The Battle of Faber's Put, also known as the Battle of Faber's Pass was fought during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...

on the night of May 29–30, 1900.

Background

As British forces began gaining ground in the Transvaal in the spring of 1900, columns of colonial and British forces were dispatched to the Cape Colony to pursue the Boer Commandos operating in that area. In May, the British pushed towards the Boer capitals of Johannesburg and Pretoria and overwhelmed the garrisons there, capturing and occupying the capitals. General Warren led a column composed of Canadian and British soldiers across the Northern Cape and halted for supplies at a place known as Faber's Put near Campbell. The British established a camp at Faber's Put, but it was situated on unfavourable ground, surrounded by high ridges which could allow marksmen to fire down into the camp from behind cover.

Battle

Late on the night of May 29, a force of Boers under the command of General Villers bypassed British sentries and surrounded the encampment at Faber's Put. The Boers opened fire on a section of mounted infantry under the command of the Earl of Erroll which included Paget's Horse and the 23rd and 24th Companies of Imperial Yeomanry, scattering their horses and resulting in high casualties. The firefight woke the rest of the British camp and soon the Canadian Artillery tended to their 12-pounder guns. It was too dark for the guns to be aimed properly, and the Canadians had to hold their fire until daybreak. As the sun began to rise, two companies of the

Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles The Chief Langalibalele Rifles (formerly known as the Cape Town Rifles and Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles) is a reserve infantry regiment of the South African Army. History Origin The Regiment was founded on 28 November 1855, as the Cape Rifle ...

charged the Boers on the eastern side of the encampment, driving them back with assistance from a maxim machine gun section. At this time,

Sam Hughes Sir Samuel Hughes, (January 8, 1853 – August 23, 1921) was the Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence during World War I. After a stormy tenure in the position, he was dismissed by Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden in 1916. Early life H ...

rallied a mixed body of Yeomanry and Warren's Scouts, leading them in a spirited charge against the Boer positions. Two teams of Canadians dragged their guns across the field under fire and brought them into action against the Boers on the high ground, losing 9 of 18 men in this action. After an hour, the combined fire from the artillery and the infantry charge finally broke the Boer attack, forcing them to retreat.

Aftermath

The battle resulted in a British victory, but a costly one. In June, General Warren continued marching his column northwards, linking up with other forces near Kimberley. In his official report for the battle, General Warren referred to the loss of Colonel Spence stating: ''"I regret very much the loss of Colonel Spence,

e was E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plu ...

a most gallant and efficient commanding officer"''. The following soldiers were mentioned in dispatches by Warren for their actions during the battle: * Major J. Lewis - Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles * Captain G. Twycross - Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles * Captain W. Simpkins - Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles * Lieutenant W. Prince - Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles * Lieutenant B.J. Thorne - Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles * Sergeant-Major Pearson - Duke of Edinburgh's Own Rifles * Major Ogilvie - 'E' Battery, Canadian Field Artillery * Captain Mackie - 'E' Battery, Canadian Field Artillery * Trooper M.H. Mather - Paget's Horse

had fought bravely in the battle, leading the countercharge that pushed back and broke the Boer lines. He would continuously campaign to be awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

for his actions during the battle, but no such award would be made.

Casualties

British

* ''killed'': Col. W.A. Spence, Sgt. Orchard, Pte. Cheverly * ''wounded'': 4 Privates - 23rd (Lancashire) Company, 8th Imperial Yeomanry * ''killed'': Cpl. W. Coulston, LCpl. G.E.M. Barry, Tpr. J.W. Derbyshire, Tpr. F.W. Hackforth, Tpr. P. Orrell, Tpr. D. Rew * ''wounded'': a number of troopers - 24th (Westmoreland and Cumberland) Company, 8th Imperial Yeomanry * ''killed'': Tpr. J.C. Crayston, Tpr. W.R. Day, Tpr. J. Hindson, Tpr. J. Park, Tpr. W. Todd, Tpr. J. Wright * ''wounded'': a number of troopers - 52nd (Paget's Horse) Company, 19th Imperial Yeomanry * ''killed'': Pte. P. Chatterton, Pte. L.W. Finden, Pte. F.A. Hall-Hall, Pte. T.C.P. Pochin, Pte. J. Poole (died of wounds), Pte. J.D.K. Bell (died of wounds) * ''wounded'': Lt. Lethbridge, a number of troopers - 'E' Battery, Canadian Field Artillery * ''killed'': Bdr. William Latimer * ''wounded'': Cpl. Harland M. Brown, Bdr. J. McCaskill, Dvr. J. Kane, Gnr. C. Wollard, Gnr. G.F. Fletcher, Gnr. C. Jackson, Gnr. G.H. Ross, Gnr. H.B. Taite

Boers

''Killed'' - 23
''Wounded'' - 33

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faber's Put Battles of the Second Boer War 1900 in the South African Republic May 1900 Conflicts in 1900 History of the Northern Cape