Today in Kimberley's History
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2 days since lifting 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.
Twelve more prisoners, and a 9-pounder taken; also much booty - is the report this morning. Jack came back this morning about 6a.m., very done-up and very dirty, having had much hard work and very little food. However, after being duly ministered to and left to rest, and a bath, he looked quite fit again, though very sun-burnt.
We all left the kindly shelter of the house in Beaconsfield and returned to our hotel, looking in very much better condition than some of the others there who had been 4.5 days down the Mine. They told us they simply reeled about in the fresh air when they were brought up.
The hotel was full of soldiers of all sorts and conditions. Those from the Colonies looking quite the most picturesque with their Emu feathers, and other strange decorations in their soft hats. Rimington's Scouts wear a strip of tiger-cat skin round the crown, and a short tail holding up the side of the hat.
We found an old friend amongst them who told us that Hector Heberden (Jack's brother) had joined these scouts in Rhodesia at the beginning of the campaign. So Jack rode off to the Camp to find him, and heard there that he was still some distance out scouting for the Column behind 'Susannah'. I asked every scout I could see for information about Hector and though they all seemed to know him, no one could exactly state where he was. They took numerous messages from us, which was all we could do, night having fallen.
Extract from "The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley October 1899 to February 1900" by Winifred Heberden.
Twelve more prisoners, and a 9-pounder taken; also much booty - is the report this morning. Jack came back this morning about 6a.m., very done-up and very dirty, having had much hard work and very little food. However, after being duly ministered to and left to rest, and a bath, he looked quite fit again, though very sun-burnt.
We all left the kindly shelter of the house in Beaconsfield and returned to our hotel, looking in very much better condition than some of the others there who had been 4.5 days down the Mine. They told us they simply reeled about in the fresh air when they were brought up.
The hotel was full of soldiers of all sorts and conditions. Those from the Colonies looking quite the most picturesque with their Emu feathers, and other strange decorations in their soft hats. Rimington's Scouts wear a strip of tiger-cat skin round the crown, and a short tail holding up the side of the hat.
We found an old friend amongst them who told us that Hector Heberden (Jack's brother) had joined these scouts in Rhodesia at the beginning of the campaign. So Jack rode off to the Camp to find him, and heard there that he was still some distance out scouting for the Column behind 'Susannah'. I asked every scout I could see for information about Hector and though they all seemed to know him, no one could exactly state where he was. They took numerous messages from us, which was all we could do, night having fallen.