DE WET'S ESCAPE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 94, 22 April 1902, Page 5

DE WET'S ESCAPE.

THE NEW ZEALANDERS'

GALLANT STAND

A GRAPHIC NARRATIVE

The following interesting description of the Bothasberg fight by one of the participants, Mr E. Cornford. an old Napier High School boy, and son of the well-known Napier solicitor, who enlisted In the Seventh Contingent, has been forwarded to us:—

Veldt, four miles from Harrismith, Ist March, 1902,

We have eventually anchored here, after our most trying- trek since arriving- in the country. You know we form part of the cordon in these exciting drives against De Wet's and other commando's in this part—and a rough part, too—of the Orang-e Elver 'Colony. About the nfitftare of the aforesaid drives I must tell you •when we get back, as volumes would be necessary for a good description of them. Briefly, the programme was hard trekking by day and outpost for every man at night. Last night, when we mobilised here for rations, was my first full night's sleep for 18 nights, since this particular drive started from Heilbron. Short rations all the time; in fact, sometimes our company waggons never overtook us, leaving us till next day before our biscuits came. Now about our cutting-up, of which I am thankful to say my share was only a cut on the back of my left hand. The line of columns was right across the-fiffiUntry. ;/The Boers came right at the left wing, squadrons 24, 25, and 26 composing the same. The fight wing- could see by our fire that the Boers were right on us, but they could do nothing. They say it was an awful sight to see the rifle fire of the Boers on our front, left, and eventually rear. At midnight on the Sunday (23rd) I had just been called for my turn of beat, when on sitting up I heard whips cracking and oxen crying out. I said to the fellow who had called me, and who was just getting under his blanket, "Jack, do.you hear that noise? That's a;" Boer convoy moving." I had not finished the word "moving"—two seconds—when we got the first volley at about 80 yards in our front- Watty (Sergeant) Miller said "Teddy, old man, I've got one," and down he went. Then George Fookes gave a cry and went down, end now, to. our dismay, we found the bullets coming from the left just as heavy as from the front. The Boers had engaged -us with about 300 men in the front, which kept us busy, while a like number came up the posts, disabling each post as they, got to them. You see by this ruse we could not fire on the party which came up our line of posts, our own men being there. By this time Captain Dickenson and poor Mr Forsythe (Napier) were killed, Ally Coledge badly wounded, Lieutenant Phair wounded, Lieutenant Caulton, our officer, wounded; half the non-coms, and men killed and wounded. Now what were left of us, under a brave young fellow, Sergeant Minifie, crept back, leaving our swags, of course, to the pom-pom' (I omitted to state that Captain Badger was captured, he escaped afterwards, good old Dan Hickey, our bravest officer, wounded, and Lieutenant Wilson wounded). When we got to the pom-pom another ten of us had gone down in the retirement, and we" found that the captain in charge of the pom - pom was dead, the sergeant wounded, and the bombardier dead. The sergeant of the pom - pom said: "How many of you are there?" "About ten." "Well, try and save the gun." Five of us, I being one, lay down in front of the gun, by a little tree, and kept up as heavy a fire as we could, while the other five ran the gun —they could not manage the limber too—down the hill to the New South Wales camp, where it was eventually kept, so the Boers did not get it after all- They came and had a look at the limber, but that was no to them, the gun being gone. It was while lying by the gun firing that I' got my scratch. I was just pulling back my breech - block when a bullet hit my rifle and broke it in half, deafened me for some hours, and cut my hand. Minifie was just running behind me for some more ammunition when he got hit. The sight next morning was awful, the doctors going it from 3 a.m. to 5 p.m- Our company went out 37 noncoms, and men and one officer and came In next morning 12 strong. We now have only one officer, Captain Eoss, who was down at Cape Town to meet Mrs Ross. What they are going to do with the left wing we do not know. Five of the 12 left have since gone into hospital. The Boers o-ot all our clothing, and I am now reduced to riding-breeches, shirt and boots. The Boers got my tunic, with £ 10, my Task pay, some letters and a photo, and the matchbox that Mrs Robisim gave me at Wellington. The Boers used all sorts of bullets, explosives, duxQ-dum, and even buck-shot-Of course the wounds are horrible. I have got a good memento, for I. got a five-chamber revolver full of flat-

nosed bullets off a dead3oer at daybreak. M. Botha, their leader, was a very decent man. I myself saw him give one of our fellows a drink of water, and we also saw him sjambok a lot of his men and women and Kaffirs who were looting our dead and Wounded. Unfortunately Manic Botha was one of the 39 dead Boers we found in the morning. .... Lord Kitchener rode out to here yesterday, with staff, and.gave us great praise for the way we stuck to our posts. He had a look at us all, and said it.was a thing not only New Zealand, but the whole Empire and army would 'be proud of. He said it was a case of 92 men against 800 Boers, and thanked us for saving the gun. He also said that we only let 200 through, so the drive was not spoilt. The total number of our casualties is 68, including 24 killed. The Boers left 39 dead, and we saw them putting numbers in Cape and other carts. The man who says that the Boer is not brave—well, he does not know anything* about them! I suppose it is a ease of their being desperate, but to see them advance on us, dropping"everywhere, with their bridles on their arms, firing as they came, and the women behind leading more horses and singing some darned chant about "Da President, dai President," was a sight worth seeing.