1/26/2017 0 Comments Rifle Hill Signal Outpost [1899]In 1963 in Yorkshire, a class of British Army armorers put one Vickers gun through probably the most strenuous test ever given to an individual gun. ASG Law Offices is a consumer law firm dedicated to consumer protection and vigorously defending the rights of our clients. We offer high-caliber legal representation.South African Military History Society. Published on the Website of the South African Military History Society.
Battle of Hong Kong; Part of the Pacific Theatre of World War II: Japanese invasion of Hong Kong Island, 18–25 December 1941. Military History Journal Vol 11 No 1 - June 1998 FOUR EARLY FORTS IN THE HARTBEESPOORT AREA. During investigations by the authors of. General History and Info on 36th INFANTRY DIVISION The 36th Division was in combat for 400 days. Its first experience in combat was Operation AVALANCHE, the. Copyright Alan L Putland . Buller started out full of determination. I cannot begin to criticize - for I should never. If there were any one to take Bullers place I would cut and slash. General who is as big a man as he is and we. Ladysmith will probably fall and all our. Thank God we are going. Winston Churchill on the Boer War. It was my grandfather Private Walter Putland who between the years 1. Middlesex regiment and served in. South Africa during The Boer War. During this time he kept a. Boer War I found that. He had no notebooks nor had he any form of writing tablet so he used. England he transferred his account. Newcastle. South Africa in 1. The account that he wrote describing the horror. National Army Museum. London being donated by his granddaughter Mrs Doris Seacombe to which. I am truly grateful for supplying me with a copy of the original diary. You will. notice that in some places the author has changed the way that he wrote. Comments are added in square. For simplicities sake although the author placed most of the dates within. I have placed these on a new line. Occasionally you will find. I have included some historical references at the end of the diary which. Comments added by the Website editor are in squiggly brackets, thus. Embarked and sailed about 4. SS Avondale. Castle, Troops in good spirits singing shouting and pleasant farewells. Quay, seeing us off, Splendid weather, sea like a. Bay of Biscay, hardly any sickness, Dec 7th. Las Palmas Canary Islands, little boats come round selling fruit. Ordinary ships duties today the 1. Hatchway and died soon afterwards,1. Dec Body of the Man that died yesterday was committed to. Body was rolled from. Union Jack into the sea and all was over, then the boat went. Nothing occurred till the 1. Concert and it was. Dec 2. 0th and 2. Dec 2. 2nd Woke up and found the fog had cleared off and was a. Board and water pumped from. Received orders to proceed to Natal via Durban, this meaning. Indian Ocean so we had to tranship to the SS. Mongolian and I think the dirtiest boat afloat, Blankets lousy and. Cape, so I cannot say anything of. Troops had no heart, this boat was thrown about all over the. I and all the remainder it was so rough, and making matters. Day we got something served out to. Troops. made a complaint as it was not fit to eat, but we got no satisfaction. Troops got long pieces of rope etc. I got two loafs and some banana's and some tobacco and a pipe. I have a feed for a time and some were lucky enough to get some tea. I was one of the latter, our collar and cap. I expect other Regts. I was aware of it, and. I fell on the railway line taking a lump off my leg and bruising my. I should have. missed the train, then I hobbled up and was dragged in and we proceeded. Country, my train, being the 1st to start and we left Durban amidst. Country should treat us the way they did, after. I took off my puttees* and found a portion of my skin deficient. I bandaged that up, and I had a shaking up, but that’s but a trifle,* PUTTEES A long strip of cloth wound spirally round the leg from. Arrived at Inchanga Station where we found Coffee and bread and butter. Woke up everyone rushing about and pouring. Camp and march off and we were soon wet through. Middlesex. Dorsets and Somersets under General Talbot Coke march to a place named. Frere, and it was an awful march pouring of rain, and marched through Rivers. Summer. here its awful cold today, halted halfway to let the Artillery go on and. Frere. a bit done up, made some tea and served out with a dram of rum, drank that. January 9th 1. 90. Moved off soon after daybreak in mass with General. Buller about 1. 1,0. Men of all arms, arrived at Frere Bridge and found. Pontoon bridge. thrown* across by the Royal Engineers . Very slow and cautious was this move, and we had about 6 miles. Convoy to escort, which made it very difficult, by 1. Here the Boers were only a few miles to our front but nothing. The living and water was very good here, had. I went hopping round the camp worse. Another treat I had here, I washed my shirt and socks and. Tugila* River.* Hard to decipher from the original documents. Guarding. the Guns was our billet** at night, and the Sailors turned in, here we. Jan trying to draw the Enemy with a few feint attacks. I think that they were up to that move, every night, either outpost. Sentry on the Guns sleeping when we could, 4. Pontoon Bridge. General Woodgate I passed going up, he was being carried. Slaughter House up there, that did not improve our feelings. I saw several Mules loaded with ammunition. Cpl Clements. was shot aside of me during this shower of lead, after cracking the firing. Col Sergt Morris was. I was ordered to go to the Main Body on our left. I did not like the job, but I had to do it and there was little time for. I said a prayer to myself and off I went, and the bullets. I was. doing this, Capt Muriel was shot dead after being fairly riddled with bullets. Boers held up their white flag or flag of truce, and. This rank was not to intrude on his status as. Churchill to send his constant letters. Morning Post'. Churchill spoke. General Buller mentioning in a letter of the 1. January 1. 90. 0. I cannot begin to criticise. I would never stop. If there was anyone to take Bullers place I would. General who is as big a man. Ladysmith will probably fall and all our brave friends be led off to captivity. Thank God we are going to have one more try - if they will only. Winston wrote of the battle on Spion Kop 'The scenes on Spion. Kop were among the strangest and most terrible I have ever witnessed. I. had five very dangerous days - continually under shell and rifle fire and. But in the end. I came serenely through'. Towards the end of the battle on Spion Kop he. Colonel Thorneycroft sitting on the ground 'surrounded by the remnants. The assault on Spion Kop had cost 3. Boers lost 3. 00 men. Buller withdrew all his men back. Tugela, it was another battle that had been lost and once again. Spion Kop was in the hands of General Botha and the Boers. January 1. 90. 0, drew biscuits and tea and had breakfast (if. I'm not calling that meal names). Splendid water here from a spring. Officers are the same. Marched. off again and arrived at Chievely, after a long and hot march, lots of. Troops had to be brought along on the wagons and by the ambulance during. Here we met the Fusilier Brigade and they gave us a good welcome. A. I saw several fellows I knew in the Fusiliers and. Camp next morning a short distance away and had a. February 1. 7th 1. Woke before daybreak and packed up tents etc. Naval Guns began firing and. Boers were firing shrapnel. Regiments that was behind made a flank movement, to turn the Enemy. Boers position, the Naval and Artillery Guns getting fresh. Boers keep putting their searchlight on us, so we had to. Feb 1. 8th. February 1. Our big Guns done some fine work today which. Boers they did not think we shifted our position during the. Boers which made it. Pte Hilton was right the. Breast work but have to keep perfectly still as we fell. February 2. 7th 1. Glad morning has come Artillery firing commences. Boers retire again Devons. Bayonet charge and by dark all was rather quiet, this was done without. February 2. 8th 1. With the exception of a little sniping which. Enemy left behind, which was afterwards. Troops found and marched into Ladysmith. Town. Arrived at Pietmaritzburg on the 8- 3- 0. Troops. and Civilians on the Station to welcome us there and I shall never forget. Civilians shouted and yelled, us being the first Regiment back. Relief of Ladysmith, here we drew our kits out and changed our. This would be a fine picture. England, some fellows trousers patched up. April 1. 90. 0 Daybreak moved off again, and have a deal of trouble. Convoy, owing to the heavy roads etc, unable to get water all. Elandslangte and had a lot of trouble with the Officers. I was very busy, had a dram of Rum and retired for the night, very tired. Regt and work for the Officers every time we halt, we remained here. Camp, having no. duty to do, the Regt all on outpost duty. April 1. 90. 0 just as the day was breaking we were all woke. Boers shelling our camp, ordered to order the tents to the ground. Men, our Artillery and Naval Guns were soon at work. Watkins and myself retired back about 3. Scotch Cart. and the Officers Mess stores, cooked breakfast for them, now here me and. Mess Sergeant had a rough job, to take the Officers breakfast round. I carried a whiskey box full of eatables on my head, same thing occurred. Boers had retired, packed up and the Brigade advanced. Elandslaagte Station, out. Rifle. Brigade, a patrol of a few Mounted Men went out at dark on patrol for the. Boers, trying to reach. Station, they lost 3 Men of their patrol, but the enemy suffered a. Camped on is the same place as where the Lancers. Men got Intiree. or Dysentery while we were here, at this place we stayed till the 9- 5- 0. Troops having plenty to do myself to. Officers to get their food sent out to them on there different. May 1. 90. 0 about 5am the whole Brigade marched off, and a rough. Hills and through Rivers etc it was awful to make. Sgt and myself, we lost the Regiment, as we could. Kopji (Hill) having to go a long way round, and could. Cart. eventually we found the Regt, on a small ridge and the Officers were waiting. Boer Camp quite plain from here, made a Bivouac (shelter). Mess store etc had a dram and turned in for the night fairly tired. May 1. 90. 0 nothing of importance occurred here, we were shifted. Hills, what for is not known, remained like this. When the Regt was ordered to take a large Hill (Janas. Kopji) with the South African Light Horse, but they (the Boers) retired. Hill, and made Coffee. Bully Beef stew for the Officers, while doing this the Regt had moved. Hill, and we had to carry all the. I took a dixie full of boiling Coffee up. I reached the top, and the others were. Officers had their food we were ordered to take another.
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