It Was Evident Now To The British Commanders That There Would Be No
Peace And No Safety For Their Communications While An Undefeated
Army Of Seven Or Eight Thousand Men, Under Such Leaders As De Wet
And Olivier, Was Lurking Amid The Hills Which Flanked Their
Railroad.
A determined effort was made, therefore, to clear up that
corner of the country.
Having closed the only line of escape by the
junction of Ian Hamilton and of Buller, the attention of six
separate bodies of troops was concentrated upon the stalwart
Freestaters. These were the divisions of Rundle and of Brabant from
the south, the brigade of Clements on their extreme left, the
garrison of Lindley under Paget, the garrison of Heilbron under
Macdonald, and, most formidable of all, a detachment under Hunter
which was moving from the north. A crisis was evidently
approaching.
The nearest Free State town of importance still untaken was
Bethlehem - a singular name to connect with the operations of war.
The country on the south of it forbade an advance by Rundle or
Brabant, but it was more accessible from the west. The first
operation of the British consisted, therefore, in massing
sufficient troops to be able to advance from this side. This was
done by effecting a junction between Clements from Senekal, and
Paget who commanded at Lindley, which was carried out upon July 1st
near the latter place. Clements encountered some opposition, but
besides his excellent infantry regiments, the Royal Irish,
Worcesters, Wiltshires, and Bedfords, he had with him the 2nd
Brabant's Horse, with yeomanry, mounted infantry, two 5-inch guns,
and the 38th R.F.A. Aided by a demonstration on the part of
Grenfell and of Brabant, he pushed his way through after three days
of continual skirmish.
On getting into touch with Clements, Paget sallied out from
Lindley, leaving the Buffs behind to garrison the town. He had with
him Brookfield's mounted brigade one thousand strong, eight guns,
and two fine battalions of infantry, the Munster Fusiliers and the
Yorkshire Light Infantry. On July 3rd he found near Leeuw Kop a
considerable force of Boers with three guns opposed to him,
Clements being at that time too far off upon the flank to assist
him. Four guns of the 38th R.F.A. (Major Oldfield) and two
belonging to the City Volunteers came into action. The Royal
Artillery guns appear to have been exposed to a very severe fire,
and the losses were so heavy that for a time they could not be
served. The escort was inadequate, insufficiently advanced, and
badly handled, for the Boer riflemen were able, by creeping up a
donga, to get right into the 38th battery, and the gallant major,
with Lieutenant Belcher, was killed in the defence of the guns.
Captain FitzGerald, the only other officer present, was wounded in
two places, and twenty men were struck down, with nearly all the
horses of one section. Captain Marks, who was brigade-major of
Colonel Brookfield's Yeomanry, with the help of Lieutenant Keevil
Davis and the 15th I.Y. came to the rescue of the disorganised and
almost annihilated section.
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