to Durban ship to East London & then by rail to the O.F.S. but this is anticipating events. You say Matthews is a prisoner, but only in so far as he is shut up at L’smith[sic] he is not in the Boer hands. Newsome I saw was convalescent, I did not know he was wounded. Rutherford coming out is news. I tried to send you a cable yeste the day I returned here & again yesterday but they would not take it. I got however a man in the 14 Hussars to take it to Frere & I hope it left there this morning for well do I know your anxiety. It troubled me greatly until I could get it off  

[No Valediction]

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[1] Annotations on Header ‘Keep’

[2] The Siege of Lucknow lasted from May 30 to November 27, 1857, during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

[3] Illustration of a tent by Smith

[4] Illustration by Smith of the stream he is discussing

[5] Here Smith could be referring to ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’ a traditional Scottish song (circa 17th century).

[6] Field Marshal Sir Henry Evelyn Wood (1838-1919)

[7] ‘Punch’ was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells.

[8] ‘Truth’ was a British periodical publication founded in 1877 by the diplomat and Liberal politician Henry Labouchère.Truth was known for its exposures of many kinds of frauds, and was at the centre of several civil lawsuits.

[9] Paul Kruger (1825-1904), President of the South African Republic

10 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 10 Feb 1900

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[FS/2/2/4/2/10] (1)

*[1]

S.S. Braemar Castle off East London S. Africa

10th February 1900

[Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] Had it not been that I spent 32/- on sending you a cable, the heading on this letter might have puzzled you much has happened since I wrote you last Sunday & now for my story[.]

On Sunday night it became pretty generally known that we were to attack the Boers early next morning 5th Febry at Potgieters Drift, I slept in my things [illeg.] being at 3am & we were in position for the battle by 6.0 the first gun being fired at 6.30.

The fight lasted all that day & found us at night very nearly where we began cer-tainly[sic] no nearer Ladysmith. It was dark but the fighting continued right into the night even as late as 10pm.

One hill of the boer[sic] position was on fire & added to the weirdness[?] of the scene.

I got separated from the regt[sic] & the road being blocked by transport I determined to sleep in a neighbouring field for the night. I did so after making an excellent repast off[sic] biscuit & tinned beef & some tea I thank your excellent Mazawattee[2]. A dinner fit for a King & the tail end of which I was able to share with Jarvis as I recognised his voice in the dark calling out to his carts which were blocking the way. He said next day that I had saved his life. I soon turned in on my native heath & slept like a dog, when I awoke it was daylight & found by my head the car of the big balloon which had come up during the darkness, while we were saddling up I localized[?] the Cavalry about 1/4 mile away & while getting ready to rejoin them the Boers opened fire with shell so vigorously that Cavalry & transport were glad to seek a safer haven. Jarvis had a big ‘find’ of shell which fell near him. All this second day was an artillery duel the sound was deafening, the wounded kept coming in but no sign of our advancing[,] night fell & the fight continued throughout the night at intervals. I slept under a bush & the next morning made a sumptuous repast off[sic] biscuit & tea

On this the third day of the fighting — I was relieved of the 13 Hussars by Houston

[[2]] about 2pm & at once got orders to proceed at once to Maritzburg. I left immediately after introducing my successor & I must say that the chorus of regret at my leaving was most satisfactory.

I was a strange scene, at any moment the Regt might have been ordered into action over head the shells flying like hail from the respective artillery, the sound & roar of which we forgot or became so used to that one failed to notice it, here was an individual bidding fond bye to the Regt actively under fire. Well I rode into Spearmans followed by Morton on the mule & got there just in the nick of time[.]

The Camp Commadt had been ordered to Zululand & was starting with a wagon & 12 mules mules in 10 minutes to join the rail at Frere 30 miles away, the very place I wished to get to. We soon settled details he was only too pleased to take my kit & Morton had a waggon[sic] ride the whole way. I rode my horse. Our first stop for the night was at Springfield 10 miles off. Here we found a detach[sic] of the R.I. Fusiliers & they gave us dinner & a tent, leaving next morning at 5.30 I wrote to Frere 17 miles off & got there at 10am found the train was due in ten minutes, being a mail train they could not take horses, these must follow in an hour or so. In short I got off by this train after making desperate efforts to catch it & was soon on my way to P.M’burg[Pietermaritzburg]. At Estcourt I had the first meal of the day it now being 1 O’clock & such a meal. There is an excellent railway restaurant & 2 helpings to everything going soon filled me up. I got to P.Mb. at 5 O’Clock & Rutherford met me he is in charge here & acting DVO [3 lines redacted] he made himself most agreeable, did everything in his power for me was most anxious I should dine with him at the Club & so on, but I knew what a beast I looked coming straight from the battle field & had not been out of my clothes for four whole days.

I got an excellent dinner at the station & in the evening left for Durban en route to Cape Town. I got to Durban early in the morning looking a veritable beast after all my travelling & previous experience. A poor woman

[[3]] in deep mourning came up to me at the station apologised for speaking but could I tell her whether Ladysmith had yet been relieved. I told her I could tell her definitely it had not been. She sighed, clasped her hands, thanked me & went off. Poor creature! her[sic] son or perhaps her husband shut up. I soon found myself at the point of embarkation & arranged with the steward about a bath, it was now Friday morning & ever since Sunday I had neither had a bath or things off. [1 line redacted] & when I changed after tubbing[sic] hid my clothes until I could give them to Morton to wash.

But what an entire transformation seemed in a few hours. I had come from hell to paradise from misery & human suffering to happiness & health from poverty to riches, from war to peace, I saw white women who all looked lovely, white children that I seemed only to have heard of long long ago, tables, beds, curtains, white bed linen! I could scarce believe my eyes at the sudden transformation to fairy land. No wonder that I woke up last night & unable to realise the situation, thought I had been placed in a hut & wounded, I felt the wall of the cabin & finding it wood settled that I had been carried there off the field & placed on a bed through I could not remember either being wounded or carried there.

I have had such feeds on board, excellent diet. Bread after not seeing it for weeks[,] butter[,] everything. I stuff stuff stuff & need it, for I have lost flesh though in the best of health & you could count every rib. I was surprised when I saw myself in a glass, my face is still peeling but I am in clean clothes, clean everything & having an excellent time of it. There is a baby & a little boy much younger than either of our beauties on board & it is a pleasure & delight to see them & play with them. I keep fancying this may be a dream & dread it ending — We have 40 wounded on board for Cape Town & home. The only other officer is a Captn RHA Headlam[?] who gets off at Port Elizabeth to morrow[sic] for Modder River. I go to Cape Town for orders & then to De Aar.

[[4]] 11th Feb Sunday — We have just left Port Elizabeth & Headlam[?] has gone. We get to Cape Town on Tuesday so this letter will be in time for the English mail which leaves the next day. I hope before I close this letter to give you an account of my interview with Rayment & what he requires me for — I told you that Buller would not get through to the Relief of Ladysmith & news has come on board this morning that he has retired, if so perhaps I am lucky getting away, as the interest in the fighting will now be transferred to the Cape Colony side & further any honourss for the campaign are now more likely to fall to the Cape Colony side than to the defeated troops under Buller. I am sure the latter never sufficiently realized the difficulties of the position — he could only have taken it with 100 000 men & the loss of 10,000 lives.

There was a very fat woman of 50 on board for Durban, she left us this morning [3 lines redacted] we had a most interesting conversation, she is Dutch but married an Englishman, she hated the Dutch & her daughters (who came to see her off & of whose beauty she never tired of dwelling on) were well educated & all married Englishmen. She could not speak English until 12 years of age but had she not told me the fact I could not have detected she was a foreigner. She has had 19 children & was very proud of it she hoped I should have the same number but I told her that I was ignorant of South Africa & its peculiarities but that certainly in England & other countries with which I was acquainted it was the women & not the men who bore the children. She laughed so heartily that I feared impending apoplexy.

Her width of [illeg.] surpasses all description she was wonderfully made & her arms were much bigger than my legs. The two children I mentioned yesterday have not their mother with them the parents & children had to leave Dundee at an hour’s notice & get in the train to escape the Boers, They left in what they stood up in. The father is consumptive & has gone to Las Palmas to die accompanied by his young wife. The two children are on board under the care of a companion lady’s help & a nurse. The latter has a husband (an art master) shut up in Ladysmith now a naval volunteer, she is about 40 years of age

[No Valediction]

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[1] Annotated by Smith with ‘Keep’

[2] The Mazawattee Tea Company, founded in 1887 was one of the most important and most advertised tea firms in England during the late 19th century.

11 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 23 Feb 1900

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[FS/2/2/4/2/11]

Queenstown

23 Feb 1900

[Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] I have just arrived here, the other side of Cape Colony (just above East London) after travelling incessantly since I last wrote to you viz 19 Feb — I had intended to fully describe my journey, but the fact that the [1 word struck through, illeg.] mail goes to morrow[sic] & I only have a short time to night[sic] to write it [1 word struck through, illeg.] precludes all notion of giving you a detailed account of all my adventures – I just did a long train journey through the heart of south africa[sic] & a God forsaken place it is. Nothing but desert nothing but stones, & hills, after Natal it was positively [illeg.] dreadful & reminded one more of the Soudan[Sudan] than anything sl else. Where they have water [1 word struck through, illeg.] town & veritable oasis is constructed & here everything is green fruit abundant & a perfect garden of Eden, but the line of demarcation between  that & the desert is as absolute as anything can be for two nights & a day & a quarter did I do this scenery further towards Craddock, which was my objective, matters improved a little & here ostrich farming help[s] to relieve the monotony of the view, those dear children would have liked to see those beautiful birds running about wild, lovely plumage I must try & buy some for you, but they are very expensive.

At last Craddock was reached. It is a small town very Dutch & therefore very disloyal I found 2 companies of the Sherwood Foresters[1] here & they made me most comfortable, the Boers were expected the day before I arrived, but had not turned

[[2]] turned[sic] up. They were rather nervous about their appearance as it was impossible to hold the place with a handful of men & nearly everybody in the place was a Boer sympathiser they openly boasted of having 10,000 men ready to rise, but if they could have produced 1000 I should have been surprised. I  remained at Craddock a day & a half & then owing to the Boers being in possession of the northern part of the line I had to drive from Craddock to Queenstown over 90 miles in a Cape Cart. I took Morton & was glad of it but what a shaking up we got for 50 miles

The road was perfect h– it is impossible to describe up & down hill, in ruts over stones, boulders & rocks, through the dry bed of rivers, through streams, down places that made you gasp as you looked at them & this went on from 10 one morning until 2 am next day, by that time we had only done 53 miles, but I am anticipating.

It was a Dutchman who drove us & of course a Boer sympathiser. I had my revolver & Morton Carbine & should have blown out his brains on the spot if he had tried his games on, I was suspicious of him for a long time as he kept looking out right & left for miles, bear in mind we were within 20 miles of the Boers a distance easily covered by them on two horses. As night came on & we got no nearer our destination I still more sus-pected[sic] my man at last it got quite dark the thundereder  rolled & a heavy storm came on, it was so dark that I could not see Morton in front of me not two feet away. We got out tried to find the road on our with our hands but no use. We could hear the noise from a waggon[sic] in front & a friendly flash

[[3]] of lightning showed a bullock waggon[sic] just ahead of us. The driver confessed he could not see the road & asked Morton if he could. Well he & the driver crawled under the waggon[sic] for protection. I rolled up in my waterproof bag on the seat of the two wheeled cart hulled up like a [illeg.], the wind howled, the rain came down in a perfect deluge & this lasted for four hours, a pale moon then rose & we continued on our way & finally reached Tarkastad a very Dutch centre seething with disloyalty. After much difficulty we woke up a man in the hotel & demanded stable & bed. His idea was we would all sleep together so he took us to a three bedded room but I drew the line at that. My first experience was finding seven B flats[?][2] stuck in the candle just after they had been impaled with a pin! I at once scratched myself back & front, made a search of the bed & walls, the latter bore full external evidence of much slaughter, this was enough for Morton he elected to sleep in the cart outside. I lay as I was gingerly on the bed candle burning until daylight & I think this kept the enemy away for I was not troubled during the night.

I found the house was kept by a Polish Jew but all S. African hotels are the same, even the one in Cape Town where I lived. One amusing scene occurred earlier in the day. We stopped at a wayside home for tea, it was a shanty of the first water kept by a Dutchman who tried to appear very loyal[,] tea was amassed & I had previously asked Morton whether he would like some & he replied in the affirmative. [“]This way gentlemen[“] said the landlord leading the way to the tea room.

[[4]] Morton followed at a respectful distance — [“]You can sit here & the other gentleman there[“] said the landlord. Morton not yet hearing got in I said, [“]the other gentleman is my servant, you can put him at the end of the table[“]. Profuse apologies from the landlord, who explained that he did not recognise master & servant & otherwise gave himself away, however he wound up by calling out, [“]Come on Mr. Morton & sit here[“]. Cant’[sic] you imagine the colours of Morton’s face!

In this blessed country every hotel Keeper[sic] his wife, children , etc shake hands with you including also Morton who distinguished appearance gains him great attention.

Well, our second days journey was 42 miles, better going but rained heavily passed through flights of locusts which resembled a huge dust storm, never saw anything like it, saw buck had a shot & nearly got it, equids [1 line redacted] & other beasts of sorts) & finally got to Queens town[sic] at 4 OClock[sic]. The place was in great rejoicing they had the news that Cronje[3] had surrendered & that Ladysmith had been relieved, the loyal inhabitants had hung out flags[,] bicycles with flags & other ornaments invaded the streets & every evidence of rejoicing on the part of the loyal inhabitants but they are few, very few. all[sic] wear a festoon of ribbons on the hat red white & blue, all who dont’[sic] & they are numerous are ached[?].

I made up my mind not to stay in a S.A hotel again if I could help it, so worked there show to live in the station & I am now put in a post office railway van, with a plank up it to walk

[No Valediction]

 

 

 

 

(Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study the electronic images of this document where possible)

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[1] Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment of the British Army

[2] B Flats? Could be Bed Bugs?

[3] Pieter Arnoldus Cronjé, (1836 –1911) was a general of the South African Republic’s military forces during the Anglo-Boer wars of 1880-1881 and 1899-1902.

12 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith,18 Mar 1900

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[FS/2/2/4/2/12] (1)

Norvals Pont

Orange River. SA

18 March 1900

*[1]

[Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] I am in a fit lest the letter I posted to you yesterday is late for the mail, I quite forgot that the section of this line to Nauport[2] had been damaged by the enemy & that progress is slow in consequence & as you know I brought my Craddock letter with me to post here. I do hope it was in time for you, as I shall like to say I never missed a mail all the time I was away.

Well, I left Craddock the night before last, & though so late in life I really seem to make friends, the fellows appeared to be very sorry at my leaving & the Colonel particularly so as he & I have been on most friendly terms[,] a most cordial farewell at the station occurred, & that night I slept on the floor at Naaupoort station. At 5 am I got into the guards van of a luggage train & after passing Arundel, Reusberg[?] all scenes

[[2]] of recent fighting I got to Colesberg which I intended for my destination, but there were no troops there so I went on to Norvals Pont[sic] where I knew a big force existed. I did not get here until 3 in the afternoon as at most places on the line not more than 5 miles an hour could be done & sometimes we waited for two hours, every bridge & culvert had been blown up, the rails had been bodily torn away & cast on one side, one big iron bridge was lying in the dry bed of the river blown up with dynamite. We crossed in a very dodgy manner. Here is the bridge with the centre spar gone[3] [illustration] How would you have got over. Well they ran the line over the dry bed of the river & up again on the other side to the level of the bridge, but it took two engines to get us up the steep bank. On arrival here I looked out a place to bed down for the night, but the whole place was indescribably filthy the Boers had used the houses to stable their horses in

[[3]] Dung inches in thickness existed on the floors, the whole of the walls were scribbled over with Dutch & English filth, the platform was inches thick in manure & in this mess onions & indian[sic] corn were growing. The whole place was a vast latrine & the filth beyond description. An English store (or shop) had been looted & the shelves & fittings bodily pulled from the wall a billiard table in a bar near the station had the whole of the cloth torn off the rubber cushions torn away & the place full of filth manure & indian[sic] corn. The houses used by the railway people were in the same shocking condition even the kitchen stoves pulled out. The ground was littered with straw[,] filth, sheep skin & entrails, no one can picture the state the place was in. We are now disinfecting & cleaning out the rooms & I am writing this in one of them at present. The filth brings a plague of flies there are myriads where I write this, they get in ones food meat drink everything flies.

There is a beautiful iron bridge over the Orange River

[[4]] At Norvals Pont[sic], they have blown out the two centre spars & we have a railway corps busy day & night repairing it temporarily. It seems such a sin to see two immense spars of this bridge lying in the river, but we have got a pontoon over it & have our troops now in the Free State I crossed by the pontoon this morning it is just under 400 yards long & set foot in the enemy’s territory & then returned.

But the pontoon is 4 miles from here & having no horse I walked the distance in a sun none too cool. I saw Clements the G.O.C this force & had a five minute chat with him. He is a very young man & was originally in the 24th Regt & a friend of Miss Wilkinsons [sic] if I rightly remember.

I have picked up here with a Mr. Gotto who is reporting for the Daily News, he met with an accident on the railway last night & I picked him up & looked after him until a doctor came. He seems a very wise man a gentleman, has lots of good things with him which I do not take, but I have had two cigars

[FS/2/2/4/2/12] (2)

[[1]] [Beginning of page missing] call on her in order to get to known she calls on him & settles the matter. He told me old Admiral Keppel many years ago was bringing home in his ship Governor of Cape Colony [3 lines redacted]

[[2]] [Beginning of page missing] Morton is busy at present cooking my dinner it is not very elaborate only bread meat put into water & steamed down with neither potatoes onions or anything else, but it is <an> excellent diet for a hungry man. He is doing very well but I think prefers the comforts of Craddock to the flies of Norvals Pont[sic].

[[3]] The Free State appears to have had enough of fighting yesterday lots of them gave up their arms & ammunitions from the different farms close by. I think Kruger will fight, but if he does not the game is up.

By the bye it may be interest you to know the Dutch pronounce his name as if it were spelt “Kreer” not as we do. A train yesterday came in from Bloemfontein with Carew[4] & some of his Guardsmen. We hold the country up to that point & captured at Bloemfontein 900 tons of coal & 30 Railway Engines an excellent haul.

There is a rumour to day[sic] that Brabant[5] at Aliwal North about 80 miles to our right has met with a reverse, if this is true there shall be fighting somewhere between here & there & we ought to box them up. I told Clements I wanted to see him fight if it came off, but of course I cannot remain here long doing nothing.
My present idea is to get up to Bloemfontein in three or four days time & get back again.

[[4]] I hope it will come off — good way of seeing the country. I wish you could see this room my belt, bag, valise & Morton’s bundle all flies. on the wall my clock sword revolver & water bottle in the corner his Carbine & ammunition. I sit on a form renewal for the school, my writing table being a three legged iron wash bowl stand with a piece of board on it. He sits outside stoking the fire & making my hash truly a gipsy life.

Did I tell you that Wise of the 13th told me when I was with them that he had written to his wife to have a rockery made in the back garden as the only place he could possibly sleep on in the future! Well I feel rather like this myself comfort demoralizes one!

We had a 9lb Boer gun here captured from them — it is going to Cape Town, there will be a great demonstration I expect

19th March. Last night I spent with my correspondent of the Daily News friend his name is Gotto, he is a man

[FS/2/2/4/2/12] (3)

[[1]] of great culture & can discuss on any subject. He is also an artist, I hope I may see his pictures. He tells me he is a great friend of Whistler’s & other big art men & entertained me for hours with stories of them & other celebrities. He has a pistol given him as a parting present from Cyril Maude the actor. Among other things he possesses a small yacht & is quite a man of the world. I breakfasted with him this morning on steak & onions he did me well in fact if I chose I could go there to every meal. In his cart this morning I drove out to the camp & appreciated the change from yesterdays walk very much. I have wired to find out whether I should go out to Bloemfontein. I hope they say yes. I shall then be content to return to Craddock for a week or so. As to news I have none to day[sic] excepting that our meat is very tough & our bread mouldy.  We tried to buy some rice but they had none, then sago was asked for but they were not having any so that our diet of Morton’s stew of very tough & tasteless draught ox with some jam will form our dinners plus some soup tablets.

[[2]] I picked up a Boer letter in their camp this morning & will have it translated in case it contains any useful information.

24 March. Here I am again at Craddock the evening of the last day I wrote you I received a wire directing me not to cross the Orange River but to inspect Burghersdorp[sic]. So I packed up & on the 20th placed myself at Norval’s Pont[sic]  station for a train timed to leave at 11am. It left at 4pm during which time we had nothing to eat & moreover could get nothing from the supply depot, they had neither bread nor biscuit a lively prospect! However at 4 the train started & Gotto not feeling well returned with me as far as Colesberg. We got to the latter place when it was dark & I determined to feed. The train waited about 2 hours, but no one knows why, & in the interval Morton managed to get a loaf of bread. I then proceeded to my repast in the coal truck where he was lying with my kit & sitting on the floor of this I managed by the pale light of a bad moon & a flickering candle to

[[3]] to pick out the meat from the fat in a tin of bully, get some cocoa from the Engine & wind up with marmalade Excellent repast. The train moved on later & we got landed in Naaupoort [Noupoort] at 12 midnight. [Continuation of page missing]

[[4]] yelled with delight when our wounded were brought into Colesberg. The effect was electrical between them they arranged to burn & scarify her. They fervently prayed she might lose her train at N’poort (for that meant she would have to

[Continuation of page missing]

[FS/2/2/4/2/12] (4)

[[1]] It was made at Norval’s Pont[sic] waiting for the train & towards the end was interrupted by some-one[sic] turning up. However you may care for it & I send it by this mail. I think it a good likeness. You can imagine how well he sketches when I tell you this was done in a few minutes & not a simple erasure was made.

To resume my narrative — [1 word struck through, illeg.] Naaupoort [Noupoort]  being reached at midnight & my train not leaving until 8 am next morning & with no place to sleep I rolled my valise open on the platform & got inside. There was a very heavy dew but I kept dry & slept well excepting when men in the dark fell over my feet, for other trains conveying troops & stores were pouring in all night & there was very little standing let alone sleeping room on the platform. It was bitterly cold so cold Morton could not sleep & had to walk up & down all night. In due course (6 hours late) the train arrived which was to take me to Burghersdorp[sic]. This is the centre of Dutch disaffection & passes through

[[2]] many miles of country belonging to us from which the Boers have only just cleared out. The railway bore evidence of their presence every bridge, every culvert was destroyed, they are now temporarily repaired & traffic is slowly carried on. It is most interesting to see how they temporarily build up the piles of a bridge by means of sleepers or rails arranged on one another in a square & piled up to the required height. In this way the train is carried over. [6] [Illustration]

The iron girders of all the bridges are torn into fantastic shapes like so much paper & lying all over the place. It is a shameful waste of property. Well I travelled the whole of this day the (21st March) & in the evening arrived at Stormberg the scene of Gatacre’s disaster –from here I went by train to Burgersdorp where I arrived at 7pm. The whole of this place was up to a day or two ago occupied by Boers. In contrast to Norval’s Pont[sic] there was not the slightest destruction of property

[[3]] effected the station was clear & altho[sic] the telegraph wires were cut there was no damage of importance

I slept in the station that night Morton not far off how he snored! but[sic] then he always does.

The reason why Burgehersdorp[sic] station was not destroyed was because the whole place is Dutch & full of Boer sympathisers. In fact not a telegraph form or label in English could be got in this place. The Free State had taken the place over & had left behind them all Free State material. I send you with my photo one of their labels & telegraph forms a very simple bit of loot. At 3am on the 22nd we proceeded to Bethulie on the Banks of the Orange River, only a Guards van was obtainable & several of us were packed in there with the mails. We got to Bethulie Camp just south of the river by 9am progress very slow wit owing to the bridges being all blown up, even the signal posts had been shot at part of their arms being cut off which the lamps & coloured glasses were smashed by bullets[.]

[[4]] At Bethulie Camp there is no station I tumbled not in the direction of the tents & soon found a man who directed me to the Transport offices, here I found [word redacted] A.V.O who gave me some breakfast which I greatly appreciated & after I had done my work I went & saw Bethulie Railway Bridge which the Boers had just destroyed. It is a sad sight, a fine iron bridge with five of its spars blown out some lying in the water others drooping like a faded flower. Two miles away is the iron waggon[sic] bridge connected Cape Colony with the Free State, they tried to blow this up but failed. [1 word redacted] in the course of conversation dwelt so incessantly on the hard work that he had performed that I was compelled to remind him that I had heard differently of him at Cape Town where he was in bad odour, for not putting his shoulder to the wheel & ‘bucking’ up a bit. I fear I gave him rather a shock, but I dont’[sic] suppose it will do him any good. [Words redacted]

[No Valediction]

(Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study the electronic images of this document where possible. (https://vethistory.rcvsknowledge.org//archive-collection/fs-working-papers/)

[1] Annotated by Smith with ‘Keep but re read’

[2] Noupoort, South Africa

[3] Illustration by Smith of broken bridge.

[4] Lieutenant-General Sir Reginald Pole-Carew, KCB, CVO (1849 –1924) was a British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding 8th Division.

[5] Major-General Sir Edward Brabant, commanding the Colonial Division

[6] Illustration by Smith of the railway repair technique

13 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 10 May 1900

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[FS/2/2/4/2/13]

Masonic Hotel. Bloemfontein O.F.S*[1]

*[2]

10 May 1900

 [No Salutation]

[[1]] I am receiving papers regularly from you but belated this I do not mind, I read every word of the papers & learn from them what has been occurring under my very nose without my knowing it. Those letters from L’Smith are beautifully written. I have lent them all to Matthews. Strange to say I saw a review on Beaconsfields letters addressed to Lady Dorothy Neville.[3] You may remember this was the lady I wrote to you about who was sweetheart of the Duke of Wellington.

Read Steevens book from Cape Town to L’Smith.[4] It is his letters to the Daily Mail collected, the account of his death is very touching. Speaking of death this place takes the merry biscuit, no less than nineteen to day[sic] including an officer[,] one hospital lost 9 men in 12 hours!! All enterics[sic].[5] How I wish I had been inoculated. I should have been but for the selfishness of the Colonel! In spite of all this everything goes on as usual & the mixture is incongruous. In one street is met several funeral parties, the corpse sewn in a blanket, the face & nose showing through with painful distinctiveness, carried on a stretcher by his comrades, or rolled along in a mule cart, string upon string of these processions approaching from the dozens of hospitals to be found in this town, & the next minute one meets say a wedding or something equally the opposite. Here babies & children are to be met dancing to the music of the pipes & drums in the market square, while in the road is a batch of prisoners, probably their father or some relation, being marched off under a strong escort; here is a school, all the boys sitting at their benches the impatient voice of the master being heard above their shrill noise, while rolling past the school windows are the dismal ambulance waggons[sic] with red cross flags carrying the mutilated remains of brave men straight from the Field. From this house comes the tin kettle note of the Dutch piano being inflicted either with the fine finger exercise or a selection from the Belle of New York, while in the yard opposite are men lying on the ground in all attitudes waiting for admission to the hospital. The extremes meet everywhere, but no where[sic] so marked as in war. One tries to see the funny & ridiculous side in everything & in spite of its horrors, its suffering & its ghastly wretchedness [1 word struck through, illeg.] there is always something to smile at & someone to chaff[6].

[5 lines redacted]

[[2]] [4 lines redacted] perfectly true story — just look him out in the Army List.

I dont[sic] see much of Matthews, but I think he is friendly — he tells me Gladstone[?] is down with Enteric, so that the expected rupture between him & [1 word redacted] may not now come off.

I expect almost any day now to hear that Rament has gone sick — The Boer shells etc I sent down by him to Cape Town are now in my luggaje[sic] so they are safe. I must next send down the coat of arms from President Steyn’s[7] carriage for it is impossible for me to carry it about. I have not got a Free State flag yet but hope to. Has my Queen’s Medal for the Soudan yet been received? I saw the 21st Lancers got theirs the other day — [5 lines redacted].

I saw a fellow last night just out of Wepener he was there the whole time of the siege & a hot time they had. The boers[sic] shelled them day & night as they were most anxious to capture the garrison who consisted principally of Colonials & they hate the loyal colonists, the last two shrapnel shells they fired had an inscription scratched on, one was “Good bye Cape Mounted Rifles we’ll have you yet” the other shrapnel bore the name of all the Dutch gunners who served this particular gun[.] I am going to see these curiosities. The garrison had little to eat & nothing to smoke, so for the latter they fell back on hay & tea leaves!!!

Brabazon[8] leisurely came to their relief & in his lordly manner told them he did not know they were hard pressed & he could have relieved them a fortnight earlier!! The garrison could not leave their trenches the whole day any man who attempted it was at once shot. They could only go for food & water at night, & even by moonlight several were picked off.

[No Valediction]

(Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study the electronic images of this document where possible)

(https://vethistory.rcvsknowledge.org//archive-collection/fs-working-papers/)

[1] Written on hotel paper, Masonic Hotel, B.Levy & Son

[2] Also annotated as page 4 however this is the only remaining page.

[3] Lady Dorothy Neville, (1826-1913) English writer, hostess and horticulturist

[4] G. W. Steevens, From Capetown to Ladysmith: An Unfinished Record of the South African War

[5] Enteric fever or typhoid

[6] To tease

[7] Martinus Theunis Steyn (1857-1916), president of the Orange Free State from 1896 to 1902

[8] General Reginald Le Normand Brabazon, Lord Ardee (1869-1949)

14 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 1 Jun 1900

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[FS/2/2/4/2/14] (1)

Johannesburg.

1 June 1900

 [Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] My last letter to you was written just before we sighted Johann’burg[sic] & while fighting was going on on our left. We expected that morning to have a show but there was very little done they fell back on Elandsfontein a suburb of J’h’burg[sic] &  we had a fight for the railway station a pretty little one which resulted in the capture of several engines & a lot of waggons[sic] but before this came off we arrived at Klip Drift where we expected the stand to be made. They had dug their rifle pits but their hearts[?] failed them & [1 word struck through, illeg.] scouts reached Klip Drift station to see the last train steam out with guns etc on board. We occupied their camp a beastly place & containing trunks, pick axes shovels & old clothing. Next morning we pushed on & from the high hills on which we stood got our first view of Johannesburg or rather the gold bearing reefs. The reef runs for 60 miles & has mines all along it, as we stood on the top of the hill overlooking the saddest[?] spot in the world, the staff all cloistered together while the Chief & Kitchener scanned with glasses the whole country two prisoners were brought up one an old Dutchman with a [illeg.] the other a young Jew. The latter had been taken in a neighbouring house which contained Boers. He swore he had never been on Command & he was backed up in this by his wife who accompanied him with a child in her arms. Such a subject for a picture the man expecting to be shot at one, his wife looking distracted, the child in her arms utterly indifferent sucking a piece of chocolate. I do not know what became of him as we pushed on, but I saw General Marshall R.A. take a snap shot of the scene & I hope it may be published. If so you will see me just to one side of the prisoner standing by the side of my horse. We pushed on, paying visits to neighbouring farm houses for food but most of them had been looted by our men the fowls captured eggs & butter gone. I paid 1/- for half a loaf of dough at a house where the mother was sick & full of children, they played with their kittens & little thought what was going on. We left a guard to prevent the woman being disturbed. Would the Boers have done this for us? I set Hallet[?] to work at one

[[2]] place to catch fowls. Can you imagine the miserable[?] Knocked Kneed Hallet catching a fowl? I need [1 word struck through, illeg.] hardly say we had no fowl, but we looted forage for our horses which was very useful for the whole country was on fire, the Boers burned the grass as they went along & for miles the fires raged leaving nothing but a black mass of char [1 line illeg.] the tired dusty troops trudged for miles, the black dust mingled with the brown & their faces & clothing were a sight. At night their fires presented a very pretty appearance. I forgot to say that when we reached Klip River station the last train was going out & the station master set fire to his own house[,] how this was going to injure us was not very clear.

Finally we reached Elands fontein[sic] where the fight for the Railway I mentioned above took place, a train was in the station but could not escape, we got it free & after piled sleepers & stones on the line up & down she steamed like a mouse in a trap while Lee Metford pepper was administered in abundance, finally she gave up the game & surrendered in & the main body of the Boers returned up the hills in the direction of Pretoria there were still plenty of them in Johannesburg. It was nearly dark when the fight was over & we made for the nearest Farm house, by luck we got a nice home used as a barn[.] The owner lived in another a few yards away & here were stowed the Military Foreign attaché with Lord Downe. I slept on the verandah[sic] on a delightful bed of straw of which an abundance existed, such a lovely bed after the hard ground. Every post around the farm was in a few minutes pulled down for fire wood. We sent for the proprietor ordered bread milk & butter, but he could supply nothing. He handed in his rifle & ammunition & though he was safe, when we got there only his terrified wife was to be seen, he & the children were hiding when he found he was not to be shot, he bucked up & did all he could for us. I ordered him to bake bread in his own oven which I told him I would lend him for the occasion, but the oven was already occupied with ducks! for the attaché!

That night & all night long the 7th Division kept rolling up & every man came to this house for wood , it was bitterly cold & the men had neither cloaks nor blankets, they hammered away

[[3]] at the house all night sleep was impossible they tore off the doors, pulled out the windows tore up the floor pulled down the stable, pig styes, dairy & the next morning you never saw such a wreck, excepting the verandah[sic] in which I slept the room occupied by Savage the place was a wreck & beyond recognition, all that was left of the tin dairy was a shapeless mass of iron like a battered kerosene tin.

The whole of the forage in the house we lived in was taken for our troops, my horses lived like fighting cocks. Every particle of wire fence had been pulled down to burn the posts for fire wood. Late at night a fellow of the K O S B’s[1] came & asked whether he might sleep there I gave him a room full of straw, he said he was bitterly cold had no cover & that a brother officer recently recovered from a wound was dying of cold. He went off for their him & they slept with our servants on straw in one of the rooms they described it as delightful. I noticed over the straw bed made by the servants a lace curtain pulled down from the a window!

I had trouble with our Dutch host for finding he was not shot he began to get above himself & the second night of our visit objected to Hallet cutting down a post for fire wood[.] I gave him a good grilling & ordered him to his house. He collapsed & went off. They are curs when tackled. We stopped here two days because on the second day we summoned the town to surrender & out came the commandment to interview Lord Roberts. They could not come to terms & were given 24 hours to reconsider, they said they could not trust the Irish Element of Johannesburg & that they might fire on us in the streets even if the town surrendered. However they thought better of it in 24 hours time but while we were waiting <for> their reply we lost a whole day. On the night of this wasted day as I was warming my feet at the camp fire I heard a voice ask the way to Hd Qts. It turned out to be Churchill who had come in with despatches from Hamilton & with news of French.[2]

We had heard nothing of the battle for two days, Hamilton we knew had been fighting but we did not know the result. The despatches allayed all anxiety. Churchill had ridden from Doornkop a place to the west of Pretoria. He is a wonderful fellow

[[4]] By 10am next day we knew Johannesburg had surrendered & that we were to march through the city & haul up the Flag we started off I on the Chief’s staff as usual & went for miles along dusty roads, such red dust & so think that at times one could not see the man in front of him. In this way I nearly had a nasty accident over two rocks that I suddenly stumbled on in the road but saw just in time as we were cantering & it was a narrow shave. We were now in the suburbs of the city, the whole place was deserted, the houses closed, the windows were nailed up with sheet iron shutters or carefully boarded up[.] The grass grew in the sheets, it was a city of the dead for miles we went & hardly met a soul, I saw a woman in white on a bike she looked at us & rode back hard. There was a black woman on her knees, rubbing her forehead on the ground clapping her hands, shouting & gesticulating. It was a hearty welcome from Boer oppression as we got into the town we went along a street 11/2 miles in length & the people now appeared an enterprising photographer took us as we rode down the street you will see one on the outside of about the tenth row of officers behind the Chief — we rode 5 abreast on my right is Colonel Bunbury[?], next Coney the Parson, then Major Headlam the Gunner I came round with from Natal & then Col. Grierson[?] chief to Kitchener — in front of them were the military attaches

At times we halted to make sure the side sheets were free from assassins as there was a good chance the Chief might be shot at, but at his side was placed the Dutch Commandant & he was carefully guarded on the other. We all kept our eyes wide open for any movement in the crowd of a horrible character but none happened at that time. Slowly we made our way on to the Court House preceded by an advanced guard & let only the City delegates in a cart, at last we arrived we left at 10 am it was now 2.30pm the Transvaal flag was flying the Chief dismounted & went into the court house I dont[sic] know what for. The crowd was now dense, it was with difficulty that it could be kept back & a way made for the troops we all formed up around the flag staff mounted, the Chief returned. The drums & pipes of the Grenadiers arrived everything was ready, at a given signal the Transvaal flag was handed down & the Silk union Jack was run up, three hearty cheers were given, helmets off. we[sic] yelled it was not cheering, a guard of honour had presented arms a God save the Queen was played it consisted of several companies of the Essex Regt. as we cheered the men placed their helmets on their bayonets & such a sound inspiring

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[[1]] sight only occasionally seen in a life time, the men tattered & torn, clothes black greasy & frowning faces black with dust & heavy with beards but bayonets bright, bearing confident & proud no one to look at them would have thought that on their feet they had marched over a large fraction of Africa. It was superb cheer followed on cheer & gradually died away. The First British Flag had been hoisted on Transvaal soil to remain for ever[sic], a second will be hoisted long before you get this letter & at that I shall also I hope be present. I had a fine position on the right of the flag staff about 20 feet away. Several photos were taken of the scene you will see me in the front row to Kitchener’s right — I also saw Melton Prior[3] taking a sketch of it. I will tell you some-thing[sic] about the latter presently. The march past now began & about 15 000 men went by the Chief to music & general exclamation, this of course does not represent [1 word illeg.] of our force but it was sufficient to impress the on looker[sic] with what he might expect if he made himself nasty.

Amid the general cheers there was plenty of subdued hooting from the Boer man, but neither cheers nor hooting had any effect upon us one would have thought we were hauling up our Flag every day in the week so completely indifferent were we in exterior, though God knows proud enough of our work within. When I thought as the business was over that in a few hours you would be reading the whole business in the paper little knowing how intimately I had been associated with the whole proceeding that had taken place. After The troops looked splendid war worn bronzed warriors [,] dusty, very dusty but fit for anything. One Regt departed so far from military discipline as to take off their helmets & cheer the Chief as they marched past him. The bearing of the men was mag-nificent[sic] they are fit to go anywhere. There[sic] appearance astonished the mob. After the review the chief rode

[[2]] to our hotel & got tea, we waited outside, the people came up & offered us cigarettes, remarks were made that now they would have liberty, one man remarked as another muttering some imprecations passed him, Ah Yes, Your day is over my gentleman you’ll now keep a civil tongue in your head. The two were evidently enemies. As the Chief made his way into the Hotel the crowd were kept back but some man forced his way forward & it was thought he was on a dangerous mission for he was soon knocked down & kicked out of the mob.

At the moment this excitement occurred I was out of my saddle talking to Roberts nephew Sherston who is in command of the escort, I at once mounted & felt for my revolver in a second the bold front we put on prevented the crowd taking advantage of the circumstances & in a few minutes everything was quiet & calm. Some curious sights were witnessed during the proceedings. Women were held up to have a view of Lord Roberts & they would ask in the shouts which he was at first one was rather shy of pointing him out in case assassination was the game, but later on as we saw the general tnor was friendly we pointed him out. I saw two women running like hares to get to the head of the procession in order to see the hero of the hour. We left J.h’burg[sic]  as the sun was setting & marched out of the town about 4 miles along a weary dusty road, at last the camp was reached at the bottom of a hill over boulders swamps & long grass & here we had to sit until late at night until the baggage arrived, it  takes a little ingenuity to find your way in the dark over a place you have never seen in daylight, to keep your 3 horses with you among the hundreds present & then to find your baggage. All succeeded however & by 10pm I had completed the first meal I had since 8 in the morning,

A fellow of the 12th turned up to dinner by name he had ridden from Bloemfontein to get in time for the show & lost his way & got into Johannesburg & was made prisoner they treated him well & he was liberated as we marched in.

Among the trains we captured was a Red Cross one full of coal! [Illeg.] will use to put a hospital train

To day[sic] we are eating jam taken from the Boers & very good it is, we are also having a day of rest, hence the opportunity I have taken of writing you this account, I am sorry I have no more paper available [3 lines redacted].

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[[1]] I spoke before of Melton Prior he is the artist for the Ill’[sic] London News[4] & was in search of a picture. I told him I had witnessed [1 line redacted]  Lord Roberts. He at once [3 words redacted] of the interview & I supplied him with the details. He was very grateful and we had a long chat. He surprised me by saying that he thought I must always be smiling. I told him that as a matter of fact I went through life with a very sombre countenance. He was shut up in L’Smith but looks very little worse for it. Another correspondent I met was Battersby[5] who corresponds for the Morning Post. He takes a great interest in the Dept & recently sent a £40 telegram home on the subject of paucity of officers of the A.V.S & the loss of horses as consequence. And I gave him my views very fresh on the reorganisation of the Dept & I hope it may do good. Lord Manners[6] is another correspondent I have met he was taken prisoner the day before yesterday & is now at Pretoria. Bennett Burleigh[7] who corresponds for the D Telegraph I see frequently we met on the other side & are quite friendly. There is also a man of the Daily Mail I see frequently I do not know his name. The correspondents are useful men to keep in with.

I have told you little about myself well my luck is on the turn I was wired for as I told you to go to Kroonstad I let Bridge know & he wired to ask by whose Authority I went up I said the Director of Transport at Hd Quarters. They then wired to Hd Qts to say I was urgently required South of Bloemfontein (I ought to explain that there is friction between the G.O.C lines of communication & Hd Quarters — I really word on lines of communication & under that General & yet I am at the front & under Lord Roberts, an anomalous position). Well the Chief of Staff wired back & asked that I might remain until the end of the operations as I was urgently required with the Army & no other officer here could take my place. So it was settled & here I am on the Staff of the Field Marshal & ride with it wherever it goes & see everything.

[[2]]  It really is great luck & I am sincerely grateful to Bunbury who I know worked it for me it is all due to the successful manner in which I tackled the outbreak of pleuro pneumonia at Bloemfontein so that business was worth the trouble.

After Pretoria falls I expect I shall go back but there is no knowing. They say Kruger has gone to Lydenburg 200 miles from Pretoria if so that lengthens the campaign considerably. We have had some bitterly cold nights in the morning the ice on my bucket of water has been nearly half an inch thick we are 5400 feet above the sea imagine sleeping in the open under these conditions no tents of course. I put saddles around my head & over it waterproof cloak to keep the heavy dew & frost off me.  The ground of course is very hard & very lumpy. I have no mattress simply the canvas of the valise beneath me. My jager[?] cap is the greatest comfort it is perfectly lovely — in spite of the cold my head and body keep warm. My warm coat is a great boon but is not as warm as I should have liked we ought to have lined it with the blanket material. It looks excellent. I take great care in turning myself out well, & am perfectly mounted one of the best looking horses on the staff. Sawyer is equally careful in his appearance & we present rather a contrast to our two medical friends neither of whom wash for days together & never shave.

Here is a story of one of them, yesterday he went into Johannesburg to buy tobacco, a lady served him & as he was leaving the shop she said is that all you want he said yes thanks, she replied are you sure there is a bed in the next room. This to the Professor of Military Surgery at Netley — married man with family & 56 years of age[.] Can you imagine his & our amusement [5 lines redacted]

 

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[[1]] [10 lines redacted]

 

There are rumours to day[sic] of peace & we all look happy but I am sure it is only one of the many camp lies which are truly legion. At Craddock I met a man a foreigner named D’Angers. I disliked & suspected him as a spy. I saw him again at Bloemfontein & being now wanted over a cheque for £800 I endeavoured to get him arrested but he had gone. One of the first men I saw at Johannesburg was my friend D’Angers talking earnestly with the Transport Marshal. I touched the latter on the shoulder & whispered to him that he was speaking to a scoundrel who was wanted. D’Angers at once recognised me & turned pale I asked him what he was doing at J’H’burg[sic]  & why he left B’f’tein[sic] he replied that he had gone to Basutoland to buy horses & was captured by the Boers. I denounced him as a spy & he was at once arrested. He is in our camp now with a batch of prisoners awaiting removal south I hope he will get a long term imprisonment.

This is our second day in this camp, we hope to move tomorrow morning & be at Pretoria in two days after. From there I will send you a wire if it is possible to get one through, but I doubt the possibility. Amongst the loot taken at Parredeberg was Mrs Cronje’s stays, some fellow has them & I believe sent them to Mdme Tussaud[?]. The story is that they were still warm! I forgot to tell you that in the march past [7 lines redacted]

[[2]] to swim, I shall never forget the sight at the seq Court House square of Johannesburg to the longest day I live.

The Chief’s Staff is an expanding one it is built up of the English Peerage a few feet from where I am writing this after lunch is the Marquis of Westminster[8] with his income of £100 per [illeg.] he has no side with him Lords Dudley[9] & Stanley[10] they form one mess & all of us are grouped in messes of four. You cannot turn without rubbing noses with the peerage. Norfolk[11] I have lost sight of since we crossed the Vaal he has gone to Hamilton’s force. He is a most extraordinary man in uniform most unmilitary looking, looks like a sack in Khaki & no neck.

[11 lines redacted] a mail has just brought No 23 of 27 April from you describing your visit to the Palace & your disappointment at not getting a letter from me. Of course it is the fault of the Mexican & not of yours truly I do not think I have ever yet missed a mail. Think of the time I have taken over this communication, the hundreds of interruptions & yet I plod on, as we march to Pretoria to morrow[sic] & I may miss the next mail I hope not I shall endeavour not. A letter also [3 lines redacted]

 

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[[1]] much fun in sending cryptic message to two persons! Pity you let on that you knew of it. Orders just recd  that we march in the morning for Pretoria so I must close this letter at once as I want to post it to night[sic] as we leave very early in the morning. It is not known whether they will fight or not.

A Corporal in the Grenadiers has just turned up & says he is Mortons[sic] Brother in law. I was sorry to tell him Morton was left behind sick & that up to date I had not heard how he was going on.

 

[Continuation of page damaged or removed]

 

[No Valediction]

 

 

(Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study the electronic images of this document where possible. https://vethistory.rcvsknowledge.org//archive-collection/fs-working-papers/)

[1] The King’s Own Scottish Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Scottish Division

[2] Field Marshal John Denton Pinkstone French, 1st Earl of Ypres  (1852 –1925), known as Sir John French from 1901 to 1916, and as The Viscount French between 1916 and 1922.

[3] Melton Prior (1845 –1910) was an English artist and war correspondent for The Illustrated London News from the early 1870s until 1904.

[4] The Illustrated London News first appeared on Saturday, 14 May 1842, as the world’s first illustrated weekly news magazine

[5] Harry Francis Prevost Battersby (1862-1949), Boer War correspondent for the Morning Post. Published poet and journalist as H F P Battersby and Francis Prevost.

[6] Lord Cecil Reginald John Manners (1868 –1945), was a British Conservative politician.

[7] Bennet Graham Burley (1840–1914) was a Scottish-born pirate, Confederate spy and journalist. Later in life, he changed his surname to Burleigh and became a celebrated war correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.

[8] Hugh Richard Arthur Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster, (1879 –1953) was a British landowner and one of the wealthiest men in the world

[9] William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley (1867 –1932), styled Viscount Ednam before 1885, was a British Conservative politician.

[10] Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby (1865 –1948), styled Mr Edward Stanley until 1886, then The Hon Edward Stanley and finally Lord Stanley from 1893 to 1908, was a British soldier, Conservative politician, diplomat and racehorse owner. He was twice Secretary of State for War and also served as British Ambassador to France.

[11] Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, (1847 – 1917) was a British Unionist politician and philanthropist. In 1900 he served as a lieutenant colonel in the Imperial Yeomanry in the Second Boer War until he was wounded near Pretoria and returned back to Britain.

15 – Letter to Mary Ann Smith from Frederick Smith, 5 Jun 1900

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Pretoria

5 June 1900

[Salutation Redacted]

[[1]] We have this minute entered the city of Pretoria after one days fighting & are now assembling in the railway station prior to the triumphant march through the town, we have had a very good time of it campaigning with the Hd Qt Staff of a big army in a luxury compound with what I have gone through. Our march from Johannesburg, where I wrote to you last was uneventful the usual farms flying white flags & containing Dutch women & children, the dust, the want of water & the heat of the mid day sun & frost at night have been our common experience for some days[.] Yesterdays fight was remarkable principally for the amount of ammunition expended by the Artillery we shelled their trenches & one of the ports & during the night the messages of surrender arrived & we are now to make our triumphant entry. I can imagine the thrill this will cause in England & in the Croft[1] in particular it is a proud affair to be in & one of the greatest historic importance, In years to come one will be able to look back on the march into Johannesburg & Pretoria with a deep of pride & pleasure. Yesterday will give me another bar to my ribbon [2 words redacted], I hear the medal is duly approved & being mde made fast, the ribbon being red with blue &  khaki, probably you know more about this than we do. Yesterday we shelled the railway station to stop trains going out, to day[sic] one sees the curious sight of trains standing in the station, steam up & each engine guarded by Guardsmen I hope you may see a picture of this[.] As we rode into the station the word ‘Pretoria’ on the platform caused a great thrill of delight to pass through one. Yet unfortunately the campaign is not ended Kruger[2] & his army has gone & he will have to be taken before this show closes. It will add three more months to the campaign. How I wish I could be in London & with you to day[sic] to see the excitement on the capture of Pretoria yet I would not have missed this business for anything. I am writing this on the railway platform while the Chief & staff are discussing the situation having no paper I empty the book of one of the Railway officials & very nice paper it is to write on. [1 line redacted]. We are busy collecting arms & ammunition, piles of rifles are now lying on the platform, & beside me are collecting supplies 1000 bags of grain have been found here, the train which was just off North was rather sold[?] we stopped it going out of the station.

[[2]] 7 June. I left off just before we marched through the city of Pretoria, well it was a fine show at 3pm we assembled at the Railway Station, but before this we had looted the Refreshment room & obtained Coffee & cigars for nothing, Westminster assisted by the Peers of the Realm & a General officer looted a Gramophone which was in the refreshment bar, altogether we enjoyed ourselves while the arms & ammunitions of the Burghers[3] was being piled up in the station, you never saw such a collection of stuff, guns & rifles of all description from the big smooth bore guns to the modern mauser, there were also swords, a helmet & such a collection of revolvers & bandoliers. I got a mauser carbine for you & one or two other things to be mentioned presently. A curious circumstance occurred an old & very ugly woman accompanied by a Kaffir brought some luncheon for Lord Roberts done up like the dinner one sees going to the station for engine drivers it was very clean looking & had a little napkin, she insisted on seeing the Chief of the Staff & Kitchener had to say a few words to her, as a matter of fact the Chief had lunched, but I hope someone made a snap shot of the interview. At 3 pm we left all in the order we marched into Johannesburg, you will see me on the left hand side outside immediately behind the foreign attachés. As we neared the Parliament house a roar went up from the British position mainly comprised of our own prisoners (officers) who had the previous night overpowered their guards & escaped the square was lined by the Grenadiers & the Chief was met with a Royal Salute in a few minutes the flag was ready the little silk one worked by Lady Roberts & it was hoisted to the top of the staff by Westminster I think or Chamberlain, three cheers were given for the Queen & you may imagine what cheers they were. The march past now commenced no one can picture these war worn veterans but those who saw them, the men unwashed, beared[sic], black in the face from dirt & sun, clothes torn, helmets battered, & torn, Khaki black with grease & sweat men carrying firewood strapped on their backs or even in their hands, but marching magnificently & fit to go anywhere the irregular cavalry or rather mounted infantry were really too funny, one man was in a blue jersey another in blue overalls, a third a shoulder of mutton hanging to his saddle, a fourth wore a blue jersey cap & so on these men were colonials rough but good, they have done capital work, the Canadian infantry marched past to the ‘Boys of the Old Brigade’ & looked superb, they marched as well as the Guards & are if anything bigger. The Naval Brigade & C.I.V.[4] met with a great ovation, the latter are as good as regulars. The big guns of the former, which only a few hours before hand been shelling the forts created a great impressions they went by to ‘a life on the ocean wave’[5] they were from the “Monarch” & “Doris”

The cheering as each band was recognised was pleasant. The goat of the Welsh Regt met with a great reception & the stolid British infantry of the line Black & tattered cannot be equalled by any other army in the World. I was a great sight & something to live for.

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[[1]] After the review which lasted 11/2  hours we filed off the Chief leading to our respective billets, we put up at the British Residency. The two doctors Sawyer & myself were billeted on a man & his wife who have a nice but very small house. To fully appreciate the position just imagine the following occurring in the Croft, in comes 4 officers, eight servants two carts, 8 horses. The horses carts & servants are billeted in our garden, you[,] your husband & children have to put in in one room, & find beds & bedding for your unwelcome guests who walk in & monopolise everything in the place, crockery, glass, china, lamps, etc etc. I dont[sic] say we walk off with these things but we use them to the exclusion of the household we burn their oil at 20/- a tin & they have to ask whether they may enter their own room!

Surely the war has been brought home to them, on the Sunday our shells which missed the fort fell just behind the home we are living in, the lady with her 2 month old baby fled to the town, the man a Hollander who had been fighting against us at Colesberg was less alarmed, though 50lbs lyddite shells are not things to play with. They (these people) certainly take our presence in very good part, perhaps for the reason that no other course is open to them, if they objected they would have to leave & we shall remain in possession.

The woman (a Hollander) is young spoke very good English & was terrified when we appeared. She expected to to[sic] raped, in fact that was the impression throughout the whole country by all the women [1 line redacted]  I can only say that they wear a bright & cheery appearance now they now they are safe. They also heard that we did not wear trousers!

The first idea was that 4 of us would sleep in one room, but we soon disabused them of the idea Sawyer & I have a room together, the others have a room each that leaves one room for the lady, her husband, baby & brother, all these four sleep in one room!!

The following day I organised a hospital & by 2 O’Clock every detail was in the hands of the Chief of the Staff, the medicines I commandeered in the town a smart piece of work & I hope it may be appreciated. The Cavalry have about 800 sick & other branches in smaller proportion. I then went to the House of Parliament sat in Kruger’s chair, & made myself a present of some papers from his desk & his pen. The latter will prove an interesting relic. I could have got many things but could not cart them off I should have liked the Eagle over the President’s chair but I would have been detected.

I succeeded to day[sic] in getting a Transvaal Flag from the office of the Chief Magistrate of the City so that is something to be proud of in the future it is a great find. I hope yet to get a Free State Flag when I pass through the Orange State again, or as it is now called the Orange Colony. Our future movements are uncertain, we may remain here & send out flying colours or the army may move on. Everyone is disgusted with Buller’s inactivity, he is simply sulking & had he been energetic this business would now have ended

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[[1]] As it is the affair is not over until the President is driven out of the country or captured. Mrs Kruger is here but no one sees her. We have recovered many of our prisoners & all the officers. They tried to take them away by train & succeeded in getting a good many off including the guns, but we have recovered 3500 men & 145 officers. The officers look pale & wan, they were carefully guarded night & day they cannot appreciate they are now free men. Some had been there for seven months, they had to pay for their own food, the men were practically starved one pound of meat a week only meal from maize formed their chief diet. The officers & men are being seen by the Chief to day[sic].

 

At first the officers got news a telegraph clerk who lived near them used to signal information & they got it before Kruger, later this was discovered & the fellow was nearly shot, he was an Englishman & was helped by two girls to convey news to the prisoners. Finally he was sent to the front though not a Burgher.

The fellows described what an awful life they led in this solitary confinement. The men would have starved but for money subscribed in the town & by the officers which amounted to £800 a month. One fellow told me that the effect of his imprisonment will be to make him very careful how he sentences a soldier to imprisonment in the future.

Shaw of ours I have not yet seen, but I have a job for him when he is liberated by the Chief, for none of them fellows can return to duty until they are weighed off. [3 words redacted] he is very quiet [4 lines redacted]

To night [sic] I hear the Boers have got behind us & cut the line of rail in the Free State, this will give the Militia a chance who are guarding the line. Kitchener has gone down to conduct operations. I am writing this letter in the hope that it may get through some time, but I fear it will miss the mail. I should have wired you from Pretoria, but no private wires are allowed through. It was a disappointment to me & I know it would have pleased you to know I was in Pretoria for the triumphant entry.

During the Battle of Pretoria I was quite close to Roberts & Kitchener, it lasted all day until night. It was very interesting to hear the remarks made by the two & the messages sent. Before During the battle Bobs laid down with his coat under his head & went to sleep. Some of the shells came very close to the Hd Qtr staff so that at one time it was thought we would have to change our position. Battersby[6] the Correspont[sic] I spoke of in my last had his horse shot dead by a Martini, he was standing by its side at the time & the bullet grazed his field glass case, a narrow shave for him. He was greatly depressed at the loss of his horse.

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[[1]] There was a rifle taken from a prisoner the other day I should have liked, he was wood carver & had cut his monogram on the stock & the name of his engagements. Estcourt, Colenso, Spion Kop & Pieters. I could not carry it with me, but it would have been worth keeping as a relic. I saw the man & had a long chat with him about Colenso.

[FS/2/2/4/2/15] (5)

[[1]] I have written all this on one side of this thin paper as my I am grieved to think of the trouble you will have with the Johannesburg letter written on both sides closely, but I have no other paper convenient. This time I have commandeered some from my host. Some fighting took place near here to day[sic] I have not heard the results. Last night they blew up a culvert a few miles out & the day before yesterday they shelled our prisoners at Waterfall[7] when we were bringing them in. So you see they are all around us, but we are perfectly safe. Everyone will be glad when the business is over & the burghers more than anyone else. It is the Hollanders who are keeping up the show & these will all be deported. Over 2,000 rifles have been handed in during the last day or two. I went around the Transvaal Artillery Barracks to day[sic] they have left quantities of harness & several gun carriages but no guns.  One of ours was there but they had destroyed it. The hospital was a sight, our men had looted it, goodness knows what for. Rolls of sticky plaster & splints, medicine spill boxes all over the place, broken stretchers, tents, letters of which I have saved, piles of ammunition & shell. I have not seen our hostess to day[sic] she has fever. This place is reported to be very malarial & I should fancy with truth, there is so much vegetation there being an abundance of water. I have not mentioned the Agricultural Apptmt in my last letter, the subject is still a sore one, but I am curious to know who gets it[8]. Still [illeg.] and I am honest. I would not have missed this show for it. I am thankful I came round from Natal. Buller is sulking & will do nothing or this war would have terminated by this time. He ought to be removed. The men by his side will get very little, all the honours will fall to this army. There is some little comfort in this.

12 June we moved our house yesterday it being too small & took one with 4 bed rooms drawing & dining rooms belonging to a Hollander who is being kicked out of the country. He leaves all his furniture (beautiful) glass, crockery bed & table linens for our use, lamps, cooking utensils etc. We walk in as if the place belongs to us. The man must have been well off for his furniture is really very good & substantial. Our last hostess got very sick she was a very clean woman in her house (the very opposite of the African Dutch) & our men & horse made a beastly mess. Her lawn got worn away, her rooms go could not be cleaned[,] tobacco ash on the floor gave her a fit & the poor woman huddled up in one room was very miserable. She told me that the day we left she would sing & play all day & I believe her. I was really very sorry, but we did not make this war & are infinitely more considerate than the people who fought against us on the other hand I must say considerable looting has been done by our troops, houses have been demolished & reckless damage inflicted. Even

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[[1]] the house of Eloff (Kruger’s son in law)[9] has been broken into & things stolen I am sorry for it & ashamed. Some of the places I saw to day[sic] would have disgraced a savage. I saw a home yesterday morning I saw the same place in the evening there was nothing left of it but the tin walls even the flooring has been removed for fire wood. I had less compassion for this man he is still on commando & in his room was a life size drawing of a British Soldier about 6ft high drawn on cartridge paper & painted red & this he had used as a target, it was full of bullet holes.

I got one or two small pieces of loot the other day two crests worn by the Saps (or Pretoria police) in their helmets & an officers throat plume for his horse.

In the Grand Hotel a curious sight may be seen a sentry with rifle & bayonet doing guard over a lady who is confined there as a political prisoner, she is supposed to be a spy. I hear this morning that she succeeded in making her guard drunk yesterday. I’m sorry for the guard!

[9 lines redacted]

Yesterday there was a fight a few miles out & several Cavalry officers were killed among others Earlie. I am sorry for her, she is at Bloemfontein where she went to nurse him after his slight wound at Zand river. Much better if she was out of the country for she will feel the shock all the more having seen him recently. Lord Chesham has also lost a son, in fact the aristocracy suffered heavily yesterday. It was intended as a movement for mopping up Botha[10]’s commando, but it did not come off.

We are still cut off from the world both by wire & rail, but in the hope that this may be restored within the next day or so I intend posting this

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[[1]] somewhat voluminous communication, you may be sure that once the postal service is established you will hear from me with my accustomed regularity. I expect Bridge will get me down country as soon as he can, but that does not matter now I have seen the show of shows & all we want now is to get the business over.

My hospital is working well, we have 1200 sick but I have arranged for everything & the veterinary part is most satisfactory. The part assigned to the combatant element is badly done & the C of Staff knows it & further that it has nothing to do with the A.V.D. we in fact shine by contrast.

Pretoria is a pretty place & when matters settle down must be quite a nice place to live in. It has an abundance of water & that is one of the essentials in a South African town. I may send you some photos of the place, several were taken of the ceremony on 5 June. [Continuation of letter missing]

 

 

[No Valediction]

 

 

(Please note that work on this transcript is ongoing. Users are advised to study the electronic images of this document where possible. (http://rcvsvethistory.org/archive-collection/fs-working-papers/)

[1] Smith’s home – The Croft, Little Heath, Charlton, in South East London

[2] Paul Kruger (1825-1904), President of the South African Republic 1883-1900

[3] Citizens of the South African Republic or Orange Free State

[4] City of London Imperial Volunteers

[5] “A Life on the Ocean Wave” is a poem-turned-song by Epes Sargent published in 1838 and set to music by Henry Russell.

[6] Harry Francis Prevost Battersby (1862-1949), Boer War correspondent for the Morning Post. Published poet and journalist as H F P Battersby and Francis Prevost.

[7] Waterval

[8] In April 1900, Smith was offered a position in the Board of Agriculture, but could not be excused from service in South Africa to take it.

[9] Frederik Christoffel Eloff (1850-1924)

[10] General Louis Botha (1862-1919) commander-in-chief of the Transvaal Boers, and leader of a guerrilla campaign against British forces