Skirmish At Rooikopje Township.

 

A small detachment of the 1st Battalion Essex Regiment supported by a few sturdy chaps from the Black Watch, found themselves occupying an encampment on the outskirts of the Rooikopje Township in the Orange Free State. So bored were they that they even decided to mark their regiment in stone on the ground outside the camp, which seems to have become quite the thing these days.

The bugle sounded very early in the morning, the usual thing, a quick patrol around the town and back for breakfast, the Black Watch contingent provided the camp guard. Sometimes the locals provided eggs and milk, sometimes they didn't. On this morning the locals couldn't be found at all.

Today a surprise was planned for the morning patrol, a Boer Commando had evacuated the township and was in the process of taking positions when the British patrol wandered in. Taken a little by surprise themselves they quickly took positions and watched.

By the time the British had realised there was something wrong it was a bit too late, a familiar sound that put the fear of God in them erupted from the other side of the kopje, Mauser fire and a pom-pom. The first pom-pom shells overshot and set light to a building, the Essex lads had little choice but to advance.

Another salvo of pom-pom shells struck home killing one of the Essex boys, but they crept forward house by house. Meanwhile back at the camp, the Black Watch guards advanced towards the township in order to give support.

The pom-pom was obviously getting a little flustered at this point as the next salvo fell a little short on the top of the kopje, with the next shots being fired at the town the mounted Boers decided to use this as the signal to charge. The pom-pom shells managed to set fire to another house and killed a British soldier, the fighting in the township had been going in the British favour with several Boers killed, now it was the mounted men's turn to try and sway the battle in their favour.

The mounted commando had no idea that there was a line of irate Scotsmen formed up across the road, and it came as a bit of a shock! Bullets whizzed everywhere, two Boers were killed and one Black Watch and one Essex lad were killed. The Boers rode off across the veldt taking their pom-pom with them, ready to fight another day.

One of the Boers left it a bit too late to disengage, he was taken prisoner. All there was left to do now was to tend to the wounded and bring in the dead, as it turned out there were 6 Boers and 6 British killed. All this before breakfast, I doubt there will be any eggs or milk from Rooikopje Township anytime soon.

Snipers On The Veldt - A Boer War Game In 28mm.

Snipers On The Veldt

It's 1901 and Boer guerillas are everywhere, out on the veldt is a small patrol of Imperial Yeomanry. Just brought in from Great Britain and full of derring do, these warriors of Empire are out searching for an elusive enemy, watching up on a kopje a group of Boer snipers are waiting.

Just a little closer, and.......shots are fired! Whether it was excitement, fear or a bit of both, but it seems the Boers fired too early, and they all missed their mark, the Yeomanry at first don't know what to do, but they soon dismount and take cover.

There is a brisk too and fro, bullets ricochet off rocks and whizz past ears, each side know approximately where the enemy is but not exactly as men duck and change position, just the odd sighting and a close shave.

The Yeomanry commander shows his inexperience and orders a frontal attack, the Boers kill one of them the instant he shows his head, but the attack presses on.

In the melee two more troopers are wounded, one fatally, and the commander is eventually killed also. One of the Boers receives a nasty wound. The boers take up their wounded comrade and disappear, the Yeomanry are left with their dead and wounded.

The Battle Of Biersfontein - A Boer War Table Top Game In 28mm.

                         The Battle Of Biersfontein

The tiny Boer hamlet of Biersfontein was the setting for a vicious confrontation between a force of British and Australians and a Boer Commando. The Boers had entered the hamlet first and questioned the locals about British troop movements, however, not far down the road a troop of British scouts were approaching.

The boers spotted the scouts first and split their force in order to surround the hapless troopers. This almost worked when the Boers were spotted and rifle fire broke out, in the short gunfight the scouts commander was killed and a trooper wounded, two of the troopers rode for their lives while the other three were forced to surrender.

The two troopers escaping meant that an attack would be inevitable, civilians were evacuated and Boer horsemen scouted ahead while the main body of the commando looked for fighting positions. It wasn't long before figures in kharki were spotted, the alarm was raised and a Pom Pom gun was put into position.

The kharki figures turn out to be the Imperial left flank hurrying to secure the kopje, they were made up of Australian infantry and several experienced members of the Black Watch. As the troops crested the low hill they were surprised to see how sparse it was, very little cover, so they hurried to the far slope to get behind some rocks. The Boers, meanwhile, rushed to gain cover also.

Once into position the Imperial forces watched as the Boer mounted commandos retreated through the hamlet, but they also saw figures moving forward through the scrub and bush. Once the maxim machine gun was set up a fusilade rattled out across the veldt.

At this point the British right flank caught up and the East Sussex Regiment surged forward into the Boer flank that had already taken casualties from the Black Watch on the kopje. On the left flank Aussie and Black Watch troops had pressed home their attack facing the boers head on in hand to hand combat, Private Johnstone of the Black Watch personally killed four Boers in an incredible display of bravery, he was later wounded by a Boer sniper and was awarded the DCM for his conduct in this battle.

The Boer Pom Pom gun now came into action throwing shells into the face of the left flank, this gave the British a little pause for thought, but the 15 pounders were close and they would keep the Boers heads down, or so they hoped.

With the guns in position they now spat their venom, but not before the Pom Pom found it's range and caused bloody consternation amongst the advancing East Sussex, the left flank were now up to the kraal on the outskirts of Biersfontein and driving the boers back.

With the East Sussex Regiment now reaching the outskirts of Biersfontein the Pom Pom gun was causing havoc, on the left flank mounted Boers counter attacked.

The Imperial left and right flanks now converged on Biersfontein, the mounted counter attack unfortunately ran into a maxim machine gun and were slaughtered in a matter of moments. In the hamlet itself a stout resistance was being maintained, but when the right flanks maxim was brought to bear the fight was over. The 15 pounders threw a few more shells over the retreating Boers wounding one and setting a building on fire.

With the hamlet taken and the survivors taken as prisoners of war, the area was secured against any counter attack. It had been an expensive encounter, 14 Imperial troops had been killed, 16 Boers had paid the ultimate price, 3 British mounted infantry were now Boer prisoners and 7 Boers were now heading for St Helena.