Edward.
Calamity! Whilst making the final amendments the typesetters premises had a major catastrophe and the entire material for the book was destroyed, including the back-up. Fortunately I still have everything on my computer so can resurrect it at some time. However it is not a priority at the moment but hopefully the following extract will be of interest to you.
The battalion was embodied on 3 May 1900 and sent to Aldershot where it remained until 19 October when it returned to Ashton-under-Lyne and was disembodied. However from the commencement of the war drafts of officers and other ranks, totalling about 500, were sent to both the 1st and 2nd Battalions in South Africa.
In May 1901 the battalion, consisting mainly of men from Ashton-under-Lyne and neighbouring towns, and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel H Crosbie, was again mobilised and sent to Aldershot where it was soon under orders to proceed to South Africa. The battalion left from Southampton aboard the SS Bavarian on17 June 1901, strength 26 officers and 780 NCOs and men, arriving at Cape Town on 10 July. On the voyage their scarlet uniforms were replaced by khaki and, after disembarkation, equipment such as the black valise etc was exchanged for webbing. During the voyage everyone had been inoculated against enteric fever, resulting in most people being ill for at least two days.
On arriving at Capetown on 10 July they were ordered to proceed to Winburg in the Orange River Colony to take over the defences of the town and the local railway. A, B, C, D, G and H Companies were employed in the defence of the town whilst E Company guarded the railway towards Smaldeel. During their time there the Boers made a couple of attempts to break through the defences and the battalion lost one man killed, one died of wounds and four men wounded. By this time in the war fighting had developed into mainly guerrilla warfare and the main object of the defence of the railway was to prevent parties of Boers from breaking through whilst mobile columns tried to round them up.
On 8 April 1902 the battalion relieved the 4th Cheshire Regiment and took over the defence of the railway line towards Kroonstad with D Company being sent to Brandford. The battalion remained in the Smaldeel area until peace was declared on 31 May 1902. On 9 July 1902 the battalion, strength 27 officers and 795 other ranks, embarked at Capetown on the Briton, arriving Southampton 26 July. Then to the Depot, Ashton-under-Lyne on 31 July 1902 where they were disembodied the same day.
One officer, twenty-one non-commissioned officers and men had been either killed or died of disease.
