|
“When the ballad makers of Australia seek for a subject, let them turn to Elands River, for there was no finer resistance in the war.” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle After the fall of Pretoria and the relief of the Mafeking siege on 17 May 1900 there was a heavy movement of supplies along the road between the two towns and a massive build up of stores accumulated at the Elands River staging post in the Western Transvaal. These supplies were coveted by the Boers and on 4th August 1900 the Boer General, De la Rey, surrounded and laid siege to the post which was defended by 505 men, mostly Australian Bushmen. De la Rey’s force of 2,500 burghers was vastly superior and was equipped with many modern artillery pieces which pounded the post in its exposed position. The garrison belatedly entrenched their position and, defying offers of safe passage out with their arms if they surrendered, doggedly fought on for 12 days. A relief force from the west commanded by General Carrington was driven back by the Boers and another from the east commanded by Baden-Powell failed to relieve them. Lord Roberts’ Headquarters thought it impossible for the garrison to hold out and presumed that the post had surrendered. When this was found to be incorrect a very large column commanded by Kitchener himself marched to the relief of the post. They could not believe the devastation which they saw. As well as the shells and the sniping and the loss of 12 killed and 58 wounded, the defenders fought through the stench of their 1,500 dead horses and transport animals which had been killed by the Boers early during the siege. A British officer with the relief force wrote to the London TIMES “I do hope that Great Britain will show its gratitude to those Australians for the brightest page in the history of the war” A few days after the siege some 25,000 relieving troops were camped around the Elands River Post.
Bill Woolmore
|
© National Boer War Memorial Association Inc ABN 49 709 547 198
 
|
|