The Wedding on Hold...
Throughout 1900 Herbert was caught up with the Boer
War, sailing with his artillery on February 24 after many false starts.
Winifred and her mother had paid a visit to the prospective in-laws the
week before at Springfield Place in Chelmsford. The diary expressed some
trepidation lest the formidable and somewhat outspoken Mrs Llewhellin,
who liked to title herself Baroness, might prove too much for the very
strait-laced Jacksons.
February 15th, 1900
Fearful weather - pouring rain and snow still thick upon the ground, we
started off by a morning train for Chelmsford where Mother was on show
for the first time. She behaved absolutely immaculately, knitting comforters
for the troops and conversing most properly throughout the day. I really
thought that all would pass off most successfully but alas, as Mother
got into the carriage on leaving she trod upon her petticoat and out came
D---!! I shrieked with laughter, it was such a splendid end to the day's
proceedings, but I am thankful to say that I don¯t think anyone heard.
For a year the war took over. Herbert, still in England, wrote that pink-eye had broken out among his horses and that he had had orders from the Government that not a single one was to go, even the officers', he was at his wits end - other horses are to be put on at Southampton for them and he will have to sell his present ones.
February 16th, Friday
The War news today is ripping. Kimberley is relieved and Cronje's army
is fleeing with us pursuing. How heavenly it is to hear some good news
at last.
After a long period of reverses, the British began to gain the
upper hand, and the news coming out of South Africa started to improve.
February 17th
Herbert is to sail today for South Africa.
In fact Herbert did not sail until February 24th, and Wynne's brother
Elliot sailed from Calcutta with Lumsden's Horse two days later, on the
26th.
February 27th, Tuesday
Behold! What news is above...(Cronje surrendered at the first peep
of dawn this morning). When we arrived at Waterloo
we were met with news of the above announcement. I felt inclined to tear
the hat from my head and shriek for joy. How heavenly it is to hear such
ripping news and how one longs to hear details - what will the Foreign
Press say to this I wonder it'll be rather droll I expect! (the
foreign press had been very critical of the war and some of their stories
are lampooned below).
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March 1st
Again the fiend (newsagent) never sent us our papers so Mother wrote a
snorter and in we drove and bought a paper. When we arrived we found the
town in a perfect uproar, flags flying, cannons going off, bells ringing
and the band playing, all in honour of the Relief of Ladysmith, the news
of which had been received this morning. I nearly fell out of the dog
cart in my excitement and longed to shout "hurrah! for Buller",
the Foreign Press will be more doleful than ever and clamour still more
for Intervention, France and Russia are all for it but Germany stands
fast by us thank goodness. The papers say that Ladysmith was at its last
tether for want of food, poor people how thankful they must have been.
(Wynne's information was somewhat erratic - the Germans were violently anglophobic, and as a result of the war in 1899 had passed a vote in the Reichstag doubling the German navy, a fateful decision that was to impact on her life a little later on. There was very little support for Britain on the continent. However intervention, in spite of a brilliant Boer propaganda campaign led by Kruger's envoy in Brussels, Dr Leyds, never materialised. Again, the British press revelled in spoof propaganda - but notice Wynne's alteration to the poem. She knew, as a close friend of Lord Roberts, that in fact he was terrified of CATS!!)
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March 14th, Wednesday
I received a letter and two postcards from Herbert. I was overjoyed as
I did not expect it in the very least. They were written from Las Palmas,
he said that he had had a pretty rough voyage so far and 2 or 3 of the
poor horses had died. (Herbert arrived finally at Capetown on March
19th, 1900).
March 20th, Tuesday
Mother went very early to bed last night and Gertie (Maclean, Charles'
sister) and I sat up late - we had a long talk
all about old times, things that had happened and days that were gone
and it gave me the most awful blues. She is a charming little person and
I like her much. I like her firstly because she is the boys' sister and
is so very like Charlie to look at. I wish I had known her better all
these years. (Charles was still very much on Wynne's mind - later
entries continue the blues theme, and he crops up from time to time as
the years pass.)
March 25th,1900
I forgot to say that yesterday morning to our surprise the Indian Mail
came in bringing us a letter from Ell written on board and sent with the
pilot. He was fit and jolly and had scored by being a Lance Corporal as
he was in the officers' mess and the other wretches had to mess down below
and pig it rather.
March 27th, Tuesday
Had two letters from the Front yesterday. One from Neville containing
a most interesting account of Spion Kop. He said it was a most terrible
experience but that he did not feel the least fear throughout it all.
The days are scorching and he said that he was at that moment sitting
under a shelter of a blanket tied by the four corners to upright posts
with just a pair of boot breeches on and a towel over his shoulders!!
(Spion Kop was a disaster - 1500 men killed, wounded or captured,
and the army back where it had started from at the beginning of the operation.
But Buller, the general in charge, considered that it had given him the
key to Ladysmith, and indeed Ladysmith was relieved shortly afterwards).
April 7th
First letter from Herbert.
April 13th
I saw also yesterday in the papers that "M" Battery has been
transferred to the Eighth Division and is under Gen. Rundle, so he will
now be at Bloemfontein...and there he met up with Elliot who had
been sent to the same camp. Elliot was apparently in charge of Lord Roberts'
cooks who had come with Lumsden's Horse from India!!
May 19th, Saturday.
Today to our intense joy we heard of The Relief of Mafeking. Flags
were flying everywhere in the town (Wynne was on holiday in Jersey),
it was a great show and looked so picturesque, what joy it must be to
the poor wretches who for 7 long months have been besieged and who have
for long fed on horse and mules meat, I am so interested in it all as
Herbert is in the Flying Relief Column so I heard last mail, I had a cheery
interesting letter from him, he writes such a good one and such sheets.
The papers say that London is perfectly mad with excitement and of course
Baden Powell's name is in everyone's mouth. He is a perfect hero and one
cannot say too much in his favour, the pluck with which he has stood this
siege is quite unique, always cheery and more than a match for the Boers
up to the end.
May 26th
...heard from Mrs Jackson who says that Herbert and his guns have been
most honourably mentioned in the Times in connection with Mafeking. I
am so proud and long to get hold of a paper.
The next section of this story covers Herbert's experiences in South Africa
in greater detail - move on if you want to read about the Relief of Mafeking.