PRIVATE W.E. PODGER, 2ND BATTALION GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT. Queen’s South Africa Medal, t

PRIVATE W.E. PODGER, 2ND BATTALION GLOUCESTERSHIRE REGIMENT. Queen’s South Africa Medal, type 2, ghost dates visible on reverse, 2 clasps, Cape Colony, Orange Free State (officially engraved: 700 Pte. W.E. PODGER. Glouc: Rgt.). Attractively toned, Almost Extremely Fine.

Private Podger was taken prisoner of war at Dewetsdorp, 23/11/1900, subsequently being released on 5/12/1900.

The following description of the action at Dewetsdorp, 23/11/1900, is taken from the Official History, vol 3, pp 490-493: On November 14th, Major W. G. Massy, R.F.A., Commandant of Dewetsdorp, received warning from the Intelligence Officer at Bloemfontein that De Wet and Haasbroek, with a force of 1,700 men and one or two guns, were moving south, and had reached a point some forty miles north of the Thabanchu-Ladybrand road. From Bloemfontein to Thabanchu and thence to Ladybrand a line of blockhouses had been established, with the object of checking a Boer movement to the south but De Wet was not to be baulked, and approaching the line on the afternoon of the 16th, where there was a gap of 2,000 yards between two blockhouses, he decided to rush through. Accordingly, he opened fire with a Krupp gun on one of the blockhouses, near Thabanchu, and with his whole force successfully ran the gauntlet. Massy was duly informed of this, and further, that the Boers were apparently making for Daggafontein, in the direction of Dewetsdorp. Next day (November 17th), his mounted infantry observed a Boer laager near Grootfontein, having advanced scouts on Paul Schmidt’s Berg, which overhangs the town on the east. On the 18th the enemy made a reconnaissance in force to within 4,000 yards of the town, retiring under fire from the guns of the garrison. The Commandos did not go far, however and on the following day they were discovered to be in laager four miles south of Damfontein. Dewetsdorp is closely surrounded on three sides by steep hills, seamed with watercourses and strewn with boulders and rocks. The fourth side is flat and open, except for a deep nullah, or dry river-bed, which passes through the town. The garrison was disposed as follows : – One company Highland Light Infantry held a kopje to the south-east of and overlooking the town, with a small observation post on Lonely Kop, to the east two Cossack posts were thrown out in a south-westerly direction, towards Reddersburg the remainder of the troops were posted on the high ground to the north and west of the town. On November 19th Massy endeavoured to break the cordon which was enclosing him by sending out a force to shell the laager. The Boers replied by rushing two of the outlying posts the same night. They then practised the ruse of disappearing entirely from the neighbourhood, only to return on the night of the 20th, when they drove in two other small posts. At about 3.30 a.m. on the 21st the piquet on Lonely Kop was rushed, and the Boers, now in possession of high ground commanding the main camp of the garrison, poured in a vigorous fire. At 6 a.m. they brought a Krupp gun into action, but with little effect, as the guns of the 68th battery R.F.A. soon silenced it. Yet they continued to gain ground, driving the garrison of a fourth post back on the main camp. About midday, another strong Commando was seen to be approaching, and Massy attempted to hold the eastern side of the town with his mounted infantry. This failed at once, the mounted infantry being forced back by a hot cross-fire from the nullahs running from the hills towards the town. Desultory firing went on all day the trenches occupied by the Highland Light Infantry were attacked, the burghers establishing themselves in close proximity to them. By nightfall the enemy had gained possession of the heights to the west and north of the town. Before daylight on the 22nd firing was resumed. As soon as the sun had risen Massy flashed a message to Bloemfontein, asking for assistance, and was answered that a column would start at once from Edenburg. At 8 a.m. the Boers drove in another post and with their gun in action on Lonely Kop, in addition to the overwhelming rifle fire which they were now able to bring to bear, they soon raked the shelters occupied by the men of the Highland Light Infantry. These trenches were, however, held until dark, when the occupants were ordered to set fire to the stores at the south end of the town, and to fall back on the main position, which was done at 7 p.m. The night was spent in improving the defences of the main position, by strengthening the gun pits for the two Field guns, and by providing head cover and shelter from reverse fire.

At 2.30 a.m. on the 23rd, No. I outpost, composed of a detachment of the Gloucestershire regiment, and situated in an important position to the north of the town, was surprised by a party which crept stealthily up the side of the hill. A strenuous resistance was offered but after losing half their numbers in killed and wounded, the men were forced to surrender, and the Boers gained yet another point of vantage. The capture of this post, coupled with the occupation of the ground evacuated on the previous evening by the Highland Light Infantry, enabled the enemy to pass through the town to the western edge of the plateau. From their new position the Boers now looked into nearly the whole of the defences at close rifle range. Moreover, by moving their gun on to the heights towards the Smithfield road, they commanded the ravine, wherein lay the water supply of the garrison they had already shot down all the horses, which had been collected in another ravine. With daylight came a tremendous cross-fire from every direction. The garrison, now crowded behind sangars and in trenches about the main camp, could do little but the Field guns, one in a donga running down towards the town, the other near a trench occupied by some men of the Gloucestershire regiment, continued firing from their pits. At 2 p.m. Massy received a message that one of the guns had been put out of action, and most of the gun detachment wounded. At 4 p.m. a young officer, who with his men had all day been defending a trench near the other gun, was persuaded to send a message to the commandant asking permission to raise the white flag. Massy peremptorily refused but his reply was not delivered, and at 4.45 p.m. he heard that the detachment had surrendered. Nevertheless, firing continued in other parts until 5.25 p.m. Then Massy was told that his wounded were being murdered. Giving credence to a statement neither well-founded nor likely to be, he ordered the white flag to be shown. Even had no such influence precipitated the surrender, it is doubtful if the garrison could have held out much longer. Three days of continuous and creditable fighting had exhausted the defence. On this final day the troops had been under fire for fifteen hours. The drinking water was in the hands of the enemy, and only at the point of the bayonet could a bottle have been filled. Of the garrison fourteen men were killed, four officers and seventy-one men wounded, and six men missing. The remainder were marched away along the Wepener road as prisoners of war.

The battle of Dewetsdorp was one of the most successful actions fought by the Boers during the Guerilla phase of the war. It was also a disaster for the Gloucestershire Regiment who lost over 250 officers and men killed, wounded and prisoner of war.

With photocopied medal roll extract confirming clasps and p.o.w. roll extract.