LETTERS FROM THE SEAT OF WAR.
A SWANSEA DOCTOR'S
EXPERIENCE.
"SICKENED ME OF WAR."
"Amongst the besieged at Ladysmith is Dr. Willie Davies, the son of Dr. Ebenezer Davies, the medical officer of health at Swansea. Dr. Willie Davies was, after the Jameson Raid,
arrested as one of the members of the Reform
Committee, and as everybody now knows he was
eventually released. He, under parole, resumed
his practice at Johannesburg. Directly it was
seen at Johannesburg, where he had a large
practice, that hostilities were imminent, Dr.
Willie Davies lost no time in leaving Johannesburg
and now it appears that he only did so in
time to prevent his services as a medical man
being commandeered by the Boers. He reached
Natal and volunteered for service with the
English, and thus is now among the invested
at Ladysmith with the rank of Surgeon-major,
and attached to the Natal Light Horse. He has
written to his parents an interesting letter from
which we give extracts. After describing the
fight at Elandslaagte, Dr. Davies proceeds:-
"Our men behaved magnificently, and the
local paper can give no-one idea of the brilliancy of their
courage.
"Wools-Sampson fell with a bullet wound through his thigh early; then Colonel Chisholme was shot through the foot slightly, nearly at the end of the fight. He was lifted up by Lamb and another, but almost immediately was shot through the head. Directly after he was dropped Lamb was
shot through the knee. I operated on him today, and he will be a very lucky fellow if his leg is saved; I am much afraid of it.
"The fight was far advanced before I and my men were in it at all, Sampson being the first to whom I was called. We helped several others while trying to find him, and were only
under fire for a short time. It was now dusk, and raining, and soon became quite dark.. The next twelve hour's work was the most horrible that it has ever been my lot to go through. We could not see our hands before our faces, and
were only guided to the wounded by their cries for help or those of their comrades who were trying to assist them. We did not know where to take them, and carrying them over the rough ground without stretchers (for we had been
unable to bring our ambulance along), combined with not knowing in the slightest where we were, made the job one of tremendous difficulty.
"Someone found a farmhouse, and told me of it. I had as many as I could carried there, and then we started doing everything we could for them. The wounded were being brought in all night--Gordon Highlanders, Manchesters,
Boers and our own boys. By morning I had 35 wounded to look after, including Barnes, Mullins Normand, Lamb and Colonel Schiel (the Boer artillery officer.
"I found a supply of oatmeal in the house, and started some of our boys to make porridge all the night, and it was relished, I assure you, by men who had had nothing to eat since 3 a.m. (though there was no fresh milk). I found some fowls, and we slew half a dozen, and made chicken broth for the worst, and gave the drumsticks for those who were not so ill. We kept at it till daylight, and then went out to the battlefield to collect more men who had not been found in the night, and who had been out in the cold and rain for 12 or 15 hours.
"The scene on the hill in the early morning was
too dreadful to describe, and I shall not attempt
to tell you of it. It sickened me of war."
(South Wales Daily News; 22nd November 1899; p.6)
A SWANSEA DOCTOR'S
EXPERIENCE.
"SICKENED ME OF WAR."
"Amongst the besieged at Ladysmith is Dr. Willie Davies, the son of Dr. Ebenezer Davies, the medical officer of health at Swansea. Dr. Willie Davies was, after the Jameson Raid,
arrested as one of the members of the Reform
Committee, and as everybody now knows he was
eventually released. He, under parole, resumed
his practice at Johannesburg. Directly it was
seen at Johannesburg, where he had a large
practice, that hostilities were imminent, Dr.
Willie Davies lost no time in leaving Johannesburg
and now it appears that he only did so in
time to prevent his services as a medical man
being commandeered by the Boers. He reached
Natal and volunteered for service with the
English, and thus is now among the invested
at Ladysmith with the rank of Surgeon-major,
and attached to the Natal Light Horse. He has
written to his parents an interesting letter from
which we give extracts. After describing the
fight at Elandslaagte, Dr. Davies proceeds:-
"Our men behaved magnificently, and the
local paper can give no-one idea of the brilliancy of their
courage.
"Wools-Sampson fell with a bullet wound through his thigh early; then Colonel Chisholme was shot through the foot slightly, nearly at the end of the fight. He was lifted up by Lamb and another, but almost immediately was shot through the head. Directly after he was dropped Lamb was
shot through the knee. I operated on him today, and he will be a very lucky fellow if his leg is saved; I am much afraid of it.
"The fight was far advanced before I and my men were in it at all, Sampson being the first to whom I was called. We helped several others while trying to find him, and were only
under fire for a short time. It was now dusk, and raining, and soon became quite dark.. The next twelve hour's work was the most horrible that it has ever been my lot to go through. We could not see our hands before our faces, and
were only guided to the wounded by their cries for help or those of their comrades who were trying to assist them. We did not know where to take them, and carrying them over the rough ground without stretchers (for we had been
unable to bring our ambulance along), combined with not knowing in the slightest where we were, made the job one of tremendous difficulty.
"Someone found a farmhouse, and told me of it. I had as many as I could carried there, and then we started doing everything we could for them. The wounded were being brought in all night--Gordon Highlanders, Manchesters,
Boers and our own boys. By morning I had 35 wounded to look after, including Barnes, Mullins Normand, Lamb and Colonel Schiel (the Boer artillery officer.
"I found a supply of oatmeal in the house, and started some of our boys to make porridge all the night, and it was relished, I assure you, by men who had had nothing to eat since 3 a.m. (though there was no fresh milk). I found some fowls, and we slew half a dozen, and made chicken broth for the worst, and gave the drumsticks for those who were not so ill. We kept at it till daylight, and then went out to the battlefield to collect more men who had not been found in the night, and who had been out in the cold and rain for 12 or 15 hours.
"The scene on the hill in the early morning was
too dreadful to describe, and I shall not attempt
to tell you of it. It sickened me of war."
(South Wales Daily News; 22nd November 1899; p.6)