1900 – George Labram is Killed

On 9 February 1900, George Frederick Labram, Chief Mechanical Engineer of De Beers Consolidated Mines, was killed when a 100-pound shell fired from the Boer Long Tom gun struck the Grand Hotel in Kimberley.

Labram was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA, on 8 April 1860. After training as a mechanical engineer, he gained extensive experience in the United States mining industry before accepting an appointment with De Beers in Kimberley in 1893. Five years later, he was promoted to Chief Mechanical Engineer, where his ingenuity and practical skills made him one of the company's most valued engineers.

When the Siege of Kimberley began in October 1899, Labram immediately placed his talents at the service of the town's defence. He supervised the construction of armoured trains, designed protective fortifications, improved water supplies and refrigeration systems, and became the driving force behind the creation of Long Cecil—the largest gun ever manufactured in South Africa at the time. Constructed entirely in the De Beers workshops in just twenty-four days, Long Cecil enabled Kimberley's defenders to answer the Boer artillery bombardment for the first time. The gun quickly became a symbol of the town's determination to resist the siege.

On the evening of 9 February, Labram returned to the Grand Hotel, where he was staying, intending to change before dining with Cecil Rhodes. Moments after entering his room, a shell from Long Tom crashed through the roof and exploded. He was killed instantly. His death sent shockwaves through Kimberley. Citizens recognised that they had lost not only a brilliant engineer but also the man whose imagination and determination had helped sustain the town through its darkest months.

Just six days later, on 15 February 1900, British forces finally relieved Kimberley. Tragically, Labram did not live to witness the end of the siege he had done so much to resist.

Did You Know?

George Labram's famous gun, Long Cecil, can still be seen today on the stylobate of the Honoured Dead Memorial in Kimberley, where it remains one of South Africa's most important surviving artefacts from the Siege of Kimberley.

Continue reading: George Labram's sacrifice would not be forgotten. His funeral the following day became one of the most moving moments of the Siege of Kimberley, bringing together a grieving town that was still under enemy fire.

1900 – The Shell That Silenced Long Cecil

117 days since the beginning of the Siege of Kimberley

The bombardment began before many residents had even started their day.

Winifred Heberden wrote that everyone was awakened by the now familiar boom of the Boer Long Tom, sending people scrambling for shelter. Throughout the morning and afternoon, heavy shells screamed over the town, their terrifying whistle followed by explosions that echoed through Kimberley's streets. One shell narrowly missed Miss Mallett, crashing through the foot of her bed only moments after she had risen to answer a servant at her bedroom door.

By evening, the shelling had become relentless. Then, shortly before dinner, disaster struck.

A Long Tom shell smashed through the roof of the Grand Hotel, tore through three walls and exploded in George Labram's room. A young servant who had just brought fresh water into the room was thrown to the floor but miraculously escaped without injury. At first, rescuers hoped that Labram had not yet returned. When they found only his hat lying outside the shattered building, there was a brief moment of relief. It soon vanished.

As policemen cleared the rubble, they discovered Labram's body buried beneath broken bricks, timber and fragments of shell.

Winifred later reflected on the tragedy with heartbreaking simplicity:  "We are left with the sad reflection that had Mr Labram come to us for a chat and a cup of cocoa, as was his custom when returning from his office, instead of rushing up to his room to change for his dinner appointment with Mr Rhodes, his life might have been spared."

That night, almost nobody in the Grand Hotel dared sleep upstairs. Women and children crowded into the basement while the men settled wherever they could find shelter, uncertain whether the next shell would find them. For the people of Kimberley, it was not simply another day of bombardment. They had lost the engineer who had given them hope.

Did You Know?

Many residents believed the Boer gunners realised they had killed George Labram, because after the fatal shell struck the Grand Hotel, the bombardment ceased for the remainder of the day. Whether intentional or coincidental, the silence left a profound impression on those who witnessed it.