 | Ballads of the War |  |
14
How the Naval Guns came to Ladysmith
“Come away to Ladysmith! comrades of the Powerful!
Bring us your hearts and your guns to our aid!”
'Tween decks with work then for twenty was each hour full.
Jack of the Powerful is Jack of every trade.
Bring us your hearts and your guns to our aid!”
'Tween decks with work then for twenty was each hour full.
Jack of the Powerful is Jack of every trade.
Rig us wheels! sling the guns! lash the trucks and speed them well!
Boers shall learn what British words lyddite shells can say!
Steam ahead my beauties now! stoke your fires and feed them well!
Ladysmith is calling us six hundred miles away!
Boers shall learn what British words lyddite shells can say!
Steam ahead my beauties now! stoke your fires and feed them well!
Ladysmith is calling us six hundred miles away!
15
Off by night from Durban dock, telling it to no man,
Thro' the cold and thro' the heat, eyes before, behind,
Scanning bush and scrub and hill and gully for a foeman,
Fearing every bridge was sawn, every culvert mined.
Thro' the cold and thro' the heat, eyes before, behind,
Scanning bush and scrub and hill and gully for a foeman,
Fearing every bridge was sawn, every culvert mined.
So along for Britain's sake, merrily we thundered,
Neared at last the mountain gates meant for barricade.
Shall we find our passage barred, rails all up, we wondered,
Shall we win to Ladysmith, be in time to aid?
Neared at last the mountain gates meant for barricade.
Shall we find our passage barred, rails all up, we wondered,
Shall we win to Ladysmith, be in time to aid?
On we roared, full speed ahead, Boer to left and right of us;
Over the Tugela, and by grim Hlangwane's hill.
Ladysmith! Ah, how the folk all shouted at the sight of us
—Gunners of the Powerful, come with heart and will.
Over the Tugela, and by grim Hlangwane's hill.
Ladysmith! Ah, how the folk all shouted at the sight of us
—Gunners of the Powerful, come with heart and will.
We the last train in, all bridges broken at the back of us.
Swift we laid our beauties, for the fight raged far and near,
Hardly pushed, our gallants and the foe heard sudden crack of us.
Out of heaven each good Four-Seven thundered—“Jack is here.”
Swift we laid our beauties, for the fight raged far and near,
16
Out of heaven each good Four-Seven thundered—“Jack is here.”
Where “Long Tom” from out the distance belched of doom his shower-full,
Fell our gift of Lyddite—he was silent for a space.
All the people crowded round and praised the good ship Powerful.
Blessed the guns and blessed the tars and thanked God for his grace.
Fell our gift of Lyddite—he was silent for a space.
All the people crowded round and praised the good ship Powerful.
Blessed the guns and blessed the tars and thanked God for his grace.
Note.—Mr. Balfour, speaking at Ardwick on 8th January, 1900, said: “Was there ever anything done with greater promptness and heroism than the sending of the naval guns of H.M.S. Powerful to the relief of Ladysmith? Capetown is 600 miles away from Ladysmith. I am unable to say exactly the number of hours, but in an incredible space of time from the receipt of the telegram asking for guns, the Powerful was turned into a workshop, the guns were provided with suitable mountings, were unshipped, and entrained, and were on their adventurous journey.”
Those guns arrived just in the nick of time; the train that carried them was the last train in. Their sudden appearance in the midst of the fight probably saved the day.
| Ballads of the War | |