The 6 Pounder Whitworth in Boer Hands

The first two guns ordered by the Free State were 6-pr RBL guns, which arrived in Bloemfontein in September 1864. One gun accompanied the Artillery Corps to the Free State border in May 1865, shortly before war was declared against the Basotho for a second time. The second gun stayed in the Bloemfontein fort to defend the capital and Capt Goodman, British commander of the OVSAC, left the following instructions to the garrison:

“Make about 100 cartridges for Rifled Cannon. Fill the tin cases to within one inch and put in the greased wad flush with the top.”

Early in August 1865, shortly after the second gun also arrived at the Free State laager in Basotholand, one of the two (no. 40) blew its breech out after only 14 or 15 shots were fired. A commission was appointed to investigate the issue and their findings were forwarded to the Whitworth Company. At first Whitworth differed, but after the second gun also “exploded” under similar conditions, the company had no choice but to notify President Brand on 29 Des 1865 that:

"we have decided to send out to you two six pounder muzzle loading guns to replace the breech loaders. These guns will fit upon the carriages you now have, requiring only a slight alteration in the position of the elevating screws and will take the same projectiles as the breech loaders".

In the same letter the company requested the return of the two damaged guns. A second letter to Brand, dated 6 Jun 1866, informed him that the two new muzzle loading guns were completed and forwarded to South Africa. Again the return of the damaged guns was requested:

"We shall be glad to receive back the two breech loading guns as requested in our former letter".

The two new muzzle loading guns arrived in Port Elizabeth aboard the Alert during August 1866 after which they were dispatched to the stores of Heideman & Kingswill of Grahamstown on 27 September. From Grahamstown a certain Roberts transported the new arrivals to Bloemfontein, which only arrived near the end of that year - almost a year after they were promised to the Free State. In the mean time the Free State, who was still at war, was forced to assemble one serviceable gun from the remains of the two damaged breech loaders. The remaining parts were shipped back to the UK aboard the Havanna.

Contemporary commando reports indicate that both breech and muzzle loaders saw action thereafter during the remaining battles of the Second and Third Basotho Wars.

In April 1867 one 6-pr was involved in the fighting at Beestneus and in his report the Commandant afterwards wrote:

"The Whitworth gun then shot an opening through the schanses with solid shot."

On 2 May 1867 one again find mention of Whitworths at Thaba Culo, this time of both a muzzle and breech loader:

"The Whitworth gun did good shooting and killed a large section of horses; the Armstrong gun missed the entire mountain; the breech loader Whitworth gun also shot badly."

At the end of the 1868 war the Free State thus had three 6-pr guns, two RMLs and the composite RBL.

ORANJE VRIJSTAAT ARTILLERIE CORPS/ Historical Study and Re-Enactment Group