Volume 1

Minutes of evidence taken before the Royal Commission on the War in South Africa.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on the South African War, 1899-1900
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Minutes of evidence taken before the Royal Commission on the War in South Africa. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    536/558 (page 518)
    Second contingent. Third contingent. Captain Humby, old 1.Y. officer. Lieut. -Col. Keir, P.S.¢C., R.H.A. Lieut.-Col. A. W. Jarvis. Lieut. -Col. Banon, P.s.C , Shropshire LI. 518 hard work and roughing, and it would have been better to adhere rigidly to the thirty-five years age limit. The general physique of this contingent was excellent, and far above that of the regular Army. In the second contingent (17,000 men) enlisted as before at home Yeomanry centres and in the larger towns, the general stamp, though below that of the first contin- gent, was good. There were, however, exceptions. The contingents sent from Leicester and Reading were bad, and that enlisted at one of the London offices, as the Duke of Cambridge’s Own, was disgraceful; and it is im- possible to understand how an officer could have accepted or a medical officer have passed a_ large proportion of these men. Surgeon-Major C. R. Kilkelly, C.M.G., First Grenadier Guards, late in charge of the Imperial Yeomanry Hospitals at Pretoria and Elandsfontein, could give particulars of men sent home for medical reasons. <A large number of this contingent could neither ride nor shoot in spite of having passed tests in both in England, and it was necessary to send home over a thousand men of this contingent, of whom a very large proportion belonged to the Duke of Cambridge’s Own referred to above. The shooting of those who remained compared favour- ably with that of the first contingent, but 75 per cent. could not ride at all: The men of this contingent were much younger than their predecessors, and it was necessary to keep them under much stricter discipline. Many men had been sent out who were too heavy for mounted work, and numbers suffered from organic disease and could not have been fit for military duty at the time they left England. There were numerous deaths on the way out, After weeding, the bulk of this contingent made excel- lent soldiers, and the attached opinions of regular and other officers under whom they served show their value in the field. Enclosures marked A. and B. and C. In latter, officers marked * were selected in South Africa, those marked + in England. This contingent had the advantage of four months’ training at home before being sent out. As they were never tried by the test of active service it is difficult to estimate their fighting value. On arrival in South Africa they probably shot better than the other contingents, and rode better than the second contingent, but were far inferior to the first contingent in riding and horse management. ENCLOSURE “ A” Extract from letter from Officer Commanding 74th Irish Squadron Imperial Yeomanry, dated 8th October, 1901. Am delighted to say my men are splendid, and a grand lot of fellows, though they are now beginning to get a little bit tired, and want a rest. I have had 25 per cent. of casualties, but they are always pleased with an engage- ment. Extract from letter from Officer Commanding Ist Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, dated 30th September, 1901. _ Much indignation in 1st Imperial Yeomanry at reports in papers about new Yeoman. Most unjust. In my opinion my men are very good indeed. Extract from letter from Officer Commanding 21st Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, dated 28th September, 1901. I took a small Commando out on Thursday night ; left at seven p.m., and went twenty-eight miles out, rounding up some farms. Caught six Boers, and collared 160 head of cattle and 300 sheep, two Cape carts, some rifles, ammunition, etc., and got them all safe in here by nine a.m. yesterday morning. It was a long ride in the time. We covered at least sixty miles, and both horses and men did well. Extract from letter from Officer Commanding 17th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, dated 10th September, 1991. Now about the Regiment. I am more sanguine about it than I have ever been before. The two Squadrons here are getting much better. Two troops, 50th, the other day turned an equal number of Boers out: of three positions, and chased them into some Yeomanry of another Column I took out the 60th a few nights ago, and made a night march of 15 miles, and two hours after daylight bagged a patrol of 7 armed Boers with two horses and a telescope. Yesterday with a troop of the 60th we chased four Boers four or five miles and bagged them. | { ] Exrracr from letter from Officer Commanding 17th aan Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, dated 18th September, Banon,? 1901. Shropshi L.I. : You will be glad to hear that the 17th Imperial Yeo- manry had another little success yesterday. I took out 70 o* the best mounted men of the 50th for a 15-mile ride, and just ater it was light we saw some horses near a kopje. I sent one troop to the le*t, one to the right, and some to the kopje, and found a small laager behind ; they had seen us, but could not get their horses in time, and the few that did we galloped down. and the rest seeing the game was up put up their hands. We got 17 prisoners, adults four, white lads 13 to 15, and six natives, 45 horses, 50 cattle, and some 300 sheep. These two Squadrons have since the first of the month got themselves 26 adult prisoners and six white boys of 13 to 16, and helped to get the 10 prisoners four days ago, when we got into a Com- mando at dusk. . Exrracr from letter from Officer Commandmg 17th Lieut.-C Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, dated 21st September, Strode 1901. Ta I think I told you of my taking out 70 of the 50th Squadron a night march, and surprising a laager at sun- rise, getting 17 adult prisoners and five lads, horses, cattle, etc. Two nights after I took half a Company of Mounted Infantry, and a troop each of the 50th and the 60th. We marched 26 miles, and at dawn laid up in some hills. I saw some Boers in a kloof and got a helio message to Williams, and he worked round them. They moved out when he was seven or eight miles away and came towards me ; I got their first scout who came towards me, but the second saw me and gave the alarm. I had my men all ready, and forthwith sent a troop to gallop to cut them off from another lot of kopjes ; they thought they were surrounded, and put up the white flag, and I tovk 50 prisoners, five white lads, five blacks, and nearly 150 horses. This is the third time in September I have got prisoners by making a long night march, and making for some spot one knows the Boers frequent, and I am sure that this despatching a party and following it up with th Column at daylight pays. Exrract from letter from Staff Officer, Mounted Troops, Capt. Ba Kekewich’s Column, dated October 2nd, 1901. DA KG Written after the attack on Kekewich’s Camp by ~~” Delarey and Kemp. The Boers, about 1,200, under Kemp and Delarey, meant business, and it was rather serious for a short time, but our men played up splendidly, not only the Derbys, but the Scottish and the Imperial Yeomanry, not a pin to choose between any of them. Do your best for us in officers, men, and horses, the latter especially we are very short of. They were shot down in scores. Exrract from letter from Officer Commanding Mounted Lieut. -C¢ Troops, Methuen’s Force, dated 12th September, 1901. S. B. Vor The Yeomanry are doing very well and are very keen. o0P: B Extract from letter from Officer Commanding 18th Battalion Imperial Yeomanry, dated 11th September, 1901. Weare getting on verywell. Allranks have shaken into their work now, and are doing well. With the small Column we have now the duties are very heavy, and the men do not have an easy time in the field by any means. Extract from letter from Officer Commanding Imperial Major D, Yeomanry, Damant’s Column, dated October 6th, Campbell 1901. 9th Lancs It may interest you to know that the three Companies, | ;