THE BRAKENSLAAGTE FIGHT.

Evening Post, Volume LXII, Issue 134, 3 December 1901, Page 6

THE BRAKENSLAAGTE FIGHT.

GALLANT STAND BY THE BRITISH FORCE. THE DEATH OF COL. BENSON. fBT TELEGBAFH — FBESS ASSOCIATION.] (Per R.M.S. Ventura at Auckland.) AUCKLAND, This Day. A cable message to the New York Sun from Pretoria, dated 6th November, says that the correspondent of that journal visited the camp of Colonel Benson's column at Brugspruit and learned details of the fight at Brakenslaagte. The story gives ample proof of heroism on the part of the British mounted troops and artillery, and of most resolute bravery on the part of the Boergj, The fight began with the sniping of the British Tearguard, consisting ot the Third Mounted -Infantry. About three o'clock Colonel Benson, finding that the Boers were being strongly reinforced, sent back a squadron of Scottish Horse to. assist the rearguard. At the same time he halted two guns, "with an escort of one company of tho Buffs, which took up- a position on a low ridge. Major Wools "Sampson was sent forward to strike camp. When this had been done he ordered the Yorkshire Mounted Infantry and the Scottish Horse to retire on the guns. The Boers, seeing this movement, dashed forward in a charge of extraordinary vigour. Seven hundred iJoers rode full tilt on the 1 British lines, yelling defiance as they fired from their horses. The British troops galloped to meet them, and gained a ridge two thousand yards from their camp, on which Colonel Benson stood, with mounted men. in extended formation in his van. The Scottish Horse held the right, facing the Boers, and the Yorkshire Mounted Infantry the left. Colonel Benson himself, with his staff and rtillerymen, was by the guns. The Boers dashed recklessly on through the escort company of Buffs, and gained a hollow within forty yards of the guns. There they dismounted, took cover behind the shoulder of the ridge, and although some continued to fire from horseback others crept up and poured a deadly fire upon the defenders. Colonel Benson fell shot through the knee, and at once sent a. message to Major Sampson at the main camp telling him where to direct his fire. Major Young*, with the rearmost gun in the British camp, placed his shells beautifully just over the ridge after the defenders of th* two forward guns had all been shot down. The shell fire from the British camp prevented the Boers from advancing to take away the guns until' after dark. The brunt of $ie defence of the ridge was borne cruelly by the artillerymen serving the two front guns, and by the Scottish Horse and the Yorkshire Mounted infantry. Besides Colonel Benson and his personal staff of one hundred and sixty men on the ridge, the British had a hundred and twenty casualties. 'me Scottish Horse had seventy-three hit out of eighty, and the artillerymen twentyeight out of thirty-two. The Yorkshire Mounted Infantry also had a terrible proportion of men killed and wounded. Col. Benson, Lieut. -Col. Guinness, Captains Murray, Lindsay, and Therold, all fell dead here. Colonel Guinness fired his last shot from beside the guns, and then fell back dead, riddled with bullets. A trooper of the Scottish Horse named Grierson, who was not wounded, remained to the last beside Col. Benson, hoping to get a message from the commander to take him back to the camp, when the colonel was mortally hit and the trooper wounded. . Resistance Kras weakened through there being few at hand to oppose the Boers, for before he died Colonel Benson sent for Major Wools Sampson and said, "Defend your camp for all it is worth. Loiiis Botha has said he will attack it in the morning, fourteen hundred strong, unless you surrender." The men in the British camp entrenched their .lines during the night, and in the morning the position was impregnable.

The Customs returns for November amounted to £157,294, and the beer duty to £7817. For November, 1900, the figures were: — Customs, £182,700; beer duty, £7100. The ease of Jack v. the Karon Tramway Company will be heard before the Chief Juutioe to-morro"Wt

IX MEMORIAM. I Hur.mnT.— Tot lie .-lion-lipd memory of Cvjnbi'lii c Aloii-,.. Eiliiu lii-.aa:ivt..K.:C., C.S.U, miiioi ii'iiUliinninu Ii .M.^-. Dons, c outh Aiiic.ni station, killed in action ai G)at.pnn, South Afric.i, 25'h November. 1890. IK-lovecl youngest son ot tlm -'.lie James HiuMurt, JT.K.U.S. (founder of C.umdian-Auatiali™ Roynl Mail Steambhi]) Live), aud of ilrs. James Huddart, EasUxmvuo. Also. Ireno Lois Lucetta, their beloved eldest < liilil, wlio died at Hawthorn, 20th September, 18S'J, aged 12 j ears a ad 2 months. *' Tlio puio in heart shall £>cc God." Piper.— ln lovinjr memory nf Wensley Joseph Finer, who/waa drowned m Wellington harbour, 3rd December, 1900, nged 112 years. And iv pasLtues fuir anil vernal, Iv the sweet by-and-bye, Far across tbc sea eternal, Wo shall meet, my boy aud I.