Diary belonging to Archibald William Lawton Wookey, 1900-1901 - Part 3

New Year

1901
Tuesday Jan 1^st 1901
Shifted camp from near
station ½ mile out
of town no sooner got
settled than we received
order to intrain & then
proceed to Warrington about
80 miles south and started
at 6.30 pm arrived at
Taungo at 8.30 half way

attended at the concert
there & gave the warcry,
left 4am next morning
xxxxxxx
Wensday ^Jan 3^rd arrived at fourteen
streams 7am & camped
½ mile from station, about
1,000 men here more
expected
Thursday Jan 3^rd Fine day
quite well Heavey train
Friday Jan 4^th Heavey Train Thunder bolt killed & [[?]] 
this afternoon about
4 inches of water all over the
canopy
 

Saturday Jan 5^th Still at
Fourteen streams fine day

Sunday Jan 6^th left Fourteen
streams for Christiana
with a convoy consisting
of 80 wagons with provisions
250 mounted men including
ourselves 200 infintry two
fifteen pounders 2 pom poms
2 Maxims we travelled 12
miles this morning & start
again ^in the morning
Monday Jan 7^th  Arrived at
Christiana 930 am this morning
after travelling from 3am
plenty of Dutch men about 
hear fire on the town
every  other day leaving
for Fourteen Streams
tomorrow at 2am nice
town a few prisoners
kept in the church here
plenty of Diamonds found
by the niggers working 
for the Officers
Tues Jan 8^th left a 2 Am
this morning arrived at
 

Fourteen Streams 8 pm on the

road back captured 3 Boers

600 sheep

Wed Jan 9^th. camped at streams

Thurs Jan 10^th. left Fourteen Stream

held at the time Crossed over ^the river to

Warrenton on the train & 

camped for the night leaving

here for Kimberly tomorrow

Friday Jan 11^th. Left for Warrenton

at 2am this morning & trained

till 8am left again 2pm

camped at 6pm at Windsorton

Road Station.

Sat Jan 12^th. left camp at xx ^daylight

went looking xx too about

5000 head HC.O unit. The Column

at 8pm 7 miles from Kimberley.

Sunday Jan 13^th. Started at 8am

arrived at Kimberley 9.30 and

camped 1 mile from town

mail no letters

Monday Jan 14^th Hot day.

Tues Jan 15^th - 1 month pay

Had some fun in town last night

Wednesday 16^th. left Kimberley for

Boshof at 4.30am camped

with a convoy (60 majors)

-camped at 10am left 2pm

then travelled 8 miles &

camped at 9pm.

Thursday 17^th Been attacked

the scouts killed one

we went to get his body

but could not find it

Friday 18^th plenty of Boers

in the pass expect plenty

of fighting when we move

way. Hot. Sharp fight lasted 3 hrs

Sat 19^th. arrived at 12pm last 

night pretty town well

fortified.

 

I love one & only one

And that one is you,

If you love one & only one

Let that one be me.

                     

Hand drawn sketches - see original

Sunday Jan 20^th left Boshof

for Kimberley at 4.30 am

camped 4 miles out for breakfast

& then travelled till

Monday Jan 21^st. arrived

Kimberley at 2pm went

up town & stayed till 2am

Had a good time plenty of

fun

Tues Jan 22^nd fine day

ordered to Smiths Drift tomorrow

wrote five letters to B 9am -12

Went for 23^th Orders canceled

Methuen expected in a 

day or so paying a visit

tonight to Bn

Thurs Jan 24^th left Kimberley

10.30 pm this day for

Coffiefontein camped 18 miles

on

Friday Jan 25^th Very hot

left camp 4.30 pm & camped

at Mudd River 9.30 and'

all next day

Sat Jan 26^th. left 5.30am

& travelled till 9.30am

passed through jacobsdal

& camped at Modder River 

till 4pm
Sunday Jan 27th. ^3.30am went looking

today 3 or 4 girls at farms

camped at Modder River

where the Battle was fought

at 8.30 arrived at Coffief

6pm.

Monday 28^th fine day

fresh meat extra

Tuesday 29^th leaving for

Kimberley 4am camped

at 10.20 after 4 hours

severe fighting three wounded

12 Bns killed & wounded

Wednesday 30^th hot day

sharp fight Boers

Thursday 31^st. Heavy fighting

Boers on Ropgee It was

nearly surrounded with

six others Pon Pons xxx

opened in time to save

us

camped at 10am at 

a Boer farm plenty of fruit

Feb Friday 1^st. left to guard

the farm xx took 4 prisoners

captured Petersburg by

firing a few shells 

& then started at

6am for Kimberley

on Sat Feb 2^nd

camped at 9am at Paardeberg

where Cronje was captured

left at 4.30pm boers

took 5 or6 sheep but

got then back camped

at 12pm.

Sunday Feb 3^rd. left camp 

at 6am camped at

10am at a large farm

got plenty of loot

Started at 2.30 &

camped at 7pm five 

miles from KImberley

Monday Feb 4^th.

Started for Kimberley

at 5.30pm arrived 

at Kimberley with 2400

head of stock at 9pm

went up town & payed

a visit to some friends

has some great fun

Tuesday Feb 5^th. arrived

at camp 2am this morning

Wed Feb 6^th. went up

town & enjoyed myself

with some lady friends

Thursday Feb 7^th. very windy

Heavy rain all night

& I stayed in camp for

a wonder

Satur Feb 9^th Column left

Kimberley for I went into Hospital

Saturday Feb 10th pretty well

still on milk

Monday Feb 11^th: going out

today Camped by remounts

Tuesday Feb 12 very rough

day

Feb 22^nd Friday convoy

not back shifting camp to

Beaconsfield very convient

March 9^th Sat. Still at

Kimberley Lieut M^cMillian

came up from