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Page 41
For the next few nights all posts round Lydenburg stood to arms at 1.30
a.m. owing to the activity of the Boers, but it was not till January 4th
that they attacked the Bridge Hill Post. They attempted to capture the
picquet on the bridge over the Spekboom River, but were beaten off.
About this time one company was ordered down from Paardeplaats to
Mission Camp, the garrison at Paardeplaats being thus reduced to one
company; and Witklip garrison was reinforced by the addition of one
company, which was sent there from Mission Camp.
On the early morning of January 8th the Boers made a simultaneous attack
on almost all posts on the line between Belfast and Lydenburg. The
following posts were attacked: Badfontein, Schwarzkop, Helvetia,
Machadodorp, Belfast, Pan, and Noitgedacht. The Badfontein Post was
shelled only, by a big gun mounted on the hills west of the fort, which
failed, however, to reach the post. The result of the general attack was
that two posts only, those at Belfast, were captured by the Boers. These
were not held, and the Boers retired, leaving twenty-four dead upon the
ground. The posts had been well prepared for defence after the disaster
at Helvetia.
A wire bridge over the Lydenburg River, constructed by Lieutenant Green
and the twelve men of the Maxim gun team, was completed about this time,
and as it attracted a good deal of attention a description of it may be
interesting.
The bridge had a span of sixty feet, and was constructed on the system
of the "jhula," or rope bridge, of Cashmere, out of telegraph wire. The
roadway, to admit of one person at a time, was made of two lengths of
twisted wire, each ten strands thick. These being stretched tightly
across the river, and the ends well worked into the ground and pegged
down, were joined together by small laths of wood two inches apart. Two
more lengths, each ten strands thick, were stretched from two uprights
on each bank, at a convenient height above the roadway, to form a
support for it. These were joined on to the roadway by stout sticks,
about one to two feet apart, on either side to give stability. The
bridge was then secured up and down stream by wires to keep it steady.
The height of the bridge above the stream was about twenty feet.
[Illustration: Wire Bridge, Lydenburg]
The chief cause of attraction and interest in the bridge to outsiders
was the fact that it had been constructed entirely by British infantry
without the aid of the Royal Engineers, and that the plan had been
thought out by them alone, and was not "in the book." The idea had been
taken from some photographs of a Cashmere "jhula," and the work had been
carried out from descriptions of the rope bridges furnished by an
officer of the Regiment who had crossed them. All previous bridges had
been washed away, but this bridge was still standing at the end of the
war, and was being utilized then by the Kaffirs at Mission Camp as an
easy access and short cut to their cultivated fields.
On January 12th, as a larger convoy than usual was coming through to
Lydenburg, a small force under Captain Jacson, consisting of two
companies Devons, one company mounted infantry and one gun went out from
Mission Camp to demonstrate towards Schoeman's Laager on the west. No
Boers, however, were seen, and the convoy came safely into Lydenburg
without opposition.
Several changes occurred in the disposition of the companies of the
Regiment during the latter half of January, 1901.
The head-quarters with three companies were stationed at Witklip under
Colonel Park. Two companies proceeded to Badfontein as a garrison under
Major Davies. One company held each of the posts at Bridge Hill and
Paardeplaats respectively. One company was in charge of the Mission
House, whilst one company was left at Mission Camp to commence the
construction of a new work south of the old camp.
[Illustration: Wire Bridge, Lydenburg (General Kitchener and Colonel
Park)]
These changes were made on account of some large convoys going and
coming to and from the railway line, larger escorts having to be
provided owing to the proximity and increased activity of the Boers on
the lines of communication. The convoys came through safely without any
trouble, and on January 30th Major Davies with his two companies
returned to Witklip. The head-quarters of the Regiment, with three
companies, left Witklip the following day and proceeded to Mission Camp.
Further changes were made during February, 1901, the post at
Paardeplaats being given up and the company posted there returning to
Mission Camp.
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