THE SIEGE OF , APRIL 9 - 25, 1900 BY: ERNEST H, BOWMAN

The siege of Wepener would not seem to rank in stature with those of the three major sieges of the Anglo-Boer War, Kimberley, Ladysmith and Mafeking, especially when compared from the standpoint of the numbers of combatants involved, the duration of the siege or its strategical importance. Nevertheless it was a noteworthy event of sufficient significance as to merit formal recognition by the British War Office by the award of a special clasp to the Queen’s Medal. Following the surrender of the Boer General, Piet Cronje and his 4,105 men on February 27, 1900 after his defeat at the , Lord Roberts continued his march northward, fought the successful battle of Driefontein on March 10th, and on the 13th occupied , the capital of the Orange .

GENERAL HAP OF SEAT

In the meantime, General , commanding the approximately 6,000 remaining Boer forces, embarked upon a campaign of guerilla warfare and after carrying out two brilliantly successful operations at Sannah’s Post and , turned his attention to the very small town of Wepener, some 68 miles to the south-east of Bloemfontein and close to the Batsutoland frontier. The town was of importance to Lord Roberts because of its proximity to the Jammersberg Bridge over the , the possession of which was" essential to ensure the long line of Cbmmunication bringing up from the south t-he ammunition and supplies needed for the British forces now 4 established in Bloemfontein. Accordingly on March 29th, a small force of 160 mounted men were despatched to Wepener to assist in the collection of arms surrendered by the resident and the next day they were followed by a company of

IN THE

A RIDE FOR LIFE AT WEPENER 5 Royal Scots Mounted Infantry and a few Engineers. Realizing that they would have plenty to do just defending their own position they welcomed the arrival of fresh reinforcements made up of the Cape Mounted Rifles, Kaffrarian Rifles, Driscoll’s Scouts and Brabant’s Horse. This the total strength on April 4th up to 1,850 men with seven guns and maxims. It was decided to move the c~ to the north bank of the Caledon and take up a stronger position on some hills forming a wide circle facing southward to the bridge where shel- ters of boulders were constructed and trenches dug when the ground permit- ted. The western face of the posi- tion however, was open to attack and the Cape Mounted Rifles and Driscoll ’ s Scouts were stationed there to meet the expected onset. By this time Colonel E. H. Dalgety of the Cape Mounted Rifles had ar- rived to take over the command but it was not until April 9th though that the Boers began their siege, forcing a small party of men to ride for their lives from Wepener to the camp. The attack mounted in force until the Boers had five pieces of artillery and a "pom-Pom" in action and a hail of bullets was pouring in on the Colonial troops manning the exposed western position. By night- COLONEL DALGETY* fall a terrible day had ended with the British casualties numbering eleven killed and forty-one wounded. During the night the weary men worked unceasingly to improve the defences until called upon to repel a desparate assault by the Boers. In this unsuccessful attack the Boers were reported to have suffered some one hundred to two hundred casualties while the British lost eight killed and eleven wounded. The Boers spent the next few days and nights constructing a system of trenches and parallels toward the British lines. As the Boer sap drew nearer, the garrison was eager to drive the Boers away in a charge with fixed bayonets but Colonel Dalgety decided his force was too small to take such a serious risk. The besieged garrison was by this time beginning to suffer from a shortage of food and almost every member was inflicted to one degree or another with dysentery. The troops had started the siege with only four days’ rations and when these were exhausted were compelled to feed upon trek-oxen and horses. The Boers continued to push their sap further and further toward the

Colonel E. H. Dalgety is the second son of the late Colonel Dalgety, R.A. He was educated at Wellington College, and from there entered the 21st Foot and served for some years in India. He left the Army in 1876, went to the Cape, and joined the Cape Mounted Rifles. He took part in the Basuto War and the Bechuanaland Expedition of 1897. In the past four years he has commanded the Cape Mounted Rifles. He is a first-rate scout and rider, and distinguished himself by his manoeuvring in the district of Stormberg and in the occupation of Dordrecht, and later on by his gallant defence of Wepener.