A LETTER FROM TROOPER FRANK WYLDE.

Manawatu Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 7159, 9 February 1901, Page 2

A LETTER FROM TROOPER FRANK WYLDE.

RniiNosTEß Kop, December 5. 1900. -I kuow you will all be nnxiotis to hea'about the big fight which we had on the 3th of last mouth, and which proved -^ disastrous to us New Zeidanders. dy word, it wus a hot go, and I for one i:ever want t-ueh another day, and earnestly hope there will never again bo such v oao for the troops in South Atricit. 1 will try and describe it to you just ".fit Juppcued. We had been chasm" ike Jioerd fur the three preceding days aid were vury much surprised to find tint they had such ggod guns left. 'On Ud morning of the 29th the reveille was sounded at 2 a.m., and before 5 we were m touch with the e^etny and had ono or our officers wounded, Sic Tucker of the Third Oontiugw-nt. Our siron<nli was about 200;, made up oi Victorious, West Australians, Quix-nslanders and .800 ■ Infantry, (5.15,b pom-poms, 2 maxims ai-.d 200 New Zfeal;tndsj.v. Ail ui.i^ud moil wero undo: Col. Craddock l'foni 9 a.m. till 9 tr.at night, there Was one constant roar of ar:?l!cry and crack of rides, with every now and then tuti i.oiju penis and maxims, and wooeiide anj thing which came within their range. As far as I can malic out we advanced m the following order. The Victorians on our extreme left, next 4gu;is supported by the West Australians, then, in the centre were the New inlanders,' next the Queeuslanders, guns, pom Ponjs, and maxims, and on the extreme the infantry. '■fbc Uoers ky very quiet tiii wo got within 600 yaids ana then they sent st'Ch v hail of bullets into us as f hope nevui- to see agaiu. Those th^t cou^id ■cruuchf.d behind ant hills. The re b t ; just Liy as Hat as they couid, two of uu never to lisa again. This happened at I b a.iv, and there we had to bo till 8 p.m. i 1 must hore say that prtisooall.y f was not in the living line, und 1 think my guardian angel must have been very near ;aio that day. ]t was my turn by right to go in, but there was a new man in our group that day who Had never h'ved a shot in the war, his name was G, Hillie, having been m the hospital since we left Bloeinfentein, and he begged very hard to be allowed to "o in the iking )i n e, so I took his pkco holding the horses. Poor fellow !he was the second man to be shot down with a bullet through his shoulder, and gone into Pretoria with the other wounded men. We with tho horses were about 1000 yards behind our men, and got luauy a stray bullet, having four horses wounded, and one man in the ambulance shot. Our doctor was one ot the first to be wounded, and when we sent the stretcher-bearers to bring out the wounded the Boers opened such j a hail of bullets into them that, although tney had krgc red cross flags displayed tiioy had to bo down and crawl back again ! Over and pvor again iney tried io get near, but every time were met with jho rifle fire. The only way we were able to get our wounded out was by some of those in the front dragging them about 200 yards aud then stand "P and some of us would go to their assistance with the stretchers. It was a horribie sight, but at the same time we felt proud of the men for the way they bore their pain. Amongst the eight that I helped carry to the ambulance there was not one who was not in good spirits. It was a very trying time tor us, knowing that the men had no water with them, and it was one of the hottest days we hayo experienced ' ia bouth Africa. Now and then a couple ' of men would manage to get out with a wounded comrade, but very fW wanted to go back, those who did always took : as much water as they could carry, About v o'clock, tho signal came « out

of ammunition," and sent a cart as fa* i as we could and left n there and the men : "awled- °"t got some. Captain ; btevons a helsou boy, made three trips out with ammunition, and then came out for water but was so knocked up he cord not get, back again, so I got a :w nC° tO T °oouf' wl^t he hold my ; ho lses . i took as moh wate ;. ;as I could carry, and, my word, ;thb men were glad to g 3t it AJtnoughrhe enemy b S aw me and g,ve m a ™ time of it, I managed to gat out and m again without being hit, i am acting-quartermaster now, and tomorJol 0 Md drRW rations- Uo«