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TWO YEARS ON TREKBEING SOME ACCOUNT OF THEROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA.BY THE LATE LT.-COLONEL DU MOULIN.
TWO YEARS ON TREKBEING SOME ACCOUNT OF THEROYAL SUSSEX REGIMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA.BY THE LATE LT.-COLONEL DU MOULIN.
WITH A PREFACE BY COL. J. G. PANTON, C.M.G. Commanding 2nd Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment, 1903-1907. EDITED BY H. F. BIDDER, Captain, 3rd Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment . MURRAY AND CO., THE MIDDLESEX PRINTING WORKS, 180, BROMPTON ROAD, S.W. 1907. THIS BOOK WRITTEN FOR THE MOST PART BY THE LATE LT.-COL. DU MOULIN HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND PUBLISHED BY HIS COMRADES AS THE MOST FITTING MEMORIAL TO A GALLANT SOLDIER. DULCE · ET · DECORUM · EST · PRO · PATRIA · MORI CONTENTS....
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
Louis Eugène du Moulin was of French descent. By birth he was a New Zealander. He passed through Sandhurst and entered the army in 1879, joining the 107th Regiment—now the Second Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment. With this battalion all his service was spent, until his promotion in 1899 as second in command of the First Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment (the old 35th). He served in the Black Mountain Campaign of 1888, in the Chin-Lushai and Manipur expeditions of 1889-91, and in the Tirah Ca
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EXPLANATORY.
EXPLANATORY.
It was the design of Col. du Moulin to write an account of the doings of the Royal Sussex Regiment in South Africa, which should both serve to remind those of the Regiment who went through the campaign of the incidents in which they took part, and should also put on record another chapter of that Regimental History, made through many years in many lands, of which all who serve in the Regiment may be so justly proud. During the months of November and December, 1900, he found, in the comparative q
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CHAPTER I. TO BLOEMFONTEIN.
CHAPTER I. TO BLOEMFONTEIN.
Malta—Orders for South Africa—The Pavonia—Cape Town—Port Elizabeth—Bloemfontein—Glen. The senior regiment in the 1st Brigade in the 1st Army Corps at Aldershot and the first regiment on the roster for foreign service at the time war was declared in South Africa in 1899, we might fairly have expected to be one of the earliest regiments to embark for active service; but it was not to be. We saw our old friends in General FitzRoy Hart's Brigade—The Black Watch, the Welsh, the Northamptons—and almos
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CHAPTER II. THE 21ST BRIGADE. THE TREK BEGINS.
CHAPTER II. THE 21ST BRIGADE. THE TREK BEGINS.
Composition of the Brigade—-Start from Glen—Transport arrangements—To Jacobsrust—Rations—Halts—Pickets—Tobacco—Tea. The 21st Brigade was composed of four regiments, of which the Royal Sussex (under Col. Donne) was the senior. Next came the Sherwood Foresters, under Major Gossett (commanding in place of Colonel Smith-Dorrien, who was then in command of the 19th Brigade), who had under him a splendid body of men, the majority having served in their Second Battalion during the Tirah campaign. The e
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CHAPTER X. TO SPRINGS.
CHAPTER X. TO SPRINGS.
Boers retreat during the night—Elandsrivier station—Through the Boer positions—To Pretoria—Off again—Irene—-Bad state of clothing and boots—Difficulty of repairing the latter—To Springs—Clothing and stores obtained from Johannesburg. During the night the Boers vacated their position absolutely, so on the 13th June we made an early start, and the Brigade moved round to the south-east in a circular direction and then headed east to Elandsrivier station. On the way we passed some low hills on the s
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CHAPTER XI. TO REITZ.
CHAPTER XI. TO REITZ.
Heidelberg—The ladies' flag—Surrenders—Useless rifles—A duck hunt—Grass fires—Villiersdorp—Frankfort—Reitz—A Boer farm. We left Springs on the 22nd of June, and had a march of about ten miles before we reached our next camp, Grootfontein. This we found to be about eight miles from Heidelberg, which we reached fairly early the next day, the Cavalry and the Mounted Infantry having gone on in advance and having come into contact with several strong parties of the enemy. Just outside the town we wer
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CHAPTER XII. TO MEYER'S KOP.
CHAPTER XII. TO MEYER'S KOP.
Leeuwspruit—Bethlehem—De Wet surrounded—Ridley goes to Slabbert's Nek—De Wet already through—Meyer's Kop—-Rifle Positions—Inefficiency of shrapnel—Necessity of adapting tactics to those of the enemy—A looted store. We marched out of Reitz on the 13th of July, and camped at Hartebeeste Hoek about dusk, experiencing an icy cold night with a very heavy frost: the companies on picket suffered severely, as there was no wood to be got in the neighbourhood. Our march the next day to Leeuwspruit, just o
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CHAPTER XIV. TO THE BOER LAAGER.
CHAPTER XIV. TO THE BOER LAAGER.
Bearer Companies—Retief's Nek—Artillery driving—Naauwpoort Nek—White flags—Golden Gate—Orders to take over surrender of five commandos—To Raats' Farm—The Boer laager—Surrender of arms and horses—Organisation of prisoners—The Commandants—Basuto visitors—Destruction of ammunition. During all the time we were between Bethlehem and Retief's Nek we had been away from the Bearer Company and the Field Hospital, and had only one ambulance with us to perform the necessary duties of both of these units. W
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CHAPTER XV. TO WINBURG.
CHAPTER XV. TO WINBURG.
Escorting the prisoners—Authority of the Commandants—Strength of the commandos—Biddulph's Berg—Senekal—Sardines—Winburg—Release of old men and boys—Remainder of prisoners entrained. The battalion camped on the 31st of July at Klerksvlei, but next day moved about three miles further on with a view of forming a guard to the prisoners, whose laager had then been established at Korfshoek. The march was commenced on the 2nd of August, when the laager with the battalion as escort, together with the Mo
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CHAPTER XVI. UP AND DOWN.
CHAPTER XVI. UP AND DOWN.
Bloemfontein—Men and officers waiting there—Kroonstad—The Brigade re-fitted—Wasted comforts—Shopping for the canteen—Famine prices—Traders' profits—Ventersburg road—Half battalion to Winburg—Winburg attacked—Capture of Commandant Olivier—Bloemfontein—Ladybrand—Leeuw River Mills. I went down in the train with the last batch of prisoners as far as Bloemfontein, as the General wished me to go to the Ordnance stores, and see what could be done about bringing up clothing, boots and other stores for t
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CHAPTER XIX. TO BOTHAVILLE.
CHAPTER XIX. TO BOTHAVILLE.
Geneva—Kroonstad—New boots and sore feet—Bothaville—A strange souvenir—The town destroyed—Kroonstad again—Home remittances. At Geneva we received orders to detrain one company there, and to send one to Boschrand, one to Holfontein, and one to Ventersburg Road; there were plenty of trains running both ways by this time, so the companies were quickly got off, H to Boschrand, A to Holfontein, and G to Ventersburg Road, while F company remained at Geneva. In the orders it was stated that our baggage
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CHAPTER XX. VENTERSBURG ROAD.
CHAPTER XX. VENTERSBURG ROAD.
A midnight start—Column surprised from the flank—Stampede of the animals—Attack of the Boer position—The charge—Boer retreat—The Infantry follow—Final position—A gun comes up—The Cavalry do not appear—The scene of action. No one was astonished on the 29th of October when we found ourselves at the station entraining again, and bound for our old destination, Ventersburg Road; this time the mule wagons went with us, and several trains were required to convey us all. The Camerons, half a battalion o
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CHAPTER XXI. BACK TO LINDLEY.
CHAPTER XXI. BACK TO LINDLEY.
Ventersburg—Kroonstad—Boer guns captured at Bothaville—Story of the action—To Lindley—Bad drifts and willing workers—Luxuries for the garrison—Their doings during October. We remained several days in camp, and on the 1st of November a party was sent into Ventersburg to burn and destroy some of the houses; they were wretched little shanties, most of the better class houses in the town being left untouched. A number of prisoners were taken, and some of the residents were deported and sent off to t
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CHAPTER XXII. IN GARRISON.
CHAPTER XXII. IN GARRISON.
A fruitless expedition—The Brigade goes off—The Volunteers with them—The garrison—Residents—Defences—Communications—A prisoner—A night attack—A complimentary order—No soap—Cordite spills—A trap that failed. On the 15th of November the General made a dash from Lindley at a Boer laager, which was supposed to be about 7 miles out on the Reitz road, on the other side of a huge kopje easily visible at a considerable distance. B, C, D, E, and G companies of our battalion were engaged in the operation:
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CHAPTER XXIV. TWO DISTRICTS.
CHAPTER XXIV. TWO DISTRICTS.
A derelict town—The district—Entertainments—British "commandos"—Hertzog's Adjutant—Back to Springfontein—Vlakfontein—The scene of a disaster—Caledon River—Edenburg—Stranded traction engines—Ventershoek—"Commandos" again. Col. du Moulin moved out of Springfontein on the 21st of July to take over the district which had been assigned to him, and which lay west of the line, and north of the Orange River, round about the town of Philippolis. He had under him about 600 men of the Sussex, nearly all mo
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CHAPTER XXVIII. NORTHWARDS—AND THE END.
CHAPTER XXVIII. NORTHWARDS—AND THE END.
Vlakfontein—A circular tour—Northwards—Boshof—Baas Berg—A pom-pom exhibition—A night march—The Boers overtaken—Action at Scheer Pan—Charging the Ridge—Hoopstadt—Commando Drift—A Delarey drive—Klerksdorp—The Drift again—The column broken up—Last stage—Peace—India. Major Gilbert and the column left Abraham's Kraal at 8.30 on the morning of the fight. Before that, a white flag had come in with a request for an ambulance to bring in a wounded Boer. It appeared that several of the enemy had been hit.
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CHAPTER XXIX. THE THIRD BATTALION.
CHAPTER XXIX. THE THIRD BATTALION.
The Third Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment was embodied, under the command of Col. the Earl of March, A.D.C., from December 11th, 1899, to September 11th, 1902—probably the record embodiment for a Militia Battalion during the war. The Battalion assembled at Preston Barracks, Brighton, and, shortly before Christmas, 1899, volunteered as a whole for service in South Africa. This offer was not, however, utilized until early in 1901. On the 30th March, 1900, the Battalion was moved to the Shaf
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APPENDIX A. THE 13TH M. I.
APPENDIX A. THE 13TH M. I.
By Capt. G. P. Hunt , Royal Berkshire Regiment. In November, 1900, four new Battalions of M. I. were assembled at Pretoria: and of these the 13th M. I. was one. It was made up of detachments from various regiments, and No. 1 Co. consisted of seventy N. C. O.'s and men of the Royal Sussex, brought up by Lieut. J. S. Cameron from Lindley, and fifty-five of the Royal Berkshire Regiment under Lieut. G. P. Hunt. The Battalion was commanded by Capt. (afterwards Brevet Maj.) Pratt, of the Durham Light
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APPENDIX B. THE 21ST M. I.
APPENDIX B. THE 21ST M. I.
By Lt. E. C. Beeton , Royal Sussex Regiment. 1901.—The two Companies of the 21st M. I., made up largely of men of the Royal Sussex Regiment, were trained at Shorncliffe during March and April, 1901. No. 2 Co., commanded by Major Anderson (late 60th Rifles), was composed entirely of men of the Regiment, and was 130 strong, though, with the exception of Lieut. Drinan, it was officered from other regiments. No. 3. Co., commanded by Major Hearn, late 21st Lancers and K. D. G.'s., was 136 strong, and
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APPENDIX C.
APPENDIX C.
Names of officers and numbers of men sent out to South Africa by the Volunteer Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment. [N.B.—Col. the Duke of Norfolk, E.M., K.G., served in South Africa with the Sussex Imperial Yeomanry; Capt. Lord Zouche served with the Rough Riders; Surgeon-Capt. G. Black served with the R.A.M. Corps]....
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APPENDIX D.
APPENDIX D.
Honours and rewards bestowed upon officers and men of the Royal Sussex Regiment for the South African War:— Lieut. A. R. Hopkins was specially promoted for services in the field to a Captaincy in the Manchester Regiment. ...
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