The wet season on the veldt hampered us greatly in this
chase after the enemy. We had to have
some transport to carry food, ammunition and blankets, one blanket a man. The rain would make dried up watercourses
raging torrents in no time and even when the rain let up the steep banks of the
watercourses were extremely difficult for transport. When it got stuck the party of infantry with
the main body used to heave and tug, collect stones ie rocks and brushwood to
get the wagons up the slope. I was in
charge of a party doing this one day and a colonel rode up to me. Did I know where Colonel Campbell was? (that
was our camp commander). I said “No sir”
and saluted. He looked at me and then he
said, “If you see Colonel Campbell tell him I am looking for him.” I replied “Who are you sir?” “Colonel Allenby”, he said. He too was in command of a similar column,
that is one battalion of infantry, a regiment of cavalry and a battery of
artillery, which was of a similar composition to the one I was in. I thought what a fine looking officer he was
– he proved that later on.
These many small columns never looked like bringing the war
to an end. We advanced at foot marching
pace, (the wagon infantry idea had been abandoned), and the enemy retreated at
a canter.
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