THE BUTCHER'S BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 147, 22 June 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE BUTCHER'S BILL.

The following table, issued by the War Office this week, shows the total casualties sustained by the British forces from the beginning of the war, •up to the end of April, inclusive: Officers. Men. Killed in action ». 355 3.66T Died of wounds „.„ 016 1,230 Prisoners who hare died in captivity 4 92 Died of disease ».... 232 8,949 Accidental deaths M 8 32S Total deaths in S. Africa.. 714 14,264 Missing and prisoners (excluding those who hare been recovered or have died in captivity) 7 774 Sent home as invalids 1,977 45,762 Total S. African Field £orce 2,698 60,8001 i C 3,498 [j, Total redaction of the mill- -j tary forces through war in ?• South Africa:— Deaths in South Africa.—-. 714 14,264 Missing and prisoners 7 774 Invalids sent home who have died 4 314 Invalids sent home who have left the service as mint.... — 2,493 * !.. v . r: ' . , 725 17,845 ' 18,570 While Mauser bullets, pom-poms and Long Toms only accounted for some 5000 victims, insidious disease clawed in its fell clutch more than 9000 of the Empire's manhood.. Still when the fierceness of some of the fights and the length of the war are taken into consideration, and when, after 63,000 casualties, the forces were reduced by only 18,000 men, we may consider our butcher's bill a light one. At the bloody battle of Albuera in four hours nearly .7000 of the British and their allies and 8000 of the French were struck down. At' Waterloo we lost 13,000 men, the Prussians 7000, and the French between 23,000 and 30,000. At Mars lai Tour and Vionville the Germans lost 15,800, and the French 17,000. At Gravelotte 15,400 Germans, and 12,000 Frenchmen fell. These losses indeed include wounded, but the Ghassepot bullet was not as merciful as the Mauser, and a very large proportion of the wounded were rendered quite hors de combat. Compared with such, losses in single battles, our total reduction of 18,570 after a war of 18 months must, serious as it is to those whose nearest and dearest lie in lonely graves on the veldt, be counted a mere flea-bite.

According to official German figures, the founding of the German Empire in 1870-71 cost the lives of over 43,000 officers and men, or nearly three times as many as the defence of our South African Empire has entailed upon us—so far. Of these 43,----101 German officers and men, 17,255 were killed outright in battle, or more than four times our corresponding figures; while 10,506 died in hospital of wounds (compared with our 1345) and 15,340 died in hospital a* compared with our 9180 deaths of th* same kind. v," :