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sorry for the valuable lives you have lost and for the seriously wounded.

24th January 1900.
The Battle of Spion Kop
On the morning of the 24th of January 1900 my regiment had a sudden order to go up Spion Kop as there was only a few of the Lancashire Fusiliers left and we was to get up there as soon as we could as they would have all been cut up so going up a narrow track one of my Coy got wounded in the stomach and when we got to the top who should we see coming down was General Woodgate wounded so on we went till we came to a few of the Lancashire Fusiliers and only a few and they were shouting hurry up or else we shall all be cut up. So we got their in the best cover we could

what should we hear but that deadly noise of the Pom-pom and all at once the shells burst over our heads and there was a lot of dead men lying all over the hill then we had been up there, a few hours when a shell came over and killed two men and wounded four and the two it killed there clothes caught and smouldered and burnt them unrecognisable and one of the men ran up to take the ammunition from them and one of the officers shouted out you cant do any good as the poor fellows are dead. Such a thing I had never seen in my life before and dont wish to see another such horrible day like that again, poor fellows

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