Your obedient Servant,
Alec. Thorneycroft, Lieut.-Colonel,
Commanding Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry.}}
H
{{Report of Major-General Talbot Coke, Officer
Commanding 10th Brigade
Attack on Spion Kop, 23rd, 24th, 25th January, 1900
Pontoon Bridge: 25th January, 1900.
In accordance with your orders, General Woodgate assumed command of the column for the night attack, and settled his rendezvous near the Royal Engineer bivouac, for 7 P.M., 23rd instant. I bivouacked on the hill upon which the Connaught Rangers’ picquets are south of Three Tree Hill.
The first shots were fired at 3.40 A.M.
The valley between my position and Spion Kop, and also the top of that feature itself, was enveloped in mist until about 8 A.M., when it could be seen that our force held the schanzes on the summit. Shortly after it was seen to be exposed to a frontal fire from rifles, and to shell fire from its left front.