‘Fix Bayonets’ – the attack at Lerothodi’s Village, 22nd October 1880
The Prince Alfred’s Volunteer Guard in Basutoland 1880-81
An artist's impression of Major Deare leading the Prince Alfred's Guard in the bayonet charge at Lerothodi's Village. The artist incorrectly has the PAGs armed with Martini-Henry Rifles, while at this point, they were still using Long Sniders (Prince Alfred’s Guard 1856-1966)
Neil Orpen’s excellent history of Prince Alfred’s Guard, there is a dramatic painting of Major George Deare leading the guard in a bayonet charge against a strongly held Basuto position. Although the artist seems to have modelled Major Deare on the actor Clark Cable, the importance of the painting for the regiment is that it was the first occasion that Cape Volunteers had taken part in a bayonet charge. Moreover, following the charge, the Basuto referred to the guard as the ‘Black Devils’ because of their black coloured trousers and ‘fighting with knives tied to their rifles.’
For the 200 men that formed what was referred to as the Fourth Active Service Detachment, Prince Alfred’s Guard from South Africa’s Port Elizabeth, they mobilized for service in Basutoland on 23rd September 1880. Major George Russel Deare, a 28-year-old Canadian and a veteran of the Franco-Prussian War (1873), the 9th Frontier War (1877-78), and the pacification operations during the Zulu War (1879), was given command; he had a brilliant reputation for organization and natural leadership. When the regiment was mustered, the men were selected for service under a ballot system until 200 men were selected. While many men, some of whom had served at Umzintzani in the 9th Frontier War, were keen to fight in Basutoland, there were also some who could not afford to leave their businesses again and were quietly hoping they would not be mobilized. One young private who proudly wore a marksman's badge on his sleeve and was splitting at the seams to be selected was the 17-year-old, red-headed Private William ‘Will’ Longden. Will, who left school and joined the staff at the Standard Bank during the Zulu War, begged Deare to take him, and with the gods smiling on him that day, he was selected.
The highly efficient and popular Major George Russel Deare (Prince Alfred’s Guard 1856-1906)
Deare organized the detachment into ‘A’ and ‘B’ companies, with the exceptionally tall, 51-year-old Port Elizabeth ironmonger, Captain Archibald Little, commanding ‘A’ Company. The command of ‘B’ Company was given to another ironmonger, Captain Ernest Birt, a 26-year-old who, as a lieutenant, served with the Third Active Service Detachment that was mobilized between January and April 1879 for garrison duties at King William’s Town and East London. The other officers selected were Lieutenants William H. Miles, John M. Thornton, and Sub-Lieutenant Thomas T. C. Purland and William W. Young, of whom none had seen previous active service, and all were in their early twenties, apart from Thornton, who was a 32-year-old locomotive attendant at Uitenhage.
The young William Longden armed with his Long Snider Rifle and bayonet prior to departing for Basutoland (Red Buffalo)
Of the non-commissioned officers and men, several were veterans of the battle of Umzintzani that held some weight among the novices, such as Will Longden. Apart from 9th Frontier War service, several men had served with the Frontier Light Horse and Baker’s Horse during the Zulu War; that was easily explained as Port Elizabeth was the happy hunting ground for recruiting offices. Interestingly, both Sergeant Major Thomas Geary and Sergeant Martin Bain had been discharged from the 86th (Royal County Down) Foot when they were posted to the Cape. Geary served with the Port Elizabeth Militia during the frontier war, while Bain, served with Captain Birt as the sergeant major of the Third Active Service Detachment in 1879.
Having joined Brigadier General Charles Mansfield Clarke’s, Mafeteng Relief column at Massyn’s Farm on 19th October 1880, they witnessed the 1st Cape Mounted Yeomanry being ‘battle axed’ by the Basuto at Kalabani, where for the first time, they were ordered to fix bayonets to receive cavalry. With Mafeteng relieved, Clarke consulted with Colonel Fred Carrington CMG, who had defended Mafeteng from 12th September to 19th October 1880 and decided that they would attack Chief Lerothodi’s village, which was located on a neck between two mountains, three miles north-east of Mafeteng. It was Lerothodi who had bravely led a determined mounted attack against Carrington at Mafeteng on 4th October and now concentrated his force around his village.
At 3.am, on 22nd October, Colonel Carrington, having mustered every available man that could be spared from the Mafeteng Garrison at Fort Cochrane, crawled out towards Lerothodi’s Village with the high ground on their right flank. Clarke joined him as an observer, while the entire force consisted of 150 of the Cape Mounted Rifles under Captain Charles Shervinton, four companies of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Volunteer Rifles under Captain Edward J. Whindus, a former Colour Sergeant of the 86th Foot, 155 men of both companies of the Prince Alfred’s Guard under Major Deare, 300 men of the Mafeteng and Mohale’s Hoek Native Contingents, a 7-Pounder field gun, and two 5 ½ inch mortars of the Cape Field Artillery.
The location of Lerothodi's Village that lay between the saddle of the two prominent features. Deare's Bayonet charge took place to the right (Author's collection)
At first light, the force started to make out the saddle where the village was located, which was overlooked by a precipitous feature. The approach was strewn with rocky kranztes, and two smaller villages were also located in close proximity. The Basuto were onto Carrington’s force and moved to their positions, with the main village being held by a large force.
The force took cover on what was described as a level stretch of ground—820 meters below the main village that they could see was spread out across the saddle and on the higher slopes. Carrington brought the 7-Pounder and mortar into action against the Basuto advancing to their left front, but with no real effect while the rifle fire did the trick and drove them back. However, on Carrington’s right flank, the Basuto moved into a long donga and gorge, which meant that Carrington could not launch an assault with his right flank threatened. Potentially, the Basuto could manoeuvre behind Carrington and block his route back to Mafeteng.
With the Basuto lining the donga and gorge, Carrington and Clarke decided that unless they were reinforced, they could not attack the main village; thus, a despatch rider was sent back to Mafeteng with orders to bring up Right Wing of the Kimberley Horse under Major Stanley Lowe. There was an attempt by the Cape Mounted Rifles and Prince Alfred’s Guard to dislodge the Basuto, but they were subjected to heavy fire from the front and the right flank. Then, at 10 a.m., the Kimberley Horse arrived.
Carrington rode up to Major Deare and asked him, ‘How would you propose to take that place?’ to which he replied, ‘Well, I should take that donga first, where all their riflemen are, and then wheel to the left and attack the mountain, and send the main column straight at it from where we now stand as soon as the donga is held.’ Thinking about it, Carrington said, ‘I think you are right. Go and do it. Take what men you need, and I will support you.’
It was now about 12 pm, and they had been in action for four hours when Deare ordered 40 Prince Alfred’s Guard under Sub-Lieutenant Purland, 30 of the Cape Mounted Rifles, and 25 of the ‘Dukes’ to charge 600 yards across a ploughed field to the right and clear the strongly held donga with the bayonet. Captain Charles Shervinton and experienced and brave Zulu War veteran was chosen to command this group.
Deare told Shervinton that he would simultaneously lead a bayonet charge of 110 Prince Alfred’s Guards to assault the ridge to the left. Deare, so he could be easily identified, removed his hat, took off his tunic, and briefed the men about what they were about to do. Forming them up in an extended line, as did Shervinton, he gave the order to fix bayonets and charge. The men cheered as they ran forward, and no sooner than they moved-off, the Basuto opened up with a heavy crossfire. The first man to be hit at this point was Private Charles Smith, who fell shot through the chest; he died two hours later.
Shervinton, believing that his force was too small to take the donga, briefly paused without Deare being aware. Seeing this, Captain Whindus brought up three companies of the ‘Dukes’ to support him. The Basuto blazed away at the charging colonials, which must have shocked them, as they had never been on the receiving end of a bayonet charge.
The colonials at the run reached the donga and got right among the Basuto, who, although they fought with great bravery, were greatly disadvantaged without having bayonets. Deare’s group cleared two positions, the first with ease, and then the second, which was located on a ridge, was described as being a tough fight. From here, Deare could see the Basuto on his left flank, mounting their ponies and preparing to counter attack. He quickly ordered half of his extended line to wheel to the left, and with independent fire, they dispersed them before they could launch their attack.
A contemporary artists impression of the attack at Lerothodi's Village that appeared in The Cape Times.
Shervinton’s force drove the Basuto out of the donga, and with it now cleared, many Basuto were seen riding away towards Diphering, where they were planning to attack the Mafeteng camp and sweep away the slaughter cattle. They met the outlaying pickets and went no further. In the donga, 31 bodies were later counted; however, the fighting was not over, and both Deare and Shervinton consolidated their positions and awaited orders from Carrington. The men, while exhausted, were still in the fight, and the young Will Longden stood with his bayonet red with blood.
In the bayonet charge, apart from Private Smith, who was already mentioned as being mortally wounded, Captain Birt had been shot in the right leg, Sergeant Herman Bradshaw was shot in the head and survived, Corporal Henry Blenkinsop, another 9th Frontier War veteran, was shot in the right breast, and five privates were also shot, of whom Private Alfred Spurrell later died. The Cape Mounted Rifles had one officer and one private wounded, while the ‘Dukes’ had six men wounded.
At 1.30 p.m., Carrington, elated about Deare’s bayonet charge clearing his right flank, ordered a charge to be made against the main village. The Cape Mounted Rifles, Native Contingents and Kimberley Horse charged forward on the left flank, and when at the final rock ledge, the Basuto retired, including Lerothodi. The Kimberley Horse torched the village in a scene reminiscent of the Zulu War, with kraals and homesteads leaving towering plumes of smoke. Carrington marched the column back to Mafeteng, which they reached at 4 p.m. The Prince Alfred’s Guard had expended 7,800 rounds of ammunition in the fight – an average of 50 rounds per man.
Another period illustration, albeit inaccurate of the attack on Lerothodi's Village (The Dukes)
As to the Basuto casualties, the press later distorted the number of dead, ranging from 150 to 600, which was a clear exaggeration. Clarke stated in his report that ‘they must have suffered severely, as thirty-one dead bodies were found near the watercourse’ while 72 dead horses were counted. Two Basuto were taken prisoner, who stated that Chief Moletsane’s men, under the command of his sons, were the warriors that doggedly held the donga and gorge and suffered heavily.
Clarke further mentioned in his report, Carrington, Deare, Shervinton, Whindus, and Lowe for their leadership during the day's fighting. Of the whole force, he wrote that:
‘It affords me the greatest pleasure to bring to the notice of the government the excellent behaviour of all ranks of the forces engaged throughout a long and trying day. They had been roused during the night by two alarms, were under arms at three, and from that time until their return to the laager at four p.m., they were employed without intermission.’
Assisting Clarke with the accompanying map of the battle was Private Charles H. Roscher of the Guards, a former sailor, engineer, artist, and frontier war veteran. Roscher later made a name for himself working on archaeological digs in Egypt.
Interestingly, Deare, when mentioning those that greatly assisted him during the charge, did not mention officers, but 24-year-old St. Helena-born Colour Sergeant Robert W. Clarry and Corporal Lennox J. McKay. Clarry was, in fact, the paymaster sergeant of the guards and later being commissioned served beyond the Boer War and died in 1911. Lennox McKay as his pedigree reveals is no surprise, although in 1880, he was only 20. He had served with the guard at Umzintzani in December 1877, then with the Frontier Light Horse in Zululand, and was present at both the battles of Hlobane and Khambula. Deare promoted him to Sergeant, and he died many years later, in 1941.
The colonials believed they had tempered the Basuto fighting spirit; however, they may have briefly, but the war went on and the pluck of the Basuto soon returned. The reality was, as they would learn, that the Basuto needed to preserve the integrity of their commandos for the long game, and when they knew they were outmaneuvered, they retired and fought again. Villages could always be rebuilt, and there would never be a decisive battle. Eight days later, during a broader operation under Clarke towards Maquaisberg, Major J.M. Grant, a capable Cape Mounted Rifles officer who had distinguished himself at Moorosi’s Mountain in 1879, took 250 men back to Lerothodi’s Village, but quickly became surrounded by 8–10,000 Basuto and forming a defensive perimeter fought the Basuto off until they could retire; the village was never occupied by the colonial forces.
Following six difficult months of active service in Basutoland, the Prince Alfred’s Guard arrived home in Port Elizabeth amid an enthusiastic crowd. While in the guards, their bayonet charge became part of regimental legend; they received no campaign medal until 1900, although the battle honour ‘BASUTOLAND 1880-81’ was granted to them. The first history of the Prince Alfred’s Guard printed in 1906 recorded that the charge at Lerothodi’s Village was a ‘spirited affair’ and ‘a battle that will long be remembered by those who took part in it as being one of the most desperate fought during the war.’
Major Deare resigned from the regiment and during the Zululand disturbances of 1888 he served as a Native Levy battalion commander under Colonel Carrington before residing at Melmoth, Zululand. He died in 1938 after leaving an account of his military service in the Durban Weekend Advertiser in 1931. Captain Birt, who was wounded, died six years later, in 1886, while the young Will Longden, having returned to Port Elizabeth, found himself unemployed. He later moved to Rhodesia and served as a trooper in the Salisbury Horse during the 1893 Ndebele War as well as the 1896 rebellion. He became the first Magistrate of Melsetter and died in 1957 – in Rhodesia he was known as the ‘Red Buffalo.’
The highly interesting book Red Buffalo about Will Longden's life
References:
Cape Archives Repository:
CO 1110. Operational Report 22nd October 1880
GH 45-2. Brigadier General Clarke’s report 22nd October 1880
Published sources:
Longden, W.H.D., Red Buffalo
Hall, Richard.T., Prince Alfred’s Guard 1856-1906 – It’s History
Orpen, Neil., Prince Alfred’s Guard 1856-1966
Orpen, Neil., The Dukes. A History of The Cape Town Rifles ‘Dukes’