TOPIC:

Hi David,

I’ll admit that I had no idea who Claude or Boyd Alexander were until you pointed them out to me.

The map claims to come from the “Alexander archives” and the claim is that it was drawn by one of the brothers; I’ll try and find out which one was there.

What I do know if that whoever drew it was definitely there; when I compare the features on the map to Private Jackson’s first-hand account it all lines up.

You are correct on your assessment; the map was drawn from their perspective as they stumbled across the Laager; the cardinal points were added afterward but incorrectly as EFV noted. The map is indeed upside down.

Mounted Infantry Involved

From what I can tell the initial engagement was made by Lieut-Colonel P.W.J. Le Gallais who had with him members of the 5th, 7th and 8th MI and U Battery Guns; in addition they are the only ones listed as being present on the 9am map.

During the battle the arrival of additional troops soon brought the number on the British side up to about 170, but this was none too many when de Wet began rallying his men who had escaped the commencement of the attack and began harrying the British flanks

A four-hour engagement followed, which only ended when Knox reached the scene at the head of another mounted column commanded by Lieut.-Colonel H.B. De Lisle which included the New South Wales Mounted Rifles under Colonel G.C. Knight and West Australian Mounted Infantry.

The New South Wales men were posted on the British left, while the West Australians were sent to the right to engage the Boer defenders of the garden and laager from the north. When De Lisle's last reserve - 80 men of the WAMI under Lieutenant H.F. Darling were brought up at 9.30 a.m., these were ordered to join with men of the British 5th Mounted Infantry in charging the enemy position with tile bayonet.

In summary I believe that the 9am map shows the position of Lieut-Colonel P.W.J. Le Gallais mounted infantry before the arrival of Lieut.-Colonel H.B. De Lisle with the Australians which is then shown on the 12pm map.

More to follow.

Reference: www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyunits...hussarslegallais.htm



This picture was taken c1890 when Le Gallais was a captain as can be seen by his cuff and collar braiding. Philip Walter Jules Le Gallais, from Guernsey, was commissioned as a cornet into the 8th Hussars on 23rd April 1881.

He was a captain on 19th March 1888 and he served in the South African War as a Lieutenant-Colonel. He died whilst leading a company of mounted infantry in an assault on a Boer Lager at Bothaville.

He and his 150 men took the Boers, who numbered 800, completely by surprise. Many of the Boers panicked and fled.

But the Boer commander, de Wet, rallied 130 of his men and returned the British fire. This went on for four hours. Both sides were reinforced by more infantry and artillery, but it all came to an end when the Boers heard the British order to fix bayonets. They immediately surrendered.

The British casualties were 38 killed and wounded, while the Boers lost 34. Le Gallais was wounded but died later. De Wet referred to his adversary as: "..without doubt one of the bravest Engish officers I have ever met." And Lord Roberts called him "a most gallant and capable cavalry leader, brought up in the very best of schools, the 8th Hussars.

Ref: A soldier's diary, 1899 - 1901, the diary of Murray Cosby Jackson of the 7th Mounted Infantry
www.angloboerwar.com/images/pdf/jackson-10.pdf

Chapter 10: Bothaville

The day we got to Bothaville we got on their track again, and had some sniping; so made a long march, and got to Bothaville after dark. We had some shell fire about five miles out, and Le Gallais horse was hit.

We camped in the town probably the Boers thought we had stayed five miles out. No one slept much that night among the men, as we were all marching around the little town (which we had burnt) seeing what we could find. After everything was fixed up I went with my two mess mates on a tour of inspection; this was about 11 p.m. The Lancers who burnt the place had pretty well gutted it…

…we made an early start next morning, and my company was right flank guard. We crossed the drift over the Valsch and got out in our place. The convoy had hardly got over the drift when the advance guard was on the Boer camp! Of course we could not see, as there was a rise between, but this is what happened:

The advance guard had barely got opened out properly when they topped a rise, and there were all the Boers' mules and horses grazing round and an outpost asleep about sixty yards in front of this laager, which was round a farm-house (Map–b) with a dam (Map–E). The Boers' were the first to see ours, and they ran out to get the horses and mules in; and then our advance-guard opened fire point blank into the Iaager, which responded, all the Boer who could not get to their horses getting behind the dam wall.

Each Joe as he got his horse or inspanned a Cape cart, cleared on his own to a line of scrub about three-quarters of a mile away, where presumably De Wet (who was the first to clear as usual) reformed them. Meanwhile we were coming along on the right flank, wondering what all the shell fire was about, for we never dreamt that they had been camped so close to us.

Suddenly we came over the rise just above the farm on the right, and were not left long in doubt as to what was going on when they saw us. Both sides were using case, but the Boers soon had to abandon their guns, and all got into the dam, or rather behind the dam-bank.

At one time the riflefire was so hot that our guns were left, but about eight M.I. crawled up and got under them, so they were never really abandoned.

A man named Green, of the Lincolns, got the D.C.M. for carrying ammunition. He took a case along the firing line scarcely 100 yards from the position a sufficiently plucky thing when you consider the effect a bullet would have in a case of ammunition; it would not be so bad, of course, with loose rounds.

Early in the fight Le Gallais, Colonel Cross, and the staff rode up to the farm-house, which is almost on the dam (Map – b), and going straight through looked out of a back window which overlooked the position. He was shot through the chest instantly, so was Col. Cross, and I believe several others, till it came down to Major Welch's turn to command the column.

He was in charge of the convoy at the time, and on being sent for he came up at a comfortable hand-gallop, swinging his cane, and talking to himself, I've no doubt, as it was a great habit of his. He was proceeding to inspect the position, when he was shot through the neck.

After this it was Tommy's battle-single men and little groups manoeuvring on their own. A road runs past the farm with a shallow sandy bank, and they crawled up here, scooping little pieces for cover with their hands and every little salt bush had a man behind. The pom~pom got up into the garden ! was worked and deserted for cover ultimately, as the Boers attention was attracted elsewhere. At last some one of the Malta M.I. shouted "Fix bayonets!” and it was passed on.

It on record that just four men could fix bayonets, as the majority had been used for picqueting pegs so often that the socket was knocked flat But the Boers did not know this, and stood up in a body waving anything white they had. Most of this we learnt after, as early in the fight the right flank guard was sent off to the right almost back to the river, where we were kept pretty busy by the men who had got away under De ·wet, who were trying to get round our flank.

They were round both sides, being opposed on the left by the dismounted men, and it might have ended differently if De Lisle had not come up, when they cleared, and we went back to the farm. Unlike a good many wel known fights, Bothaville looked like a battle-field, dead horses everywhere. We passed Col. Cross's or Major Rickey's horse, a fine old English chap, standing in a pool of water, shot through, just in front of and just behind the flap of the saddle.

Major Welch's horse was lying riddled about seventy paces from the laager. The guns looked chipped about, and the waggons and Cape carts were in splinters. Every here and there little hollows had been scraped in the sand most of them with blood marks in them.

They were collecting the dead and wounded as we got there, in waggons, and they buried them, Boers and all. I don't know the numbers, but the percentage was biggest of wounded. There were 130 prisoners (some of the Staats Artillery) and six guns. Two of these were Q battery's, lost at Sanna's Post, and Q battery was with us at Bothaville.

They were pretty glad to get their guns back, and all the waggons, etc. a pretty good capture.

One of the Krupp Guns captured at Bothaville is here at the Kings Park South African War Memorial in Perth Western Australia:

Thanks Shaun - must admit my head is spinning having also read the following accounts of the Battle of Bothaville none of which entirely agree with the others:

samilitaryhistory.org/vol166rs.html - from whence my "old woman" quote came regarding Charles Knox

The Boer War Atlas by Chris Ash - he has the IY involved and British numbers generally higher than the others

Times History - can't remember which volume off hand

My coffee table illustrated edition of The Boer War by Thomas Packenham

The Times History has told me there were some Worcesters involved: "Captain Engelbach, who, with 20 men of the Worcesters and Boyal Irish Regt., held the low wall adjoining the farm, was also killed."

The Royal Collection has this photo of said Captain:



I have gone into retreat to regroup but I will sally forth on the subject again.

David.

A very successful retreat - not only were members of the 2nd Worcesters MIC present, they contributed significantly to the casualty list:



This is the tip of the iceberg because The Scotsman published the whole casualty list - besides the Worcester Rgt MIC, eight other MIC's contributed to the list along with Kitchener's Horse and U Battery, RHA. No IY.

So definitely more to come.