SIR IAN HAMILTON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 6 May 1914, Page 5

SIR IAN HAMILTON

A DEFENDER OF LADYSMITH

HOW HE DROVE THE BOERS BACK

(War Correspondent in the "Post.)

General Sir lan Hamilton, when it falls to his lot some far-off day to study ■war no rrore, will aio doubt frequent lv recall the thrilling Saturday he had at Caesars Camp and Wagon Hill. That was the 6th of January. 1900. Ladysmith, had been besieged since the end of October, but no headway was being made by the Boers. Sir George White's defences were as perfect as they could be made by military skill and British bravery. My map shows the disposition of our big gnus and of our regiments, as well as the position of the surrounding commandoes. Due west from the town of Ladysmith. a little. more than t-wo miles from the much-battered Town Hall, and just beyond Range r'ost ■was a small stream known as Flagstone Spruit. Commencing at the spruit and describing a sweeping semi-circle terminating near Junction Hill, due north of the town, this line of British outposts covered a distance of between four and five miles. The commanding officer was Colonel Howard. The north-east face of the defence was commanded by Colonel Knox, . while Colonel Royston commanded the south-east face, that directly under the 6in Creusot gun on Bulwana. SIR lAN'S POST.

Sir lan—he was then Colonel Hamilton—had the distinction of commanding the longest line of defence, that on the south and south-west. The British outposts encircled the town of Ladysmith and the somewhat exposed camp—or "tiu town"—the faces of the entire defence being roughly 20 miles. Of those 20 miles Sir lan's south and south-west faces stretched to between 11 and 12 miles. He commanded the Seventh Brigade, which consisted" of the Ist Battalion, Manchester Regiment; the 2nd Battalion, Gordon Highlanders : the Ist Battalion, Royal IrishTFusiliers, and the 2nd Battalion. Rifle Brigade. Colonel Hamilton's forces were established on the fairly flat summit of a long hill standing due south from the town, known to the Dutch as Piaatrand, but to the British as Wagon Hill and Caesars Camp. Wagon Hill formed the western half of the hill, and lying opposite it were the Kroonstad, Heillron, Harrismith, and Winburg commandoes; opposed to the eastern portion, or Caesars Camp, were the Vryheid and Utrecht commandoes and the German corps. Some half-dozen of Roer guns ■were divided among the Dutch and the Germans, so - that it -will be readily imagined that Sir lan was well watched, and at times well bombarded, for commanding his entire position was the "Long Tom" on Bulwana, which, almost daily, aided the smaller ordnance attached to the commandoes. The forces on Wagon Hill and Caesar's Camp seem to have varied occasionally. One list in mv possession shows that Sir lan. iu addition to the battalions named, was assisted by one squadron of the 18th Hussars, one batterv. six guns of the 42nd Royal Field Artillery, one 12pounder. and one Colt gun. No mean armv in itself. But the fight of 6th January called for all the endurance and heroism of the men, guided by the cool, daring, and brilliant strategic ability of Sir lan, to prevent the Boers entering and capturing the town of Ladysmith.

A DETERMIXED ATTACK. The Boers made their first attack on "Wagon Hill shortly before 3 o'clock on the Saturday morning. Creeping siealthilv up the hillside nraoiK rough, Icose stones and dwarf scrub, they got within firing distance of the cossack, or outer, post without beinn; heard. Then came the challenge : "Halt ! Who goes there?'' Immediately came the response : "Friend,' and the sentry who had uttered the question had just time to demand, "Who are you?" when there was a volley from the Boers, and every man of the picket was shot dead. "The firing quickly brought a portion of the Imperial Light Horse and the Rifle Brigade with a Hotchkiss gun upon the scene, but the darkness prevented them for a time lo- \ eating the enemy. Someone among the Boers shouted with an air of authority, "Retire, Imperial Light Horse," "Retire, Rifles" —a piece of description which for a moment, caused some confusion among the British. But only for a brief space was the British advance delayed. Then the 38 men of the Imperial Light Horse (most of them recruited in Johannesburg and bitterlyhated by the Boers) advanced on foot, and, getting sufficiently near to see the Boers, now lying and crouching among the boulders and bushes o n the hillside, kept up a fixe which prevented the enemy from either advancing or retrc-at-incr until the arrival of British reinforcements. But as assistance reached the British, fresh commandoes joined the attacking forces, and the day dawned with a furious battle in progress not only on the summit of Wagon Hill, but also at t Caesar's Camp. About 3 o clock the ■ Boers reached the eastern end ot the hill and shortly afterwards had been 'charged by the Manchester All day long the storm of shot and shell raged The Boers made a most determined and prolonged effort to get possession of the hill They were driven from one point only to appear at another. Our *ield " Artillery from the flats by Keip Paver showered shraonel among the Boers as they essayed from time to time to once more reach the summit. The bi" guns Tnd small, on the hill-top scattered death and destruction wherever the slouchhatted veterans appeared—for selected veterans they were, almost to a man. Lord Ava, Sir lan's galloper, was fatallv wounded about 7 o'clock.in the mornirg and was thus among the first of the many brave and distinguished men who fell.

THE FINAL CHARGE. The famous charge of the Devon* on Hill was made about 5 o clock in the afternoon A terrific storm- of rain and hail evidently encouraged the Boers to make one grand cffoit. lhe>. were seen massing 1.1 the valley to the, -Vest and then slowly ascending, half concealed bv the phenomenal downpou ( ofrain and"the thick cloud, c f hail that enveloped'the hillside. Ihe Devon*, as we ll as the Gordons, were near both ready for what everybody realised must be the final struggle of the day. Keachin" the summit, the Boers paused foi ■ breath one long, deep, solid mass ot wet. soiled humanity. They were obviously angry and defiant brand.sh.ng their "Mausers, doubtless thinking that, {• time, thev would drive all bctore them They had never seen, never experienced, a charge made by a regiment of Britons. Suddenly the Deyons appeared on the higher ground on which ?bTßoers stood, and o vollev from the Mausers. Hut tne open lines of khaki, fringed w.th phtSe steel, closing upon them, rapid Sd relentless, meant a power a, unexpected as it was terrible to the Boer, £ turned and fled-rather went iurnpin" tumbling crawl.ng. down the jTimpin Hamilton's v:cSrfwa complete, and : with other, LJrl Sir George White, when tne proudly and grateful y declare: "Thank God, we kept the flag flying."