Sortie Gun Hill

GUN HILL SORTIE

 

                                     I hope to go as a spectator.…We would want bayonets.”

                                   Yours sincerely

                                                            Archibald Hunter.

             This latter point of bayonets did not suit the ILH because they had none, but Hunter accepted this and went along as he said he would, as a spectator. 

           The night of 7^th December happened to be one when the ILH were having a smoking concert which was cut short at 9.30 pm by Colonel Edwards who called for volunteers to take part in a “risky enterprise”. As was expected, everyone volunteered but only 100 were selected, each to carry 150 rounds of ammunition. The force comprised 500 Natal Volunteers under Colonel Royston and 100 from the Imperial Light Horse, B, E and F squadrons under Lieutenant Colonel Edwards with Major Karrie Davis, Captains Mullins, Fowler, Codrington and Lieutenant P Fitzgerald. Eleven guides, under Major Henderson of The Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders led the force. In addition there were four Sappers of the Royal Engineers under Captain Fowke and Lieutenant Turner and ten men of the No. 10 Mountain Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. 

          The rendezvous time was 10.30 pm at Devon’s Post and it was only at this point that the men were informed of the reason for the sortie, namely, to put the Boer Artillery on Gun Hill out of action. Each man wore rubber-soled shoes and no spurs were allowed. With the element of surprise being paramount, no talking was permitted. In total darkness the men covered a distance of some two kilometres across a terrain of thorn bush, rocks and dongas.

          Colonel Edwardes party was to assault the centre of the hill with the second party under the command of General Hunter, to act as the flank guard. The right flank, Natal Carbineers and Natal Mounted Rifles, moved along the Helpmekaar road to Limit Hill to protect the assault columns to and from Gun Hill, the Natal Police guarded the left flank.

           Gun Hill is very steep and much of the ascent was achieved on hands and knees. Some noise was inevitable but they were fortunate in not being detected until about a quarter of the way up the hill when the Boer sentries gave the order to shoot but no one was hit. The firing increased in intensity and, as the sentries were reloading their rifles, Colonel Edwards gave the order to “fix bayonets” and the troops rushed the crest of the hill. It should be noted here that the Imperial Light Horse and Carbineers had no bayonets but the Boer was unaware of this and because of his fear of “cold steel”, affected a quick retreat.

           Having satisfied himself that the Boer had indeed left the hill, Colonel Edwards placed his men in extended order on the flat top where they formed a covering party for the Engineers. To his surprise Colonel Edwards discovered that not only had they found a Long Tom but also a 4.7 Howitzer and a Maxim machine gun. Captain Fowke and his Engineers set about destroying the Long Tom and Howitzer by stuffing the barrels with gun cotton, whilst the flanking parties were firing volleys into the Boer camp  at the rear of the hill. It was a tremendous relief to everyone to hear the explosion which put the Long Tom out of action. Whilst the demolition was in progress, Major Karri Davies, Imperial Light Horse, organised the removal of the Long Tom breechblock,  weighing about 180 pounds and along with the rammer, it was transported back to Ladysmith. The withdrawal was orderly and,  on reaching the base of the Hill, a resounding “three cheers” was given which alerted the flanking parties that the operation was over. By the time they reached the Helpmekaar road it was almost daylight and not a shot had been fired during the retirement.   

          At the time the Gun Hill team were returning, Colonel Knox, together with a group of 1st Battalion Liverpool’s and 19th Hussars, had occupied Limit Hill and had advanced up the Newcastle road towards Pepworth Hill in search of enemy troops. Colonel Knox requested that General White send a cavalry brigade with the intention of striking at General Joubert’s camp but by the time they arrived dawn had broken and the element of surprise had been lost. Unfortunately on the way back the Boers killed three and wounded fourteen. The Leicester’s also made an excursion to Hyde Farm but did not meet with the enemy. 

            The Boers took the damaged Long Tom to the South African Railway workshops in Pretoria where, under the supervision of a Swedish engineer by the name of Uggla, a new breechblock was manufactured, the barrel shortened and the piece pressed into service again – taking part in the siege of Kimberley. The gun was nicknamed “Die Jood” or “The Jew.” The ILH had blown up the end of the barrel, but the Boers managed to cut the damaged part off effectively “circumcising” the cannon barrel – but rendering it operational again. 

          British casualties for the sortie were listed as seven wounded of which Richard Geddes Nicol had been shot through the spine and it was agreed by everyone that Doctor Charles Ligertwood, who had joined the ILH after abandoning his Johannesburg medical practice, dressed Nicol’s wounds, made him comfortable and stayed with until the Boers arrived in the morning; unfortunately Nicol died.

***

          In 1904 a dinner was given to the late Field-Marshal Lord Roberts by the officers of the ILH at the Athenaeum Club Johannesburg. When the Field-Marshal was returning thanks he turned to Major Karri Davies and, pointing to the breech-block which was on the table, congratulated him on his timely bluff in calling to the men to “fix bayonets”. Karri Davies at once corrected him: “It was not me Sir, it was Colonel Edwards.”

          The breechblock captured by the ILH on Gun Hill was presented, some time during World War One, to General (later Field Marshal) Jan Smuts as a trophy. Smuts in turn donated it to the Ladysmith Museum where it and the rammer are on display.