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The Times History of the War in South Africa, 1899-1902

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The Times History of the War in South Africa, 1899-1902 515 C ) CHAPTER XV THE END OF THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH After the great assault on January 6 the Boers appeared to After Jan. 6 have relinquished all immediate hope of reducing Ladysmith ^{^^^^3^°^ by active measures. The energy of the bombardment and activity, the persistence of the snipers relaxed. Several guns and portions of the investing commandos were withdrawn to oppose the relief column, and just sufficient shells were fired into Ladysmith to keep the garrison alive to the relative positions of the opposing forces. Not that this external evidence was necessary to remind the garrison of its existing state. Ever since the failure of the relief force at Colenso, the shadow of famine and epidemic sickness was perceptible. When, on November 2, Ladysmith was finally invested, The food the garrison approximated 21,000. Of this number, 13,496 LadyL^th. were effective combatants. During the first weeks of the investment, enough food was procurable in the town for the majority of the civilian population, white and coloured, without drawing upon the military resources. But ultimately the entire population became dependent for its daily food upon Colonel Ward.* TMs officer, who, with his able sub- ordinates of the Army Service Corps, Colonel Stoneman, Major H. G. Morgan, and Captain Long, had strained every effort to furnish Ladysmith as an advanced base, was prepared against every emergency. These officers had realised the difficulties which would arise if the investment should be protracted, and had requisitioned all the staple food material in the town, other than that in private houses.f As a result * A.A.G. (B) for Supplies. f The food material in hand on November 1 vf'as as follows : —Flour, 979,996 lb.; preserved meat, 173,792 lb.; biscuits, 142,510 lb.- tea, 2 L 2 ;; 516 TEE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA of this requisition, Colonel Ward was able to collect 1,700 slaughter cattle, 14,000 tins of condensed milk, many hundred thousand pounds of mealies, and the entire grocery stocks in the town. Over and above the slaughter cattle there were, within the perimeter, 16,000 draught oxen, 5,500 horses, and 4,500 mules. It was estimated that the stock in hand with care would furnish the garrison and civilian population with full rations* for two and a half months. Intombi Camp added considerable complications in the question of supply, and as the private stocks upon which the majority of the civilians had subsisted became exhausted, in the same ratio the strain upon the central supply depot increased, until during the later phases of the defence the daily ration-list was: 16,000 Europeans (including 750 Cape boys), 2,440 Kaffirs (1,590 of whom were in Government employ), and 2,470 natives of India. The 16,000 Europeans included about 150 children under twelve years. The spread of But, although it was possible to control the ration diffi- sickness. culties by a judicious system of economical distribution, yet the problem which became uppermost in the minds of the Staff' was how to deal with the spread of sickness. Even before the war Ladysmith had not possessed a reputation for salubrity. Since its establishment as a garrison town enteric fever had made its appearance in a virulent form, and during the year preceding the war became epidemic, in consequence of which the troops were removed for a considerable period lb. coffee, lb. sugar, lb. salt, 23,167 ; 9,483 ; 267,699 ; 88,741 lb. ; maize, bran, 3,965,400 lb. ; 923,948 lb. ; oats, 1,270,570 lb. ; hay, etc., 1,864,223 lb. some stocks of wine, spirits and medical comforts. In addition, the Indian contingent had some food material necessary for its native followers. By requisition the general stock was increased by: —Cattle, 1,511; goats and sheep, 1,092; mealies, 1,517,996 lb.; Kaffir millet, 68,3701b.; Boer wheat meal, 108,739 lb. All medical comforts, preserved milk, and wine and spirits, were also taken over at a fair price, an influential member of the local community assisting in the work of valuation. * The ration issued until November 17 was : —Bread, IJ lb., or biscuit 1 lb. ; meat (fresh), lb., or preserved, 1 lb. coSee, 1 oz., 1\ ; or tea ^ oz. sugar, 3 oz. salt, oz. pepper, 1-36 oz. vegetables ; J ; ; (compressed), 1 oz., or potatoes ^ lb. ; occasional issues of jam, cheese, or bacon in addition to tliu above. THE END OF THE SIEGE OF LADYSMITH 517 to ]\Iooi Eiver. Consequentlj'', when the pinch of invest- ment made itself felt in Ladysmith, and the vital resistance of the troops began to deteriorate through confinement and insufficient feeding, bodily ailments rapidly increased and soon spread to an alarming degree. The conrinement of so large a body of men and animals within a circumscribed area could not fail to surply a fertile bed for the develop- ment of a disease which had previously impregnated the town. Towards the end of December enteric took an alarming hold on the garrison, and the cases of dysentery also showed that the indifferent feeding, more especially the lack of vegetables, was breaking down the more feeble con- stitutions. During the last week in iTovember there were 15 cases of enteric and 72 of dysentery in hospital. Exactly one month later the number of enteric cases had risen to 441 and of dysentery cases to 361. The death-rate for the last week in December was 23, against 5 during the same period in the preceding month ; and during the month of January this proportion increased each week until at one period, in Intombi Camp and Ladysmith, there were no less than 1,900 lying-down patients in hospital. The medical returns show that during the siege, out of a total garrison of 13,497 men, there were no less than 10,673 admissions. This total, of course, includes many cases that were readmitted twice or even more often but, even so, it is a conclusive indication ; of the state of physical debility to which the garrison was ultimately reduced and of the stress wliich was placed upon the organisation of the medical staff in Ladysmith. To appreciate the anxiety which must ever have been Hospital present with Sir George White and his staff with regard to this spread of sickness, it is necessary to make a brief study of the hospital arrangements in Ladysmith and Intombi Camp and of the nature of the personnel, plant, appliances, and resources at Sir George White's command. The P.M.O. was Lieutenant-Colonel Exham, with Major Bateson, E.A.M.C., as his secretary. The original plan of campaign had never intended that Ladysmith should possess anything beyond a stationary hospital. Thus when the town became invested, it was only equipped with the hospital appliances with which 518 THE WAR IN SOUTH AFRICA Sir George Wliite's force had taken the field. Even of these part had been abandoned at Dundee. Buildings, At the commencement of the siege the Town Hall, the etc., utilised, j)^^^]^ Eeformed Church, School House, and a portion of the Convent were utilised as hospitals.* But, as was shown in the preceding volume, the exposure of these buildings to acci- dental bombardment made the Intombi Camp necessary. A nominal armistice of twenty-four hours' duration was allowed to the garrison to establish this camp. Consequently not only had the arrangements to be made for the 300 sick and wounded then in Ladysmith to be moved to Intombi, a distance of over three miles, but in a great measure hospital equipment as well had to be improvised vsdthin the twenty-four hours agreed upon. With the aid of Colonel Stoneman, whose agents requisitioned mattresses and bedding from private houses in the town, a camp was pitched which was capable of receiving the medical staff and 300 patients. Besides these numbers, and, of course, separate from the medical department, the Army Service Corps provided for the lodgment of 1,200 non- combatants, European and native, who sought the protection of the neutral camp.f Intombi During the early stages of the investment the hospital hospital. organisation at Intombi was adequate. All medical con- * The School House, and a Protestant church were used for sick and wounded officers, and the stationary hospital was brought in from Tin Camp. The Dutch Reformed Church was utilised for Boer wounded. t The personnel of this improvised hospital camp consisted of No. 12 Field Hospital (Major Love, E.A.M.C.), with 45 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the Boyal Army Medical Corps ; half of No. 26 British Indian Field Hospital (Major Kerin, B.A.M.C.), 2 officers R.A.M.C., 4 assistant surgeons, and a native establishment of 86 attendants, of whom 56 were dhoolie bearers. No. 1 Stationary Hospital of the Natal Field Force (Major Bruce, R.A.M.G.), 6 civO. practitioners, 52 non-com- missioned officers and men of the Royal Army Medical Corps, and a part of No. 1 Natal Volunteer Field Force Hospital (Captain Currie, Natal Carbineers), 3 medical officers, and 18 non-commissioned officers and men of the Volunteer Medical Service. No. 12 Field Hospital was com- plete with 100 beds. No. 26 had 50 beds. No. 1 Stationary Hospital 80 beds, and the Volunteer Hospital 70 beds, making the total of 300. The whole was placed under the administration of IMajor R. W. Mapleton, R.A.M.C. The authority in the civilian portion of the camp being vested with Mr. Bennett, Resident Magistrate of Ladysmith, THE END OF TEE SIEGE OF LADYSMITE 519 trivances necessary for health and sanitation that were pos- sible in the circumstances were bought or improvised.
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