24. Lieutenant General Sir George White and staff

White had resolved to await relief by General Redvers Buller’s army assembling to the south of the Tugela. Reinforcements were arriving from England and there were ample supplies of food, ammunition and forage for the animals inside Ladysmith. He did not expect to be shut up in Ladysmith for more than a month, or perhaps two at the most. White had brought with him two trusted staff officers, Colonel Ian Hamilton and Lieutenant Colonel Sir Henry Rawlinson. Already present in Natal was Major General Archibald Hunter, sent from India to be Chief of Staff to General Sir Redvers Buller. As Buller had not yet arrived in South Africa, Hunter was ordered to attach himself to White for the time being. Also in this picture is Major David Henderson, Deputy Assistant Adjutant General for
Intelligence

30. Major David Henderson and the Guides

White was still reluctant to authorise a sortie outside the lines. Major David Henderson, DAAG of Intelligence, commanding officer of the corps of Natal Guides, was aware of the slackness of the Boer’s nightly watch-keeping. He proposed to White that 50 of his guides attack the Free Stater’s gun on Thornhill’s Kop and at first obtained permission to do so. However, the Long Tom on Gun Hill was more troublesome to Colonel William Knox’s sector of the defences and the Krupp howitzer on Surprise Hill also needed to be dealt with. Henderson’s order was countermanded and Hunter proposed to White that the Long Tom on Gun Hill be the first target.

31. Gun Hill

Rawlinson claimed that Hunter “and David Henderson persuaded the Chief to agree to my plan for having a go at Bulwana Tom. I was very sick at not being allowed to go myself, as it was my idea”. White insisted that Hunter lead the raid on Gun Hill himself, taking with him a force of 500 men. The result, on the night of 7th December 1899, was a stunning success for the men of the Imperial Light Horse, the Natal Carbineers and the Border Mounted Rifles. A Creusot Long Tom and a 12cm Krupp howitzer were blown up.