For 118
days during the Second Boer War, the city of Ladysmith (Natal, South Africa)
was under siege conditions. From 2nd November 1899 to 28th
February 1900, Boer forces kept the British stronghold surrounded, forcing the
20,000 residents to ever-increasing creative efforts to feed themselves. By the
time the siege was broken, thousands had died from disease and starvation, as
well as from artillery fire.
Christmas
fell in the middle of the siege period: the supply situation was grim, but not
yet extreme. A Daily News
correspondent recorded some of the events in a series of letters which were not
published until after the event. The following extract describes the efforts
made to maintain an atmosphere of festivity.
THE
STORY OF LADYSMITH
BEING
UNPUBLISHED LETTERS
FROM
H.H.S.
PEARSE
THE
'DAILY NEWS' SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
London,
1900
It needed perhaps all the music
that could be mustered in the town to remind the beleaguered garrison and
inhabitants that the festive season was upon them. It was inevitable that at
such a time the thoughts of all should turn a little regretfully to other
scenes. But it takes a great deal to
depress the British soldier to the point at which he is willing to forego his
Christmas; and on all hands, in spite of adverse fortune, reparations were made
to keep the day in as fitting a manner as the restricted means allowed - with
what success is described by Mr. Pearse in the following letter:--
“Thanks to the perfect
organisation which Colonel Ward, C.B., brings into all branches of the
department over which he is chief here, and the attention paid to innumerable
details by his second in command, Colonel Stoneman, there has never been any
danger of necessary supplies being exhausted, even if this place were invested
for a much longer time than seems likely now, but these two officers seem to
have more than absolute necessaries in reserve. When Colonel Ward was appointed
Military Governor of Ladysmith his measures for preserving health in the camps
surrounding it took a very comprehensive form. He not only made provision for
ample water-supply, in place of that which the Boers had cut off, but his ideas
of sanitary precaution embraced inquiry into sources of food-supply and kindred
subjects. To the end that he might know whether wholesome meat and drink were
being sold, it was obviously necessary that he should have reports as to the
articles in which various proprietors of stores traded. Information on these
points was collected with so much care that, when the pinch came, he knew
exactly where to put his hand on provisions for the healthy and medical
comforts for the sick and wounded. He had only to requisition a certain number
of shops and hotels that were scheduled as having ample supplies of the things
wanted, and the trick was done. Some tradesmen were glad enough to have their
old stock taken over wholesale by the military authorities at a profitable
price, but others, who foresaw chances of a richer harvest, were inclined to
grumble at the arbitrary exercise of power of officials whose acts they
regarded as little better than confiscation, and, unfortunately, some of these
managed to evade the first call, so that they were allowed to go on selling
privately, and running up the prices to a fabulous extent.
This was a mistake. All should
have been treated alike, so that none might complain that kissing goes by
favour, even in the most immaculate and best regulated armies. As it was, the
military commissariat secured much that would add to the comfort of soldiers,
but for what was left civilians had to pay dearly. Some idea of the way in
which this worked may be given by a quotation from the prices bid at our
Christmas market on Saturday. We have no Covent Garden or Leadenhall here, but
it was felt that some sort of show ought to be made at this festive season, and
accordingly everything in the form of Christmas fare that could be got together
was brought out for sale by auction. It did not amount to much.
The whole barely sufficed to fill
one long table, which was placed in a nook between the main street and a side
alley, where fifty people or so might crowd together without attracting the
notice of Bulwaan's gunners, who would delight in nothing so much as the chance
of throwing a surprise shell into the midst of such a gathering.
The time for holding this auction
had been fixed with a view to the enemy's ordinary practice of closing
hostilities about sunset each evening, but he does not allow this to become a
hard and fast rule, nor does he recognise "close time" that may not
be broken in upon at will, if sufficient temptation to shoot presents itself.
So the sale was held, not only in a secluded corner, but in the brief
half-light between sunset and night. Some civilians came as a matter of
curiosity to look on, but the majority were soldiers, regular or irregular, on
business intent, and they soon ran up with a rapidity that gave the good
traders of Ladysmith a lesson in commercial possibilities when it was too late for
them to profit by it to the full. Eggs sold readily at nine shillings a dozen,
their freshness being taken on trust and no questions asked. Ducks that had
certainly not been crammed with good food were considered cheap at half a
guinea each, and nobody grumbled at having to give nine shillings and sixpence
for a fowl of large bone but scanty flesh. Imported butter in tins fetched
eight and sixpence a pound, jam three and sixpence a tin, peaches boiled that
morning in syrup, and classified therefore as preserves, went freely for seven
and sixpence a bottle, and condensed milk at five shillings a tin. But these
prices were low compared with the five shillings given for three tiny cucumbers
no longer than one's hand. The crowning bid of all, however, was thirty shillings
for twenty-eight new potatoes, that weighed probably three or four pounds. The
buyers were mostly mess-presidents of regiments, whose officers began to crave
for some change from the daily rations of tough commissariat beef and
compressed vegetables; or troopers of the Imperial Light Horse, who will rough
it with the best when necessity compels, but not so long as there are simple
luxuries to be had for the money that is plentiful among them.
Cynics dining sumptuously in
their clubs may jeer at the idea of campaigners attaching so much importance to
creature comforts. Let them try a course of army rations for two months, and
then say what price they would set against a fresh egg or a new potato. Two
privates of the Gordon Highlanders stopped beside the auctioneer's stall as if meditating
a bid for some fruit. They listened in wonderment as the prices went up by
leaps and bounds. Then said one to the other, "Come awa, mon! We dinna
want nae sour grapes." For them, however, and for others whose means did
not run to Christmas market prices, there was consolation in store. Colonel
Ward had taken care that there should be a reserve of raisins and other
things necessary for the compounding of plum-puddings; and officers of the Army
Service Corps were able to report for Sir George White's satisfaction that
sufficient could be issued for every soldier in this force to have a full ration.
The only thing wanting was suet, which trek oxen do not yield in abundance
after eking out a precarious existence on the shortest of short commons; and half-fed
commissariat sheep have not much superfluous fat about them. What substitutes
were found it boots not to inquire too curiously, seeing that Tommy did not
trouble to ask so long as he got his Christmas pudding in some form. There was
no rum for flavouring, as all liquors have to be carefully hoarded for possible
emergencies. So for once the British soldier had to celebrate Christmas
according to the rules of strict temperance. Yet he managed to have a fairly
festive time for all that.
Boer guns sent us greeting in the
shape of shells that did not explode. When dug up they were found to contain
rough imitations of plum-pudding that had been partly cooked by the heat of
explosion in gun barrels. On the case of each shell was engraved in bold
capitals, "With the Compliments of the Season." This was the Boer
gunner's idea of subtle irony, he being under the impression that everybody in
Ladysmith must be then at starvation point. In all probability it did not occur
to him that he was throwing into the town a number of curious trophies which collectors
were eager to buy on the spot for five pounds each, with the certainty of being
able to sell them again if they cared to at an enormous profit some day. After
wasting some ammunition for the sake of this practical joke, our enemies began
a bombardment in earnest. Most of this was directed at the defenceless town.
One shell burst in a private house, wounding slightly the owner, Mrs. Kennedy,
whose escape from fatal injuries seemed miraculous, for the room in which she
stood at that moment was completely wrecked, the windows blown out, and
furniture reduced to a heap of shapeless ruin.
Shells notwithstanding, the
troops had their Christmas sports following a substantial dinner of roast beef
and plum-pudding. There were high jinks in the volunteer camps, where Imperial
Light Horse, Natal Carbineers, and Border Mounted Rifles, representing the
thews and sinews of Colonial manhood, vied with Regular regiments in strenuous
tugs of war and other athletic exercises, preparatory to the tournament, which is
fixed for New Year's Day--"weather and the enemy's guns permitting."
As the
recipe for the day I give you a non-alcoholic drink entirely suitable for
childrens’ parties, from a Johannesburg newspaper:
Boston Cream
[for childrens’parties.]
To 1 cup of sugar measure 2 ½
cups boiling water, 1 oz. tartaric acid, 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon lemon
essence. Pour the boiling water over the
sugar and stir until the granules have dissolved. Whisk the white of egg until
it is stiff. Allow the sugar and water mixture to cool then add the tartaric
acid, the lemon essence and whisked egg white. Pour the mixture into a bottle
and shake it well.
When giving the drink to the small
guests, allow 2 tablespoons of the bottled mixture to a tumblerful of water.
Add just as each child takes a glass a good pinch of bicarbonate of soda and it
will make a delicious “bubbly” drink.
Sunday Times
(Johannesburg) December 30, 1945
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