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In 1899, British and Boer ambitions in South Africa
came to a head. The Boers, descendants of the original Dutch
colonists, and the British had been in dispute for years.
Now, though, the new diamond- and gold-fed wealth and ambition
of the Boer states (the Transvaal and the Orange Free State)
clashed with Britain's own ambitions in the area, and led
to war. |
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On paper, it was a war
Britain could not loose. She had a vast Empire and innumerable armies
- eventually 450,000 soldiers in South Africa alone. The Boers standing
army, though, was tiny, so the main Boer weapon was the civilian farmers,
who lived on the veldt (the African out-back). Usually excellent riders
and good shots, they were versatile and mobile. Formed into Commandos
- groups from a few dozen up to several hundred men, they could move
far and fast over the veldt, living off the land.
In October, the Boers invaded British territory, and soon ran
rings around the opposing British infantry. By the end of 1899 most
British forces were either besieged in Ladysmith, Mafeking or Kimberley,
or were pinned down by Commandos. Despite a few victories, the British
war effort ground to a halt. The main problem was lack of cavalry.
Without horsemen, they could not match the speed of the Boers, and
could not out-manoeuvre them. Cavalry rushed in from around the Empire,
but not enough were available in the regular Army. The Government
were forced to turn to the Yeomanry Cavalry. |
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Yeomanry were part-time soldiers. Many, like the Queens Own
Worcestershire Hussars (Yeomanry) were raised in 1794 to defend
Britain from French invasion. They were a popular and well-established
part of Society. Mainly rural-based, the officers were usually
from the aristocracy and the men from the land. In some ways,
these men were like the Boers, raised on the land and often
natural riders and good shots. However, up until 1899 they had
never seen active service, and were often looked upon as toy-soldiers,
very nice to look at at the County Fair, but of no real use.
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However, now Britain needed
the Yeomanry, and they called for volunteers for South Africa. Each
Yeomanry regiment were asked for a certain number of men; the Worcestershire's
were asked for 126. The response was phenomenal. Within days, 3,021
men had come forward from all over the County. The people of Worcestershire
also offered money, and raised over £50,000 to buy horses and equipment.
Eventually, 5 officers and 118 men were selected to go. This group
became the 16th (Worcestershire) Company of the 5th Imperial Yeomanry,
a brand new Regiment raised for the war. |
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The First Contingent: After frantic preparations and
extra training, in March 1900 they left for South Africa.
Before they went, Lady Dudley, the wife a Yeomanry Major,
gave each man a sprig of pear blossom made of silk. Representing
the Black Pear Tree - the symbol of Worcestershire - the blossoms
were worn in each man's hat, and from then on it became the
badge of the Regiment. In a slightly more practical gesture,
Lord Windsor, the commanding officer of the Worcestershire's,
gave each man a set of underwear.
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| This batch of Yeomen would
be the first of two contingents (not including drafts of reinforcements)
to be sent. This contingent arrived in March 1900, and after
more intense training, moved up to the front in April 1900.
They were part of the army that advanced on Pretoria (capital of the
Transvaal), fighting the Commandos of two of the best Boer Generals
- De Wet and Botha. Between them they had about 20,000 men, and were
a huge threat to the British forces. The Yeomanry were used to track
them down, chasing the elusive Boers across rough country for long
periods. |
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On the 4th May 1900,
the 16th Company had their baptism of fire, and on the 1st
June, they lost their first man killed in action, Trooper
C. Smith.
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In August 1900,the Yeomanry came close
to catching De Wet, and rode 32 miles in one day, with no food or
water, to try and corner him. De Wet escaped, and over the next
8 days, the Yeomanry chased him for 160 miles across very rough
country. To move quicker, they left everything they could behind.
It was now mid-winter in South Africa, and freezing cold at night,
but the Yeomen had only a single blanket each to keep them warm,
and very little food. Trooper Frank Charge, from Worcester, found
the food bad, but soon adapted:
"Three biscuits and one-and-a-quarter pounds of fresh meat, which
we generally cook ourselves, being the day's ration. Yet we never
yet were starved. You have to look after yourself and a fowl or
an occasional pig is easy to get out here without making any bargaining
… There is plenty of Indian meal to be had and that boiled well
makes a very palatable meal when hungry."
Such conditions were equally bad on the horses. The casualty rate
for horses was enormous. Due to the conditions and supply problems,
they were seldom fed or cared for properly and were often ridden
to death. Of the 500,000 used by the British, over 350,000 died.
Eventually, the Yeomen gave up the chase and rode on to Mafeking,
which had been relived and turned into a large British camp. They
were based there for the rest of the war, patrolling the area and
escorting the convoys which supplied the local garrisons. Although
the Yeomen were often sniped at from the surrounding countryside,
invariably without success, they seldom actually saw the enemy.
In September 1900, though, a rare opportunity came to get
to grips with the Boers. On the 19th September they found a Boer
supply convoy and, scattering the escort, they captured the whole
lot - 26 wagons of supplies, a cannon, 28 Boers and over 12,000
cattle and sheep! All for only two Yeomen wounded.
In October 1900, the second Yeoman to be killed in action,
Trooper E. Harrington, was shot in an ambush. Frank Charge wrote
home:
"The enemy opened a point blank fire… I expected every second
to be riddled with bullets. I turned my horse round sharply and
galloped … Poor Bertie Harrington was not so lucky. He was shot
dead, one through the heart and one through the head… I helped to
carry him to his grave. We laid him on some bushes and after Mr.
Gill had read the funeral service we covered him up and then got
a lot of stones and made his grave as ornamental as we possibly
could…
"The saddest thing of all is that when we got our mail there
was a telegram from home for Bertie Harrington to go home as he
was wanted. Is it not dreadful?"
The war carried on like this for the next six months. Each side
ambushed the other, and attacked each other's supply convoys, but
gradually the Yeomen won the upper hand. By the spring of 1901,
they were seasoned soldiers, as tough and experienced as the Boers.
The Boers, on the other hand, were becoming short on men and supplies,
and were gradually being trapped down into smaller areas.
The Second Contingent: By January
1901, the war was taking longer
than the British had expected. They decided to raise another force
of Yeomen to replace those already in South Africa. Again there
was a vast response. Most volunteers had little or no military experience
or training, but 145 were picked, and they joined the others in
April 1901.
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There
were few of the First Contingent left by now. Although only
two had been killed, six had died of disease and many others
sent home from wounds, disease or exhaustion. Thankfully,
there were enough left to train their replacements. To the
veterans, they were woefully under-trained and inexperienced,
and they hurried to train them up properly. In early May
1901, the Second Contingent first saw action, and, thanks
to the veterans, performed so well it was decided the First
Contingent could leave for home.
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The relief amongst the
Yeomen was immense. Most were tired of the war and wanted to go home
to their families. Frank Charge wrote to his parents:
"Expect me home soon. I am thoroughly disgusted with the whole affair...
We are all fed up. A lot of the new Yeomanry who knew me hardly recognise
me I have altered so much… Never again will I act the fool. I want
a quiet home coming."
For the newcomers, there was no respite. Although the Boer armies
were defeated and scattered, some scattered Commandos remained, and
they were still a potent threat. The Boers kept up their guerrilla
war, and were proving harder to find. More hard riding and fighting
was needed to win the war fully.
In October 1901, there was a particularly bad ambush near Kleinfontein.
The convoy they had been escorting was attacked, and the 16th Company
were cut off from the main party. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded,
they managed to hold out until help arrived. Out of 105 men present,
9 were killed and 14 wounded, including 3 of the 5 officers.
In December 1901, the 'Blockhouse system' came into effect.
Blockhouses, only a few miles apart and each containing a small British
garrison, were built all over South Africa and connected by barbed
wire. They fenced in the wide open plains and restrict the movement
of the Boers. Huge lines of cavalry then swept across the veldt, forcing
the Boers into ever smaller areas to be trapped. These sweeps were
also tough on the Yeomen and their horses, who rode up to 40 miles
a day, and faced a desperate enemy.
Finally, at the end of May 1901, the Boers surrendered, and
peace was signed.
Back to Worcestershire: In June 1902, the Yeomen sailed
for home. They had suffered much more than the first contingent, loosing
16 men killed in action and 5 by disease, 20 men wounded in action
and 21 sent home ill. In September 1902, they arrived home. When the
First Contingent had arrived back in Worcester, it had been to a hero's
welcome, with guards of honour, speeches and lunch at the Guildhall.
For the Second Contingent it was different. Most were too eager to
wait for the official welcome, and, arriving in the middle of the
night before it could be staged, went straight home to their families.
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In recognition of their service, the City
of Worcester presented each man with a silver medallion -
a 'Worcester Jewel', with the crest of the City on one side
and an inscription on the other. Those from elsewhere in the
County received other gifts too. Bewdley gave their Yeomen
another silver medal, while those from Kidderminster received
a gold one. Malvern gave Yeomen silver cigarette case, and
both Pershore and Evesham presented a watch. Those from Redditch
received an illustrated scroll.
The Worcestershire Yeomen sent 300 men to South Africa, and
for the first time the Yeomanry had proven their worth. Army
reforms over the following years recognised this. From being
a fashionable frill on Society, they became an important part
of the Army. A few years latter, Yeomen from Worcestershire
again crossed the seas, this time to Palestine, where they
extended their reputation in the Great War, and again in World
War Two. The Yeomen of the 16th Company had set the highest
standards, and began a proud tradition.
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A Worcester
Jewel - This one was awarded to Sergeant
Somers, of the First Contingent. The other
side bore an inscription with the bearer's name |
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