"We have at length arrived at Bloemfontein and captured it after half an hours fighting. Bloemfontein is now in the hands of the British, and the 0range Free State has surrendered unconditionally. We are camped about two miles out of the city, which as yet I have not seen, but I expect to get in for a look round in a few days. The hardships that we have gone through have been very trying, and for nearly three weeks we have had nothing to eat but three hard biscuits a day and now and again a drop of tea or coffee."

"Hardship is not the name for what the troops have come through, for at intervals our privations beg a description. Twice now we have been standing to our horses for 24-36 hours respectfully in a terrible thunder storm, and the rain teeming down in sheets. Of course wet to the bone, and then march on without drying our clothes. We have had to stop where we fought once, and a bitter cold night it was. All we could do was... put on our great coats, put our arms through our bridle reins, drop down on the ground and sleep as best we could.

"I have quite determined to stop away from soldiering if I get home again, for when we get 800-900 casualties in one engagement it makes a fellow very dubious."

PRIVATE WALTER POPE