GUNNER BROWN AT THE FRONT.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 25 May 1901, Page 2

GUNNER BROWN AT THE FRONT.

Gunner Brown—one of the Greymouth*. boys who went to the front at the com- ■ mnneement of the war—writes to us asfollowa under date and place of Brandfort April sth 1901:—“Since I last wrote we have done a lot of treking abeut the country, during which we had several engagements. We had a brush with De Wet at Pietersville and had to gallop three miles before we got our guns into action. We thought we had killed a larger number of Boers than we did. Eight were killed and a good number wounded. The people in Pietersville were glad to see us coming and as we: went through the town they shouted* “Give it to them.” We captured two of De Wet’s wagons, and they were loaded with everything you could mention—one was loaded with beer, stout and whiskey. Colonel Thorneyoroft served it out to the column and we drank De Wet’s health. We treked on after De Wet and. he got a bad time of it. One time we* thought we had him surrounded, and hoi had only way to escape—cross the Orange River—but the river was in flood, and it; reckoned impossible for him to escape. De Wet however, got across the river through a column not being there '• in time.. We had no casualties on the march from Springfontein to Thabauchu though we had several engagements. After weleft Springfontein we did not expect to see any fighting as the column was on a commandeering, looting and capturing expedition. In all we commandered three thousand horses and three . thousand cattle. On St Patrick’s Day, four thousand Boers attacked us and tried to recapture the horses and cattle, but when the guns were got into action they were not long in getting over the kopjes, and out of range. There were several of the Infantry and Yeomanry wounded. It took six hours to get, the horses andl cattle through a pass three miles long.. I won’t forget St Patrick’s Day in South Africa, it rained and in fact came down, in bucket fulls.

We surrounded a laager outside Brandfort the other day, and captured 81 priV soners. They looked very miserable,' some having no boots and their clothes looked the worse for wear. There are plenty of Boers about here and they are constantly sniping at our picquets, I think it is only a matter of time now, the Boers having had a rough time of it during the last three months. We crossed the Orange River, at Nerval's Point, over the pontoon that was constructed by the Royal Engineers It the first 1 had seen in this country and no doubt it is a splendid structure.

When we were at Alexander our captain received a telegram that all New Zealanders bad to go to Klerksdorp to moblise. The Captain said wo were going home. When we were leaving the column Colonel Thorneycroft came along to bid us good-bye. He said he was extremely sorry that we were going to leave him, just as we were in the •thick of the fighting and wished us a good trip and good luck wherever we went, But wo only got to Bloemfontein and after staying three days until we got out new outfit, we were ordered to join Colonel Thorneycroft again. The Free State is a splendid looking country. I saw Mat Johnston at Galesburg and be looks none the worse for his travels on the veldt. I also saw J Young of Totara Flat who left Melbourne with the Victorians. H Head and myself are in the best of health. I got a terrible shock when I learned of T. Martin’s death and my sympathy is with bis family.