Armoured Train Disaster
Captain Wylie and Lieutenant Molyneux of the Durban Light Infantry tossed a coin to decide who went on the train, Captain Wylie thought himself lucky to have won the toss. Another officer from the DLI that went along was Lieutenant W Alexander. (Ref.6)
Train compliment was, ‘ A’ company of Dublin Fusiliers of 72 NCO’s and men under Lieutenant Frankland. 45 men of ‘C’ company Durban Light Infantry under Captain Wylie and Lieutenant Alexander. 5 men and a Petty Officer of HMS Tartar with a 7 pound gun. A civilian train crew consisting of driver Charles Wagner, stoker Stuart, some platelayers, linesmen C Godfrey, A Branley, W Yallop and James Welsh. Atelegraph operator by the name of A Foster and Winston Churchill completed the force. Captain Haldane DSO Gordon Highlanders just recovered from wounds received at the battle of Elandslaagte was in overall command. (Ref.6)
The train comprised an open flat-bed truck carrying the 7 pound Naval gun and men of HMS Tartar, followed by an armoured truck. (This truck contained three sections of Dublins, Captain Haldane and Winston Churchill. This was followed by the engine and tender, and another armoured truck with the 4th section of Dublins, Captain Wylie and half the DLI. Following this was another armoured truck with the remainder of the DLI, the telegraph operator and train personnel. Finally a flat bogie carried the stores and train guard. (Ref.6)
The train left Estcourt at 5.30 am on 15th November 1899 and headed for Frere where it was given permission to continue as the line was deemed clear of Boers. The latter were from the Middleburg, Ermelo and Krugersdorp Commandos. It was now raining as Captain Haldane continued to Chieveley station where he contacted Estcourt via telegraph informing them they had seen Boers heading south. On being ordered to return he promptly instructed the driver to put the engine into reverse and head back to Estcourt. Going full steam, they were heading downhill and had just reached the culvert when they struck boulders that had been placed on the track. (Ref.5/185; 6/63; rocks confirmed by Botha in a letter to his wife 6/66)
The bogie containing the tools and the next armoured truck were derailed and landed upside down at the bottom of the embankment whilst the next armoured truck ended up across the tracks.. The Boers were shelling from three guns plus a machine gun, probably a Pom-pom. The Naval gun was knocked out at the third shot. (Ref.6/63; 5/185)
The Boer Shell played havoc in one truck. The hole in the side it entered was rent to about nine inches across and was jagged and the side that it came out was rent to about 18 inches across. Another was rent to about three feet. Some had bullet holes and all of them were more or less dented and rent. (Ref.5/185
Haldane organised his men to retaliate, whilst Churchill and the driver proceeded to move the engine back and forth in order to dislodge it from the tracks. A remark made by one of the Boer wounded to a doctor in Intombi camp at Ladysmith states that Churchill and Haldane were smoking cigars whilst returning the enemy fire. Meanwhile the troops extended down the line to draw the enemy fire. They eventually succeeded and the wounded were loaded onto the train that headed off in the direction of Frere, eventually arriving back at Estcourt at 10 am. Having travelled about half a mile, Churchill jumped off and returned to fight, only to find that Haldane had surrendered. (Ref. 5/185; 6/63
Casualties:
5 British were killed, 45 wounded, with a further 20 wounded and 70 unwounded escaping with the engine and tender; Captain Wylie being one of the wounded that escaped to Estcourt.(1)
DLI casualties 2 killed, 1 died of wounds, 25 wounded, 19 captured of whom 8 were wounded,.(6/65)
Driver Wagner was wounded in the head but made it back to Frere with the wounded.(Howick museum)
Prisoners were 56 (2/p87) among them Churchill, Haldane, Frankland. Three of the captured navy men off HMS Tartar, Able seaman Walter Thompson, Christopher Connor and Ernest John Read, made good their escape and joined the Naval Brigade at Pretoria. ref. casualty list in Daily Express 23 June 1900.
Boer: 2 killed (Ermelo) and 5 wounded (2 from Wakkerstroom) (2/p86)
One man was buried by the side of the line about 500 yards from the scene of the disaster and the rest were buried quite near the scene and to the east of the line. The place is marked by a rough headstone which is too hard for the men to make a clear inscription on it although they have managed to cut “Gone but not forgotten” roughly on it and it is held upright by being let into the socket of another stone. There is about 7ft by 7ft of cement to resemble the top stone of a tomb. It has a ridge about 3 inches raised at the top corners and is round at the head with this inscription mad by empty cartridge cases let into the cement with case upwards and a cross of stone in the centre.
“Erected by the 34th Regiment (Borders) in memory of our comrades who fell on 15th November 1899″ and on the cross “Dublin Fusiliers and DLI True until Death” The whole is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. I heard that the Boers buried the men and that the man buried 500 yards away had his feet sticking through the soil but our men have altered it and have made a grave with flints and earth about 18 inches high. (Ref.5/185)
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Churchill tried to escape but was captured by a Boer named “Rooi” Sarel Oosthuisen. Churchill however tells of being captured by Louis Botha himself. Botha denies except when he is in the presence of Churchill when he corroborates his story. In a telegram from Captain Danie Theron to Joubert Theron says “….nor would he stand still when warned by Field Cornet Oosthuisen to surrender or do so till covered by the latter’s rifle.” ” In my opinion Churchill is one of the most dangerous prisoners in our hands.” (Ref.6/66)
Once the reality of his capture had set in it dawned on Churchill that he still had two clips of Mauser ammunition from Omdurman. Officially known as MK 1V and MK V issue they were more commonly known as Dum Dum’s. These were soft-nosed or expanding bullets which disintegrated when they hit a persons body and had been outlawed at the Hague Conference the previous July and Churchill knew it. When his guard was not looking Churchill dropped one clip but the other was seen in his hand. This Churchill excused as having just picked in up from the ground which the guard excepted and they were thrown away. (Ref.3/249)
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Private Copeland of the Durban Light Infantry is the “unknown” British soldier buried in the small grave adjacent to the main one at the Train disaster site. (Ref.Steve Watt)
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REFERENCES:
1. Times History of the War
2. No Charge for Delivery by CWL de Souza
3. The Last Lion by William Manchester
4. This account is taken from an extract from a letter published by the Buchan Observer of 26th December 1899 by Alexander Chisholm, ‘C’ company Durban Light Infantry, that he sent to his father, also Alexander, of 26 Kirk Street, Peterhead England
5. 2443 Pte. Frederick Lambert diary-copy with LS Historical Society
6. The Durban Light Infantry by AC Martin