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

25. Hunter and Rawlinson

White at first was dead set against any actions involving raids outside the defence lines against the Boer besiegers. A number of British officers advocated aggressive action against Boer gun positions, Hunter and Rawlinson being prime movers in this regard. According to Captain Johnny Gough of the Rifle Brigade, “Hunter was full of wild schemes” and Rawlinson proposed an attack on “Bulwana Tom” (the Boer Creusot gun) as early as 11th November.

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.

42. Jack Archer's map

This is the sketch map that Archer enclosed with the letter to his mother. At 9 p.m. on the night of 10th December the Rifle Brigade assembled at King’s Post. Rawlinson had gone up to King’s Post to see the show. Five companies ‘A’ ‘B’ ‘E’ ‘G’ ‘H’ and part of ‘C’ were told off for the attack, 558 officers and men, together with five men of the Royal
Artillery under Major Francis Wing and six sappers under Lieutenant Robert Digby Jones of the Royal Engineers. Their guides were Harry Thornhill, who owned the nearby farm, and Sydney Ashby who may have been employed at a farm in the vicinity.