The Town Guard of Dundee.

Manawatu Herald, 7 November 1899, Page 2

The T own Guard of Dundee.

The cables tells us that the Boers shot down the unresisting town guards at Dundee. The following letter from a young rriari living in Dundee recently received, will be read with interest, as no doubt these are the men whom the Boers have dealt with.

" Last Sunday (October 3rd)," he writeSj '• we .held a meeting in the Masonic riall, when there were present over 300 townsmen ready to take the oath Jof allegiance to the Queen. The oath having been taken by all present, we elected a commandant tc supreme commanJ, aud under him ten captains. Under each of these captains tweuty-five men were enrolled. " The proceedings commenced and ended with ' God Save the Queen ' and ' Rule Britannia,' sung as you don't hear it sung in Australia, every word meant, every man's eye shooting fire, every man ready to die if necessary for British supremacy in South Africa,

"On Monday morning arms were given out to all who took the oath .on Sunday, and every day this week the different companies have been drilled, and practised shooting, not at targets, but at heads and shoulders placed on the yeldt, each man judging the distance for himself.

" Trenches have been dug all round the town, earth-works have been thrown up, and to-day, Sunday, sees the town ready for an attack. Patrols are out all round the town, and every possible preparation has been made to avoid being taken by surprise.

" Our captain is an old gth Lancer, and a splendid officer ; it is generally acknowledged that our company is the most efficient of the lot, all our men are good shots, and we are to have the post of honour should we be called out in the field, and I think we will give a good account of ourselves. v

" Business is dead here now, there is nothing doing at all. Every man te a soldier. Even to-day every man you meet in the street has his rifle with him, and every man is supposed to be able to muster on the market square with rifle and fifty rounds of ammunition a very few minutes after the bugle sounds. A call was made the other night. The muster was splendid. The different companies were formed and marched to their respective outposts with the regularity of the best trained soldiers."