DUNDEE KZN: The legend of the Christmas shell from 1899
Their Creusot 'Long Toms' would have had enough range to outgun the British artillery, but this shell is definitely not a 155mm Long Tom shell.
Legend has it that, being jolly sporting fellows, the Boers only shelled the town during the Siege of Ladysmith in daylight hours, and never on Sundays or religious holidays.
The citizens of Ladysmith therefore adjusted their lives and spent the day in dug-outs hewn out of the banks of the Klip River. But, after dusk, they returned to their homes to take care of all their daily chores. Knowing they were safe from interference, Sunday was reserved for cricket day! The old cricket pitch used to be where the post office / shopping mall / Spur is now situated next to the Town Hall in Murchison Street.
On Christmas Day 1899, however, a cricket match was duly in progress when, horror of horrors, the dastardly Boers began shelling the cricket pitch! Everyone decided that such behaviour constituted a “No Ball” and slipped off into the covers.
After a while, though, it was noticed that none of the Boer shells appeared to be exploding, merely burying themselves in the ground. Since shell fragments were highly sought after as souvenirs, someone requisitioned a spade and began digging.
Several un-exploded shells were uncovered, all with their nose cones unscrewed, and the interior of the shell filled with Christmas pudding. A stencilled note on the side of the shell read “With Compliments of the Season”.
The Ladysmith Siege Museum has one such shell, and the Endumeni / Isandlwana Moth Shellhole (opposite the NG Church in Beaconsfield Street) has another.
I do question the authenticity of the story though. Our shell is a 75mm version and the Boers would have had to have moved such a gun well within British artillery counter fire range, which would be rather hazardous just to shell a cricket pitch with Christmas pudding.
Their Creusot ‘Long Toms’ would have had enough range to outgun the British artillery, but this shell is definitely not a 155mm Long Tom shell. But it’s a good story!
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