Tyndale-Biscoe at the Siege of Ladysmith

One of the things which I find most interesting about studying the Boer War is how many of the same characters pop up in unexpected places – indeed, it is all rather like a Wilbur Smith novel (without the underage sex). Not content with his antics with the Pioneer Column, the First Matabele War and the Jameson Raid, for example, Dr Jim was resolute in his determination to be in the thick of the action when Kruger started the Boer War.

Jameson had first headed to Mafeking, only to be thrown out by Colonel Baden-Powell just before it was besieged – the redoubtable Colonel stated that, such was the fiery Boer hatred for the Doctor (for attempting to gain a fair-franchise for the English-speakers of the Transvaal), that if he was allowed to stay, an extra battery of artillery would be required to defend the town.^[i]

Undeterred by this snub, Jameson headed towards Natal and ‘the real fighting’, making it into Ladysmith just before it was completely cut off.^[ii] As well as his Valet, the trusty Garlick, Dr Jim also had Sir John Willoughby[iii] and Colonel Frank Rhodes[iv] for company – the group often being referred to as ‘the Rhodesians’. Willoughby had commanded the troops on the Jameson Raid^[v], while Frank, Cecil Rhodes’ brother, had been the (entirely ineffectual) man on the ground in Johannesburg during the scheme. The friends took rooms at the Royal Hotel in the centre of Ladysmith – an establishment which still exists today, though Jameson might not approve of the dining room having since been turned into a theme pub called ‘The Tipsy Trooper’.

Raising the flag at Fort Salisbury, 1890

That much is pretty well known to aficionados of the conflict, but I recently learned that another illustrious ‘Rhodesian’ also made his way into Ladysmith just before the net was closed. Lt Edward Carey Tyndale-Biscoe RN (Rtd) had seen service in the Gordon Relief Expedition of the 1880s, before being invalided out of the Royal Navy for – would you believe it – having a stutter. Valued for his experience with machine guns, however, he was one of the 1890 Rhodesian Pioneers and, as the (unofficial) representative of the Senior Service, was given the honour of raising the Union Flag over what would become Salisbury, the capital of Rhodesia. Tyndale-Biscoe would also serve in both the First and Second Matabele Wars.

Officers of the Pioneer Column 1890

With Kruger’s invaders pouring into Natal, Tyndale-Biscoe made his way to Durban and took a train up to Ladysmith, arriving into the town on 30 October (the day of the Battle of Nicholson’s Nek). He took a room at the Railway Hotel, then reported to Captain the Hon Lambton, and ‘He officially signed me on as a member of his ship, HMS Powerful, as Naval Lieutenant (Retired) from 1st day in November 1899. I am now part of the Naval Brigade’.[vi]

Lt. Edward Tyndale-Biscoe RN (Rtd)

The small Royal Naval Brigade manned a pair of 4.7” guns, and four 12-pounders – all but one of the latter being taken from ships and mounted on hastily-constructed, improvised carriages. The fourth 12-pounder was a standard landing party gun, of the type used until recently in the famous ‘Gun Run’ at the Royal Tournament.

As the only guns with the range to effectively hit back at the Boer field pieces, it is no exaggeration to say that Captain Lambton’s brigade saved Ladysmith, and thus Tyndale-Biscoe – like all his ‘shipmates’ – was in the middle of the action from start to finish.

Tyndale-Biscoe wrote numerous letters during the Siege, both to his brother (Cecil – who was a missionary in Kashmir) and to his sister, Francis (‘Fan’). The letters were transcribed by his grandson Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe and were donated with other family-related material to the archives of Jesus College, Cambridge in January 2019… how much longer they will survive the whole woke nonsense of ‘Rhodes must fall’ which is infecting British academia is another matter.

There is far too much to share it all, but here are a few highlights for interest:

11 November 1899:
‘This war is being carried out in a curious way. The other day, our wounded, in enemy hands, numbered about 90 men. They were sent back here in return for any of their own wounded. The Boers asked leave to come and fetch them. They sent in a doctor or two. They asked for medicine as they were running short. So, we gave them what they wanted. The Boers don’t seem to realize that the flag of truce should be used for parley or surrender. They are always hoisting the white flag whenever they don’t want to be fired at. They even fired at one of our ambulances as they thought we were moving guns in it, using the same strategy as they were accustomed to use’.[vii]

15 November 1899:
‘The Naval Brigade has two 4.7” guns. They carry shells of about 50 pounds. We have four other 12 pounders and three maxims. All the guns were taken from the ship H.M.S. Powerful, now docked in Durban. Our two 4.7” guns are the only ones in Ladysmith that can match the Long Toms for distance, that is about 8 000 yards. Our ship’s compliment here comprises 280 men. Apart from Captain Lambton, we have four lieutenants, six midshipmen, one paymaster, one doctor, one gunner. Another lieutenant, Edward Stabb, who was in the Naval Reserve has also joined us. I arrived here on Tuesday 31^st October and joined the Brigade on the 1^{st of} November. The Boers cut off our communications from the outside world on the same day. We have been in a state of siege since. If the Naval Brigade had not reached Ladysmith in time, the town would have fallen. Our six regimental batteries would be no match against the long-range guns of the enemy. Our presence here is pivotal to the war effort in that we have succeeded in halting the advance of the enemy forces on their way to Durban. We have engaged a major portion of their army here while the delay has given our forces time to build up in Natal. Call it “Destiny” if you like.
General Joubert, commanding the Boer forces, “kindly” sent in word before he started his bombardment of the town. He gave us 24 hours to remove the wounded, women and children and non-combatants to a place about four miles down the line. They are practically prisoners in that the site is inside the lines of the enemy. Townspeople who have decided to remain have made themselves caves in the bank of the Klip River, and into the hillsides. They run like rabbits into these whenever the shelling commences. So far, the bombardment has done little damage. Few people have been hit. In the Naval Brigade we have lost one lieutenant. Edgerton was the gunnery officer on H.M.S. Powerful. He has been killed and two of our bluejackets have been wounded. Poor Edgerton was hit by a 96-pound shell fired from an enemy Long Tom. He lost his right leg above the knee and his left below the knee. I was close to him at the time. He was so plucky about it and said that he was afraid that his cricket days would probably be over. He lit a cigarette as he was being carried down to the hospital. The doctor operated on him as soon as possible, but the shock was too great. He did regain consciousness after the operation, but he died. Both legs had to be amputated’.[viii]

RN 12-pounder

23 November 1899
‘Here we are still shut up in this hot and fly infested town. The bombardment goes on with more or less intensity every day except Sundays. This is rest day for the Boers. Today there are a good many shells bursting over the town. There has been little damage done, considering the number of shells. Few people have been hit so far, but a few houses have been wrecked. We have shifted our camp from the top of Junction hill to its base. The enemy had mounted a 40-pounder gun on a hill overlooking our camp. They had a nasty habit of dropping shells into it during mealtimes or whenever they saw any men in the camp. We are now camped in a garden, at least the officers’ tents are in the garden. A dummy battery with six sham guns was made a few nights ago. They are accompanied by dummy figures, activated by chords attached to them. The enemy has been amusing us by firing shells at this battery and wasting ammunition… I am afraid that this letter will not reach home until after Christmas. I hope you will all have had a happy one. Captain Lambton has invited me to return home in his ship, the Powerful, whenever we can eventually get away. However, I think I should visit Salisbury in Rhodesia for a short time. This means that I might not reach Cape Town in time to embark’.[ix]

1 December 1899
‘Here we are, still shut up under siege. The force under General Clery is not far off. His force may be here any day now. Meanwhile the bombardment of the town continues. There has been another six-inch Long Tom gun mounted on a high hill to the south of the town. In response, our artillery has mounted two howitzers. These carry shells which weigh over 100 pounds. Yesterday morning a force was to have gone out on a sortie, but the Boers were warned in advance by one of their numerous spies. This meant that the affair was aborted. But a number of the enemy advanced pretty close to our outposts in the early morning. A brisk fire exchange took place with both rifles and guns. It lasted for about one hour. No particular damage was done. Several shells have burst in the town hall. It is being used as a hospital. Yesterday, one man was killed and eleven wounded. I am glad to say that the wounded have been moved out of the town hall to a safer place. I believe that the Boers fired at it on purpose. It is a conspicuous building and has a large Red Cross flag flying on the roof’.[x]

9 December 1899
‘The night before last we had a great success. A party consisting of a 100 men from the Imperial Light Horse and another 100 Carbineers, under the command of General Sir A Hunter, surprised one of the enemy positions. They crested the summit of a hill unobserved. When they were close to their breast works, the order was given to fix bayonets. On hearing the order, the Boers deserted the position. The joke was that our soldiers had no bayonets to fix. Two guns, one of the six-inch Long Tom guns and a 40 pounder were destroyed. A maxim was captured. It was a splendid piece of daring subterfuge. Our loss was only one killed and four wounded. Yesterday, after the raiding party had returned, two regiments of cavalry made a reconnaissance. They found large numbers of the enemy entrenched on the hills. They opened fire on our cavalry, thus revealing their position. We, together with the rest of the artillery, shelled the enemy position for about an hour. The cavalry returned with the loss of three killed and twenty wounded. The Boers then fired on our ambulance party that went out to pick up the wounded. It is something that they are always doing’.[xi]

RN 4.7-inch gun Ladysmith

Having survived the Siege, Tyndale-Biscoe hitched a ride back to England on the HMS Powerful in April 1900, arriving to a rapturous welcome, and taking part in a parade in front of Queen Victoria. Mentioned in Despatches, he was promoted to the rank of Commander in the Retired List on 24 April 1902. The contribution of Tyndale-Biscoe was acknowledged by Captain Lambton in a letter to Sir George White:

Retired Lieutenant Edward. C. Tyndale-Biscoe, RN, who handsomely volunteered his services on November 1^st, 1899, has been of greatest assistance to me. His experiences in the Sudan in 1884, and the Mashonaland and Matabele campaigns, 1890 to 1897, rendered him a very valuable and reliable officer.[xii]

The outbreak of the Great War found Tyndale-Biscoe in Kashmir, visiting his brother Cecil and recovering from a broken leg sustained in a vehicle mishap. He went on to serve as a Major in the Censorship Office in Delhi, retiring in 1920.

Rhodesia was always special to Tyndale-Biscoe, and he kept in touch with the country he helped establish, retaining a small mining interest there, and being invited at the start of each decade, commencing in 1910, to raise the flag in Cecil Square, Salisbury.

This remarkable hero of Empire died in Dorset, England, on 13 June 1941.

NOTES:

[i] Gardner, Mafeking, p.49

[ii] Pakenham, The Boer War, p.119

[iii] Sir John Christopher Willoughby, 5th Baronet DSO (1859–1918). A Baronet from the age of 7, and a product of Eton and Cambridge, with land holdings in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Willoughby served in the Royal Horse Guards (today, part of the Blue and Royals), and was about as ‘establishment’ as it was possible to be. After falling in with Rhodes, he saw service in the 1893 Matabele War and Jameson Raid. He was sentenced to 10 months in jail for his part in the Raid. After the Siege of Ladysmith, Willoughby took part in the Relief of Mafeking. He even came out of retirement to serve in the Great War

[iv] Colonel Francis William Rhodes CB DSO (1850–1905). Elder brother of Cecil, he was commissioned into the 1^st Royal Dragoons (today, part of the Blues and Royals) in 1873. He served the British Army for 23 years, seeing action in the Sudan. A leading light in the Johannesburg Reform movement, he was sentenced to death for his part in the Jameson Raid, though was later released. After the Siege of Ladysmith, Rhodes – like Willoughby – took part in the Relief of Mafeking

[v] Garrett & Edwards, Story of an African Crisis, p.96

[vi] Letter from Tyndale-Biscoe to his sister, Frances, 11 Nov 1899 (shared on ZimFieldGuide.com)

[vii] Letter from Tyndale-Biscoe to his sister, Frances, 11 Nov 1899 (shared on ZimFieldGuide.com)

[viii] Letter from Tyndale-Biscoe to his brother, Cecil 15 Nov 1899 (shared on ZimFieldGuide.com)

[ix] Letter from Tyndale-Biscoe to his sister, Frances, 23 Nov 1899 (shared on ZimFieldGuide.com)

[x] Letter from Tyndale-Biscoe to his sister, Frances, 1 Dec 1899 (shared on ZimFieldGuide.com)

[xi] Letter from Tyndale-Biscoe to his sister, Frances, 9 Dec 1899 (shared on ZimFieldGuide.com)

[xii] Letter from Lambton to White, 10 Jan 1900 (shared on ZimFieldGuide.com)