The tale of Plumer's pony.

This is an account of just one expedition by Colonial Horse in the second South African War. It was led by the future Field-Marshal Lord Plumer of Messines, who would command two Anzac Corps in the Y pres salient during a later war. There, the Anzacs fought three battles in 1917, described as "the cleanest and most decisive victories they had yet fought". (1)

In 1900, the NSW squadron of Bushmen joined the brigade commanded by Br-Gen Herbert Plumer on the right flank of Lord Roberts army in the general advance on Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal. Herbert Plumer was short in stature, slightly built and delicate looking; nearsighted, he wore a monocle. On first sight he would typify the Australian image of the 'pommy' officer. Indeed, he later became the unwitting model for Lowe's cartoon figure, 'Colonel Blimp'. Plumer's brigade consisted of Australians, Canadians, South Africans, and was shortly to be joined by New Zealanders. A column of lightly equipped mounted men, its service is perhaps best epitomised by the part it played in countering the great raid by Christian De Wet, from 26 January to 6 March 1901.

The capture of Pretoria on 5 June would, Roberts thought, end the war. However, there were those on his staff who felt that "bitter enders", such as Botha and the de Wet brothers, if not reconciled or captured quickly were capable of conducting a guerrilla war on the open veldt for years. In the event the assessment of Roberts' staff proved accurate.

The bitter-enders continued the fight and six months after the fall of Pretoria, De Wet, the greatest of Boer commando leaders, concentrated a large mounted force of Boer burghers in the Doornberg mountains in the north east of the Orange Free State. His intention was to raid Cape Colony and encourage the Cape Boers to rise in rebellion. Kitchener, the Chief of Staff, to the British Forces, received warning from his intelligence section of the concentration and intention. Three columns were immediately dispatched to intercept the Boer column.

However, De Wet out-manoeuvred all three columns in the Orange Free State and succeeded in crossing the Orange River into Cape Colony. From Kitchener's headquarters orders were flashed by telegraph and heliograph links across the veldt to a total of fifteen columns to intercept, contain and trap the rampaging Boers. De Wet, intercepted by Plumer's brigade, immediately abandoned his southward march, and wheeled north-westwards in a storm of torrential rain to escape. However, Pumer's Colonials hung on grimly and although De Wet did escape, he lost his supply train of forty wagons. Never far behind the Boer's, on 12 February the Colonials surprised De Wet's rearguard and scattered, then hunted its remnant north towards the Orange River. In doing this Plumer's force was spent. Lacking food and fodder, the column halted for resupply. Notwithstanding this setback, a handful of Bushmen remained in contact with De Wet and their determination achieved the important result of forcing De Wet to completely abandon his expedition into Cape Colony.

While De Wet searched for a ford on the Orange River, Plumer's frontiersmen proved unshakeable, and met with success on 23 February when within a few miles of the Boer main force, they captured three guns. Again the Boers with superb skill, eluded all pursuit, but ford after ford of the swollen river proved impassable. Eventually, after trying fifteen fords in nine days, crossing was affected at Botha Drift by the concentrated forces of De Wet, Hertzog, Brand and Fourie. The united Boer force then gained the Modder River and safety. Plumer's men never gave up until the very end of De Wet's, superb ride. De Wet and his burghers had made a sweep of 800 miles through British held territory in 43 days.

   Plumer made one gallant and final attempt to catch De Wet. He and
   his indomitable Colonials hung on till 11th March when the hunt
   ended. (2)

The main reason for de Wet's escape was that the column sent to Oliphant's Nek to cut off the Boer retreat failed to arrive. It was commanded by General Ian Hamilton. Kitchener was furious and Hamilton was only saved from dismissal by the intervention of the CinC, Lord Roberts whose protege Hamilton was. (3)

Plumer, although a strict disciplinarian, had a fine sense of humour, and developed in South Africa a capacity to get the best out of his men. He took some jokes against himself, but could also deliver in kind. One morning his best pony was missing, a search by his galloper failed to discover its whereabouts. Taking up the hunt himself, he descended upon the lines of the Australians and New Zealanders, with his eye-glass firmly fixed, and there discovered the missing beast. History does not record the exact lines in which the pony was discovered, but there are clues.

   What had been a grey was now a sort of dirty dun--the work of
   Condy's Fluid--while the tail had been docked, mane trimmed, and
   much mud plastered over the identity hoof numbers. Identity was,
   however, established before a sheepish looking Colonial trooper. A
   reminder from the General as to the traditional fate of
   horse-thieves in one of our former colonies made the 'sheep' shift
   his weight from one leg to the other, but the general quietly
   inquired, 'had the culprit ever done a day's march on his feet?'
   'No?' Then he might try it. (4)

Throughout that hot day the brigade enjoyed watching the culprit walk behind the brigade commander's pony, witnessing without enjoyment the fighting with only a restricted view. Thereafter Plumer's ponies were treated with greater circumspection.

   At the end of their year's service, the Bushmen expected to leave at
   once. Unfortunately a distant column got into difficulties, and
   Plumer's brigade, the nearest, was ordered to its relief. The
   Australians protested loudly. Plumer acted at once, going to them he
   said they would be ordered to parade at a certain time, he would be
   there and so would they. Cheers broke out and there was no further
   trouble. The trust of the Dominion troops in good leadership was
   never more manifest. That trust was not misplaced, directly at the
   end of the relief expedition, the Australians and new Zealanders
   embarked for home. (5)

"Daddy' Plumer was the only WWI army commander to be buried in Westminster Abbey.

(1) Bean, C.E.W. Anzac to Amiens, Penguin Books, 1993.

(2) Harington, Gen. Sir C. Plumer of Messines, London, 1933. p. 39-41

(3) Pakenham, Thomas. The Boer War, London, 1979; p. 307.

(4) Harington p. 45-6.

(5) Ibid. During WWI, Harington was MGGS on Plumer's 2nd Army staff. As a result of meticulous planning for the Messines attack in 1917, "considerable trust was generated between the staffs at all levels of command and also between the artillery, infantry and Royal Flying Corps. A remarkable atmosphere permeated Second Army." T. Johnstone, Orange, Green and Khaki, Dublin, 1992; p. 273. The item was based on papers of Colonel H.F. Stonham., Liddle Collection, Leeds University.