The story of the reverse is told in simple yet graphic language.
An advance guard of the British expedition was caught in a waterhole by a superior force of Germans, well equipped with guns, who occupied the surrounding kopjes, and, although a gallant resistance was offered, it was no match for the enemy.
Nor did the effort on the part of the main British force to rescue the advance guard avert the disaster.
The Germans, who, as is clear from other reports as well as from the account of this occurrence, were admirably equipped for the military operations upon which they have entered, were in over-powering numbers as well as in the possession of the more favourable position.
But the British faced the enemy with courage and determination.
Their artillery was served until their ammunition was exhausted, and the riflemen continued the resistance until the guns were destroyed.
Not until then did they surrender, two squadrons of the First South African Mounted Rifles and a section of the Transvaal Artillery being taken prisoners.
The incident is one that has small military significance, but it serves to show that the British forces in South Africa are composed of men of the grit and heroism that are characteristic of the soldiery of the nation to which they belong.
If the advance guard does not seem to have taken sufficient care to inform itself of the security of the position in which it outspanned, the gallantry that was exhibited in the conflict with an overwhelmingly superior force of the enemy was such as to call for the highest praise.
• At St Paul's Presbyterian Church at Invercargill on Sunday evening, the Rev. H. Burridge had some remarks to make in regard to Sabbath desecration, with special reference to the recently formed National Reserve, and their visit to Riverton beach the previous Sunday.
He said Sunday might possibly have been the only day available for what it was necessary to do, but he could not help expressing the hope that such a use of Sunday might be reduced to a minimum, and also his feeling of something approaching regret that the first public parade in connection with such a splendid and patriotic movement should need to have been held on and taken up the whole Sunday.
He had been told that after lunch on the beach the parade was allowed for some time to become a kind of impromptu sports meeting, and various competitions were held, including pedestrian races, tent-pegging, and a cock fight contest, the names of the winners of which appeared in next day's paper.
He believed he spoke for a very large number in the community when he said that such a development could, and should, have been checked in some wise way, and that for a body of our national defence force on public parade to spend the afternoon of Sunday in such a manner would not conserve the highest interests of the splendid patriotic movement which the National Reserve represented.
Mr Burridge concluded with the request that those who had the direction of affairs in this matter do their best to prevent the new movement from helping to drive in any deeper the wedge which seemed destined to destroy so largely the sanctity of the Sabbath Day. - ODT, 8.10.1914.
• COPIES OF PICTURE AVAILABLE FROM ODT FRONT OFFICE, LOWER STUART ST, OR WWW.OTAGOIMAGES.CO.NZ
