
Extract from an article titled Bakenlaagte Nogeens by Evert Dommisse that appeared in Die Huisgenoot of 12 May 1939:
General Louis Botha established his headquarters on the farm Roodepoort, some four miles south of Ermelo. However, he could not remain inactive for long. In the second week of October, he sent Piet Jooste, currently Chairman of the Diamond Control Board, and Fred Siemssen, both members of his staff, with the curt instruction "Go and find out what the enemy is up to.
They rode some sixty miles in a westerly direction without seeing the enemy. Near Trichardtsfontein, they found a telegraph wire, origin unknown. Piet Jooste, who also was a field telegraphist, climbed up the pole and tapped the wire with his vibrator. Remarkably, the message intercepted was from Col Benson, informing Lord Kitchener at Standerton that he [intended] leaving Middelburg for the High Veld on 20 October with a large convoy and 2 200 men.
Piet Jooste and Fred Siemssen immediately turned back and when they reported back to Gen Botha he formed his plans in an instant. Together with Hendrik Watkins and Dirk Dirksen, he climbed a koppie, taking a heliograph to contact Gen Coen Brits in the Standerton district. After a few moments of flashing in the direction of Bloukop, Hendrik Watkins said: I've got him, General. Gen Coen Brits immediately advanced in the direction of Bethal. The other commandos were ordered to do likewise. General Botha himself instructed the Ermelo Commando under Gen Hans Grobler and Comdt Willem Buhrman to saddle up and, after five forced night marches he reached the area where he intended to ambush Benson.
The Battle of Bakenlaagte was fought during the guerrilla phase of the Anglo-Boer war of 1899 – 1902. The battle saw the Eastern Transvaal Boer commandos of Generals Grobler, Brits, Viljoen and Louis Botha attack the rear guard of Colonel Benson's much feared No 3 Flying Column while it was in marching formation to its base camp.
The Column's rear guard were outnumbered 4 to one. These 210 Commonwealth troops set up a defensive position on Gun Hill and fought about 900 Boers in a close quarter twenty minute gun fight that ended only when the column rear guard was annihilated.
Although the battle became known as Bakenlaagte after a Boer farm in the vicinity, the position of the main camp was actually at the junction of the boundaries with two other farms – Schaapkraal and Nooitgedacht, and the action at Gun Hill took place wholly on land within Nooitgedacht.
Great bravery was demonstrated by the men on both sides with combined casualties numbering approximately 87 killed with 182 wounded. Colonel G.E. Benson died the next morning from wounds received on the battlefield.
The 73 dead Commonwealth troops were buried on Gun Hill but later reinterred in Primrose Cemetery, Corner of Cemetery road and Beaconsfield road, Germiston in the 1960s.
Date: 30 October 1901
Location: Bakenlaagte; 35 kilometres north-west of Bethal, Eastern Transvaal
Result: Boer Victory
Boer Commandos
Commanders and Leaders
- General Louis Botha 1862 - 1919
- Commandant Willem Hendrik Buhrman 1868 - 1932
- General Coenraad Jacobus Brits 1860 - 1913
- General Benjamin Johannes Viljoen 1869 - 1917
Strength: 900 men
Troops under General Louis Botha
A
- Constant Willem Frederick Aveling 1885 - 1965
- Jan Coenraad Aveling 1884
B
- Gerhardus Petrus Bothma 1880 - 1912
- LL Breytenbach 1883
- Hendrik Bronkhorst 1849 - 1942
- Barend Frederik Jacobus Burger 1868 - 1912
- Henry Robert Butcher 1882 - 1914
C
- Pieter Willem Conradie 1873 - 1959
D
- Schalk Willem Davidtz 1879 - 1950
- BJ de Bruin 1872
- Theodor Amadeus Heinrich Donges 1869 - 1951
E
- Edmond Massitisse Ellenberger 1867 - 1949
J
- Marthinus Christoffel Janse van Rensburg 1865 - 1928
- Stephanus Johannes Joubert 1867 - 1944
- Stephanus Johannes Hendrik Joubert 1866 - 1951
K
- Johan Manie Kohlar 1872
- Louis Jacobus Kotze 1878
- Cornelius Johannes Kruger 1881
- Piet Frans Kruger 1866 - 1931
L
M
- Isak Cornelius Meyer 1881 - 1929
P
- Wynand Johannes Pretorius 1867 - 1940
R
- John William Seydley Robson 1876 - 1942
S
- Herculaas Albertus Steynberg 1881 - 1953
U
- Cornelis Johannes Uys 1875 - 1901
V
- Hendrik Stephanus van der Merwe 1871
- Jacobus Johannes van der Merwe 1879 - 1937
- Pieter Petrus van der Merwe 1869 - 1920
- Frederik Rudolph van Staden 1877 - 1953
- Gerhardus Ignatius van Staden 1861 - 1927
- Dirk Eliza van Velden 1869 - 1933
- Johan Frederik Vermeil 1852 - 1911
- Hercules Albertus Verster 1876 - 1959
W
- Hendrik Thomas Watkins 1878 - 1943
Troops under General Johannes Nicolaas Hermanus (Hans) Grobler
B
- Johannes Jacobus Bothma 1888
- Johannes L Bothma 1881
C
- Simon Streicher Cilliers 1880 - 1956
D
- Frederik Jacobus Stephanus Davel 1882 - 1970
- Hendrik de Clercq 1873
- Hendrik Christoffel de Wet 1866 - 1938
- Johannes Mattheus du Plooy 1874 - 1947
E
- Johannes Els 1871 - 1957
F
- Willem Frederik Jacob Fischer 1854 - 1928
- Jacob Joachim Fourie 1875
- Lukas Cornelius Fourie 1879
- Louis Lukas Fourie 1880
G
- Stephanus Johannes Grobler 1867 - 1921
- Stephanus Johannes Grobler 1869
H
- Pieter Johannes Human 1867 - 1938
- Simon Frederik Human 1867
J
- Pieter Daniel Jacobs 1887 - 1956
- Gideon Johannes Janse van Rensburg 1883 - 1957
- Leonard Gerhardus Janse van Rensburg 1876 - 1942
- Frederik Johannes Joubert 1883 - 1965
- Gideon Jacobus Joubert 1885 - 1956
- Petrus Frederik Johannes Joubert 1884 - 1965
K
L
- Alrich Otto Landsberg 1878 - 1960
- Johannes Philippus Arnoldus Lourens 1880 - 1972
M
P
- Cornelis Philippus Pienaar 1873 - 1920
R
- Josias Petrus Albertus Reyneke 1863 - 1940
S
- Jacobus Johannes Smit 1875 - 1957
- Adriaan Smuts 1883 - 1952
- General Tobias Smuts 1861 - 1916
- Johannes Jacobus Hermanus Spies 1882 - 1968
- Gideon Johannes Hendrik Steyn 1884
- Izak Andreas Steyn 1878 - 1964
- Philippus Jacobus Fourie Steyn 1886 - 1941
- Albertus Abraham Stoop 1873 - 1931
- Leonard Gerhardus Stoop 1884 - 1940
- Justus Ludolph Christiaan Swanevelder 1870 - 1952
- Jacobus Johannes Swart 1882
- Jacobus Nicolaas Swart 1875
V
- Willem Johannes van Aardt 1872 - 1945
- Hendrik Stephanus van der Merwe 1871 to 1954 .
- Jurgens Johannes van Zyl 1878 - 1935
Casualties and losses
14 killed
48 wounded
Casualties
B
- Frederick Cornelius Barnard 1871 to 07 December 1901
- GJN Beytel 1866 - 30 October1901
- John Godfrey Beytel 1860 to 30 October 1901
- Jacobus Nicolaas Boshoff 1877 to 30 October1901
- Corporal Willem Boshoff - 30 October1901
E
- Jacobus Johannes Hendrik Engelbrechtt 1880 to 30 October 1901.
- Louw Erasmus 1867 to 30 October 1901.
J
- Rudolph Johannes Jansen 1875 to 30 October 1901
- Corporal Christiaan Gerhardus Joubert 1865 to 31 October 1901
N
- Ignatius Michael Nel 1875 - 30 October 1901
P
- Frederik Petrus Pieterse 1880 - 30 October 1901
Commonwealth Troops
Commanders and Leaders
- Lieutenant Colonel George Elliot Benson 1861 - 30 October 1901 Commanding Officer – Royal Artillery
- Captain Arthur Athelwold Lloyd 1864 Commanding Staff Officer – Northamptonshire Regiment
- Captain Thomas Henry Eyre Lloyd 1871 - 30 October 1901 Assistant Staff Officer – Coldstream Guards
- Captain Charles Welman Collins 1872 - 14 November 1901 Signaling Officer – Cheshire Regiment
- Colonel Aubrey Woolls-Sampson Intelligence – Imperial Light Horse
- Major Frederick Dymoke Murray 1872 - 30 October 1901 Black Watch Commander – 2nd Scottish Horse
- Captain Barnett Dyer Lempriere Gray Anley 22 August 1873 Essex Regiment Commander – 3rd Mounted Infantry
- Major Charles Legge Eustace Robertson-Eustace 1867 - 1908 King's Royal Rifle Corps Commander – 25th Mounted Infantry
- Major George Victor Dauglish The Buffs Commander – 2nd Buffs
Strength: 210
Troops
A
B
C
Casualties and losses
73 killed
134 wounded
Casualties
B
Lance Corporal J Bell, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private W Buesden, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private T Bradford, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private W Bradshaw, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
C
Private B Campbell, 2nd Scottish Horse, Died of Wounds, 5 November 1901
Private D Clark, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private A Cunningham, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
D
Lance Corporal David Wellington Davies, Victoria, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Saddler Corporal Morgan John Davis, Victoria, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private G Duns, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
F
Private Charles Ferris, Queensland, 2nd Scottish Horse, Died of Wounds, 31 October 1901
G
Private Robert G Grant, Victoria, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private WG Grant, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
I
Captain AW Inglis, 2nd Seaforth Highlanders attached 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
J
Private Alexander Jordan, Victoria, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
K
- John Bell Kelly Lieutenant 1869 - 30 October 1901
- Age: 31
- Address: Victoria, Australia
- Unit: 2nd Scottish Horse
L
- Michael William Howard Lindsay Captain 1872 - 30 October 1901
- Age: 29
- Unit: 2nd Scottish Horse
M
Private H Marsh, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private G Marshall, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private M McGregor, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private A McKenzie, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
- Alexander Bonthrone Morgan Sergeant 1872 - 30 October 1901
- Unit: 2nd Scottish Horse
Lance Corporal A Murray, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private A Munro, 2nd Scottish Horse, Died of Wounds, 2 November 1901
S
Sergeant JM Saunders, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private J Shepherd, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Private J Simpson, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Sergeant GB Smith, New South Wales, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Lance Corporal W Smith, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
- William Bradshaw Galliard Smith Sergeant
- Age: 39
- Address: Canberra, Australia
- Unit: 2nd Scottisch Horse
T
Shoeing Smith H Tringlette, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
W
Private Francis Walker, Victoria, 2nd Scottish Horse, Killed in Action, 30 October 1901
Lieutenant Charles Woodman, Western Australia, 2nd Scottish Horse, Died of Wounds, 31 October 1901
[http://www.samilitaryhistory.org/vol112le.html]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bakenlaagte]
[http://152.111.11.6/argief/berigte/volksblad/2001/10/31/11/1.html]