|
On the night of 29th October General White sent
two of his best regiments, The Royal Irish Fusiliers and the 28th Glosters,
along with No 10 Mountain Battery, to advance under cover of darkness to
seize and hold a long ridge called Nicholson's Neck connecting two knolls,
six miles to the north of Ladysmith.
However only four and a half companies were available. The Battalion marched
out with pack mules loaded with the guns, ammunition, tools and water. They
were to march through the Boer postions and occupy the ridge, the Irish
on the left and the Glosters on the right, with the battery on the neck.
The purpose was to drive the Boers off their positions and onto the plains,
where the cavalry could charge.
The Irish took the lead, followed by the mules and then the Glosters in
the rear. The column was a long one which made it difficult to keep an even
pace, and towards morning a flash and rumbling caused confusion and stampeded
the mules. Though it lasted only a few seconds they had lost all the guns,
equipment and water, and many men had been stunned and injured. However,
the men behaved splendidly, reforming and resumed the march, but the Glosters
had lost touch with the Irish. In the light of subsequent events the column
should have fallen back to Ladysmith, but they climbed a hill to their left.
The hill was about a mile in length, shaped like the sole of a boot and
was very stony, strewn with boulders, scrub and a few trees - offering no
field of fire to troops trained to rely on collective fire. It was too large
to be held by two weak battalions, being isolated and exposed to attack
from all sides. Not being able to dig in they had to use stones as defences
as a few Boers found where they were. The main battle was going on down
on the plains, where the cavalry had prevented a more serious disaster overtaking
the British forces. At this point the enemy fire against the hill was negligible
as the Boers were fully taken up with the main battle.
However the fire increased after 9am as the main British forces retreated
back into Ladysmith, and the Boers then turned their attention to the Irish
and Glosters, swarming up the northern slope. Meanwhile other Boers worked
round the flanks and cut off the line of retreat. Reaching within ten yards
of the British, Lt Knox and D Company could no longer hold the right flank,
the cease fire was soon being sounded by the buglers. Soon the Boer Commando
were striding amongst them, ordering them to throw down their rifles. Here
it must be said that they did not add to our humiliation by open jubilation,
or by invectives or reproaches. The Commando usually behaved decently, not
so those Boer who had contrived to stay out of fighting for the cause. Ordered
to form a coloumn they were marched off to a laager, having gone 36 hours
without sleep since the intial march and then 9 hours of fighting in a burning
sun with empty water bottles. Here, the Boers had practically nothing to
give them, except some mouldy bread. One young Boer offered to fill their
water bottles, and foolishly some gave them up, never seeing them again.
Others robbed them of their glasses, watches and money, but they were not
properly searched.
The wounded were later taken by ambulance to Ladysmith under a flag of truce.
(Extract from "The Back Badge" - the journal of the Gloucester Regiment"
28/618)
The dead were buried on Trchengula Hill, where
they lie to this day. A monument lies over the grave, and Pte CAVILL's name
is on it, and is also on the memorial to the fallen in Ladysmith Church.
South
African Military History Society
Return to War
Graves Main Page |
