THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12429, 19 February 1901, Page 3

THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR.

Lieutenant F. B. Hughes, late of Brabant’s Horse, who has returned to Christchurch after over twelve months’ fighting against the Boers in various portions of South Africa, has brought with him what is undoubtedly the finest collection of relics of the war which has yet reached this colony. The relics, over ■ a dozen sta,nd of arms, amongst which are specimens of the celebrated Mauser rifles, Manser carbines, the Martini-Henry rifles and carbines, Stayre and Express rifles. Nearly every rifle has the owner’s name cut into the stock, and amongst them is the piece used by F. A. Botha, brother of the famous Boer commandant, and Commandant Groveller, who surrendered with Prinslow. One of the Stayre rifles was secured by Lieutenant Hughes at Wepener. A Lee-Metford carbine which was taken from the Boers was previously the property of one of the Seventeenth Lancers, and when secured the Boer had with it the lance bucket and saddle of the original owner of the carbine, together with the badge of the regiment, and was dressed in the uniform of a Lancer. The small arms include the service Webley revolver used by the British officers, as well as one of the celebrated Mauser magazine pistols, which is rather a curiosity. The Mauser pistol is encased in. a hollow wooden case something, the shape of a gun stock, and this can be used as a shoulder piece when the pistol is used at long ranges, for it is serviceable up to a thousand yards. One of its principal features is its capacity, as by moans of a clip similar to that used with the Mauser rifle ten cartridges can be put into the magazine at once, and these can be fired with marvellous rapidity, the action being entirely automatic. The collection also includes several short bayonets which were used at the charge at Stahert’s Nek, as well as a number of shells of all sizes from the 60-pounder used by the 4.7 guns to the one-ponnder Krupp and pom-pom. There is also a large variety of small arms ammunition and fragments of 501 b lyddite shells, indicating what terrible destruction can be wrought by their bursting. A bandolier of soft-nosed bullets was taken from one of the Boers who was Shot for treachery. A British bugle was taken from a Boer waggon which was blown up at Zeerust, and the collection also includes the original Transvaal and Free State United flag which flew during the siege of Wepener. Not the least interesting feature of the collection is a sjambok, commonly known in Africa as the “ Dutchman’s receipt,” with which they punished many of the British women and children. A very fine shield of badges consists of a collection of 150 of the emblems worn by the British and colonial forces, all of which were taken from the dead in, the battle field, and 1 below these are two of the Queen’s chocolate boxes. 1 Mr Hughes left Lyttelton by the Knight Templar with the Third Contingent as correspondent for the “Lyttelton Times,” and on arrival at East London immediately made his way to the nearest fighting point. After watching the fighting from the Jammersberg Range for a day he decided on endeavouring to get into Wepener, and eventually made his way into the besieged garrison, where he joined Brabant’s Horse and commenced fighting. He remained with the company for the rest of the campaign, and before he had been many weeks with them he was promoted to the position of lieutenant. Varied and many were his experiences, and his diary shows that during the war he took part in 118 engagements, great and small. On Lieutenant Hughes deciding to return to New Zealand, he received the following letter from the officer commanding his regiment:—“First Regiment Brabant’s .Horse, South Africa, Dec. 7, 1900. Lieuteiiiant P. B. Hughes, of Christchurch, New: Zealand, has served under me in the above- regiment, and did excellent service throughout the campaign. He distinguished himself by the gallant manner in which he came from Basutoland through the Boer lines, crossing the Jammesburg Bridge, which was at that time ■guarded by the Boers, and getting safely into our lines during the siege of Wepener, Which earned for him his commission in the above regiment. We all regret that Mr Hughes is leaving the regiment in which he served) with so much distinction, but we hope be will soon be able to rejoin us.—■ Given Thomas, Major,” Lieutenant Hughes has brought back with him about 500 photographs of scenes in the war. Many of these were taken on the battlefield, while others were captured from the Boers. One of the latter shows an officer lying down in an entrenchment with the red cross on his arm and his rifle levelled at the British. It is the intention of Mr Hughes to give a series of short lectures throughout New Zealand, and these will be illustrated by the photographs, while at each lecture all the relics of war will also be exhibited. =,