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Page 45
On April 10th an order was issued for the battalion to concentrate in
Lydenburg, preparatory to a general advance of three columns. The posts
at Bridge Hill, Mission Village, Strathcona, and Paardeplaats were
evacuated, and the company at Witklip withdrawn.
The destinations of the columns were as follows:--
One column under Colonel Park was to proceed in the Kruger's Post
direction and to scour the country towards the north, and later to join
hands with General Kitchener's column, which was to proceed in a
north-westerly direction, and the third column under Colonel Douglas was
to proceed from Witklip in a westerly direction.
On the 12th, Lieutenant-Colonel Park handed over the command of the
battalion to Major Davies, who had arrived from Witklip, and Captain
Jacson took over the duties of second in command.
CHAPTER V
TREKKING IN THE NORTH-EAST TRANSVAAL
On April 13th, 1901, General Walter Kitchener commenced his long trek
with a night march.
His force consisted of--
Two guns 53rd F.B.R.A. under Major Johnson and Captain Talbot-Ponsonby.
One 5-inch gun.
One 5-inch howitzer.
One naval 12-pounder.
One company mounted infantry.
1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment (20 officers and 900 men).
2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade.
The 6th Western Australians.
General Walter Kitchener's column formed one of the many operating at
the time in a combined movement in the Northern Transvaal and bush
veldt, under the direction of General Sir Bindon Blood.
Two columns were sent north to drive the bush veldt, forcing any Boers
that might be located there on to the other columns, who were acting as
stops near the Tautes Berg and Bothas Berg, immediately north of the
Pretoria-Lorenzo railway line.
General Walter Kitchener decided to start his operations with an attack
on Schoeman's laager, and for this purpose the Regiment was ordered to
take up a position before dawn which would cut off the laager, situated
in the Steenkampsberg mountains, near the entrance of the Lydenburg road
into the hills, from the north. This entailed a night march of about
sixteen miles. The remainder of the column was to proceed by the main
road and attack the laager at daybreak.
The Regiment rendezvoused on the west side of the river, clear of the
town, before dusk. Here the men had food, and a start was made at 7 p.m.
The going at first was fairly simple, but once the track was left the
ground became rough, stony, and intersected with dongas. The advance was
then made in single file.
As an instance of how a small obstruction delays troops marching in the
dark, one small water-course 1-1/2 feet wide and about 1 foot deep
delayed the head of the column for some thirty-five minutes, till all
the men had crossed and were closed up again, and then in crossing one
in every ten fell into it. The top of the Steenkampsberg was reached at
about 1 a.m., after a steep climb over a rough track. The difficulty of
the march was increased by a thick fog. On the far side a steep cliff,
at the bottom of which was a deep donga and a mountain torrent, was
encountered, and this had to be negotiated on hands and knees. Slipping
and sliding down, the bottom of the donga was reached and the mountain
torrent waded, and then after a steep ascent the top of the plateau was
reached.
It was here that the laager was supposed to be situated, and an
extension was made and the advance continued. Just as the dawn was
breaking some flying Boers, appearing and disappearing in the fog, were
fired at by the leading extended company. The Boers had been disturbed
prematurely and had escaped, taking with them their pompom, but the
wagon containing its ammunition fell into the hands of the Regiment.
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