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WAR JOTTINGS.

i -'■ ;\\ ■-• .-.;.••_■.■■"--<• :■- ;■- , ' " The loyalty. and' discipline, of -the--Cana-dians.iri undertaking.the dull work' of building railway . sidings and^erecting platforms at^Orange river station 4s a bettor proof of their real military -value than almost any s'uecoss in fighting."— • St. James' Gazette.' . The field telegraphist!! with General Duller carry their cables in specially constructed carts, each containing, if necessary, ten miles of cable' wound oh drums, so that in open country they can lay it at a gallop. The current is sent to earth through the wheels of the cart. "Some of the incidents in hospital make, us all laugh," says' the writer of a letter from South Africa. " You know Tom H , who. used to do a turn at A Music Hall. He is in my ward, and keeps our spirits up. He did a funny thing Ihe other .day when tobacco was given out. You remember his hand elocution at the hall. Well, one of the Boers had lost both his arms, find when the tobacco was given out he shook his head, and a tear fell down his cheek. Tom saw it, and was by his side in a moraont. He placed his arms each side of the Boor and performed the office of the missing ones, giving the Boer a good smoke. He brought down thi house with cheers " " Another little incident showr-d," continues the writer, "how we leave our hatred in the field. One oj our men had lost avleft arm and a Boer his right. They received their tobacco' in despair, until a bright thought struck Tommy A . ' Mare, shift up closer.', he said. ' I've cigarette papers in my pouch.' They rolled the cigarettes, one man using his right hand anrl the other his left, and this was how they always made their cigarettes until the men left hospital." A private of the Liverpool regiment sends an admirable description of an engagement outside Ladysmith : — " We hud marched about six miles," he said, " and were thinking that the usual disappointment was awaiting us, when we were surprised by a large shot from the Boers which fell among the horses of the 42nd Field Artillery. Like the usual Boer shot, it failed to explode. I think the Boer ammunition must have been tampered with (probably by disloyal men in their ranks). Our artillery took up position," the letter continues, "and with about ten shrapnel shells silenced the three guns possessed by the Boers. The Gloucesters and Devons formed the firing line, with the Rifles and ourselves as i-upporto and reserves respectively. We advanced slowly, and the shots started singing around our heads like so many wires knocking together. The Boers had a splendid position, and, but for our artillery, we would have had a hard time of it. Our infantry could not get nearer than 100 yards, but the shrapnel played the deuce with the Boers. After five an I n-half hours' artillery fire, they ceased to respond, and our object (to give the Dundee and Glencoe parties a chance <o get through) having been accomplished, we retired to Ladysmith." '• Last Tuesday's fight was not so bad," this letter proceeds, " as we fought on the defensive. We only had one killed and five wounded. The artillery did all the fighting, shelling them for six hours. We must have killed hundreds of them. To give you some idea of what splendid artillery wo haye — the Boers had a gun mounted on a high hill, about 400 yards away, dropping shells on the road we were marching along, and our artillery got into action like lightning, and by the third shot blew the gun to pieces and killed all the gunners. The Devons at Elaudslaagte led the bayonet charge. We are known in Ladysmith as ' The Gallant Devons. 1 The Glencoe column arrived to-dny from Dundee. They had been marching for 57 hours on two biscuits per man, and on seven hours' rest. Our regiment, out of our pockets, gave tho Dublin fusiliers a Rood feed, which they devoured like wolves. They were simply starving." A telegruphist sends a very interesting letter to a London friend. He says : " After every action we are made very busy for a time. First, there are the accounts of the lighting to all the papers, and then the ollicial accounts, and last the casualty lists, which are very sad to read— 'there seems to be no end to the roll of martyrs. There are also an euormous number of cables horne — very brief, bub to the point, such as 'all right,' 'untouched, 1 ' safe,' ' unscratched,' " A private of tho A Squadron 9th Lancers, in a letter to his mother, says : "If anyone wants to know what war is tell them it is something like Guy Fawkes' Day up at Hampstead. The only difference is when shells burst up in the air and instead of colored fire you get bullets." M. Jules Huret, the French novelist, who visited London during the early days of the war, has paid England a second visit. He found, he says, the English sobered, but not discouraged. They intend, as soon as peace is made, to take to heart the lessons of war, and to reorganise the War Office whose methods are obsolete. Lord Kitchener, he thinks, will be the leforraer. Any British statesma.n, M. Huret was assured by the best authorities, would be ruined if he suggested making peace co long as the Boer flag still flies at Pretoria. England will not grudge men and money. "It is our old blunders that have taught the Cape Dutch to be trimmers. We should not attribute all the double dealing that is going on at the Cape to love of the Boers, but uncertainty as to the political future." — ' Spectator.'

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ME19000329.2.24

Bibliographic details

Mataura Ensign, Issue 717, 29 March 1900, Page 6

Word Count
958

WAR JOTTINGS. Mataura Ensign, Issue 717, 29 March 1900, Page 6

WAR JOTTINGS. Mataura Ensign, Issue 717, 29 March 1900, Page 6