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Military History – South Africa – Europe – England 19th Century
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Imperial Light Horse, some Cape Police and a Royal Horse Artillery battery to their number,
and bringing the total to 2,000. On 16 May they engaged the Boers, now under Assistant
Commandant-general Koos De la Rey, blocking their way to the besieged town. The Boers, with an
equal number of men, attempted to make the British think they were actually a much greater force and
made attacks on the flanks; however, Mahon and Plumer drove straight through the centre. The
Canadian artillerymen fired their first shots of the war and their contribution was recognised by the
adoption of the countersign “Canada” to the password on 17 May, the day on which the full relieving
force entered the town.
See also:
Baden-Powell, Lieutenant-colonel R. S. S.; Mafeking, Siege of; Plumer, Lieutenant-colonel
Herbert.
Reference:
Jeal, Tim, Baden-Powell (London, Hutchinson, 1989); Pakenham, Thomas, The Boer War (London,
Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1979; Abacus, 1992); Reid, Brian A., Our Little Army in the Field (St
Catherines, Ontario, Vanwell, 1996).
Rietfontein, Battle of,
24 October 1899
The action at Rietfontein was undertaken to prevent Boer forces interfering with Yule’s retreat from
Dundee to Ladysmith. General White withdrew at the end of the action, satisfied that this had been
done, while the Boers congratulated themselves on having forced the British to withdraw, although
they were too weak to pursue them.
When the Boers invaded northern Natal at the outbreak of the war, actions took place at Dundee
and Elandslaagte from which the British, although victorious, fell back towards Ladysmith. They
feared being cut off by Marthinus Prinsloo’s Orange Free State commandos descending from
Harrismith and it was the first of that force that took up position on the hills north-west of the railway
between Ladysmith and Elandslaagte. From west to east they were the Harrismith, Kroonstad,
Winburg, Bethlehem, Vrede and Heilbron commandos, the latter under the temporary command of
Vice-commandant Christiaan De Wet.
Lieutenant-general Sir George White moved against them at about 8 a.m. on 24 October. His
force was substantial, comprising 5th Lancers, 19th Hussars, the Imperial Light Horse, Natal Mounted
Rifles, 42nd and 53rd Field Batteries, Royal Artillery, 1st Gloucestershire, 1st Devonshire, 1st
King’s Liverpool and 2nd King’s Royal Rifle Corps. They pushed the Boer outposts back without
difficulty, but then the single 75mm gun the Boers had on Nodashwana Hill went into action and
heavy rifle fire was brought to bear on them. The British artillery kept the Boers’ heads down and the
Boer fire did the same for their enemies. By 3 p.m. White learned that Yule was making good
progress towards Ladysmith and so was content to withdraw. The Boers, under the impression that
the British had given up their assumed intention of routing their adversaries,
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