Today in Kimberley's History
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120 days since beginning of the Siege of Kimberley, 1900
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
Major Elliott told Jack that there were terrible scenes at the mouths of De Beers and Kimberley Mines all last night. People were frantic to get down by midnight, for they were certain that as the Boers had stopped shooting on Sunday, they would begin again as soon as Sunday was over.
Only six people could go into the Cage to descend at a time and as there were hundreds of people waiting, one can imagine how awful it was. They were not allowed to take down their luggage or blankets. These were put down afterwards, and it took till 4 a.m. to get the people down first before their belongings could follow.
Shelling began to-day during breakfast. Several times the big gun turned its muzzle towards the Sanatorium. We watched where the shell pitched, after waiting for the gong which was beaten on the Conning Tower of the Sanatorium to warn people that whenever they saw the smoke of the big gun to quickly take cover before the shell reached its point. A bugle and hooter did the same service in Kimberley.
Suddenly the whirr of the 100 lb shell sounded terribly near, and Jack shouted 'Lie down'! so we fell under the shoulder of some big boulders nearby, and down came the shell within 50 yards of us! The stones and smaller pieces rattled around us and fell on the iron roof of the house. This, though not quite as near to us as that last Wednesday in the shop by the hotel, is quite the most risky moment we have had, and must have been an overshot at the Sanatorium. After this, we were not quite so bold, and when the gun seemed to be turning our way again, we went about 200 yards further down Beaconsfield, and sat on the verandah of the Magistrate's house.
There has been no newspaper to-day. A leading article last Saturday spoke strongly against the unfairness of Military Secrecy in belittling our troubles here, and, so it said, they did not even mention that we are being bombarded with a 6-inch gun - seems to have been the cause of the suppression of the paper.
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
Major Elliott told Jack that there were terrible scenes at the mouths of De Beers and Kimberley Mines all last night. People were frantic to get down by midnight, for they were certain that as the Boers had stopped shooting on Sunday, they would begin again as soon as Sunday was over.
Only six people could go into the Cage to descend at a time and as there were hundreds of people waiting, one can imagine how awful it was. They were not allowed to take down their luggage or blankets. These were put down afterwards, and it took till 4 a.m. to get the people down first before their belongings could follow.
Shelling began to-day during breakfast. Several times the big gun turned its muzzle towards the Sanatorium. We watched where the shell pitched, after waiting for the gong which was beaten on the Conning Tower of the Sanatorium to warn people that whenever they saw the smoke of the big gun to quickly take cover before the shell reached its point. A bugle and hooter did the same service in Kimberley.
Suddenly the whirr of the 100 lb shell sounded terribly near, and Jack shouted 'Lie down'! so we fell under the shoulder of some big boulders nearby, and down came the shell within 50 yards of us! The stones and smaller pieces rattled around us and fell on the iron roof of the house. This, though not quite as near to us as that last Wednesday in the shop by the hotel, is quite the most risky moment we have had, and must have been an overshot at the Sanatorium. After this, we were not quite so bold, and when the gun seemed to be turning our way again, we went about 200 yards further down Beaconsfield, and sat on the verandah of the Magistrate's house.
There has been no newspaper to-day. A leading article last Saturday spoke strongly against the unfairness of Military Secrecy in belittling our troubles here, and, so it said, they did not even mention that we are being bombarded with a 6-inch gun - seems to have been the cause of the suppression of the paper.
Thousands protest the killing of Chris Hani - 1993
Two days after Chris Hani was shot and killed on 10th April 1993, thousands of Blacks took to the streets to protest against the killing of Chris Hani, commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). The protesters called for country-wide armed uprisings, but leaders in South Africa urged them to remain calm. Hani was killed a year prior to South Africa's first democratic elections, by two right wing associates Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus.
Two days after Chris Hani was shot and killed on 10th April 1993, thousands of Blacks took to the streets to protest against the killing of Chris Hani, commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). The protesters called for country-wide armed uprisings, but leaders in South Africa urged them to remain calm. Hani was killed a year prior to South Africa's first democratic elections, by two right wing associates Clive Derby-Lewis and Janusz Walus.