18. Transport of Boer heavy guns

In 1897 the government of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (ZAR) purchased four 155mm siege guns made in the Schneider factory in the town of le Creusot, France – three of these were sent to Ladysmith. These were in addition to four 12cm Krupp howitzers imported in 1896. TheCreusots became known to the British as “Long Toms”. They had been extremely sceptical about the possibility of this ordnance being used in field service. Their appearance outside Dundee and then Ladysmith was a rude awakening for the British. The Boers had a Long Tom, a 12cm (4.7
inch) Krupp howitzer and a Maxim machine gun on Gun Hill due east of Ladysmith. These were the closest guns to Ladysmith, together with another Krupp howitzer on Surprise Hill to the north.

23. Colonel the Compte Georges de Villebois-Mareuil

On 6th December a French soldier arrived at Modderspruit, Colonel the Compte Georges de Villebois-Mareuil. De Villebois was met by Captain “Sam” Léon, the French engineer who was building firing platforms for the Creusot Long Toms around Ladysmith. They lunched alongside the railway track. The Frenchmen climbed Gun Hill to inspect the gun position. De Villebois was not happy with what he found there. Without authority, the Boer artillerists could only listen to him politely. There were no supports for the gun crew and there were no outposts to give advance warning of an attack. Nothing was done about de Villebois’s warning.

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.

32. Long Tom breech block

The Imperial Light Horsemen carried the breech block of the Long Tom back to Ladysmith – it can still be seen in the Ladysmith Siege Museum.

64. Repair of the Boer Guns in the ZASM Railway workshops in Pretoria

As a result of the two raids on Gun Hill and Surprise Hill, the Boers now had two damaged Krupp 12cm howitzers and a Long Tom. Captain Sam Léon, the Creusot company’s adviser attached to the Boer army to assist with the operation and gunnery of the Long Toms, examined the Gun Hill Long Tom and the howitzer and reported, “I have inspected the big cannon and howitzer and regret to report that they are beyond repair”. Nevertheless, the Long Tom was taken back to Pretoria, the end of the muzzle cut off, the gun returned to service outside Kimberley and renamed gleefully by the Boers, “Die Jood” (The Jew). The Surprise Hill Krupp was likely even more damaged than that on Gun Hill since there was a charge in the muzzle, the first one with the faulty fuse that needed to be replaced, and a further delayed action charge in the breech that exploded a little later.