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APPENDED are several communications with reference to my period as Commandant at Durban, to which are added the remarks of Earl Spencer in the House of Lords, when he referred to the part which the Navy was privileged to take in assisting in the defence of Ladysmith and in administering martial law in Durban during the critical period. On the 10th March I received the following from H.E. the Governor-
SIR, 2. I have been in communication with the General Officer Commanding on the subject, and I believe an officer will shortly be appointed. In the meanwhile I desire to express my sincere regret that our pleasant official relations are about to be severed ; and my high appreciation of the firmness, judgment and tact with which you have discharged your difficult and responsible duties as Commandant of Durban throughout the four critical months during which you have held the appointment. 3. I desire also to express to you, on behalf of the Government and people of Natal, the thanks of the Colony for the effectual aid which was rendered by you and by the officers and men of the Royal Navy under your command in the matter of the defence of the Colony from the inroads of 337 338 APPENDIX II the Boers. Your services in that regard will always be remembered in Natal with feelings of warm appreciation and heartfelt gratitude. Captain Percy Scott, R.N., H.M.S. Terrible, On the 14th I sent in a dispatch which was as follows :- Commandant's Office, YOUR EXCELLENCY, I have the honour to report that I have this day been relieved of my duties as Commandant of Durban, which I assumed on the 7th November, 1899. 2. Spies.- During this term of office my department has had to deal with all matters of spies and suspected persons, of whom there are at present several still under detention in the gaol at Durban, numbers of others having been examined and dealt with, or sent on to Pietermaritzburg or elsewhere. There are still a large number of suspects detained in Durban on parole or under supervision. 3. Passengers.- There has also been the supervision of all passenger traffic up and down the coast, and the dealing with applicants for leave to go to Delagoa Bay and East Coast ports. In this I have been very ably assisted by the local officials of the Criminal Investigation Department, under the control of Sergeant Brooke of the Natal Police, who has carried out very difficult and troublesome work to my entire satisfaction. 4. Martial Law.- This department has also, in conjunction with the Censor, had to deal with the examination and dispatch of letters opened under Martial Law and telegrams of a suspicious nature. Mr. T. O. Fraser, the Censor, has rendered very valuable assistance. 5. Customs.- The question of detaining goods intended 339 MARTIAL LAW AT DURBAN for the enemy, and preventing trade with the enemy from being carried on, has been a matter of considerable importance, and in connection with it I wish to bring to your notice the good services rendered by Mr. Mayston, the Collector of Customs. 6. Police.- With regard to the administration of Martial Law, in addition to the special matters mentioned above, there has been the general supervision and maintenance of order in the town to deal with. Superintendent Alexander of the Borough Police has co-operated with me so successfully that no difficulties have arisen. A system of night passes after 11 p.m. was introduced to enable the police, who are limited in number, to keep the streets clear at night of all suspicious persons ; and so generally to protect the burgesses and their property in a way which they could not otherwise have done, owing to the fact that there are, and have been for a long time past, many of the worst of the Transvaal and Free State criminals at large in and about Durban. 7. Banks.- I have had to deal also with the banks, in connection with the carrying out of his Excellency the High Commissioner's regulations with regard to financial arrangements, and am glad to be able to say that all the banks have given me every assistance, and Mr. Harrison, Government Inspector of the National Bank of the South African Republic, has proved himself of great value in carrying out the regulations. 8. Recruiting.- A Recruiting Depot for Colonial Forces has been established at my office, and has sent forward a large number of men. 9. The Port.- All work in connection with the Port has been made very light in consequence of the ready way in which Captain Ballard, the Port Captain, has always responded to any request from my office, and always done everything in his power to assist the men-of-war and transports. 10. The Staff.- With regard to the officers of my Staff, I wish to bring to your particular notice the eminently good service which has been rendered me by Major Bousfield, a 340 APPENDIX II Reserve Officer of the Natal Volunteer Force. He was appointed by Your Excellency at the beginning of my term of office, and has been my right-hand man throughout. His local knowledge was of great assistance to me in the disposition of the guns for the defence of Durban, and his legal knowledge has been invaluable to me in dealing with many of the intricate matters which have come before me. I hope that Major Bousfield will receive some mark of appreciation of the good services he has rendered. Mr. Cullinan, Assistant Paymaster of H.M.S. Terrible, has acted as my secretary. With telegrams coming in all day and all night, and all the correspondence, both naval and military? having to be dealt with, his work has been continuous, but always carried out in a most satisfactory manner. 11. Defence - Commander Limpus.- I attach a detailed account of the defence of Durban, and in connection with it wish to bring to your favourable notice the great assistance I received from Commander A. H. Limpus, of H.M.S. Terrible. It was owing to this officer's hard work and untiring energy night and day that I was enabled to get the mountings ready in time. To his Excellency DEFENCE OF DURBAN, 1899. SIR, In obedience to orders, I arrived in H.M.S. Terrible at Durban on the 6th of November, and took over the defence of the town. On the 7th the positions were surveyed, and on the 8th the Defence was placed. Herewith I have the honour to forward details of the 341 OFFICIAL DISPATCH Defence and other information in connection with the subsequent use to which the guns were put. To the General Commanding the Forces in Natal. DEFENCE OF DURBAN.
DEFENCE OF DURBAN. To the Northward. One 4.7-inch and six 12-pounders are in positions on the Berea Ridge, commanding all the main roads and approaches from the northward. To the Eastward. Six 12-pounders are in positions to command the Umgeni Bridge and Valley. This valley is also commanded by guns at the entrance to the Umgeni River. To the Westward. Six 12-pounders are in position to sweep the open country west of Claremont. Two 6-inch guns in the Bluff Fort are manned and can command both the eastern and western approaches to the town. Two armoured trains are on the line with 3-pounders mounted on them ; one train works to Claremont, the other to Umgeni, so as to be able to rapidly reinforce any section of defence which requires it. H.M. ships Terrible, Forte and Thetis are anchored in a position to command the Umgeni Valley. H.M. ships 342 APPENDIX II Philomel and Tartar are in readiness to move round and operate against any movement on the Bluff side. The necessary scouting and patrolling has been undertaken by Colonel Bethune with his locally raised Mounted Infantry, the Rifle Associations of the outlying districts assisting. It is anticipated that nothing could pass through this cordon. Should it, however, be forced, a further detachment of 300 Marines with Maxims and rifles are in readiness to land, and assisted by the two Town Rifle Associations, dispute the streets at the barricades which have been arranged. PROTECTION OF THE WATER SUPPLY. After consultation with his Worship the Mayor and the Right Honourable Harry Escombe (an officer of the Natal Volunteer Force), it was decided only to hold the Umlaas Main Works, and the conduits therefrom. To meet this two 12-pounder guns were mounted on the summit of a hill which commands the Water Works and the main road from Richmond. The position was strongly entrenched and held by a party of seamen and Marines. The Right Honourable Harry Escombe made arrangements for patrolling the conduits and surrounding country with a force organised by him, augmented if necessary by the Rifle Association of the Coast Districts, which H.E. the Governor had called out for active service. WITHDRAWAL OF BULLION FROM BANKS. Arrangements were made that, in the event of the necessity arising, H.M.S. Philomel should send up guards to the various banks to escort their bullion down to the point of embarkation from whence it would have been transferred to H.M.S. Terrible according to detailed arrangements previously made with the bank authorities. 343 GENERAL BULLER'S THANKS SAFE CUSTODY OF H.E THE GOVERNOR'S CONFIDENTIAL RECORDS. On arrival these were to be met by a Guard and transferred to H.M.S. Terrible. From the General Commanding the Forces in Natal, The Convent, SIR, I shall have great pleasure in forwarding to the proper authorities the names of the officers you bring specially to my notice. I have already written semi-officially to the First Lord of the Admiralty, requesting him to bring to the notice of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty the name of Commander A. H. Limpus, with a view to his promotion in recognition of the excellent work he has done since he has been under my Command. I take this opportunity of expressing to you my high appreciation of the very efficient and successful manner in which you have carried out the arduous and important duties of Commandant of Durban, and of the excellent arrangements you made for the defence of that town. I also wish to express to you my thanks for the very valuable assistance you have rendered in forwarding, and adapting for field service, the Naval guns which the Admiral Commander-in-Chief placed at the disposal of the military. The guns, mounted under your directions and designs, have answered every expectation, and have largely contributed both to the successful defence and the relief of Ladysmith. I have the honour to be, 344 APPENDIX II Town Hall, Durban, Captain Percy Scott, R.N., C.B., MY DEAR SIR, The tact and ability displayed by you in your arduous duties during the period you have held office as Commandant has been in a marked degree appreciated and to this must be ascribed the good order maintained in the borough during the last few eventful months. It becomes my duty to also convey to you my hearty thanks for the promptitude with which you placed the borough in a state of defence at a most trying time. The operations so successfully carried out were only equalled by your readiness in sending out a guard to the Umlaas to protect our Water Supply, a matter of such moment to one and all. I take this opportunity of informing you how much the townspeople appreciated the very orderly behaviour of your men forming the town guard during their presence in the Camp on the Market Square. In bidding you farewell I wish you continued prosperity in your future career, and I am convinced that in doing so it is only echoing the wishes of the many with whom you have been brought in contact. I am, 345 DURBAN'S APPRECIATION Town Hall, Durban, Natal, Resolution passed at Meeting of the Durban Town Council, held the 15th March, 1900. RESOLVED :- " That this Council desires to place on record its deep sense and acknowledgment of the very valuable services rendered to the Borough by Captain Percy Scott, R.N., C.B., who has held the responsible position of Commandant of this Borough under the proclamation of Martial Law for a period of over four months. "Under his Command the disabilities of Martial Law have hardly been noticeable, whilst the general good order prevailing throughout the Borough, where large numbers of aliens and many undesirables were thronging our streets, fully demonstrates his great administrative abilities and his sterling worth as a Commander. Earl Spencer, speaking on the South African War, in the House of Lords, said:- " When His Majesty's ship Powerful was returning home, nothing was known of what was going on in South Africa ; but when the gallant captain who commanded her heard that war was declared, he at once put into port and placed himself at the disposal of the General Commanding. He at once, although he had no orders from home, took action, which was no doubt highly appreciated at home. He proceeded to the Cape, and placed his forces at the disposal of the General Commanding. His colleague, a very gallant officer, Captain Scott, of the Terrible, was also there, and he did very signal service by enabling the heavy gum of the Navy - heavier, I believe, than any of those sent out with the Army from England - to be put at once into the field. The efforts of those two gallant men enabled a most powerful force to be added to the Army, and in all the earlier battles that took place you will find prominent in 346 APPENDIX II action the sailors and marines. With regard to Ladysmith, I would venture to say that the propitious and fortunate arrival there of Captain Lambton and the ship guns had an enormous and predominant effect on the possibility of resisting the great attack of the Boers on that place. The Navy on that occasion proved, as they always have done, their valour, their desire to come to the front in war or whenever their services are required, and their power of adapting themselves to circumstances. " The officer responsible at this time for the administration of martial law in Durban was Captain Scott, R.N., . . . who has left behind him a reputation for spotless integrity, practical common sense, tact, and inflexible justice, of which the Service he so worthily represents may well be proud. . . ." ^ back to top ^ |
