United Kingdom News 1902

[Darman]

Nov 1901
Political unrest in Boer Republics as uitlanders (foreigners) request the ability to own land and become citizens and vote, etc.  Boers refuse (there being nearly as many uitlanders as there are Boers).

Dec 1901-Jan 1902
Several Anglo farms along the border between Cape Colony and the Boer Republics have experienced incidents ranging from livestock theft to one entire farm being burned down while its inhabitants were in town.  Natives are blamed.

Jan 1902
Salisbury resigns as Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour takes over, reshuffles Cabinet. 

March 1902
The severity of incidents has increased, with one entire family massacred and all their livestock stolen.  Several Boers were caught a few days later trying to sell the stolen livestock.  The Boers claimed natives had sold them the livestock and they had no idea they'd been stolen.  A cross-border raid by a few drunken youths results in one Boer haystack and one pair of English britches set on fire (unfortunately for him, the pants were still on the person of the young gentleman who'd set the haystack on fire).

May 1902
Balfour pushes for the introduction of a reformist piece of legislation: the Irish Land Act (Wyndham Land Act).  Amidst much debate the legislation is delayed. 
Preparations begin for the "boat show" on the Isle of Wight.  Stages and viewing stands are being erected, temporary accommodations constructed, and tents to house various industrial displays are being prepared. 

June 1902
A formal petition signed by 10,000 male uitlanders is placed before the government of the Orange Free State requesting that they be allowed to apply for citizenship.

[Darman]

June-Oct 1902
Some low level raiding and skirmishing occurs, no one is killed, mostly just drunken louts from both sides looking for a scrap.

July 1902
While the Orange Free State petition is being reviewed, similar petitions are presented in Natal and Transvaal.

August 1902
Representatives from all 3 Boer Republics meet and discuss the petitions, and at the end of August announce their rejection of the petitions.
Boat show commences. 

September 1902
The British government receives an appeal from expatriates living in the Boer Republics asking for it to intervene on their behalf diplomatically.
A Boer family farm is burnt to the ground.  The Cape Towners claim natives did it, but the Boers claim it was an Englishman.
The Irish Land Act is approved by Parliament on Sept 16th, 7 millions pounds sterling are allocated to assist Irish peasants in purchasing outright ownership of their land, as long as they put up half the price. 

October 1902
The British govt approaches the Boer governments and request that they reconsider their decision.
The Boers reject the British proposition to reconsider in harsh terms, and basically tell them to keep their noses out of other people's business.

Nov 1902
Cape Town woman is murdered in a frontier town.  The suspected murderer flees to Boer land and is chased by a detachment of Cape Rifles.  The detachment is ambushed just after they cross the border.  More Cape Rifles are ordered to mobilize along with some Cape Militia. 
Britain officially requests an apology and that those responsible for massacring the Cape Town officials attempting to apprehend a band of murderers be handed over to the Cape Colony authorities for justice.  Additionally, Britain recommends that the Boers reconsider their decision denying non-Boers the right to become citizens and vote, implying in the ultimatum that this sort of disaster may have been averted if uitlanders were given the franchise. 
After the Boers reject this ultimatum, Balfour's Cabinet meets behind closed doors for 36 hours straight.  In the end, orders for the mobilization of British troops are issued.  The Cabinet is divided, and after Parliament approves the Cabinet's actions on November 17th several Cabinet members resign.  The Queen, in ailing health since September, asks Balfour to resign, and to call a new election for December 19th. 

Dec 1902
A nation mourns... Amidst election campaigning...... A national tragedy strikes.... Queen Victoria Dead!On December 10th 1902 Her Royal Majesty Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom and British Dominions, Empress of India, passes away.  Her son Prince Albert Edward will inherit the throne. 

[The Rock Doctor]

August 1902:

Representing the Ottoman Empire at the Boat Show were:

Armored Cruiser Mehmed Siroco
Protected Cruiser Basra
Torpedoboat T-58
River gunboat R-19
Gunboat Viore

The transport Azra accompanied the squadron for support purposes, but was not part of the "display" per se.

Transportation of the R-19 was something of a pain for the Ottomans.  Being designed for riverine operations, the boat was quite unsuited for transit across the Med and along the French coast; hence a large freighter was chartered and the boat was, with no small difficulty, loaded aboard by heavy cranes at Iskendurun, the process being undone again upon reaching the show site.

The Ottomans were somewhat low-key about the need for such warships, with standard messaging about defence of coasts and trade.  The exception was about the glorious war on the Upper Nile, as brave but outnumbered Ottoman soldiers and sailors brought God and Civilization to the Nuer tribes whether they wanted it or not.  Maps on display made fairly clear that the Ottomans were planning on heading all the way up the Nile to Lake Victoria, using R-19 and her kin as their main means of logistical support.

[Tanthalas]

August 1902:

Representing the Unified Netherlands at the Boat Show were the 3 newest ships in the Dutch Fleet:

Armoured Frigate (1st Class) AF-12 J.V. Galen
and her Escorts
Middelburg Class "light" Cruisers PC-13 Antwerpen, & PC-14 Hasselt

[Jefgte]

August 1902

Comming from Brest & representing France:

The 4th Division de Croiseur d'escadre Jemappes & Wattignies
escorted by the 3rd Division de Torpilleurs T53-T54-T55-T56

[Darman]

18 November 1902
Mobilization orders sent to 2nd Infantry Division and 1st Cavalry Division.  Within a week the 2nd Infantry Division begins arriving at its port of embarkation: Liverpool.  Horse Guards had determined that rapid transit was required, chartering the 4 magnificent ocean liners Aquitania, Britannia, Mauretania, and Lusitania to act as troop transports.  By November 28th the 2nd Infantry Division is (un)comfortably aboard its transports, and they lift anchor on the morning of the 29th, headed straight for Cape Town.  December 1st, the 1st Cavalry Division departs London for Gibraltar aboard 10 Dunottar Castle-class transports, picking up an escort of 2 Eclipse-class protected cruisers as they go.  On December 6th the 1st Cavalry convoy arrives in Gibraltar and spends 2 days re-coaling, departing early on December 9th.  On December 19th the 2nd Infantry Division arrives in Cape Town to the sad news that the Queen has died.  On the 21st the division is ready to begin combat operations.  About a week later, on the 29th, the 1st Cavalry Division arrives in Cape Town, and after 3 days debarking are ready for operations by January 2nd. 

[Darman]

20 December 1902
Newspaper headlines across Britain today herald the triumph of the Liberal party in the elections held yesterday, the 19th of December 1902.  In an odd twist of fate, the Liberal Party is inheriting a war it had no hand in starting, and has little interest in prosecuting.  However, public opinion is strongly in favor of showing the Boers what's what, and showing that the British Empire isn't to be taken lightly.  While it is not yet official, Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, head of the Liberal Party, is most likely to be asked by the not-yet-crowned Prince of Wales to create a government sometime within the next 24 hours. 

Campbell-Bannerman has done it!  Liberals win a majority in Parliament and are even now drawing up plans for the Cabinet.  Let us hope that this fool-hardy expedition to South Africa be recalled before any blood is shed and the Empire shall once more be at peace. 

[Darman]

21 Dec-7 Jan 1903
2nd Infantry division slogs its way across South Africa from Cape Town to Beaufort West, covering 273 miles in 17 days (16 per diem).  After two days of rest, the march continues: On to Kimberly!, is the cry.  19 days later, with elements of the Cape Rifles in the lead followed closely by the close-ordered columns of Highland Light Infantry, the first real resistance is met as a hail of bullets slice through the advance troop of scouts led by Major Baden-Powell, one bullet nicking his neck as a dozen of his men fell around him.  Riding hard he led his mounted troopers in a charge towards the brush where the shots had emanated from, riding through the bushes and discovering a strong detachment of over a hundred Boers hiding in a small gulley formed by a dry streambed.  Leaping his horse over the gulley, followed by his troopers, the troop managed to escape around a nearby hill.  Sending his troop of scouts back to the main column by swinging far around where the enemy riflemen had lain in ambush, Baden-Powell remains with only a single companion.  Dismounting and crawling to the crest of the ridge Baden-Powell can see large numbers of Boers preparing defenses along the next ridge.  Suddenly a shot rings out from down below, followed quickly by two more shots and the sound of a horse whinnying in pain.  A single shot more and then silence.  A few moments later gruff voices could be heard getting closer, at first unintelligible but soon Baden-Powell recognizes it as Dutch.  The hour being late in the day he scrambles silently for the brush on the far side of the hilltop, praying no one on the far ridge is looking his way.  Dropping into an indentation in the ground under the bush he watches as three well-armed Boers crest the ridge, clearly looking for someone.  Not seeing him under the bush two of them pause to relieve themselves  while the third keeps watch, they laugh and move on back down the hill.  Baden-Powell settles in to wait another hour or so for it to begin to grow dark so he can make his escape. 

While Baden-Powell is trying to evade capture the Highland Light Infantry have begun their advance against the Boer ambush.  The brigade, resplendent in their scarlet tunics and white pith helmets advances in close skirmish order, front rank kneeling to fire a volley, after which the second rank rushes a few paces beyond the first rank, kneels, and fires their own volley.  Repeat that a dozen times and you get the gist of what the Highlanders were trained to do on the training grounds at Salisbury Plain.  Unfortunately for them, while that might work against Zulus or Fuzzy Wuzzies, it doesn't work against Mauser-armed marksmen hiding in the brush.  Every time the order came to rise and advance, there were a dozen fewer men who rose.  Eventually the attack lost momentum and the men came rushing back pell mell to escape the accurate fire of the Boer rifles.  With darkness falling the rest of the division came up and established camp behind a screen of pickets (mostly from the Cape Rifles and Baden-Powell's scouts, still without their leader). 

During the night, a few attempts at infiltration were made by Boers with varying results: those who attempted to infiltrate past Cape Rifles pickets were picked off one by one.  The British regulars figured they were safe because there were no rifle shots heard from their pickets, but when dawn broke three outposts had been attacked in the night and the men killed or taken captive.  Baden-Powell was discovered snoring next to the campfire of his scout's main camp.  He recounted his escape from the Boers over breakfast with an incredulous British General, who refused to believe that the Boers were fortifying the hills beyond their pickets, secure in his knowledge that the British Army hasn't been defeated in a European war since before Waterloo in 1815.  At this time he determined to send away two brigades, Ox & Bucks Light Infantry and the Hertfordshire Regiment to support 1500 men of the Cape Militia who had taken it upon themselves to invade Bloemfontein, 115 miles east of Kimberly. 

After the two brigades departed, the Connaught Rangers and King's Liverpool Regiment took the lead in flushing out a few Boer snipers from the scrub before forming into company columns to cross the valley to the next ridgeline.  As they formed columns for the march a few puffs of smoke were seen on the ridgetop.  It was too far for rifles so no one was much concerned until shells began landing around the columns of infantry.  The men scattered into the scrub and it took another hour for their officers to gather them up again.  Meanwhile, three batteries of artillery galloped up and deployed with parade ground precision, beginning to return the enemy fire within minutes.  Once the infantry columns were gathered up again they were sent out.  It was a repeat of the day before, with dug-in Boer marksmen picking the British soldiers off one by one once they got close enough.  The British artillery didn't fare much better either: while the British guns were drawn up in neat precise lines in the open, the Boer guns were scattered and dug in.  Of the 4 batteries eventually engaged only one battery had more than 2 guns left firing by the end of the day. 

[Kaiser Kirk]

Really belatedly :
August 1902
To the regatta, the Italians sent the  battleship Ammiraglio St Bon,  two of the new armored cruisers of the Guiseppi Garibaldi, two older armored cruisers of the Vettor Pisani class and the six new destroyers of the Lampo class. Representing the Navy & Royal family is  Rear Admiral, Prince Luigi, Duke of Abruzzi, 4th in line to the Throne,  famed explorer and commander of the Naval Academy.

December 1902
On receipt of the news of Queen Victoria's death, King Victore Emmanuel III and Queen Maria announce their intention of attending the funeral, accompanied by Foreign Minister Emilio, marquis Visconti-Venosta. They will arrive on the battleship Sardegna (as that has Admiral's quarters). On their return voyage, they and the children will call on Queen Maria's relatives in Denmark, followed by visits to Germany, France, and the King's relatives in Portugal, thence Greece and home.

The Italians proffer no commentary on the Boer situation unless asked.

[Darman]

30 January 1903
The very next day orders go out for a renewed assault.  The field gun batteries prepare for their mad dash into exposed forward positions to provide suppressing fire while the Highland Light Infantry Regiment's officers gather around their Lieutenant Colonel for a briefing.  "gentlemen," he began, "we are all familiar with the ending of the first day's assault: we failed to drive home our attack with the bayonet.  We were caught by surprise and unprepared.  Today, we know what we are up against.  Our artillery has been reinforced by two batteries of howitzers that have been tasked with dropping high explosives on the Boers.  The Connaught Rangers will be attacking on our right, and two companies of the King's Own Liverpool Regiment will be executing a feint on our left.  It is our job to drive the attack home in the center.  We will start off in loose company lines to avoid shell-fire, and then halfway across we will form columns to close more rapidly and charge home with cold steel.  Good luck, gentlemen! and Godspeed!" 

Meanwhile, Baden-Powell is leading a band of scouts out past the far left of the British lines, to the northwest of the division, when he spots a large plume of dust in the distance.  Squinting through the bright sunlight he can dimly make out movement at its base.  Through long experience serving in southern Africa's many wars he recognizes immediately what it means: a large body of mounted men are traveling quickly to get around the army's left flank! 

As Baden-Powell is returning to report his discovery to his superiors on the 30th of January, the 1st Cavalry Division is only a few days ride south.  Almost a month of hard marching plus the lack of environmental conditioning for the heavy English chargers have combined to take a terrible toll: the division has lost 15% of its strength and it hasn't even heard a shot fired in anger.  The once-jaunty English cavaliers are now covered in dust, the horses callused from saddle-edges, and both mounts and riders exhausted.  But, they soldier on, pushing hard to catch up to the 2nd Infantry Division, lest the lowly infantry garner all the glory in this short victorious war. 

That night the British camps are very subdued.  After their third bloody repulse the infantry were licking their wounds.  Sporadically, shooting in the darkness would flare up, as the Cape Rifles and Baden-Powell's scouts attempt to keep the Boers at bay.  Boer riflemen and horsemen were slowly working their way around the British camps, encircling them.  When the British awake on the 31st they are surrounded.  Classic British response when surrounded and threatened by attack is to hunker down in the famous Square formation.  In this manner the British begin their attempt to break out of the encirclement.  More or less the tactic succeeds, although many wagons would be emptied of ammunition and food to carry the wounded and the supplies simply left on the ground for the Boers to gather afterwards.  The Cape Rifles made a brave show of clearing the way, frequently outflanking Boer detachments on kopjes in the path of the British column, and sometimes cutting them off from retreat, allowing the British infantry to drive home their assault and get in amongst the Boer defenders.  In such close combat quarter was rarely asked or given.  By the 2nd of February the 1st Cavalry and 2nd Infantry Divisions were within a days march (14 miles or so) from each other, and the 1st Cavalry Division begins to meet serious resistance.  The Boers cannot withstand a British heavy cavalry charge head-on, but frequently they refuse action when charged, preferring to withdraw on their smaller but quicker ponies and return to harassing the British column with sniper fire from a distance.  On the 4th of February the two divisions finally meet up, and, screened by the remaining Cape Rifles, retreat to the frontier to regroup. 

[OOC:
1st Cav: 65% effectives (20% of losses is due to environmental stresses, not combat, ~10 will come wandering in later)
2nd Inf: 60% effectives (~5% will come wandering in later) (this is out of the 3 brigades present, the 2 detached brigades will be accounted separately)
Cape Rifles: 200 out of 500 remaining
Estimated Boer casualties: ~3,-3,500]

[Darman]

The official funeral of Queen Victoria occurs on a dreich morning, the 21st of December, leading to a very subdued Christmas for English aristocracy everywhere. 
Albert Edward is officially crowned King on the 3rd of January 1903.  His chosen title is Edward VII. 

On the 8th of February the two detached brigades of 2nd Infantry Division arrive in Bloemfontein.  The men of the Cape Militia who had occupied the town initially (1200 out of 1500 initially) had been joined by a detachment of 500 Cape Mounted Rifles, were holding off a Boer force of about 5,000 men (intelligence reports put the Boer strength at 10,000).  The Boers were fairly content to simply bombard the Cape Towners' lines from a distance; the Militia had brought no artillery with them thus they had no means of answering the Boer shells.  With the arrival of the Ox & Bucks and Hertfordshires the garrison finally had a quantitative edge in men and guns over the Boers to take the offensive.  But the British commander's caution prevailed and beyond shelling distand Boer positions the British regulars prepared hasty defensive barricades and stayed put in the town.  Upon receiving word of the defeat of the main British column in front of Kimberly on the 10th the commander grew even more nervous, sending a telegram requesting reinforcements at once and claiming he was facing at least fifty thousand Boers (by now the Boers numbered maybe 7,-8,000).  Of course, the Boers were being steadily reinforced, men on their way to Kimberly were being redirected to Bloemfontein.  And by February 20th the city was finally cut off and surrounded when the Boers cut the telegraph lines. 
Boer civilians in the town had fled when it was initially occupied by Cape Militia forces, and only a few had since returned.  Those that were left were either foreign (mostly English) or native Africans.  The foreign men were issued arms and conscripted into Home Guard companies.  The British commander was inclined to arming the native levies in a like manner but the leaders of the Cape Mounted Rifles and Cape Militia convinced him of the unwisdom of that act and so the native levies were put to work digging trenches instead. 

Meanwhile, back home the news breaks of the defeat outside Kimberly and the siege of Bloemfontein.  The British public is in uproar.  They can't comprehend how British soldiers could be beaten by mere farmers.  Amidst all the hue and cry comes an outpouring of public support for the garrison in Bloemfontein and the citizens of Cape Town.  Men flock to the colours to make good the losses suffered outside Kimberly and the Cabinet authorizes the recruitment of two additional infantry divisions, and one of cavalry to be sent to South Africa as soon as possible.  In Australia 5,000 men of the Australian Militia volunteer to join the Bushveldt Carbineers, the first-ever All-Australian unit, for service overseas in South Africa.  The Cabinet debates sending a division from service in India to reinforce the troops in South Africa. 

Meanwhile, in the USA:

John Tucker is an intelligent man.  John Tucker doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke, he doesn't inhabit fleshpots nor overindulge in eating.  John Tucker is a gambler.  With his own money, with other people's money, it doesn't matter.  He worked the stock market briefly, but long enough to make powerful enemies, who forced him out.  But he learned.  Oh yes, he learned.  He learned that things can have different values in different places and that the first man to get there with a highly valued commodity was going to make a fortune.  So John reads.  He reads every newspaper he can get his hands on.  And every other day or so more news arrives from the British invasion of the South African republics.  Mostly just reports of fighting, or lack of it, on the frontlines.  But one article briefly mentioned the sight of hundreds of dead horses on the side of a Cape Town road: horses desperately needed by the English cavalry.  So John Tucker decides to take all of his meager savings and buy himself some wild American horses and then ship them to South Africa.  After much trouble convincing a New Orleans bank to accept his draft on a New York bank (forged, btw) he buys 200 horses and hires a freighter to carry them to Cape Town.  On March 12th he arrives in Cape Town with 175 healthy horses, brings them ashore and holds an auction by the end of the week.  The conditioning gives the horses more strength and they are all bought by the desperate British Army. 

[Darman]

30 Jan 1903
In the middle of the night the men of the 1st Infantry Division arrive in South Africa.  Amid rumors of a grave defeat the men are happy to be on land after thirty days at sea, as they debark and set up camps just outside of town.  The people of Cape Town are much cheered when they wake in the morning to find the newly arrived soldiers. 

[Darman]

19 April 1903

Bury Buries Derby
Bury Football Club absolutely demolished Derby County in front of 63,000 spectators yesterday by a score of 6 nil. 

[Darman]

1st half of 1903

British troops in South Africa are kept on the defensive as further reinforcements are organized and shipped overseas to South Africa.  Further offensive operations are planned for the arrival of additional troops during the latter half of 1903. 

2nd Half 1903-1st half 1905

With the arrival of the 7th and 3rd Infantry Divisions and the 3rd Cavalry Division the British forces in South Africa have reached a point where offensive operations are feasible.  Between December 1903 and August 1904 British forces advanced in force upon the Boers and soundly defeated them in several battles.  Realizing that they could not withstand British forces in the field, the Boers by Sept 1904 have disbanded into commandos to pursue a guerilla war against the British.  With the arrival of Australian and New Zealand Light Horse regiments in Cape Town during the first half of 1904, the British finally have light cavalry units capable of keeping up with the Boers but these units are initially wasted as garrison forces, being considered of inferior quality since they were Commonwealth irregulars and not Royal Army regulars.  An offer of amnesty is made in July 1904 to all Boers bearing arms except those commanding the Boer forces and the Boer government.  This required burghers to swear an oath of neutrality and promise to not take up arms against the British again.  Thousands of Boers would take this option before the end of 1904.  During the guerilla phase of the war over $10 million were spent securing lines of communications against Boer attacks.  A further $5 millions were spent constructing and operating internment camps for Boer women and children displaced during the British scorched earth campaign to eradicate the guerillas.  Over 20,000 women and children would die in these "concentration camps" before the end of the war. 
By April 1905 the Boer people are exhausted.  Ten percent of their population is either in concentration camps or prisoner of war camps. The land has been devastated.  Those few Boers still under arms are tired as well.  This has been a long war against overwhelming odds.  Many choose to go into exile.  The rest will make peace under the auspices of the Treaty of Vereeniging.  The British government commits itself to spending a minimum of $3 millions in the second half of 1905 to help rebuild.