Today in Kimberley's History
January 21st
"Every day has a story about Kimberley's past."
On this day...
The twenty-first of January celebrates two remarkable examples of Kimberley's resilience. In 1872, one of the Diamond Fields' earliest schools opened its doors, reflecting the determination of pioneer families to educate their children. Twenty-eight years later, another Kimberley achievement took centre stage when Long Cecil entered active service, proving that the besieged town could match ingenuity with courage.
It was on Sunday 21 January 1872 that a church school started in the village of Dutoitspan. The village had become established in the area between the two open pits of Dutoitspan and Bultfontein mines and by 1884 was quite a substantial town with a main street, a market square, glass fronted shops and houses with trellises and verandahs and boasted numerous hotels, canteens and churches.
Families had settled in all the mining camps by December 1871 and with education high on the list of most parents, both church and private schools abounded. Indeed, by 1877 there were 32 church and private schools operating in Dutoitspan village, Bultfontein village, and in the two mining camps of both the De Beers mine and the Colesberg Kopje mine that had been named Kimberley in 1873.
These church schools had been run by the Anglican, Catholic, Wesleyan and Dutch Reformed churches since 1870 in firstly Dutoitspan and Bultfontein villages, and then in Kimberley from middle 1871. Government subsidies were given to 12 church schools by 1878, this halting by 1881. The organising Inspector of Schools in the Cape colony, one John Samuel, reported that most pupils could hardly read, write, or do arithmetic. He also noted that both the church and private schools were on small sites and that the buildings were constructed of corrugated iron.
1900 – Long Cecil Goes Into Action
On this day in 1900, Long Cecil fired its first operational rounds against the Boer forces surrounding Kimberley.
Following successful testing and calibration, the gun was deployed to one of its prepared emplacements and opened fire on the Boer laager at the Intermediate Pumping Station (today's Roodepan), more than 7 kilometres away. The opening shot had been fired the previous day (20 January) by Mrs Ethel Annie Pickering, wife of De Beers Secretary William Pickering, but now the gun entered active military service.
During its first day in action, 16 rounds were fired, with Cecil Rhodes personally firing eight of them. Over the course of the siege, Long Cecil fired 255 shells, most at targets approximately five kilometres distant. Its success gave Kimberley's defenders a weapon capable of challenging Boer artillery and greatly strengthened morale throughout the besieged town.
Today, Long Cecil remains one of Kimberley's best-known historical landmarks. It stands proudly on the stylobate of the Honoured Dead Memorial, where it continues to honour the ingenuity of George Labram, the De Beers engineers and all those who defended Kimberley during the siege.
Did You Know?
The massive stone platform beneath Long Cecil at the Honoured Dead Memorial is called a stylobate. Designed by Sir Herbert Baker, it elevates the famous gun as the central feature of the memorial.
Check out the Long Cecil four-day sequence:
18 January – Long Cecil completed.
19 January – First test firing.
20 January – Calibration and preparation.
21 January – First operational service.
Long Cecil deployed on active service during the Anglo-Boer War - January 1900. (Photo Public Domain)
1900 – Soup for a Besieged Town
98 days into the Siege of Kimberley
While Long Cecil boosted spirits, daily survival remained the greatest concern for most residents.
In The Diary of a Doctor's Wife – During the Siege of Kimberley, October 1899 to February 1900, Winifred Heberden described how food shortages had become increasingly severe. Eggs had reached the astonishing price of 14 shillings a dozen, placing them well beyond the reach of most families.
To help feed the population, a daily soup kitchen operated in Market Square. Instead of receiving part of their meat ration, residents could collect a pint of nourishing soup prepared with vegetables from Kenilworth and beef supplied through the Commissariat. The operation was organised by Dr Smart and Mr Tyson, while the former chef of the Kimberley Club supervised the cooking. Each day, between 3,000 and 4,000 people queued with their tins and buckets to receive soup.
The mounted troops also received part of their meat ration in soup form because the vegetables provided valuable nutrients that helped reduce illness among the soldiers. Even amid war, the people of Kimberley found practical ways to care for one another.
Did You Know?
The daily soup kitchen became one of the siege's most important relief measures, serving thousands of meals every day and helping combat the effects of malnutrition and vitamin deficiency.
Can't find a Kimberley connection for a particular date? Our Today in Kimberley's History collection is continually expanding as we research Kimberley's rich history. If you know of a notable local event that occurred on a specific date, we'd love to hear from you using the Contact Us page.
Kimberley's Story Continues
These are just two of the many events that helped shape Kimberley. Every date on the calendar reveals another chapter in the city's remarkable history.
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