{"id":3569,"date":"2018-07-27T09:44:58","date_gmt":"2018-07-27T09:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kildare.ie\/ehistory\/?p=3569"},"modified":"2025-11-12T16:14:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:14:28","slug":"an-athy-soldier-at-tugela-and-spion-kop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/an-athy-soldier-at-tugela-and-spion-kop\/","title":{"rendered":"AN ATHY SOLDIER AT TUGELA AND SPION KOP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Leinster Leader<\/em> 23 June 1900<\/strong><\/p>\n

AT TUGELA AND SPION KOP<\/strong><\/p>\n

An Athy Soldier\u2019s Experiences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Interview with a Dublin Fusilier<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our Athy representative ahs interviewed an Athy man, a member of H Company, 2nd Battalion Dublin Fusiliers, who fought at the engagements of Talana Hill, Colengo, Spion Kop, and Peter\u2019s Hill, where he was wounded, and who returned home to Athy on Saturday last after spending twelve days at Netley Hospital.\u00a0 He looks little the worse for his dreadful experiences, and while he describes his campaign life, as by no means an ideal one, with the characteristic pluck and determination of the Celt he seems \u201cburning for another fight.\u201d\u00a0 His company was at Pietermaritzburg for two years and ten months, when it left on September, the 18th, 1899, for Ladysmith, where men arrived on the same night, about 1,100 strong.\u00a0 War was then in the air; there was bustle, excitement, and activity in military circles, and on the Sunday following their arrival in Ladysmith they proceeded to Dundee on coal trucks. \u00a0War declared on October the 11th, and the British forces at Glencoe were then 4,700, comprising three batteries of artillery and eighteen guns.\u00a0 After the declaration of war Dundee was infested, and the garrison was constantly under arms.\u00a0 War had commenced in earnest.\u00a0 The private mentioned, who does not wish his name to be published, took part in the battle of Talana Hill.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat was your first recollection of that battle,\u201d our representative asked.\u00a0 \u201cWe stood to arms,\u201d he replied, \u201cat about a quarter past three in the morning, went on parade, and waited for the cavalry to see if the enemy were knocking about.\u00a0 The cavalry came in and said there was no enemy in sight.\u00a0 The men were dismissed, and told to stand to with their arms and straps in case of danger.\u00a0 When we were about a quarter of an hour dismissed \u201cLong Tom\u201d threw in a shell from a distance of about a mile.\u00a0 Notwithstanding the report from the cavalry, I may state that one of our mounted infantry came in the previous night wounded on the left arm, having been fired on, and he reported that the enemy were knocking around.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first shell from Long Tom was, he says, followed by several others, and the infantry then marched across the plain towards Talana Hill, protected by artillery.\u00a0 After crossing the plain the Fusiliers and King\u2019s Royal Rifles took protection in a dried-up river bed or donga about 600 yards from the base of the hill.\u00a0 They charged the hill with the bayonet, and the \u201cboys\u201d then commenced to fall, and many of them made their last journey in that trying march up the steep heights of Talana.\u00a0 Having reached the crest of the hill the \u201ccease fire\u201d sounded.\u00a0 \u201cWe were annoyed a lot by Long Tom,\u201d said the Fusilier, “and one of the gunners, I remember, declared that he would knock it out of where it was in three shots, and he did.\u00a0 We then gave a tremendous cheer.\u00a0 I wish you to know, however, that when we got to the top of the hill there was no Boer there.\u00a0 They had retreated.\u00a0 We had an exiting time.\u00a0 I remember crossing the plain that I was caught in a wire fence \u2013 one of the ordinary fences which divided two farms or partitioned the same farm just like at home \u2013 and was knocked down, but I was in no way injured.\u00a0 A fellow, however, named Callaghan from Carlow was shot dead beside me when marching towards the hill.\u00a0 He said to me, ‘keep well extended.’\u00a0 I gave a long stride out to pass him, when I heard him say, Oh! my knee.\u00a0 I looked around when I saw that he was again hit on the head.\u00a0 That finished him and the poor fellow never spoke afterwards.”<\/p>\n

“I was beside Captain Weldon, of Naas, when he was killed on Talana Hill \u2013 we were about half way up at the time.\u00a0 On being first wounded he asked his servant to bring him some brandy.\u00a0 The servant was bringing back the brandy when he was shot dead.\u00a0 Captain Weldon then got a few more bullets and was killed.”<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long did the fight continue?\u201d our representative asked.\u00a0 The reply was \u201cnine and half hours, and it was stiff work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWere your fellows supplied with any drink before or after this fight?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWell, on the night after the fight we each got a pint of Natal beer \u2013 good stuff \u2013 the best beer I ever drank.\u00a0 The Cape Town beer, however, is no good.\u00a0 Of course we are entitled to about half [a] glass of free rum every night.\u201d<\/p>\n

He then narrated some exciting experiences of the \u201cDublins\u201d during the retreat from Dundee to Ladysmith.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were under orders,\u201d he said, \u201cto march at 11 o\u2019clock at night.\u00a0 The enemy were considerably reinforced, and we had no troops to strengthen us from England.\u00a0 I remember we had taken up a position near Dundee to prevent the enemy from going into the camp, when we got an order that we were to march at 9.\u00a0 Three of our fallows [sic], who didn\u2019t hear that the original order was cancelled, went down to the camp for beer, as some was left behind.\u00a0 We went away without them, and the three of them were shot.\u00a0 We marched to Elandslaaghte, and on the march we heard the guns playing in the battle of Elandslaaghte, and were extended, thinking we would meet the retiring Boers, but we did not.\u00a0 I remember our transport got stuck in the soft road, and we were five days marching.\u00a0 We subsequently entered Ladysmith, whither we went back to Estcourt, from where we were beaten to Frere.\u00a0 We returned to Escourt on an armoured train.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were at the battle of Colenso?\u201d \u2013 \u201cYes.\u00a0 That was a dreadful fight.\u00a0 I walked over dead bodies to the top of the hill.\u00a0 My comrades were falling every side of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre men affected,\u201d our representative asked, \u201cby seeing their comrades and friends falling wounded and dead about them?\u201d<\/p>\n

The reply was \u2013 \u201cYou would be tripping over the bodies there; but you are my brother, and in going up the hill I don\u2019t know you.\u00a0 I only think of where I have got to get myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou were wounded at Peter\u2019s Hill?\u201d \u2013 \u201cYes. \u00a0I remember we had to advance along the river by a narrow walk, which afforded protection.\u00a0 If you put up your head it was popped off.\u00a0 Still we were marching over dead bodies.\u00a0 It was grand to see the Inniskillings, the Fusiliers, and the Connaught Rangers charge up the hill on February 23rd when within four miles of Ladysmith.\u00a0 I, however, was wounded in the arm.\u00a0 The bullet went in at my left elbow, and is still in my arm.\u00a0 When I was struck I felt as if a rock was falling upon me.\u00a0 In about an hour afterwards I was struck on the left leg.\u00a0 The bullet entered at my toes, went through my instep, and out near my ankle.\u00a0 I fell and was powerles [sic] to move.\u00a0 I remained on the ground for two nights and three days without food or treatment, when I was picked up by a stretcher bearer.\u00a0 During a good deal of this time pebbles and stones struck by bullets used to strike me, and I remember drawing over my helmet to shield my face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the sound of war like?\u201d he was asked, \u201cwhen the artillery and rifle fire is proceeding?\u201d<\/p>\n

The reply was \u2013 \u201cIt is indescribable.\u00a0 You\u2019d imagine sometimes that a multitude of bands was playing over your head.\u00a0 The bullets hiss by you \u2013 sharp hiss, which you hear just as it passes.\u00a0 One of those bullets killed poor Allen, of Athy, at Peter\u2019s Hill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are the Boers like as regards stature?\u201d \u2013 \u201cGiants!\u201d was the reply.\u00a0 \u201cThey have arms on them as thick as your leg.\u00a0 They are fine men.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Leinster Leader 23 June 1900 AT TUGELA AND SPION KOP An Athy Soldier\u2019s Experiences Interview with a Dublin Fusilier Our Athy representative ahs interviewed an Athy man, a member of H Company, 2nd Battalion Dublin Fusiliers, who fought at the engagements of Talana Hill, Colengo, Spion Kop, and Peter\u2019s Hill, where he was wounded, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-military-history"],"blocksy_meta":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Kildare Local Studies","author_link":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/author\/localstudies\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3569"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8340,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3569\/revisions\/8340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kildarelibraries.ie\/ehistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}