THE 1st
Battalion sailed on the Cheshire on 9th November 1899, and arrived
at the Cape on 28th November. When the war broke out the old 75th,
or Dargai battalion, as Scots folk now call them, were the garrison
at Edinburgh. On the day after Nicholson’s Nek, when it was
seen more troops were needed, the battalion was ordered to sail nine
days later, and on their arrival in South Africa it was not to be
expected that so efficient a battalion would be long at the base.
Within ten days of their arrival they were thrown into the bloody
field of Magersfontein to help their hardly-pressed brothers in the
Highland Brigade. The story of the fatal day has been briefly told
under the Black Watch, but as the Gordons were not in the brigade
a sketch of their doings may be given. In his despatch of 15th February
1900 Lord Methuen says “At 12 noon I ordered the battalion of
the Gordons, which was with the supply column, to support the Highland
Brigade. The trenches, even after the bornbardment by lyddite and
shrapnel since daybreak, were too strongly held to be cleared. The
Gordons advanced in separate half-battalions, and though the attack
could not be carried home the battalion did splendid work throughout
the day”
Lord Methuen afterwards
says that Colonel Downman of the Gordons gave the order to “retire”
after the right flank of the Gordons had become exposed to an enfilade
fire. This retirement by Colonel Down-man’s order Lord Methuen
seems to describe as unfortunate. The despatch is printed under the
2nd Black Watch, it is not quite clear on this and some other points.
It is only fair
to the memory of Colonel Downman and to his battalion to state that
there are the best possible grounds for believing that Lord Methuen
was not accurately informed of what did take place. Two officers,
a doctor, the late Colonel Downman’s signalling sergeant, and
a private, who were all close to him when he fell, concur in stating
that when the enfilade fire on the right of the Gordons commenced
Colonel Downman rose up and ran towards the right, he shouted and
signalled to throw back the right and bring up the left, this being
the only effectual method of meeting the flanking fire. While givrng
these orders the colonel was mortally wounded.
The Gordons’
losses at Magersfontein were Colonel Downman and 2 other officers
and 4 men killed, and 2 officers and 35 men wounded. Captain Towse,
who afterwards got the V C., and 2 non-commissioned officers were
mentioned in Lord Methuen’s despatch for great gallantry.
When Lord Roberts
arrived at Modder River early m February, the Gordons, along with
the 2nd Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, the 2nd Shropshire
Light Infantry, and the Canadian Regiment, were placed in the 19th
Brigade under Smith-Dornen, and the IXth Division under General Colvile.
Some account of the very fine work of the brigade, from its formation
to the taking of Pretoria, is given under the Cornwalls, but in some
actions the 1st Gordons had bits of the play all to themselves, and
these it is not out of place to refer to here.
At Paardeberg
the Gordons were not so heavily engaged on the 18th as the other battalions
of the division, but, like the others, they did very fine work on
that and during the next nine days. On the night of the 22nd the Gordons
relieved the Shropshires in the advanced trenches up the river - bed,
the men having to crawl on their stomachs in carrying out the relief.
In the final move forward on the night of the 27th they supported
the Canadians in their splendid advance, by which our troops got established
within 80 yards of Cronje’s trenches, which, as Lord Roberts
said in his telegram of 27th February 1900 and despatch of 28th February,
“apparently clinched matters.” At Paardeberg the Gordons
had 4 officers wounded and about 25 other casualties.
Three officers,
5 non-commissioned officers, and 1 private were mentioned by Lord
Roberts in his despatch of 31st March for their good work up to the
taking of Bloemfontein.
At Hout Nek on
30th April, after the 19th Brigade had become part of Ian Hamilton’s
division, the Boer position was found to be very strong and held with
great determination. Mr Churchill, in describing a critical part of
the action, when the enemy were receiving continual reinforcements,
says “At last about two o’clock some one hundred and fifty
of the German Corps of the Boer force advanced from the northern point
of Thoba in four lines across the table-top to drive the British off
the hill. So regular was their order that it was not until their levelled
rifles were seen pointing south that they were recognised as foes,
and artillery opened on them. In spite of an accurate shell-fire they
continued to advance boldly against the highest part of the hill,
and meanwhile, cloaked by a swell of the ground, Captain Towse of
the Gordon Highlanders, with twelve men of his own Regiment and ten
of Kitchener’s Horse, was steadily moving towards them. The
scene on the broad stage of the Thoba plateau was intensely dramatic.
The whole army were the witnesses. The two forces, strangely disproportioned,
drew near to each other. Neither was visible to the other. The unexpected
collision impended. From every point field - glasses were turned on
the spectacle, and even hardened soldiers held their breath. At last,
with suddenness, both parties came face to face at fifty yards’
distance. The Germans, who had already made six prisoners, called
loudly on Captain Towse and his little band to surrender. What verbal
answer was returned is not recorded, but a furious splutter of musketry
broke out at once, and in less than a minute the long lines of the
enemy recoiled in confusion, and the top of the hill was secured to
the British.” It was on this occasion that Captain Towse was
blinded by a bullet. Thus, as Mr Churchill says, “do Misery
and Joy walk hand in hand on the field of war.”
An officer who
was present thinks the enemy took no prisoners, certainly he took
no Gordons.
One month later
at Doornkop or Florida, south-west of Johannesburg, the whole battalion
got its chance, and as usual took it. As has been explained elsewhere
(see Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry), Ian Hamilton’s
force had been thrown across the front of the main army and had become
the army of the left flank. On 29th May it was seen the enemy were
strongly posted and clearly meant to make a stand on the ridges south
of the main Rand and south-west of Florida. French with the cavalry
tried a wide turning movement from the British left, but the ground
was very difficult and progress slow Late in the afternoon it was
apparent the infantry must do it, and by the now dreaded frontal attack.
It is very wrong to quote again a long passage from Mr Churchill,
but if the objection were made by any one jealous of the Gordons,
it might be replied that another eyewitness, Mr March Phìllipps,
of the Imperial Yeomanry, the clever author of ‘With Rimington,’
describes the scene in terms almost identical with the following,
and he too characterises the advance as, “I think, the finest
performance I have seen in the whole campaign” “The leading
battalion of the 19th Brigade chanced, for there was no selection,
to be the Gordon Highlanders, nor was it without a thrill that I watched
this famous Regiment move against the enemy Their extension and advance
were conducted with machinelike regularity The officers explained
what was required to the men. They were to advance rapidly until under
rifle-fire, and then to push on or not as they might be instructed.
With impassive unconcern the veterans of Chitral, Dargai, the Bara
Valley, Magersfontein, Paardeberg, and Hout Nek walked leisurely forward,
and the only comment recorded was the observation of a private, ‘Bill,
this looks like being a kopje day’ Gradually the whole battalion
drew out clear of the covering ridge, and long dotted lines of brown
figures filled the plain.” After speaking of the artillery-fire,
Mr Churchill says “Yet when every allowance has been made for
skilful direction and bold leading, the honours, equally with the
cost of the victory, belong more to the Gordon Highlanders than to
all the other troops put together. The rocks against which they advanced
proved in the event to be the very heart of the enemy’s position.
The grass in front of them was burnt and burning, and against this
dark background the khaki figures showed distinctly The Dutch held
their fire until the attack was within 800 yards, and then, louder
than the cannonade, the ominous rattle of concentrated rifle-fire
burst forth. The black slope was spotted as thickly with grey puffs
of dust where the bullets struck as with advancing soldiers, and tiny
figures falling by the way told of heavy loss. But the advance neither
checked nor quickened. With remorseless stride, undisturbed by peril
or enthusiasm, the Gordons swept steadily onward, changed direction
half left to avoid, as far as possible, an enfilade fire, changed
again to the right to effect a lodgment on the end of the ridge most
suitable to attack, and at last rose up together to charge. The black
slope twinkled like jet with the unexpected glitter of bayonets. The
rugged sky - line bristled with kilted figures, as, in perfect discipline
and disdainful silence, those splendid soldiers closed on their foe.
The Boers shrank from the contact. Discharging their magazines furiously,
and firing their guns twice at point-blank range, they fled in confusion
to the main ridge, and the issue of the action was no longer undecided.”
The Gordons were led by Lieut.-Colonel Burney and by Colonel Forbes
Macbean, who has perhaps seen more hard fighting than any officer
now alive and with his Regiment.
In closing his
description of this action Mr March Phillipps says “To walk
steadily on through a fire of this sort, which gets momentarily hotter
and better aimed as he diminishes the distance between himself and
the enemy, in expectation every instant of knowing ‘what it
feels like,’ is the highest test of courage that a soldier in
these days can give. Knowing exactly from experience what lay in front
of them, these Gordons were as cool as cucumbers. As they lay among
the stones with us before beginning the advance, I spoke to several,
answering their questions and pointing them out the lie of the ground
and the Boer position. You could not have detected the least trace
of anxiety or concern in any of them. The front rank, when the order
to advance was given, stepped down with a swing of the kilt and a
swagger that only a Highland Regiment has. ‘Steady on the left,’
they took their dressing as they reached the flat. Some one sang out,
‘When under fire wear a cheerful face’, and the men laughingly
passed the word along, ‘When under fire wear a cheerful face.”
In a telegram
to ‘The Morning Post’ their brilliant correspondent remarked,
“There is no doubt they are the finest Regiment in the world.”
Such a sentence might cause heart-burnings, but at least there is
some ground for it. The reference in Lord Roberts’ telegram,
“whose advance excited the admiration of all,” is alone
sufficient to make the men of the north-east of Scotland very proud.
The losses of
the Gordons were severe. Real glory is never to be bought by a Regiment
at a low price. Captain St John Meyrick and 19 men were killed, Lieut.-Colonel
Burney and other 8 officers and about 70 men were wounded. The three
officers of the Volunteer company were among the wounded. Corporal
F Mackay was awarded the V C. for conspicuous bravery in dressing
the wounds of comrades and carrying one man some distance under very
heavy fire.
On 10th July Smith-Dorrien
was directed to take the Gordons and Shropshires to Krugersdorp to
collect supplies north-west of that town. On the 11th the enemy were
found very strongly posted. Two guns were pushed too far forward and
could not be taken back by horses. Fifteen out of 17 gunners were
shot down, but this did not deter the Gordons from making a desperate
effort, and ultimately the guns were recovered. Captain and Adjutant
W E. Gordon rushed out and tied a rope to a gun, and then got his
men to haul it back. Captain Gordon got the V C., and Captain Younger
would also have got the coveted honour had he not died of wounds he
received. Captain Gordon had been dangerously wounded at Magersfontein.
When Lord Roberts
had advanced eastwards to about Belfast, it was seen that the country
north of that and on the way to Lydenburg was so difficult that General
Buller with two brigades would not be able to attain his objective.
Accordingly a column consisting of the 1st Royal Scots, 1st Royal
Irish Regiment, and 1st Gordons, with ten guns, was placed under General
Ian Hamilton to penetrate northwards and on the left flank of Buller.
When Buller and
Ian Hamilton had occupied Lydenburg, where, by the way, the 1st and
2nd Battalions had a memorable meeting, Hamilton turned south again
to the main line and then marched to Koomati Poort. Here again, on
30th September, the Gordons had a misfortune through an explosion
among some ammunition which had been left by the Boers. One man was
killed and 1 officer and 19 men were injured. In November the battalion
was operating near Belfast under Smith-Dorrien, and on the 2nd had
some stiff rear-guard fighting, in which they lost 1 man killed and
1 officer and 7 men wounded.
Twenty-seven officers
and 39 non-commissioned officers and men were mentioned in Lord Roberts’
final despatch, but these commendations embraced both 1st and 2nd
Battalions.
The 1st Battalion
formed part of the garrison of Belfast when it was attacked on 7th
to 8th January 1901. The attack was repulsed, the Gordons’ losses
being 3 killed and 14 wounded. General Ben Viljoen in his book on
the war deals with the attack on Belfast, and lavishes great praise
on the defenders, the Royal Irish Regiment and Gordon Highlanders.
The battalion
was to have no more heavy fighting. Their history after this date
is like that of most of the infantry, garrison and blockhouse work,
varied by a trek as occasion arose. Always doing well, mixed up in
no regrettable incidents, the Dargai battalion all through the two
and a half years’ fighting which they saw maintained their splendid
reputation absolutely unsullied, and confirmed the opinion long formed
by competent judges that as a fighting unit they could not be excelled.
Towards the close
of the war the battalion was brought to the Pretoria district.
The Mounted Infantry
company of the battalion was with Colonel De Lisle when that officer
was assisting to drive the enemy out of Cape Colony in January and
February 1901, and they were also with him when acting under General
Elliot in the north-east of the Orange River Colony, May to July 1901.
On 5th June Major Sladen (East Yorkshire Regiment) marched to Gras
Pan, near Reitz, to intercept a convoy The laager was found in the
early morning of the 6th and captured, 45 prisoners being taken. Major
Sladen sent back 40 men to inform Colonel De Lisle. About noon 500
Boers under Fourie, Delarey, and De Wet made a determined attempt
to recapture the convoy “During the close fighting which ensued
the Boers succeeded in removing some of the captured waggons, which
were parked outside the position, but failed to make any impression
on the defence.” In his telegram of 15th June Lord Kitchener
said the Mounted Infantry “behaved with great gallantry”
Reinforcements arrived at three, and the enemy retired in haste, and
were pursued, the waggons being taken again. The Gordons lost Lieutenant
Cameron and 10 men killed and 10 wounded. Lieutenant Cameron was mentioned
in despatches. Lieutenant White got the D.S.O for “having been
taken prisoner, and stripped, escaped, ran six miles, and brought
up reinforcements.” Sergeant Sutherland got the distinguished
conduct medal for preventing the escape of 40 prisoners, although
the enemy was within ten yards and he severely wounded in bringing
in a comrade. Four others of the little band were mentioned for great
courage and example. The sorrows of horsemanship had not affected
the Highlanders’ pluck.
A few other mentions
were picked up in the latter phases of the war. In the supplementary
or final despatch 7 officers and 6 non-commissioned officers of the
Gordons were mentioned, but these embraced both battalions.
The 2nd Battalion
was one of the four infantry battalions which, along with three cavalry
Regiments and three batteries of artillery, were despatched from India
to Natal in September 1899, when war was a foregone conclusion.
The 2nd Gordons
were part of the force in Ladysmith when General Penn-Symons and his
force were at Dundee, and they were not at Talana Hill, but, along
with the 1st Devon and 1st Manchester, were brigaded under Colonel
Ian Hamilton, and with him fought at Elandslaagte, 21st October 1899
(see 1st Devonshire Regiment).
The 2nd Gordons
took a very prominent part in that battle, and out of the five companies
present - about 425 officers and men - they had 123 casualties. Major
Denne and 4 lieutenants were killed. Colonel W H. Dick-Cunyngham and
7 other officers were wounded, 27 men were killed and 83 wounded.
Only 3 officers present were untouched. The action brought two V.C.’s
to the battalion, those of Lieutenant Meiklejohn and Sergeant-Major
Robertson. Three officers and 1 non - commissioned officer were mentioned
in Sir G. White’s despatch of 2nd December 1899.
On 24th October
General White fought the battle of Rietfontein in order to engage
the attention of the Boers and prevent them attacking General Yule’s
column, then retreating from Dundee. The Gordons did not take part
in that action. On mournful Monday, 30th October, the battle known
as Lombard’s Kop, Farquhar’s Farm, and Nicholson’s
Nek - really the battle of Ladysmith - was fought (see 1st Liverpool
Regiment). The 2nd Gordons, along with the 1st Devon, 1st Manchester,
and 2nd Rifle Brigade, still under Colonel Ian Hamilton, were in the
centre, but the real fighting took place entirely on the flanks, the
left, which was in the air, being captured bodily and the right being
forced to retire. That retirement Hamilton’s men covered, and
but for them and the artillery it might have become a rout. On 6th
January the great attack on Ladysmith took place. It had been said
that the Boers would not act on the offensive, that day disproved
the assertion. The brunt of the attack fell on Cæsar’s
Camp and Waggon Hill, neither of which had been intrenched quite as
they should have been (see 2nd Rifle Brigade). The defenders at first
were - on Cæsar’s Camp the 1st Manchesters, the 42nd R.F.A.,
some sailors with a 12-pounder gun, and some Natal Volunteers, on
Waggon Hill three companies King’s Royal Rifles and a squadron
Imperial Light Horse, besides some Royal Engineers and a working party
of Gordons who were preparing a gun-emplacement. Waggon Hill was attacked
at 2.30 A.M. and Cæsar’s Camp at 3 A.M. At daylight the
Imperial Light Horse reached Waggon Hill and the Gordons Cæsar’s
Camp, followed by four companies 1st King’s Royal Rifles and
four companies 2nd King’s Royal Rifles to Waggon Hill and the
2nd Rifle Brigade to Cæsar’s Camp. Early in the forenoon
the 5th Lancers arrived at Cæsar’s Camp and the 18th Hussars
at Waggon Hill. The 5th Dragoon Guards and one and a half squadrons
of the 19th Hussars further reinforced Waggon Hill about four o’clock.
Fiercer fighting was not seen in the whole campaign, and it raged
on both hills from daybreak till 5 P.M., when a final charge by three
companies of the 1st Devons under Colonel Park cleared the enemy from
Waggon Hill. About the same hour some companies of the Gordons, Rifle
Brigade, and Manchester Regiment cleared Cæsar’s Camp
ridge in fine style.
The battalion
lost very heavily Colonel W H. Dick-Cunyngham was killed in the town
by a stray bullet early in the morning Major Miller-Walinut, recklessly
brave, and 17 men were also killed. Two officers and about 30 men
were wounded. Two officers and 6 non-commissioned officers were mentioned
in Sir George White’s despatch of 23rd March 1900.
After Ladysmith
was relieved and its defenders had recuperated the battalion took
part in General Buller’s northward movement. They had sharp
fighting at Rooikopjes, near Amersfoort, 24th July 1900, when they
did well, the Volunteer company being specially mentioned by General
Buller and in Lord Roberts’ telegraphic despatch of 30th July
The battalion lost 3 men killed, and Captain Rodger of the London
Scottish and 12 men wounded. On 21st August General Buller was stoutly
opposed at Van Wyk’s Vlei, and on that occasion the battalion
had heavy fighting, in which they lost 9 killed and 9 wounded. At
Bergendal (see 2nd Rifle Brigade) the battalion were in the supporting
line, but the work of their maxim under Corporal Macdonald was specially
referred to by the general in his despatch of 13th September 1900.
They afterwards went with General Buller to Lydenburg, and on a hill-top
in that district they met the 1st Gordons, who had done the campaign
from the western side. It was while in close order on the march to
Lydenburg that the battalion had the misfortune to be found by a shell
from a Boer 6-inch gun seven miles away. Three men of the Volunteer
company were killed and 16 wounded. General Buller subsequently referred
to the splendid steadiness of the men in this no ordinary trial. On
8th September the 2nd Gordons were heavily engaged near Spitz Kop,
in the Lydenburg district, having about 21 casualties.
In General Buller’s
final despatch of 9th November 1900 he mentioned 6 officers, 2 non-commissioned
officers, and 1 man.
In October the
battalion was taken to Pretoria, and on the 25th of that month they,
along with a portion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, represented Scotland
at the ceremony of proclaiming the annexation. In March 1901 they
went to Pietersburg with General Plumer, and in that district they
were employed until they left South Africa for India shortly before
peace was declared.
On 4th July 1901
a party consisting of I officer of the 2nd Gordons and 22 men were
escort to a train which was derailed and attacked. The officer and
9 men were killed and the remainder wounded. The following telegrams
speak for themselves —
“RESIDENCY,
PRETORIA,
“5.35 p.m., 10th August 1901.
“To O.C.
2nd Gordon Highlanders, Pietersburg.
“I have
to-day cabled following to his Majesty the King, begins ‘As
Colonel-in-Chief of the Gordon Highlanders your Majesty might be pleased
to know that Commandant De Villiers, who was present and has just
surrendered, informed me that at the attack on the train on 4th July
at Naboomspruit the guard of Gordon Highlanders under Lieutenant Best,
who was killed, behaved with utmost gallantry After the train had
been captured by 150 Boers, the last four men, though completely surrounded,
and with no cover, continued to fire until three were killed, the
fourth wounded. On the Boers asking survivor the reason why they had
not surrendered, he replied, “Why, man, we are the Gordon Highlanders.”
“LORD
KITCHENER.”
The King’s
reply, received 12th August —
“Very pleased
to hear of the bravery of the Gordon Highlanders. Proud to be their
Colonel-in-Chief.”
For gallantry
on the occasion of another train being derailed on the Pietersburg
railway on 10th August 1901, 1 officer, 1 non-commissioned officer,
and 1 man gained mention in Lord Kitchener’s despatch. As to
mentions in the final despatches of Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener,
reference is made to what has been said under the 1st Battalion.
Extract
from Aberdeen People’s Journal - Saturday 28 April
1906 page 8
GORDON
HIGHLANDER CASUALTIES.
A REVISED LIST.
The following
revised list of Gordon Highlanders who have died of disease in South
Africa or from wounds has been issued:—
Private J. W. M'Rae (5803) died of enteric fever at Ladysmith. February
24. Lance- Corporal J. M‘Kie (3493) died of enteric fever, Ladysmith,
February 28. Drummer G. Downie (5039) died of enteric fever, Ladysmith,
March 2. Lance-Corporal A. F. Duncan (5361) died of dysentery Ladysmith,
March 11. Private J. Ross (6013) died of enteric fever at Ladysmith,
March 9. Sergeant P. Brind (5631), died of enteric fever at Ladysmith,
March 4. Private P. E. Mutch (4976) died of diarrhoea at Ladysmith,
March 14. Lance-Corporal J. McRae (6151) died of dysentery at Ladysmith,
March 16. Private R. Grieve (6263) died of dysentery at Ladysmith,
March 16. Private T. M. Faulds (6285) died of enteric fever at Ladysmith,
March 12. Lance-Corporal Mathieson (6411) died of enteric fever at
Ladysmith, March 16. Colour Sergeant J. Lindsay (1402) died of apoplexy
at Enslin, December 26. Private J. Knight (5128) died of enteric fever
at Ladysmith, 21st March. Lance-Corporal A. Tricker (4794) died from
wounds at Ladysmith, November 25. Private J. Baker (4478) died of
dysentery at Ladysmith, March 27. Private H. Burridge (5885) died
of dysentery at Ladysmith, March 31.
