Today in Kimberley's History
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54 days since beginning of the Siege of Kimberley, 1899
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
A dog has lately been observed to be passing regularly through the Sanatorium barrier at night, and no efforts at catching or shooting it have been successful. In these times even cats are suspected of carrying despatches, and much more so, dogs - who, in the old days, were trained to secrete diamonds till they got over the border.
I rode this afternoon with Jack down to the Mounted Camp on Medical business; and after that to the 'Civil Service' redoubt, and on to the Reservoir Camp. The latter has two 7-pounders, and some of the R.A. men on duty are on the banks of the reservoir itself. I was shown through a telescope the position of the Boer forts on a distant kopje (Spitzkop), and a laager round which we could see a few Boers moving. I also realized the position of the engagement on the 28th where Colonel Scott-Turner was killed. We, at the same time, saw some heliograph signalling from our men on Otto's Kopje to the Conning Tower here.
At the Mounted Camp Captain Hickman had told us that orders were out for the men to take 48 hours provisions with them to-morrow, and he anticipated some hard fighting. However, we preferred to take a more cheerful view, knowing that, at any rate, our men would not be ordered to do anything too ambitious.
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
A dog has lately been observed to be passing regularly through the Sanatorium barrier at night, and no efforts at catching or shooting it have been successful. In these times even cats are suspected of carrying despatches, and much more so, dogs - who, in the old days, were trained to secrete diamonds till they got over the border.
I rode this afternoon with Jack down to the Mounted Camp on Medical business; and after that to the 'Civil Service' redoubt, and on to the Reservoir Camp. The latter has two 7-pounders, and some of the R.A. men on duty are on the banks of the reservoir itself. I was shown through a telescope the position of the Boer forts on a distant kopje (Spitzkop), and a laager round which we could see a few Boers moving. I also realized the position of the engagement on the 28th where Colonel Scott-Turner was killed. We, at the same time, saw some heliograph signalling from our men on Otto's Kopje to the Conning Tower here.
At the Mounted Camp Captain Hickman had told us that orders were out for the men to take 48 hours provisions with them to-morrow, and he anticipated some hard fighting. However, we preferred to take a more cheerful view, knowing that, at any rate, our men would not be ordered to do anything too ambitious.
RML 2.5in Mountain guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery in action at the Reservoir, Siege of Kimberley
Photo: McGregor Museum