LETTERS FROM THE FRONT.

Otago Witness, Volume 26, Issue 2419, 26 July 1900, Page 28

LETTERS FROM THE FRONT.

Sergeant C. H. Street, of Oamaru, who is in the second New Zealand contingent, writing from Kroonstad on May 13 to Mr J. A. Ford, in referring to the British entry into Kroonstad, states that the New Zealanders were the first to enter the town, and they captured a commandant and five other prisoners, besides guns, ammunition, etc. On May 4- SO New ZeaTanders charged a kopje in front of them entirely without support, gaining the fop at the point of the bayonet under a fire. For about a quarter of an hour those on the kopje were subjected to a very hot fire, but the Royal Horse Artillery sent shot after shot into the Boer position, relieving the New Zealanders. Our boys were afterwards complimented by General Hutton for the splendid work, they did. On May, 5 the New Zealanders took part in ageneral engagement — a thing they had waited 10 weeks for. One of them captured one of the enemy's Maxims after a great race with a Queenslander. The many escapes in this engagement were marvellous. One man had the wood shot off the handle of his bayonet, another had a hole put through his sleeve, a third had his water bottle drilled, and a fourth had his boot heel shot off. A bullet pierced the mess tin Delonging to a trooper, and one lodged in the emergency ration tin of another. The only New Zealander wounded, however, was Smith, whose death has since been reported. Lord Roberts thanked us next morning through General Hutton for the part we had taken in the figuK