Smith CJ – Appendix 1

This page should be read in conjunction with the account of CJ Smith’s life.

FROM THE FRONT. With the Fifth Contingent. Sergeant E. (Ted) Lascelles, of the Fifth Contingent, writes to his father, Mr Henry Lascelles, as follows:-

S.S. Waimate, April 25th, 1900.
You will no doubt have received my letter posted at Albany before now, and I do not know that there is anything very fresh to relate. Albany is quite a picturesque little place, but the land upon which it is built is very barren as is also the surrounding country. It is a mere township in size, barely one fourth as large as Napier I would say. We arrived there exactly three weeks past today and after taking in coal and water left on the following Friday morning after a stay of about thirty-six hours. We had a gay old time ashore, and most of the men were fairly merry when we returned to ship. What captivated me most about the place was the church, a pretty little ivy-covered stone building. While we were passing a wedding happened to be in progress, and a number of us went in. The minister came up and shook hands with us and wished us all sorts of good luck and God-speed.
When a few days out from Albany we sighted and spoke a man-o’-war and today we sighted a barque, and being out of the regular track of vessels these are all we have seen. Life on board is rather dull, the same old routine day after day, but as for soldiering, I am quite in love with the life, and I think I may claim to have made a very fair start, and with good luck I hope to win a commission before the business is over. You are no doubt aware that our destination is Beira, a port in Portuguese East Africa, but I don’t suppose we will be there long as it is rather an unhealthy place. It is generally believed that we will go straight to Rhodesia, as it mostly a very healthy country I believe. We have had an excellent passage so far, and the Waimate, though none too fast, is an A1 sea boat.
In Captain Tanner we have by far and away the strictest officer in the continent, but give me him long before the easy-going ones, although his strictness make the position of we sergeants a none too pleasant one, as it is very difficult to get a number of the more independent spirits among the men to knuckle down. Our boss is Color-Sergeant Fletcher, a Wellington man, and he is very popular with all hands and is well in touch with the business. We have had one case of typhoid on board, but I am glad to say that the patient, though at one time very bad, is now on a fair way to recovery.
Last night we had a first-class concert on board. The piano by the Broughs to the contingent was taken up on to the upper deck, which was lighted by electricity and tastefully decorated with flags. Only twenty-nine programmes were issued and for these the competition was very keen. The original copy was signed by the Colonel and was put up for auction, and the bidding for it was astonishing. It quickly ran up to £5, and as I thought you would like to have the programme, I eventually got it for £7 1s. I suppose you will think that I must have been crazy, but I made up my mind to get it and I did. The money is to be donated to the Wellington hospital so that it will not be ill spent. I am forwarding the programme under a separate cover and hope it will arrive in safety. Mr Tuckey, one of the lieutenants, who took a great interest in the concert, asked me to have you get it photographed and the photo sent to the Weekly Press. The regimental orderly-room sergeant is C.J. Smith, who was clerk in Fulton’s office, and he drew up the programme. I don’t think I should have autograph programme had I not got warmed up, but Sergeant Wallace ran me for it, However, I can’t say that I really regret the bargain as it doesn’t mean a month’s pay. You will have to get it framed and keep it as a memento of the ‘Fighting Fifth.’
Had I known before leaving that I was likely to be promoted I would have had a certain amount of pay left in the colony. Perhaps I may find it useful though, more especially if I come through with a whole skin and decide to remain in the country. I am determined to make this my starting point in life, and am also determined to make my way up in the world if energy and perseverance will do it. I can see that there is one thing about the army, and that is this, if you are at all smart and display ant ability, it is soon noticed, as the powers that be watches you like a cat watches a mouse. We expect to sight Madagascar about tomorrow and reach Beira about the end of the week. All the men and horses are doing well, and we have only lost four of the latter since starting. April 28.
Well, here we are anchored at last. We sighted Madagascar on Wednesday, 25th, the coast of Portuguese East Africa this morning, and this evening we dropped anchor at seven o’clock and a Portuguese pilot came aboard. He says that we are nineteen miles from Beira, and we go in at four o’clock tomorrow morning. But he also says that there are five other troopships to discharge men and horses before we can. If this should prove correct it will be a week yet before we leave. We will have a very fair chance of seeing some of the fun after all as it is all reported that the war has made no progress and Mafeking is yet unrelieved. It seems quite strange to sit here and write in quiet without hearing the continua grind of the screw.

Beira, April 30th.
The first stage of our journey is over. We weighed anchor early yesterday morning and were piloted inside; that is if you could truthfully call it pilotage, as at eight o’clock or thereabouts we ran aground and had to wait till two o’clock in the afternoon before we floated off. Last night we dragged our anchor about a hundred yards and again stuck fast, but this evening we succeeded in getting off, and are again safely anchored. The non-commissioned officers and men are not allowed to go ashore until we disembark, and the officers are only granted limited leave, so that I can say very little about the place. It is built on very low land, and almost on a level with the water. Viewed from where we are anchored it is quite a picturesque little place, with its white walls and red roofed houses. It is stated that there are about 400 English inhabitants, the remainder being (mostly Portuguese) and natives. As soon as we arrived a Portuguese official came aboard. He was rowed by a crew of blacks, who looked very funny dressed in white sailor coats, red fez caps and a piece of highly colored cloth wrapped round them kilt fashion. They began to gesticulate and ask for money, which a number of the men threw to them. One of the ‘hard cases’ got a lot of pennies on a shovel heated them at the fire and then threw them into the nigger’s boat – and then the band played! Boats come alongside with bananas, oranges, tobacco, etc., but the prices are simply exorbitant: eighteen pence per dozen for oranges and bananas, and yet they do a roaring trade.
It may, perhaps, be a fortnight yet before we can disembark as there are about seven other boats to discharge troops, etc., before us, amongst them being Monowai with a portion of the Forth contingent on board, so that we are here very nearly as soon as them after all; in fact, the Gymeric with a number of them on board has not yet arrived. It is reported that as soon as landed we go straight to the front. Amongst other things it is reported that some two hundred and fifty Portuguese left Beira for Delagoa Bay the other day for the purpose of assisting the Boers.