With storing this amount of food, well some people would call this hording food, but in essence what you are doing is enabling yourself, family and group to be self sufficient, your are preparing in advance so that you are not part of the horde that rushes to the grocery store at the last minute cleaning off the shelves and leaving other people empty handed and an empty stomach. The more people that prepare in advance the less people that will be striping the stores clean at the last hour. In essence you will be able to feed yourself and won't be one of the many that is picking the grocery shelves clean or fighting over food in the event of say a hurricane, earthquake, major power outage, or some extreme SHTF event. If you, your family, or group have supplies stored you can be part of the solution not part of the problem, you will be able to help people out, even dispense food to the very needy and help people, survive.
A few other points to consider are, if you are planning on hunting, fishing and gathering to supplement your food source then please look this article over, then do a assessment on where you live along with game and people population to give you a better overview of the variables in this pursuit. http://www.bushcraftusa.com/forum/sh...5&postcount=36
Also if you are going to store food items in different locations, especially in some type of storage locker, be aware that during the summer months these places can reach very high temps which is the main enemy of stored food, so be very careful where you store your food preps.
One of the preps that we have planned is chickens, and this is another benefit of having a group. We have one member that raises chickens for their eggs and for butchering. This member has given us classes on raising chickens and in a major SHTF event will be able to deal out chickens to all group members. We all have plans and material in place to build chicken coops, and some members have them in place already and use and raise chickens, just not year round.
abo4ster mentioned this already in one post, but I will hit on it again. With pets you should store enough food so that you can slowly change their diet from pet food to your stored food supplies. That is if it is a long term event and that pet is say a working dog that is enhancing your group preps, i.e. guard dog. Remember that at one time there was no pet food, people feed their working pets table scraps.
Once you have all of your preps together you will need to have a plan for security. Look at the actions of civilians during hurricane Katrina. I would categories this as a localized SHTF somewhat major event. Although if you were getting shot at, your definition may be different. There was some local, state and federal control, yet the government saw fit to take peoples guns, major looting occurred and many people had their generators stolen as in other hurricanes where this has also happened. For a short overview on security precautions see; http://www.bushcraftusa.com/forum/sh...9&postcount=33
Another excellent book that will serve you well is in the download section of this site, put there by GreyOne; Life After Doomsday, by Bruce Clayton.
As in any post that I do I try and be as accurate as possible, but as we all know even 5 designated experts will come up with 5 different answers. I do not claim to be an expert, only considerable knowledge based with experience. In any endeavor you start you should do your own research. If you find any spelling or grammar errors pm me and I will fix them. I hope this information will assist you in some way.
My good friend Jäger has put togeather some good practical and useful information on food storage and preparedness . Im sure yu will find it useful and perhaps learn a thing or two.
I was going to post this in a reply to Koa's thread " Poll: How much food do you need to store? " http://www.bushcraftusa.com/forum/sh...highlight=food But as this post got longer I decided to make it it's own thread as this turned into more of a overview on food storage and other preps, and after I read the fine responses in Koa's thread I figured there were a few points that I could try and expand further on.
Just as a bit of an overview, I have been doing this, what some would call preparation, readiness, some even like to give it the survivalist type word for a number of years. Because of the stupid negative connotations some people have put on that word and the line of work that I'm in I try and stay away from that label, but only for those reasons. In some of my other posts I've given a glimpse of some of preps that I have taken. I have been in and also formed two different preparation groups (PrepGrp) or you could call it a readiness group.
There are a number of positive aspects to this, you are able to have assistance if say your car breaks down, need help moving out that old refrigerator for a new one, or you are in need of some help to help hump out an elk from the back-country, just think of all the times friends have helped you out, so the list is endless. You may have close friends that will help you out just the way our group helps out each other, but we have another pact, and that is to help out each other in a SHTF type of event, further our group has food storage and other key logistical items to last all of us a set time which I won't publicize for opsec (operational security) reasons. But I'm getting off topic and the "group" subject could be a completely different post.
I will try and put out good information while maintaining good opsec practices. So here is an basic view of how I see the way that one can prepare on a budget and have a massive amount of food put away along with other preps. When you are saving money in one area you are able to put that money into other items.
First thing I will start off with is food items with the main one I will cover being wheat; I store a number of different food items but the major one I will cover due to its extreme versatility is hard wheat be it either red or white and or winter, i.e. hard red winter wheat. There are a number of reasons for storing this item. When properly stored it has a very long shelf life, depending on who one talks to, they will state 30 to 50 years or even indefinite. Wheat that was found in the pyramids was over 3000 years old, still sprouted and it was not stored in the fashion that I will detail.
Wheat can not only be ground into flour to make bread and other food items that one makes from flour, but it can be soaked overnight and then used as a food item as in wheat berry cereal or put into soups to thicken them. Wheat can be made into other various food items as in a substitute for protein (gluten) and a milk substitute as in oat milk. Wheat can also be cracked and made into cereal and only takes about 15 minutes to make. This book, Passport to Survival; http://www.amazon.com/Passport-Survi...f=pd_rhf_p_t_1 has many different recipes for preparing different types of wheat based meals and using wheat as a substitute for different meals.
The next way that one can use wheat to produce food is pretty cool and while some of you are probably aware of this I will go over the benefits of sprouting. Sprouting wheat or any type of seed will produce a greater amount of food then what you started with, I've sprouted grains but I have not done a weight test, but from what I have read, 1 pound of wheat will produce anywhere from 8 to 10 to 14 pounds of sprouted wheat.
There are a number of food items that you can make with sprouted wheat and the above mentioned book goes over the how, why and what to make with sprouts, this is just one of the books that I would recommend for reference as there are a number of food/prep books that deal with this subject. Lets say as an example one has a good one year supply of wheat. So if one were to sprout that along with using it as ground flour and wheat berries one could extend that one year supply to say four to five years, that's one of the things sprouting will do for you, along with the fact that by sprouting the grains, you will increase the vitamin, mineral and protein content, not to mention the fiber that is in wheat be it either whole, ground, cracked or sprouted.
As a math example for above, lets say you have 400 pounds of wheat and you gain 8 pounds of spouts out of 1 pound of wheat, so 400 pounds of wheat times 8 equals 3200 pounds of sprouts! I am showing this an example of the amount of food you can get from sprouting and I am not saying that you should eat only sprouts. One thing that you can make from spouts is a type of nutritious cereal. Take a few cups of sprouts, grind them up in a blender and then cook them with a little water, and salt and it makes a type of oatmeal cereal. You can also use a thermos to cook with which save energy in the process, as detailed in this link; http://www.kurtsaxon.com/foods002.htm
So we have a number of benefits with wheat storage, we have a product that when properly stored will store along time, it can produce many different types of meals and it can produce more food then you bought. The next item that is great about wheat is the cost, even though it's been going up in price you can still get 50 pounds of hard red winter wheat for around $22 to $24 dollars, I've gotten it in years past for as little as $9 to $10 dollars for a 50 pound bag. So lets do the math, for one person to get around 400 pounds for a year, even at $24 for a 50 pound bag, that's $96 dollars for 400 pounds of wheat, that will store, depending on who you are talking to, darn near a lifetime. Pretty cool huh?
So now, how to store this wheat; Well there are a number of proven ways to store wheat. I will go over some very basic ways to do it to keep it simple and cheap. You can either use 5 gallon food grade storage buckets with mylar bags. Here is a link that will detail the method; http://www.squidoo.com/MylarBags If you plan on using this method I would shop around for mylar bags, oxygen absorber and buckets, I used this site because of the pictures and simple steps it shows, as I don't know if their pricing is good or not. Also I've found food grade buckets with lids at bakeries for the asking, you just have to wash them out. . I have wheat and other food stored in this manner and I also use another technique that I came up with that I am able to store larger amounts of wheat or other food items such as rice and beans. I take a 68 litter plastic storage container that I can buy at a local box store for $3.99, I then use 4 large non treated garbage bags (some are treated with a anti pest chemical) put together 1 inside each other 4 thick.
I then line the plastic container with the 4 thick garbage bags. I then am able to put in two 50 pound bags of wheat still in the bag. I then put in 4 oxygen absorbers by making a small cut in each bag and put two absorbers into each bag and then tape the cut shut. I then use a small vacuum cleaner to suck out as much air as possible from each garbage bag. I then tie off the first bag, then the second, then third and finally the forth. I then place the lid on top, tape it shut and date label it. If I need to move them around or for some reason load them up in a vehicle, I use a two wheel dolly to move them. I have also used dry ice in place of oxygen absorbers, both are appropriate and by doing a google search you can find directions for both methods with pictures, I always seem to work better with pictures.
When I was in high school my favorite teacher gave me a book to read called “Northwest passage” by Kenneth Roberts.
The Book Involved a character who was leaving home and became a member of Rogers Rangers and as an artist he was assigned to draw maps for the commander.
There is also a 1940 film starring Spencer Tracy called "Northwest passage" based on the book.
The main story was about the Rangers raid on Saint francis Indian village in Canada and their subsequent retreat back to the USA.
The British presenter Ray Mears did an excellent mini series on Robert Rogers and his men’s epic journey to and from Saint Francis.
“Northwest passage” covered all of the equipment the Rangers carried on the raid and also the types of boats etc. Personally, I like that kind of attention to detail in a story.
A few years later in the army specifically at the U. S. Army Infantry school at Ft. benning Georgia I was introduced to Rogers Rules for Rangers written in 1759 and are still in use today in a fictionalized form.
The original rules can be found at the end of this post.
Rogers was an interesting man who had the ambition but not the funds or backing to search for the Northwest Passage. He was assigned as commander of the post at michilamackinac where he was subsequently accused of embezzling and thrown in to jail at the post. He was kept shackled to the bunk and kept in that jail for the entire winter; then thrown into the hold of a ship and taken to England to stand trial.
Rogers was sentenced to serve time in a debtors prison in England which didn’t sound good, then during the war of 1812 he returned to the USA and tried to enlist on the side of the Americans but was turned down due to the suspicions of the Americans.
He served the British forces, and I read somewhere that he was responsible for capturing the American patriot Nathan hale who is famous for saying “I regret that I have but 1 live to give for my country” before he was hung as a traitor.
After the American revolution Rogers returned to England where he lived out his days in poverty. It is a shame that this true American patriot was treated so badly by the pompous assed American revolutionaries he delt with.
Anyway, here is a little info on the man and the Rangers, I hope you like it.
Tomahawk – Scouts out!
Rogers' Rangers was an independent company of rangers attached to the British Army during the French and Indian War. The unit was informally trained by Major Robert Rogers as a rapidly deployable light infantry force tasked with reconnaissance and conducting special operations against distant targets. Their military tactics were so bold and effective that the unit became the chief scouting unit of British Crown forces in the late 1750s. The British valued them highly for gathering intelligence about the enemy. Later, several members of Rogers' Rangers became influential leaders in the American Revolutionary War and a large number of ex-rangers were present as patriot militiamen at the Battle of Concord Bridge. Three military formations now claim descent from Rogers' Rangers: • The Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment) of the Canadian Army was formed from loyalist veterans of Rogers' Rangers, including Robert Rogers himself. • The 1st Battalion 119th Field Artillery of the Michigan National Guard is directly descended by an unbroken line to the 30-strong detachment of Rogers' Rangers stationed in Fort Detroit. • The U.S. Army Rangers claim that they revive the traditions of Rogers' Rangers but have no direct line of descent. Rogers' Rangers were a colonial militia that fought for the Kingdom of Great Britain during the French and Indian War. Commanded by Major Robert Rogers, they operated primarily in the Lake George and Lake Champlain regions of New York. The unit was formed during the severe winter of 1755 by provincial forces entrenched at Fort William Henry. The Rangers frequently undertook winter raids against French towns and military emplacements, travelling on crude snowshoes and across frozen rivers. Never fully respected by the British regulars, Rogers' Rangers were one of the few non-Indian forces able to operate in the inhospitable region due to the harsh winter conditions and mountainous terrain. On January 21, 1757, at the First Battle on Snowshoes, Rogers' force of 74 rangers ambushed and captured seven Frenchmen near Fort Carillon but then encountered about a hundred French and Canadien (French Canadian) militia and Ottawa Indians from the Ohio Country. After taking casualties, Rogers' force retreated. In their reports, the French noted that they were at a tactical disadvantage, being without snowshoes and 'floundering in snow up to their knees,and Rogers' Rangers were fortunate in being able to maintain positions on the high ground and behind large trees. According to Francis Parkman, Ranger casualties were 14 killed and 6 captured, with 48 returning unharmed and 6 returning wounded. The French--consisting of 89 Regulars and 90 Canadians and Indians--had 37 killed and wounded. and possibly one additional casualty (one wounded and captured Ranger, who was later exchanged, claimed to have killed one of the captured Frenchmen after the Rangers were ambushed; it is unclear if this was the fate of the other captured ones as well). After British forces surrendered Fort William Henry in August 1757, the Rangers were stationed on Rogers Island near Fort Edward. This allowed the Rangers to train and operate with more freedom than the regular forces. On March 13, 1758, at the Second Battle on Snowshoes, Rogers' Rangers ambushed a French-Indian column and, in turn, were ambushed by enemy forces. The Rangers lost 125 men in this encounter, as well as eight men wounded, with 52 surviving. One reference reports casualties of the Regulars, who had volunteered to accompany the Rangers, at 2 captured and 5 killed. Of Rogers' Rangers, 78 were captured and 47 killed and missing (of whom 19 were captured). Rogers estimated 100 killed and nearly 100 wounded of the French-Indian forces; however, the French listed casualties as total of ten Indians killed, seventeen wounded and three Canadians wounded. Robert Rogers himself was originally reported by the French to have been killed in the second battle. This report stemmed from the manner of Rogers’ escape during which he discarded some of his belongings, including his regimental coat, which contained his military commission. This episode also gave rise to the famous legend about Robert Rogers’ sliding 400 feet down the side of a mountain to the frozen surface of Lake George. While there is no proof of this event, the rockface he supposedly went down has become known as 'Rogers' Slide' or 'Rogers Rock.' On July 7-8, 1758 Rogers Rangers took part in Battle of Carillon. On July 27, 1758 between Fort Edwards and Half-Way Brook 300 Indians and 200 French/Canadians under Captain St. Luc ambushed a convoy in which the English lost 116 killed (including 16 Rangers) and 60 captured. On August 8, 1758 near Crown Point, New York an English force of Rangers, light infantry and provincials was ambushed by a French-Canadian-Indian force of 450 under Captain Marin. In this action, Major Israel Putnam was captured. Francis Parkman reports that the English fatalities were 49 and that the enemy killed were "..more than a hundred..". Likewise Rogers claimed English losses were 33 and that the enemy had losses of 199. However another source reports that the French casualties were 4 Indians and 6 Canadians killed and 4 Indians and 6 Canadians {including an officer and a cadet} wounded. During 1759, the Rangers were involved in one of their most famous operations: They were ordered to destroy the Indian settlement of Saint-Francis in Quebec from which attacks on British settlements were frequently being launched. Rogers led a force of two-hundred rangers from Crown Point, New York, deep into French territory. Following the October 3, 1759 attack and successful destruction of Saint-Francis, Rogers' force ran out of food during their retreat back through the rugged wilderness of northern Vermont. Once the Rangers reached a safe location along the Connecticut River at the abandoned Fort Wentworth, Rogers left them encamped, and returned a few days later with food, and relief forces from Fort at Number 4 now Charlestown, New Hampshire the nearest English town. In the raid on Saint-Francis, Rogers claimed 200 enemies were killed, leaving 20 women and children to be taken prisoners, of whom he took 5 children prisoners; however, the French record that only 30 were killed including 20 women and children. According to Francis Parkman Ranger casualties in the attack were 1 killed and 6 wounded; however in the retreat, 5 were captured from one band of Rangers and nearly all in another party of about 20 Rangers were killed or captured. One source alleges that of about 204 Rangers, allies and observers, only about 100 returned MORE INFO: From 1754 to 1763 Europe and the Americas were caught up in a conflict between England, under King George II, and France, under King Louis XV. In Europe this period was known as the Seven Years' War; in North America it came to be called the French and Indian War. It was a conflict over trade and land. The British sent Crown forces from England to fortify the colonies and fight the French and Indian invaders, but it was also necessary to recruit soldiers from the colonial population. The British army found that fighting an enemy in the near-wilderness of North America was too much for their massed regiments. The dense forests and mountainous terrain required fighting men who knew the habits of the enemy and could serve effectively as scouts and skirmishers. "…I do therefore Hereby Constitute and Appoint you the said Robert Rogers to be Captain of an Independent Company of Rangers to be forthwith raised and Employ'd…" Men from local communities and nearby states were recruited to join ranger companies in the Hudson Valley campaign. The New Hampshireman Robert Rogers formed the most notable of these ranger companies. "On the 23d, I waited on the General, and met with a very friendly reception; he soon intimated his design of giving me the command of an independent company of rangers, and the very next morning I received the commission, with a set of instructions." Rogers grew up in southern New Hampshire, in an area which had known years of murderous Indian raids. He had the knowledge and the spirit to make a good ranger commander, and both he and his brother James joined the war in the King's service as rangers. Soon his own company, Rogers' Rangers, was in service in the upper Hudson River area where they became known for their successful but unorthodox tactics. "my men lay concealed in a thicket of willows, while I crept something nearer, to a large pine-log, where I concealed myself, by holding bushes in my hand." The Rangers wore distinctive green outfits and practiced tactics called "Rogers' Rules of Ranging," which the British considered unconventional. Rogers hired men solely on merit and shocked regular commanders with his use of Indians and freed slaves. "According to the General's orders, my company was to consist of sixty private, at 3s. New York currency per day, three searjents at 4s. an Ensign at 5s. a lieutenant at 7s. and my own pay was fixed at 10s. per day. Ten Spainish dollars were allowed each man towards providing cloaths, arms, and blankets." He trained his men in military arts such as small unit tactics and musket target practice (which the regular Crown command considered a waste of ammunition). His military tactics were so bold and effective that his unit became the Crown forces' chief scouting unit in the late 1750's. "from time to time, to use my best endeavours to distress the French and their allies, by sacking, burning, and destroying their houses, barns, barracks, canoes, battoes, &c. and by killing their cattle of every kind; and at all times to endeavor to way-lay, attack and destroy their convoys of provisions by land and water, in any part of the country where I could find them."
ROGERS RULES for RANGERS; This version comes from Kenneth Roberts' novel, Northwest Passage, in which an uneducated but veteran Ranger explains Roger's rules to the narrator, a former artist who joined Rogers:
1.Don't forget nothing. 2.Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute's warning. 3.When you're on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first. 4.Tell the truth about what you see and what you do. There is an army depending on us for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to a Ranger or officer. 5.Don't never take a chance you don't have to. 6.When we're on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can't go through two men. 7.If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it's hard to track us. 8.When we march, we keep moving till dark, so as to give the enemy the least possible chance at us. 9.When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps. 10.If we take prisoners, we keep 'em separate till we have had time to examine them, so they can't cook up a story between 'em. 11.Don't ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won't be ambushed. 12.No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to keep a scout 20 yards ahead, 20 yards on each flank, and 20 yards in the rear so the main body can't be surprised and wiped out. 13.Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force. 14.Don't sit down to eat without posting sentries. 15.Don't sleep beyond dawn. Dawn's when the French and Indians attack. 16.Don't cross a river by a regular ford. 17.If somebody's trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and ambush the folks that aim to ambush you. 18.Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you. Kneel down, lie down, hide behind a tree. 19.Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch, then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet.
ORIGINAL RULES as written in 1759 I. All Rangers are to be subject to the rules and articles of war; to appear at roll- call every evening, on their own parade, equipped, each with a Firelock, sixty rounds of powder and ball, and a hatchet, at which time an officer from each company is to inspect the same, to see they are in order, so as to be ready on any emergency to march at a minute's warning; and before they are dismissed, the necessary guards are to be draughted, and scouts for the next day appointed.
II. Whenever you are ordered out to the enemies forts or frontiers for discoveries, if your number be small, march in a single file, keeping at such a distance from each other as to prevent one shot from killing two men, sending one man, or more, forward, and the like on each side, at the distance of twenty yards from the main body, if the ground you march over will admit of it, to give the signal to the officer of the approach of an enemy, and of their number, &c.
III. If you march over marshes or soft ground, change your position, and march abreast of each other to prevent the enemy from tracking you (as they would do if you marched in a single file) till you get over such ground, and then resume your former order, and march till it is quite dark before you encamp, which do, if possible, on a piece of ground which that may afford your centries the advantage of seeing or hearing the enemy some considerable distance, keeping one half of your whole party awake alternately through the night.
IV. Some time before you come to the place you would reconnoitre, make a stand, and send one or two men in whom you can confide, to look out the best ground for making your observations.
V. If you have the good fortune to take any prisoners, keep them separate, till they are examined, and in your return take a different route from that in which you went out, that you may the better discover any party in your rear, and have an opportunity, if their strength be superior to yours, to alter your course, or disperse, as circumstances may require.
VI. If you march in a large body of three or four hundred, with a design to attack the enemy, divide your party into three columns, each headed by a proper officer, and let those columns march in single files, the columns to the right and left keeping at twenty yards distance or more from that of the center, if the ground will admit, and let proper guards be kept in the front and rear, and suitable flanking parties at a due distance as before directed, with orders to halt on all eminences, to take a view of the surrounding ground, to prevent your being ambuscaded, and to notify the approach or retreat of the enemy, that proper dispositions may be made for attacking, defending, &c. And if the enemy approach in your front on level ground, form a front of your three columns or main body with the advanced guard, keeping out your flanking parties, as if you were marching under the command of trusty officers, to prevent the enemy from pressing hard on either of your wings, or surrounding you, which is the usual method of the savages, if their number will admit of it, and be careful likewise to support and strengthen your rear-guard.
VII. If you are obliged to receive the enemy's fire, fall, or squat down, till it is over; then rise and discharge at them. If their main body is equal to yours, extend yourselves occasionally; but if superior, be careful to support and strengthen your flanking parties, to make them equal to theirs, that if possible you may repulse them to their main body, in which case push upon them with the greatest resolution with equal force in each flank and in the center, observing to keep at a due distance from each other, and advance from tree to tree, with one half of the party before the other ten or twelve yards. If the enemy push upon you, let your front fire and fall down, and then let your rear advance thro' them and do the like, by which time those who before were in front will be ready to discharge again, and repeat the same alternately, as occasion shall require; by this means you will keep up such a constant fire, that the enemy will not be able easily to break your order, or gain your ground.
VIII. If you oblige the enemy to retreat, be careful, in your pursuit of them, to keep out your flanking parties, and prevent them from gaining eminences, or rising grounds, in which case they would perhaps be able to rally and repulse you in their turn.
IX. If you are obliged to retreat, let the front of your whole party fire and fall back, till the rear hath done the same, making for the best ground you can; by this means you will oblige the enemy to pursue you, if they do it at all, in the face of a constant fire.
X. If the enemy is so superior that you are in danger of being surrounded by them, let the whole body disperse, and every one take a different road to the place of rendezvous appointed for that evening, which must every morning be altered and fixed for the evening ensuing, in order to bring the whole party, or as many of them as possible, together, after any separation that may happen in the day; but if you should happen to be actually surrounded, form yourselves into a square, or if in the woods, a circle is best, and, if possible, make a stand till the darkness of the night favours your escape.
XI. If your rear is attacked, the main body and flankers must face about to the right or left, as occasion shall require, and form themselves to oppose the enemy, as before directed; and the same method must be observed, if attacked in either of your flanks, by which means you will always make a rear of one of your flank-guards.
XII. If you determine to rally after a retreat, in order to make a fresh stand against the enemy, by all means endeavour to do it on the most rising ground you come at, which will give you greatly the advantage in point of situation, and enable you to repulse superior numbers.
XIII. In general, when pushed upon by the enemy, reserve your fire till they approach very near, which will then put them into the greatest surprize and consternation, and give you an opportunity of rushing upon them with your hatchets and cutlasses to the better advantage.
XIV. When you encamp at night, fix your centries in such a manner as not to be relieved from the main body till morning, profound secrecy and silence being often of the last importance in these cases. Each centry therefore should consist of six men, two of whom must be constantly alert, and when relieved by their fellows, it should be done without noise; and in case those on duty see or hear any thing, which alarms them, they are not to speak, but one of them is silently to retreat, and acquaint the commanding officer thereof, that proper dispositions may be made; and all occasional centries should be fixed in like manner.
XV. At the first dawn of day, awake your whole detachment; that being the time when the savages the savages chuse to fall upon their enemies, you should by all means be in readiness to receive them.
XVI. If the enemy should be discovered by your detachments in the morning, and their numbers are superior to yours, and a victory doubtful, you should not attack them till the evening, as then they will not know your numbers, and if you are repulsed, your retreat will be favoured by the darkness of the night. XVII. Before you leave your encampment, send out small parties to scout round it, to see if there be any appearance or track of an enemy that might have been near you during the night.
XVIII. When you stop for refreshment, chuse some spring or rivulet if you can, and dispose your party so as not to be surprised, posting proper guards and centries at a due distance, and let a small party waylay the path you came in, lest the enemy should be pursuing.
XIX. If, in your return, you have to cross rivers, avoid the usual fords as much as possible, lest the enemy should have discovered, and be there expecting you. XX. If you have to pass by lakes, keep at some distance from the edge of the water, lest, in case of an ambuscade or an attack from the enemy, when in that situation, your retreat should be cut off.
XXI. If the enemy pursue your rear, take a circle till you come to your own tracks, and there form an ambush to receive them, and give them the first fire.
XXII. When you return from a scout, and come near our forts, avoid the usual roads, and avenues thereto, lest the enemy should have headed you, and lay in ambush to receive you, when almost exhausted with fatigues.
XXIII. When you pursue any party that has been near our forts or encampments, follow not directly in their tracks, lest they should be discovered by their rear guards, who, at such a time, would be most alert; but endeavour, by a different route, to head and meet them in some narrow pass, or lay in ambush to receive them when and where they least expect it.
XXIV. If you are to embark in canoes, battoes, or otherwise, by water, chuse the evening for the time of your embarkation, as you will then have the whole night before you, to pass undiscovered by any parties of the enemy, on hills, or other places, which command a prospect of the lake or river you are upon.
XXV. In padling or rowing, give orders that the boat or canoe next the sternmost, wait for her, and the third for the second, and the fourth for the third, and so on, to prevent separation, and that you may be ready to assist each other on any emergency.
XXVI. Appoint one man in each boat to look out for fires, on the adjacent shores, from the numbers and size of which you may form some judgment of the number that kindled them, and whether you are able to attack them or not.
XXVII. If you find the enemy encamped near the banks of a river or lake, which you imagine they will attempt to cross for their security upon being attacked, leave a detachment of your party on the opposite shore to receive them, while, with the remainder, you surprize them, having them between you and the lake or river.
XXVIII. If you cannot satisfy yourself as to the enemy's number and strength, from their fire, &c. conceal your boats at some distance, and ascertain their number by a reconnoitering party, when they embark, or march, in the morning, marking the course they steer, &c. when you may pursue, ambush, and attack them, or let them pass, as prudence shall direct you. In general, however, that you may not be discovered by the enemy upon the lakes and rivers at a great distance, it is safest to lay by, with your boats and party concealed all day, without noise or shew; and to pursue your intended route by night; and whether you go by land or water, give out parole and countersigns, in order to know one another in the dark, and likewise appoint a station every man to repair to, in case of any accident that may separate you."
During my career in the Army National Guard I was privileged to serve on active duty special work with the Joint Counter Narcotics Task Force(JCNTF)in Arizona and the Counter Drug Task Force in New Mexico.
Both Units involved completing some type of training program in conducting Patrols in the mountains and deserts,vehicle searches, weapons qualification, Combat life saver course, PT test, Interviews etc.
It was a good experience for me and in each state( Az,NM) I was privileged to work with the men and women of the U. s. Border Patrol.
At my 1st unit in The New Mexico National Guard, I worked with the USBP Agents from the El Paso Texas sector. We conducted Listening Post/Observation Posts (LP/OP) missions as well as foot patrols along the Border searching for any type of illegal activity involving drugs or illegal immigration.
My Unit in Arizona assigned me as a Law enforcement communications associate (LECA) at the USBP station at Douglas Arizona where aside from LECA duties I also worked in the Arms room where I would issue all long guns, sabre radios and night vision devices to the agents on my shift.
It was good duty and I really liked it.
While working with the USBP agents in the El Paso sector I met several agents who were members of the BORDER TACTICAL unit or BORTAC. I had never heard of it and some of the guys filled me in on the training and it sounded to me like something I would not even consider doing.
I remember one guy telling me that for the first 4 days of the course the cadre made you do push up until you were unable to do any more and could barely raise your arms, you were then taken to the pistol qualification course to do weapons quals. Anyhoo, here is a little info on these guys. It is a small unit of very qualified and dedicated guys whom I am proud to say I had an association with.
Tomahawk – Scouts Out!
BORTAC is an initialism for the United States "Border Patrol Tactical Unit". BORTAC is the tactical team of the United States Border Patrol Mission The mission of BORTAC is "to respond to terrorist threats of all types anywhere in the world in order to protect our nation’s homeland." History The unit was first formed in 1984 to deal with disturbances occurring within INS detention facilities, but this mission is now handled by ICE Detention & Removal Operations Tactical Intervention And Control (TIAC) teams. Since its inception BORTAC has steadily expanded its scope and mission capabilities, and is now a rapid response unit capable of executing both foreign and national level domestic operations. BORTAC members have operated in 28 countries around the world. Missions have included international training/advisory functions, counter terrorism operations, counter narcotics operations, high-risk warrant service, dignitary protection, interdiction & patrol operations, and tactical training to other U.S. agencies and military units. Organization BORTAC headquarters is collocated with its training unit at Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas. The BORTAC training unit is currently responsible for conducting all CBP tactical team training. In addition the unit also provides specialist training to other Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. As part of a joint Department of State/ Department of Justice training program, BORTAC has also provided tactical team and counter narcotics training to several foreign governments police, paramilitary, tactical, drug, and specialist units, including the El Salvador National Police's Grupo de Respuesta Policial (GRP) tactical unit. Training Border Patrol Agents wishing to become members of BORTAC must meet the following requirements: • Have a minimum of three (3) years of continuous Border Patrol service in good standing • Obtain a passing score of 90% or better on the Border Patrol Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) & the firearms qualification course of fire (at least 324/360) • Pass an oral interview panel conducted by current BORTAC members • Successfully complete a BORTAC Selection Course • Be available for extended deployment (90 days or more) anywhere anytime. • Make proper application for consideration to HQ-BORTAC The five week BORTAC basic training course is considered one of the most difficult and arduous training courses in civilian law enforcement. Qualified BP personnel may volunteer for the unit. After an initial screening process, which includes a strenuous physical fitness test, prospective BORTAC operators are scheduled to attend the next BORTAC Basic Training Session. The course covers such diverse subjects as operations planning, land navigation, patrolling, tactical tracking, rappelling and fast roping, close quarters battle (CQB), riot control techniques, defensive tactics, firearms marksmanship, and air assault operations. Equipment BORTAC is authorized a wide range of weapons systems such as: Beretta 96D in .40 S&W Brigadier Service Pistol, Heckler & Koch USP in .40 S&W, SIG P229 DAO 9x19mm Parabellum, Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun with 14" barrel, M4A1 carbine, M16A1 or M16A2, M14 rifle 7.62mm NATO, HK UMP in .40 S&W, Remington 700 .308 rifle, M40 rifle XBKS .308 rifle, M79 grenade launcher, M203 grenade launcher, 37 mm gas guns, Heckler & Koch MP5, Heckler & Koch HK33A2, Heckler & Koch HK53 A2 or A3, and the Steyr SSG rifle. The Remington shotguns have been specially modified by Scattergun Technologies. Uniforms When conducting operations BORTAC personnel normally wear OG-107 uniforms, or sage green flight suits with a subdued Border Patrol patch sewn on. Each team member is also equipped with a Kevlar ballistic helmet, and an Kevlar assault vest. Boots worn by individual team members depend on the operators personal preference and situation. Operations During the 1980’s War on Drugs, BORTAC worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration conducting counter narcotics operations in South America during Operation Snow Cap.
In 1992, BORTAC was deployed to Los Angeles to help restore order after rioting broke out in the wake of the Rodney King trial.
In April of 2000, the BORTAC conducted Operation “Reunion,” in which it executed a raid on a home in Miami, Florida and safely returned Cuban refugee Elian Gonzalez to his family in Cuba. Following the World Trade Center Attack in September of 2001, BORTAC personnel were sent to high-risk areas around the country to help secure against future attacks.
In 2002, BORTAC worked jointly with the United States Secret Service securing sports venues at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. Recent natural disasters have vaulted BORTAC personnel into tactical relief operations (TRO) by providing hurricane relief aid to Gulf Coast residents and law enforcement support to law enforcement agencies affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Mr. Poon Lim is my favorite survivor of all time, his epic story of survival on the Atlantic ocean in a Carley float life raft is unmatched. His ability to survive naked with virtually no equipment really impresses me.
Lim used some survival skills and showed clever use of available materials by using the spring from the rafts flashlight to make a fish hook, then untwisted some rope to get smaller strands to retwist into a fishing line.
He fashioned another larger hook from a nail he extracted from the life raft by pulling it out with his teeth! Pretty amazing. He used the lids from the ration cans on the raft to make knives to cut up his fish and any sea birds he was able to capture.
There was another guy in 2002; Mr. Richard Van Pham, 62 – a Vietnamese immigrant to the USA; was sailing his small sail boat off of Catalina Island in California when he encountered a storm and damaged the mast on his boat. He subsequently drifted in his boat for 4 ½ months and survived on fish and birds, he fashioned a grill to cook his food, collected rain water in a plastic bucket etc.
He was defiantly a survivor but to me I think Mr. Lim’s ordeal was much more difficult due to the lack of shelter, clothing and equipment.
I have attached some information on both Mr. Lim and Mr. Van Pham, you can read it and decide for yourselves who is the greatest survivor.
Tomahawk – Scouts out!
Poon Lim or Lim Poon BEM (March 8, 1918 – January 4, 1991) was a Chinese sailor who survived 133 days alone in the South Atlantic.Poon Lim was born in Hainan, China . In 1942, during World War II, he was working as second steward on the British merchant ship SS Ben Lomond, which was on its way from Cape Town to Dutch Guiana. The ship was armed but slow moving and was sailing alone instead of being in a convoy.
On November 23, the German U-boat U-172 intercepted and torpedoed the ship in position 0°18′N 38°27′W00.30°N 38.45°W, some 750 miles east of the Amazon. As the ship was sinking, Poon Lim took a life jacket and jumped overboard before the ship's boilers exploded. Of a crew of 54, only he survived.
After approximately two hours in the water, he found an empty Carley float liferaft and climbed into it. The raft had several tins of biscuits, a forty litre jug of water, some chocolate, a bag of sugar lumps, some flares, two smoke pots and an electric torch.
Poon Lim initially kept himself alive by drinking the water and eating the food on the raft, but later resorted to catching rainwater in a canvas tarp and fishing. He could not swim very well and often tied a rope from the boat to his wrist, in case he fell into the ocean. He took a wire from the electric torch and made it into a fishhook, and used hemp rope as a fishing line. He also dug a nail out of the boards on the wooden raft and bent it into a hook for larger fish.
When he captured a fish, he cut it open with a knife he fashioned out of a biscuit tin and dried the fish on a hemp line over the raft. Once, a large storm hit and spoiled his fish and fouled his water. Poon, barely alive, caught a bird and drank its blood to survive.
On two occasions other vessels passed nearby: first a freighter, then a squad of United States Navy patrol planes. Poon contended that the freighter saw him but did not pick him up because he was Chinese. The Navy planes did see him, and one dropped a marker buoy in the water. Unfortunately for Poon, a large storm hit the area at the same time and he was lost again. He was also once spotted by a German U-boat, which had been doing gunnery drills by targeting seagulls.
At first he counted the days by tying knots in a rope, but later decided that there was no point in counting the days and simply began counting full moons. On April 5, 1943, Poon Lim reached land and a river inlet. A few days earlier, he had known that he was close to the land because the colour of the water had changed; it was no longer the oceanic deep blue. Three Brazilian fishermen rescued him and took him to Belém three days later.
During his ordeal, Poon Lim had lost 9kg, but was able to walk unaided upon being rescued. He spent two weeks in a Brazilian hospital and the British Consul arranged for him to return to Britain via Miami and New York.
King George VI bestowed a British Empire Medal (BEM) on him, and the Royal Navy incorporated his tale into manuals of survival techniques. After the war, Poon Lim decided to emigrate to the United States, but the quota for Chinese immigrants had been reached. However, because of his fame and the aid of Senator Warren Magnuson, he received a special dispensation and eventually gained citizenship. Poon died in Brooklyn on January 4, 1991.
Richard Van Pham, 62 of Long Beach, Calif., was ashore for the first time in 3½ months after being rescued by a Navy warship on an anti-drug patrol more than 2,500 miles from his home, the San Diego Union-Tribune said Tuesday. He was believed to be arranging to get home with $800 collected by the crew of the USS McClusky. "This is an amazing story of survival," Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Lance Jones told the newspaper Monday, a day after Van Pham was dropped off in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala by the frigate.
Van Pham was described as being in relatively good shape after surviving on rainwater, fish and sea birds, though he was 40 pounds lighter than he was in early June when he set sail from Long Beach harbor for what was supposed to be a routine 25-mile sail to Catalina Island.
"He's a tough old bird," Cmdr. Gary Parriott, the McClusky's skipper, told the Union-Tribune by satellite phone Monday. "I'm not sure I would have fared as well as he did."
Van Pham could not immediately be located in Guatemala, but members of the McClusky's crew told the newspaper that Van Pham survived on fish and sea turtles and used bits of their flesh to lure gulls and other birds that were added to the menu when they landed on the splintered mast.
When the McClusky pulled alongside the battered boat, which was first spotted by a Customs Service reconnaissance plane on Sept. 17, Van Pham was barbecuing a sea gull on a makeshift grill using some of the boat's wooden trim for a fire.
A Spanish-speaking petty officer hailed the castaway, and Van Pham shouted back that he spoke only English. After being brought aboard, the 26-foot Sea Breeze was scuttled in 8,700 feet of water while Van Pham was checked out in the sick bay. "He waved goodbye to his sailboat," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Slaight. "He was upset and said he was going to miss it."
Although Catalina is generally visible from the Los Angeles County coast, a storm that moved through the area dismasted Van Pham's boat Sea Breeze. The boat's radio and engine also failed, leaving Van Pham at the mercy of the currents that carried him south past San Diego and the entire west coast of Mexico.
Van Pham was never reported missing by any of his friends, and he said he had no family, so a search for the Sea Breeze was never launched. "It also shows the importance of filing a float plan with friends or family," said the Coast Guard's Jones.
Back in the mid 70’s while in the army I met a dude in my company that was 100% Cherokee Indian from the reservation in North Carolina; I don’t think it was more than a few hours drive from Ft. bragg where we were stationed. Anyway, he told me about river cane and its uses to his people.
http://www.cherokee-nc.com/
I was mainly interested in the making of arrows, blow guns and vials for storing stuff in. I think his people wove baskets from split cane too.
We made a few forays into the surrounding area while off duty to fish and forage for plants and to do a little camping once in a while.
Last Sunday while walking back to my hotel from the Mexican border, I spied a patch of river cane and decided to snap a few pictures of it.
This plant has many uses; My Chinese green card whore X wife would wrap rice balls in the leaves and cook it that way. The leaves impart a very delicious flavor to the rice.
I can remember meeting a guy several years ago at the rabbit stick rendezvous in Idaho named Steve watts from Gastonia NC who was somewhat of an authority on river cane and its uses, as I recall he had some decent illustrations of articles made from the stuff. You could possibly find info by googleing his name if interested.
Please find below a little info on river cane and if you have this plant in your area go get some and try it out. It never hurts to broaden your wilderness skills and plant knowledge.
Tomahawk – on the trail!
Arundinaria, commonly known as the canes, is the sole temperate genus of bamboo native to the New World (though several others exist in the American tropics). The genus is endemic to the eastern United States from New Jersey south to Florida and west to Ohio and Texas. Within this region they are found from the Coastal Plain to medium elevations in the Appalachian Mountains. Its members have running rhizomes and are woody and tree-like, attaining heights from 0.5 up to 8 meters. They produce seeds only rarely and usually reproduce vegetatively instead. After production of seed, the colony usually dies. Among the distinctive features of the canes is a fan-like cluster of leaves at the top of new stems called a top knot. Early explorers in the US described vast stands of Arundinaria called canebrakes that were especially common in river lowlands, but these have declined significantly due to clearing, farming and fire suppression.
The genus is the subject of much taxonomic debate and the number of species included varies depending on the treatment. It is currently treated in a sensu stricto, making it an exclusively North American genus with 3 species, though other interpretations include a number of Old World genera such as Bashania, Oligostachyum and Sarocalamus. Older systems included the large genera Fargesia and Sasa, giving the genus upwards of 400 species. When Asian taxa are included it is the only bamboo genus to occur in both the Old and New Worlds. The name is derived from the Latin word arundo meaning "reed".
The Long Range Desert Group is another one of my favorite allied units to come out of ww2. Being a “desert rat” my self I greatly admire these guys ability to adapt to the harsh environment of the Libyan Desert.
Their vehicles, weapons and communication equipment were their principal life line to these LRDG scouts but the uniqueness of this equipment is what I like. They were issued a wide variety of clothing to include the shemagh and kaffeia, desert sandals called “Chapplies”, surveyors transom, sun compasses instead of lensatic compasses, “Hebron” coats made from sheep fleece, etc.
Their weapons were a mix of axis and allied weapons and these guys are believed to have coined the term “Gerry cans” for the 5 gallon fuel cans taken from the Germans. You can still see these cans in use today and are still being called “Gerry cans”.
Personally I like the use of what they called a “Bengazi boiler” which was made from one of the allied fuel cans. These were used to cook their rations or a quick brew up while on patrol and were fueled by burning scraps of wood or filling the cans with sand then soaking it in diesel fuel.
There are many other interesting bits of desert survival info, lore and ww2 history on the different LRDG websites if you are interested in researching it.
http://www.lrdg.org/
http://blindkat.hegewisch.net/lrdg/lrdg.html
Please take the time to have a look at the info, it is well worth your time and you might even learn a thing or two.
Tomahawk – Scouts out!
The Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) was a unit of the British Army during World War II. The unit was founded in Egypt, following the Italian declaration of war in June 1940, by Major Ralph A. Bagnold with the assistance of Captains Patrick Clayton and William Shaw, acting under the direction of then General Archibald Wavell. The group specialized in mechanized reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and desert navigation. The group was disbanded at the end of the war. The LRDG was nicknamed the "Mosquito Army" by Wavell. Special Air Service soldiers would refer to it as the "Libyan Desert Taxi Service". During the Desert Campaign of 1940 to 1943 the LRDG invariably operated hundreds of miles behind enemy lines; although its chief function was reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, units of the LRDG (called "Patrols") did carry out some hard-hitting strike operations, the most famous one of which was Operation Caravan, an attack on the town of Barce and its associated airfield, which took place on the night of 13 September 1942. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was to state: "The LRDG caused us more damage than any other unit of their size."
Formation and equipment During World War I reconnaissance and light-strike forces known as Light Car Patrols (LCP) operated against Senussi and later Turkish forces across Egypt and Palestine. These units, manned by New Zealand, Australian and British personnel, used converted Ford Model T cars armed with Lewis machine guns. Between the wars Major Ralph Bagnold, an officer in the Royal Signals Corps pioneered long range travel and navigation techniques. Travelling extensively throughout Egypt and Libya in Ford Model A trucks, he succeeded in negotiating areas hitherto thought impassable. Among other things, Bagnold had made major improvements on the Sun Compass, the new version of which was patented by him and later used by the LRDG. Bagnold's experiences with Italian military forces persuaded him that they posed a major threat to Egypt and the Suez canal in the event of war being declared. With this in mind, in 1939, Major Bagnold proposed setting up a unit similar to the Light Car Patrols which could be used to spy on the Italians. His ideas were roundly dismissed until, through a set of fortunate circumstances, he was able to get his ideas to then General Archibald Wavell who, by the entry of Italy into the war in June 1940, was in command of the British and Commonwealth armies in the Middle East. Wavell immediately saw the merits of Bagnold's scheme and Bagnold was given a free hand to look for volunteers amongst the forces which were available. An Italian Autoblinda AB.41 armoured car. These were sometimes encountered by the LRDG; a notable occasion was during "Operation Caravan" in September 1942. The unit, initially known as the Long Range Patrol, was founded on 3 July 1940. From the start it was thought that Australians and New Zealanders, with their mostly rural backgrounds, would be more self-reliant than their more urbanised British counterparts. However, General Blamey was restricted by a directive issued by the Australian government that Australian personnel were to fight together as the AIF and were not to be parcelled out to non-Australian formations. The New Zealanders were approached next and 150 New Zealand volunteers were then selected with the permission of General Freyberg, the New Zealand commanding general in the Middle East theatre. Bagnold had reasoned that the New Zealanders, being mostly farmers, would be more adept at using and maintaining machinery. Later additions to the group included British and Rhodesian units. An Indian Long Range Squadron was also set up, which operated as a semi-autonomous formation within the LRDG. Several South Africans also served in the LRDG. During the Desert Campaign, from 1940 to 1943, the LRDG went through several phases of organisation, although in the first year or so it was broadly organised into Patrols of two officers, 28 "other ranks" and four reinforcements manning 11 vehicles. Later it was found that it would be more flexible to split each Patrol into two Half Patrols each of which comprised one officer and 15 to 20 other ranks in five or six vehicles. Each vehicle was manned by a vehicle commander, a driver, who also specialised in maintenance and loading of the vehicle, and a gunner, who was responsible for maintaining all weapons and associated equipment. W/T trucks had a navigator/wireless operator added to the crew in place of one of the gunners. The LRDG gained a well earned reputation as the experts in navigation in the Middle East. The LRDG was also frequently called upon to transport personnel of the SAS, the Free French, Popski's Private Army and other commando units, as well as British and Arab undercover agents. Allied prisoners of war were sometimes rescued as well as downed aircrew, and enemy personnel were often captured by LRDG patrols. One of two 30 cwt Chevrolet WBs used during the first LRP incursion into Libya in August 1940. This vehicle is carrying a Lewis machine gun. Vehicles Initially the LRDG used a combination of ex-civilian 30 cwt Chevrolet WBs and 15 cwt Ford 01 V8 "pilot cars"; the latter were used by Patrol commanders to scout the terrain ahead of the main unit. From about mid-1941 the 30 cwt Chevrolets were supplemented and gradually replaced by Ford F30 30 cwt 4x4 trucks. Although these vehicles, with their four wheel drive, were good at crossing rough terrain their heavy fuel consumption was a big disadvantage;[7] another problem was that the engine was mounted partly within the cab - this meant that conditions for the driver and passenger became very hot and uncomfortable. To aid cooling the radiator grilles and bonnets of the F30s were usually removed. The Ford 01s were also replaced by 15 cwt Chevrolet 1131X3 4x2, "Indian Pattern". Converting LRDG trucks for desert use entailed removing the cab roof and doors, replacing the windscreen with "aero" screens and fitting radiator condensers, Bagnold sun compasses, steel sand channels and heavy canvas sand mats,[8] plus weapons mountings. A number of trucks were also equipped with "aero" compasses of the type used by RAF aircraft and others had magnetic compasses in addition to the standard Bagnold sun-compass. Special wide-tread, low-pressure desert tires, which could be identified by their "diamond" or square tread pattern, were fitted. Spare wheels were often carried on quick release mountings on the sides of the vehicles, with additional spare wheels being loaded in the cargo tray. Because the trucks carried up to two and a half tons of equipment and supplies at the start of each mission the suspension springs were reinforced with extra leaves. "R6" of R 1 Patrol has been caught, fortunately not too deeply, in soft sand and is being prepared for "unditching". The sand mats have been laid in front of the front wheels and a sand channel is about to be pushed under the right rear wheel. In March 1942 the LRDG began to receive the first of 200 Canadian-built Chevrolet 1533X2 4x2 30 cwt trucks, with a steel Gotfredson 4BI "ammunition body". Each of the Gotfredson bodies had lockers incorporated into the front face and forward of the rear wheels. The body sides were made higher by fitting wooden "greedy boards"; the posts onto which the "greedy boards" were mounted also doubled as weapons mountings capable of carrying a light machine gun. A reinforced post mounting for the rear machine gun was fitted to the rear half of the tray. Another weapons post was fitted to the front left door pillar. Brackets for carrying Lee-Enfield rifles were usually fitted to the rear door posts on both sides of the open cab. The Bagnold sun compass was fitted to the centre of the front bulkhead, above the instrument panel. Most of these vehicles also carried racks of three two-gallon oil cans on the rear of each running board. A good illustration of where equipment was fitted is shown in the photo of "T10" of "T 1 Patrol". In the case of W/T trucks a special compartment was built into the forward right side of the Gotfredson body in which was fitted an Army No. 11 wireless transmitter and a Philips model 635 receiver; wooden masts for the "Windom" aerial array were fitted on brackets to the "greedy board" above the radio installation and an insulated aerial mount was fitted to the front of the body. The compartment was covered by a bottom-hinged flap which doubled as a table when lowered; in addition the No 11 wireless was covered by a door which slid backwards along the side of the body. Although these vehicles were two wheel drive an extra low ratio gearbox and powerful straight-six engine meant they could deal with the terrain types traversed by the LRDG. On flat, firm surfaces they could easily reach and cruise at 100 km/h. More importantly, they consumed petrol at half the rate of the F30s which was a vital factor in allowing the unit to carry out successful long-range missions. An LRDG Jeep. Sand tyres are fitted rather than the more familiar chevron pattern military types. From early 1942 the Chevrolet 1131 "pilot cars" were progressively replaced by Willys Jeeps as supplies became available. For several months the Special Air Service took priority over the LRDG when Jeeps were being allocated, the irony being that in several of its early missions the SAS relied on the LRDG for transport. The LRDG took particular delight in salvaging abandoned SAS Jeeps and restoring them back to running order before handing them over to their own patrol leaders. LRDG Jeeps were typically armed with either the Vickers K or .303 Browning machine gun in either a single or twinned mountings. From early 1943 Jeeps progressively became the main patrol vehicle as the Chevrolets and remaining Ford trucks wore out. By May, when the Desert Campaign was wound up, the standard establishment had become six Jeeps per half Patrol. It should be noted that the LRDG maintained its vehicles to a very high standard and boasted well equipped workshop facilities at its base (called "The Citadel") in Cairo and at its forward bases at Kufra and later Jalo. Each patrol went out with a "fitters" truck which was a standard patrol vehicle equipped with tools and spare parts (extra springs, fanbelts, carburettors, clutches, spark plugs etc) sufficient to allow running repairs in the field. This truck always travelled at the rear of the column. The fitter who was part of the crew, was a fully qualified motor mechanic. The drivers of each vehicle were also able to carry out mechanical repairs. Many vehicles were salvaged through some ingenious improvisation; on one mission a truck cracked its differential housing and crushed the cover plate on a rock, completely losing the oil. Towing the vehicle the 1,600 km back to base was impossible. The solution reached was to seal the cracked housing with chewing-gum and to pack the differential with whole bananas. Once the cover plate was hammered back to shape and bolted in place, and a trial run carried out, the 1,600 km journey was completed without any problems. At the end of each mission the trucks were routinely overhauled and every four to six months they were taken to the base workshops and, in effect, rebuilt. LRDG "Heavy" Section The primary role of the Heavy Section was to establish and provision forward supply dumps for the Patrol units. Initially this unit used four six-ton Marmon-Herringtons, supplied by the Southern Mediterranean Oil Company. These vehicles, with their six wheel drive, worked well in the desert; each could carry 144 cases of petrol as well as their own fuel and supplies. On occasion they could also be used to transport broken down patrol vehicles back to base. These were later replaced with four 10-ton Whites. In Spring 1942 the Whites were replaced by four Mack NR 9s and soon 20 Ford F60 CMP (Canadian Military Pattern) trucks were added. Captured Italian vehicles were sometimes used, especially the Fiat Spa AS37 light four wheel drive truck. Weapons, 1940 to 1943. From the inception of the Long Range Patrol the weapons used and the numbers issued varied, depending on availability. The early "normal" equipment for each patrol was ten Lewis machine guns, four Boys Anti-tank Rifles, augmented by water-cooled .50 Cal Vickers machine guns and a Bofors 37 mm anti-tank gun carried in the back of some adapted Chevrolet WBs and Ford F30s. Personal weapons carried were: A Chevrolet WB with a Bofors 37 mm anti-tank gun mounted in the back. The steel "bowler hats" were rarely used on active service in the LRDG. • Lee-Enfield .303 SMLE No. 1 Mk. III or No. 4 Mk. I rifle; • Enfield .38 revolver No. 2 Mk. I* or Webley .38 revolver Mk. VI; • Colt 1911A1 .45 automatic pistol. • Thompson .45 cal M1928A1 or M1 sub-machine gun; 50-round drum magazine or 30-round box magazine. • Lee-Enfield SMLE No. 1 Mk. III EY; Extra Yoke – fitted with discharger cup able to fire a No. 36M Mills grenade. • Several types of grenades were used; Mills bombs, No 68 Anti-tank grenades, and No. 69 grenades were the usual types carried. From March 1942, with the issue of the new Chevrolets, to May 1943 and the end of the desert campaign, new weapons were introduced: Vehicle-mounted guns: • Boys Mk. 1 .55 cal anti-tank rifle. This rapidly became obsolete and was rarely used after March 1942. • Lewis Mk. I .303; Rendered obsolescent by the .303 Vickers K. • Vickers K (or V.G.O. for Vickers Gas Operated) .303; The Vickers K, taken from surplus RAF stocks, was the machine-gun most widely used by the LRDG. They were often used in "twin" swivel mounts on the passenger's side of the cab. One Messerschmitt Bf 110 was shot down by a Vickers K operated by Corporal Merlyn Craw MM in December 1941. Also carried by Jeeps. • Vickers Medium Mk. I .303 and Vickers Heavy Mk. V .50 cal water-cooled machine-guns; mounted on a post in the rear body. The LRDG devised a "swan neck" swivel which was often used. The Vickers tripods were also carried so that the weapons could be dismounted and operated from the ground when needed. • .303 Browning.303 Mk. II air-cooled; Taken from R.A.F. stocks; the .303 Brownings, originally aircraft weapons, were fitted with improvised butts and firing mechanisms, and were often mounted in pairs. The barrel sleeve featured rows of cooling slots rather than the holes of the American .30 M1919A4. • .50 Cal. Browning M2/AN air-cooled: This was the light-barrelled version of the Browning, usually used in aircraft of the USAAF, USN and RAF. These started being issued in late September 1942, replacing the Vickers water cooled machine guns and the Boys Rifle. The LRDG trained on many types of weapons, some of which were rarely used. Others were rejected for operational use or were issued in very small numbers: • Bren Mk. 1 .303 Light Machine Gun; There is little evidence that Bren guns were used, although they may have been issued in very small numbers. It seems that if the Bren Gun was used, it was usually fitted with a 100-round drum magazine. • 2 inch mortar; These were carried but were rarely used with the SMLE EY being the preferred weapon. • Browning HP35 9 mm Para.; A reluctance on the part of the British armed services to adopt automatic pistols meant that the HP 35 was never issued to the LRDG. • Sten gun 9 mm Para.; never used in action by the LRDG which had access to good supplies of the Thompson SMG, considered to be far superior. Trials of the Sten showed that the early marks especially were prone to jamming and were unreliable in other ways. Breda 20 mm Modello 35 mounted on the back of a "gun truck", of T 2 Patrol. The "greedy boards" have been altered to allow the weapon to have a 180 degree traverse. Those in the photo are; Gunner Cyril A Dornbush MM, A G Ferguson (centre), and K Kelly. LRDG personnel did not shave while on an active patrol to conserve water. Kufra Oasis, 1942. Examples of captured weapons: The LRDG made use of many weapons captured from Italians or Germans. • Breda 20 mm Modello 35 dual-purpose cannon were mounted on the centre bed of several Gotfredson bodied Chevrolets. Replacing the slow-firing 37 mm Bofors, they were hard-hitting and reliable, and could deal with the occasional German or Italian armoured cars which were encountered. These were fed by ten round clips. The main disadvantage was that the vehicles were left with little load space for their own supplies, which had to be distributed among the rest of the patrol. One Breda truck per half-patrol was the standard establishment in 1942. Single or twin machine guns were also mounted in the cab passenger position. • Breda M37 & M38 8 mm machine guns were the only Italian machine guns considered to be even marginally usable by the LRDG, and they were only used as a last resort if nothing better was available. • The Erma Werke 9 mm Para. MP40 Maschinen Pistole was often used. Usually called the Schmeisser, this term was a misnomer by Allied soldiers – arms designer Hugo Schmeisser had nothing to do with designing the weapon, although he held patents on the magazine. Explosive devices: Land mines were frequently carried and used by the LRDG, the most common being the Anti-Tank Mine GS Mk.II. These were often laid in "strings" across roads or tracks. For sabotage LRDG used Lewes bombs, as well as manufacturing its own design of explosive device, made up with "Nobel's Gelignite" also called "808". These were planted in or against parked aircraft and other likely targets. Communications equipment This is a model of "Te Aroha III", a W/T equipped vehicle of T1 Patrol. The "Windom" aerial posts and location of the W/T compartment can be seen. The vehicle Patrol identification rectangles were often hand-painted on the real vehicles. LRDG patrols invariably included a W/T vehicle equipped with an Army No. 11 wireless transmitter and a Philips model 635 receiver. Although the No. 11 was designed for short-range communications, the LRDG were able to transmit over hundreds of km using one and two metre-tall rod aerials and the "Windom" aerial system, which was made up of a wire stretched between two 17 ft high poles. Extra batteries to power the radios were carried by the W/T vehicles (on the Chevrolet 1533x2s these were mounted on the right, front running board). The W/T trucks carried a fully trained signaller and another qualified operator was carried in another vehicle. In the LRP most of the radio operators were New Zealanders, but the LRDG personnel were all from the Royal Corps of Signals. These men had to be highly skilled in communications and also had exceptional technical abilities in maintaining and repairing the equipment over periods of weeks, without outside help. There were only four occasions in three years of operations when a broken-down radio set had left a patrol unable to communicate with H/Q. The rod aerials were generally used at ranges up to 300 km from base; the Windom aerials were used for longer-range transmissions. Although the No 11 set was low-powered the LRDG succeeded in communicating over great distances; the longest communications recorded were made by the Indian Long Range Squadron who transmitted between the Damascus area and Benghazi, a range of over 2,500 km. All transmissions from a patrol were made using Morse code. The Philips receiver was used to pick up time-pips from the BBC, but was also used to play music when the patrol was encamped at nights, if not within listening range of the enemy. On occasion the wireless truck was also the patrol navigator’s vehicle, being equipped with a theodolite and maps. Because the wireless/navigator’s truck was so vital, if it was destroyed or disabled the patrol was usually abandoned. Standard markings Heavily laden 30 cwt 1533x2 Chevrolets of "R1" Patrol setting out from Jalo oasis in Libya. In the foreground is "R4" Rotowaro W.D.no. L4618912. When new all LRDG Chevrolets carried black W.D. numbers L4618+++stencilled in three standard locations: both sides of the upper clamshell bonnets and on the upper third of the right-hand side panels of the tailgate. There was a fourth W.D. number which was supposed to be stencilled across the mid-section of the front bumper, but the location of this could vary. The only other standard W.D. markings were a black "INSPECTED" stencil and a "PASS"; again the locations of these markings could vary, being either on the front bumper or mudguards. Patrol markings Vehicles of the different Patrol units were identified by a letter painted over a vehicle number (eg R 4 of R1 Half-Patrol). Up until about mid-1942 these were usually painted in white over a black, red or dark green circle or rectangle in three or four locations on the vehicle; there was no hard and fast rule about where they were painted. After mid-1942 these were simplified to black letters and numerals on a desert tan background. During 1942 the LRDG was reorganised several times, so the markings on vehicles could change; as an example the Chevrolet L4618825 Te Aroha III of T1 patrol had, in March 1942, the markings ‘T9’ in white on a black (possibly dark green) square on the rear inset panels of the bodywork, and on the tailgate. The name was in white on a black background on the forward left, upper ‘clamshell’ bonnet. By the time of the Barce raid (Operation Hyacinth) in September 1942 the markings had become ‘T2’, denoting the lead navigator’s vehicle, roughly painted in black on a desert tan background. This was positioned on the square vehicle loading plate on the left-hand front bumper. ‘Te Aroha III’ was also repainted in black on a desert tan background in the original location. R (New Zealand) Patrol; R1 and R2 ‘half patrols’ used a green Hei-tiki with a red tongue, painted on the front right-side bonnet. On the left was an R letter Maori place name, usually stencilled in white on a black, red, or dark green background rectangle. T (New Zealand) Patrol; T1 and T2 carried a black Kiwi over green ‘grass’ and a Maori name starting ‘Te...’ in the same locations as R patrol vehicles. W (New Zealand) Patrol; Carried a Maori name or word, usually in black on a yellow strip in the same locations as R and Y Patrols. W Patrol was disbanded in December 1940; its equipment was given to G Patrol and the personnel reallocated to R and Y Patrols. (Photos of an ex-W Patrol truck can be seen near the end of this article.) S (Rhodesian) Patrol; S1 and S2 had names with a Rhodesian connection (e.g. ‘Salisbury’) painted on the left-hand clamshell bonnet. The trucks were identified with an S over a numeral. G (Guards) Patrol; vehicles carried no distinctive markings, although some vehicles had the Guards insignia which was a rectangle divided into three vertical stripes: dark blue, red, dark blue. This could have the vehicle designation, G over a numeral, in white on the red section. Y (Yeomanry) Patrol; Y1 and Y2: Personnel from the Yeomanry regiments of the Cavalry Division; Y1 had names of famous drinking establishments (e.g. ‘Cock O’ The North’) on the left side of the bonnet. Y2 had names from the famous ‘Three Musketeers’ series of books (e.g. ‘Aramis’) painted, again, on the left side of the bonnet. The usual Y over a numeral was the vehicle designator. Initial training During the initial training, Shaw was responsible for teaching navigation, while Bagnold taught communications. The first training patrol commenced in August with Bagnold taking two Ford trucks, five New Zealanders and an Arab guide to monitor the supply traffic on the Jalo–Kufra track. At the same time Shaw used the other patrols to build up supply dumps along the Libyan border, required due to the huge distances that would be travelled in future. Combat history On 13 September 1940 the unit formed its first base at the Siwa Oasis. They arrived there by driving approximately 240 km across the Egyptian Sand Sea. On 15 September two patrols of the LRDG were engaged in the unit's first combat operations. In this action Captain Mitford's unit traveled via the Kalansho Sand Sea and attacked Italian petrol dumps and emergency landing fields along the Palificata. Meanwhile, Clayton's group passed through Italian territory to contact the French forces in Chad. It is believed that the LRDG helped persuade the forces there to join the Free French Forces. The patrols joined at the southern tip of the Gilf Kebir (where a supply dump was located) and then returned to Cairo via the Kharga Oasis. Each patrol had traveled approximately 6,000 km. Following the September expedition the War Office approved a doubling of the unit's size, its renaming and the promotion of Bagnold to lieutenant-colonel. The enlarged unit gathered volunteers from British, Indian and Rhodesian units. Bagnold wrote, "During the next few months, raids were made on a number of enemy-held oases...isolated garrisons were shot up...the raiders seemed to appear from a fourth dimension...Graziani was beginning to doubt his intelligence reports [and] the Italian army halted for...months." Chad and Kufra In September 1940 Bagnold travelled to Fort Lamy, Chad, where he helped persuade the French colony to join the Allies. The LRDG and Free French forces worked together to raid Italian positions in the area of the Murzuk Oasis and the combined forces, using French artillery, captured Kufra on 1 March 1941. In April the LRDG's headquarters was moved to Kufra. Bagnold wrote, "Temperatures exceeding 50 °C were found to be tolerable, even on a restricted water ration, owing to the dryness. The worst discomfort came from...sandstorms, which lasted several days. They made eating very difficult." From Kufra the LRDG commanders would essentially serve as the military commanders of a region approximately the size of northern Europe, a region which had not seen rain in 70 years. During the summer of 1941 Bagnold recruited another pre-war exploration companion, Guy Lennox Prendergast, to serve as his second-in-command. On 1 July Bagnold left the unit to serve in Cairo as a full colonel and Prendergast became the LRDG's commander. Prendergast would be succeeded by John Richard Easonsmith (always known as 'Jake' Easonsmith) who was followed by David Lloyd Owen. The LRDG air link The LRDG maintained a secret airstrip between Kufra and Siwa used by their WACO aircraft to bring up personnel and special supplies, such as vehicle spares, and take out the sick and wounded. These aircraft were purchased privately by Guy Prendergast after the RAF refused to supply any. They were piloted by Prendergast and New Zealander Trevor Barker, always accompanied by a navigator, often Shaw, as the WACOs did not have radios. They operated two Wacos, a 1934 YKC Standard Cabin biplane, RAF serial AX697 powered with a 225 hp Jacobs L-4MB, 7 cylinder radial, and a 1937 ZGC-7 Custom Cabin sesquiplane, RAF serial AX695 powered by a 285 hp Jacobs L-5MB 7 cylinder radial engine. Both had been owned by an Egyptian national who had operated these before the war started. The road watch at Marble Arch One of the LRDG's most valuable contributions was the constant watch on traffic along the Tripolitanian coast road, deep behind Axis lines. A two-man team would hide up in a wadi and before dawn settle down under whatever cover they could find within a few hundred yards of the road. All day every movement was noted and categorized, using powerful binoculars and up-to-date photographs of enemy vehicles, then regularly radioed to HQ. Mussolini's "Aero Philanorum", which was known to the allied forces as Marble Arch, straddled the main Tripoli to Benghazi road and was the most conspicuous landmark in the area. The LRDG's roadwatch was established about 8 km from the monument. Later operations After the end of the African campaign, the LRDG was trained in mountain warfare at the Cedars of Lebanon Hotel, in Lebanon. They were also trained in parachute operations. The unit went on to serve in Greece and the Greek islands (see Battle of Leros), Albania, Yugoslavia and Italy. With the war in Europe over, there was some thought given to sending the LRDG to continue its role in the Far East; this did not occur and the LRDG was officially disbanded on 1 August 1945.
Harry Wolhuter is another interesting character from African history. The amazing story of how he killed an African lion with his ”traded” knife is legendary. My good friend “Hog” over at bushcraft usa forums has been to the monument at the very site Harry killed the Lion, he has also seen the Lion skin and the Knife itself on display.
I had the pictures of the Knife and skin but have misplaced them or accidently deleted them – too bad because they were pretty cool.
I’m sure if you desire more info in Harry you can find info someplace on the net or if you are lucky enough to go to South Africa perhaps you can go to the Harry Wolhuter monument yourself.
Please find below an abridged version of the story, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Tomahawk – Scouts out!
Harry Wolhuter story;
In August, 1903, I was returning from one of my usual patrols on the Olifants. On the second day after leaving the camp my objective was a certain waterhole en route, at which I intended spending the night, when we reached it we found that the pool was dry. It was now about 4 p.m., and the only thing to be done was to push on to the next water-hole which was about twelve miles distant. Accompanying me were three police boys driving the donkeys which carried all my possessions, and three dogs; the latter all rough "Boer" dogs, very good on lions. I instructed the boys that I would ride ahead along the path to the next water-hole and they were to follow. I then started to go ahead along the trail, and of the dogs "Bull" escorted me; the bitch "Fly", and a mongrel-terrier, remaining with the boys. Although it became dusk very soon I continued to ride along the path - as I had often travelled that route by night during the Boer War to avoid the heat of the summer sun. I gave no thought to lions, as I had never before encountered these animals in those parts. Most of the herbage had been recently burnt off, here and there a patch of long grass remained. While riding through one of these isolated patches I heard two animals jump up in the grass in front of me. It was by now too dark to see, but I imagined that the animals in question were a pair of reedbuck, as this had always been a favourite locality for these antelope. I expected them to run across the path and disappear; but instead, and to my surprise, I heard a running rustle in the grass approaching me. I was still riding quietly along when the two forms loomed up within three or four yards, and these I now recognised as two lions, and their behaviour was such I had little doubt but that their intentions were to attack my horse. Although, of course, I had my rifle (without which I never moved in the veld) there was not time to shoot, and as I hastily pulled my horse around I dug the spurs into his flanks in a frantic effort to urge him to his best speed to get away in time; but the approaching lion was already too close, and before the horse could get into its stride I felt a terrific impact behind me as the lion alighted on the horse's hindquarters. What happened next, of course, occupied only a few seconds, but I vividly recall the unpleasant sensation of expecting the crunch of the lion's jaws in my person. However, the terrified horse was bucking and plunging so violently that the lion was unable to maintain its hold, but it managed to knock me out of the saddle. Fortune is apt to act freakishly at all times, and it may seem a strange thing to suggest that it was fortunate for myself that I happened to fall almost on top of the second lion as he was running around in front of my horse, to get hold of it by the head. Had I fallen otherwise, however, it is probable that the lion would have grasped me by the head, and then this book would assuredly never have been written! Actually, the eager brute gripped my right shoulder between its jaws and started to drag me away, and as it did so I could hear the clatter of my horse's hooves over the stony ground as it raced away with the first lion in hot pursuit; itself in turn being chased by my dog "Bull". Meanwhile, the lion continued dragging me towards the neighbouring Metsimetsi Spruit. I was dragged along on my back, being held by the right shoulder, and as the lion was walking over me his claws would sometimes rip wounds in my arms and I was wearing a pair of spurs with strong leather straps, and these acted as brakes, scoring deep furrows in the ground over which we travelled. When the 'brakes' acted too efficiently the lion would give an impatient jerk of his great head, which added excruciating pain to my shoulder, already deeply lacerated by the powerful teeth. I certainly was in a position to disagree emphatically with Dr. Livingstone's theory, based on his own personal experience, that the resulting shock from the bite of a large carnivorous animal so numbs the nerves that it deadens all the pain; for, in my own case, I was conscious of great physical agony; and in addition to this was the mental agony as to what the lion would presently do with me; whether he would kill me first or proceed to dine off me while I was still alive! Of course, in those first few moments I was convinced that it was all over with me and that I had reached the end of my earthly career. But then as our painful progress still continued, it suddenly struck me that I might still have my sheath knife! I always carried this attached to my belt on the right side. Unfortunately, the knife did not fit too tightly in its sheath, and on two previous occasions when I had had a spill from my horse while galloping after game during the Boer War it had fallen out. It seemed almost too much to expect that it could still be safely there after the recent rough episodes. It took me some time to work my left hand round my back as the lion was dragging me over the ground, but eventually I reached the sheath, and, to my indescribable joy, the knife was still there! I secured it, and wondered where best first to stab the lion. It flashed through my mind that, many years ago, I had read in a magazine or newspaper that if you hit a cat on the nose he must sneeze before doing anything. This particular theory is, of course, incorrect; but at the time I seriously entertained the idea of attempting it, though on second thoughts I dismissed the notion, deciding that in any case he would just sneeze and pick me up again - this time perhaps in a more vital spot! I decided finally to stick my knife into his heart, and so I began to feel very cautiously for his shoulder. The task was a difficult and complicated one because, gripped as I was, high up in the right shoulder, my head pressed right up against the lion's mane, which exuded a strong smell (incidentally, he was purring very loudly, something after the fashion of a cat - only on a far louder scale - perhaps in pleasant anticipation of the meal he intended to have) and this necessitated my reaching with my left hand holding the knife across his chest so as to gain access to his left shoulder. Any bungling, in this manoeuvre, would arouse the lion, with instantly fatal results to myself! However, I managed it successfully, and knowing where his heart was located, I struck him twice, in quick succession, with two back-handed strokes behind the left shoulder, the lion let out a furious roar, and I desperately struck him again: this time upwards into his throat. I think this third thrust severed the jugular vein, as the blood spurted out in a stream all over me. The lion released his hold and slunk off into the darkness. Later I measured the distance and found that he had dragged me sixty yards. Incidentally, it transpired later that both first thrusts had reached the heart. The scene, could anyone have witnessed it, must have been eerie in the extreme, as, in the darkness, I staggered to my feet, not realising how seriously I had wounded the lion whose long-drawn moans resounded nearby. I thought first to frighten him off with human voice and shouted after him all the names I could think of, couched in the most lurid language. Suddenly I remembered the other lion that had chased my horse. It was more likely that it would fail to catch the horse, once the latter was at a full gallop, and then, what was more probable, it would return to its mate and find me there, quite unarmed except for my knife - as of course my rifle had been flung into the long grass when I fell off my horse. At first I thought of setting the grass alight to keep away the second lion; and, getting the matchbox from my pocket, I gripped it in my teeth, as of course my right arm was quite useless, not only on account of the wound from the lion's teeth in my shoulder, but also because it claws had torn out some of the tendons about the wrist. I struck a match and put it to the grass, but as there was by now a heavy dew the grass would not burn - fortunately, of course, as it turned out, else my rifle would have been burnt. My next idea was to climb into a tree and thus place myself beyond the lion's reach. There were several trees in the vicinity, but they all had long stems, and with my one arm I was unable to climb them. Presently, however, I located one with a fork near the ground, and after a great deal of trouble I managed to climb into it, reaching a bough, some twelve feet from the ground, in which I sat. I was now commencing to feel very shaky indeed, both as a result of the shock I had sustained, and loss of blood; and what clothes I had left covering me were saturated with blood, both my own and that of the lion, and the effect of the cold night air on the damp clothing considerably added to my discomfort, while my shoulder was still bleeding badly. I realised that I might faint, from loss of blood, and fall off the bough on which I was sitting, so I removed my belt and somehow strapped myself to the tree. My thirst was terrible: and I would have offered much for a cup of water. One consoling reflection was that I knew my boys would find me as I was not far from the path. Meanwhile I could still occasionally hear the lion I had stabbed grunting and groaning in the darkness, somewhere close by; and presently, resounding eerily over the night air, I heard the long-drawn guttural death-rattle in his throat - and felt a trifle better then as I knew that I had killed him. My satisfaction was short-lived, however, as very soon afterwards approaching rustles in the grass heralded the arrival of the second lion which, as I had surmised, had failed to catch my horse. I heard it approach the spot where I had got to my feet and from there, following my blood-spoor all the time, it advanced to the tree in which I sat. Arriving at the base of the tree, it reared itself up against the trunk and seemed to be about to try to climb it. I was overcome with horror at this turn of affairs, as it appeared as if I had got away from one lion, only to be caught by the other: the tree which harboured me being quite easy to climb (had it not been so I could never have worked my way up to my perch), and not absolutely beyond the powers of a determined, hungry lion! In despair I shouted down at the straining brute, whose upward-turned eyes I could momentarily glimpse reflected in the starlight, and this seemed to cause him to hesitate. Fortunately, just then, my faithful dog "Bull" appeared on the scene. Never was I more grateful at the arrival of man or beast! He had evidently discovered that I was no longer on the horse, and was missing and had come back to find me. I called to him, and encouraged him to go for the lion, which he did in right good heart, barking furiously at it and so distracting its attention that it made a short rush at the plucky dog, who managed to keep his distance. And so this dreadful night passed on. The lion would leave the tree and I could hear him rustling about in the grass, and then he would return, and the faithful "Bull" would rush at him barking, and chase him off, and so on. Finally he seemed to lie up somewhere in the neighbouring bush. Some considerable time later, perhaps an hour, I heard a most welcome sound: the clatter of tin dishes rattling in a hamper on the head of one of my boys who was at last approaching along the path. In the stillness of the night one can hear the least sound quite a long way off in the veld. I shouted to him to beware as there was a lion somewhere near. He asked me what he ought to do and I told him to climb into a tree. I heard a rattling crash, as he dropped the hamper, and then silence for a while. I then asked him if he was up a tree, and whether it was a big one: to which he replied that it was not a tall tree but that he had no wish to come down and search for a better one as he could already hear the lion rustling in the grass near him! He informed me that the other boys were not so far behind, and I then told him all that had happened - a recital of events which, to judge by the tone of his comments, did little to reassure him of the pleasantness of his present situation! After a time, which seemed ages, we heard the little pack of donkeys approaching along the path, and I shouted instructions to the boys to halt where they were, as there was a lion in the grass quite near, and to fire off a few shots to scare him. This they did, then as they approached to the tree in which I sat, I told them first of all to make a good fire, which did not take long to flare up, as some form of protection in case the lion returned: and then they assisted me down from the tree. It was a painful and laborious business, as I was very stiff and sore from my wounds, and I found the descent very much harder than the ascent. The first question I asked my boys was whether they had any water in the calabash which they always carried with them. They replied that it was empty, and so the only thing for us to do was to set out for the next waterhole, which was about six miles further ahead. Before leaving, they searched unsuccessfully for my rifle in the long grass. To arm myself I took one of the boys' assegais, and then, with the donkeys, we set forth. Before leaving the place we took some firebrands from the fire and threw them into the veld in the direction where the lion had disappeared: nonetheless, he followed us for a long way, and we could hear him now this side of the path, now that; but we had three dogs with us now, and they barked repeatedly at him, successfully keeping him off. At last we came to one of my old pickets of the Steinacker days where the huts were still standing. Here, formerly, there had always been a large pool of water, so I sent two of the boys with the canvas nosebag which was the only utensil we took for carrying water. My disappointment can be measured when they returned to report that the pool was dry, for you must remember that not a drop had passed my lips since the previous day. I said that I must have water, or I would die, and told them to take a candle from among my baggage, place it in a broken bottle and with this rough lantern to go and search for water. They were two good natives, and off they set once more. They seemed to be away for hours but when they did finally return they had the nosebag half full of muddy fluid; and this they set on the ground in front of me. It was pretty filthy-looking stuff: still it was water; and I knelt down beside it and drank until I could drink no more - leaving a little with which they could wash my wounds. They proved to be too awkward and clumsy over the latter job, however, and after a few minutes I could bear it no longer, and ordered the boys to desist. Actually the wounds received no dressing of any kind (I could not see the largest wound, which was on my back) until I reached Komatipoort - four days later! I then told the boys to unroll my blankets so that I could lie down. My arm was so painful that I instructed them to strap it to one of the poles in the roof of the hut, thinking thereby to ease the pain, but it did no good, and afterwards I had it undone again. I need hardly add that there was no sleep for me that night, and next morning I was in a raging fever; and though I had walked six miles on the previous evening, I was unable to walk - or even stand - now. We remained over in the camp that day and I sent the boys back to skin the dead lion. I instructed them to return to the tree in which they had found me, follow the blood-spoor until they came to the place where I had stabbed the lion, and then follow its blood-spoor for a short distance when they would find its carcass. I could observe that they were a bit dubious about the reality of my having actually killed the lion (though they had politely refrained from hinting their scepticism) as it was an unheard of thing for a man to kill a lion with a knife. All my orders were obeyed, and in due course they returned with the skin, skull and some meat, and the heart to show me where I had pierced it with the knife. They also brought with them my horse which had later returned to the scene of the accident. It is strange that the horse should have returned, after the terrible fright it had sustained, but I put this down to the companionship between horse and man in the veld. The bridle was broken, but the saddle was intact: in fact I am using the same saddle today, forty years later! The boys brought the horse to the door of my hut where I crawled to see him. He was badly clawed on the hindquarters, and we rubbed a little salt into the wound (I should have done the same to mine at the time) and this certainly seemed to stop septic poisoning setting in as a result of the lion's claws. The horse recovered completely, but, though it was a valuable animal - being salted - and a good shooting horse, he was of no further use to me afterwards as he remained so nervous that the sight of a mere buck in the veld was sufficient to make him attempt to bolt. I was obliged, therefore, to part with him - much to my regret. My boys told me that when they opened up the lion they found the stomach empty, which proves that it had not had a meal for some days, and accordingly must have been very hungry. It would not have been long before that lion and his mate made a meal of me - in spite of the fact that I was pretty skinny and hard at the time! The skin of the lion, and the knife with which I had saved my life, are still in my possession. The knife is the ordinary butcher's "sticking" type with a six-inch blade of the "Pipe Brand," manufactured by T. Williams of Smithfield, London, who specialised in butcher's knives, etc., and this reminds me of a rather amusing tale. Not many years after my adventure with the lion in 1903, I happened to be in London: and, since good knives were scarce in South Africa then and I wanted to bring some back with me, I visited Mr. William's shop in order to acquire some more of the type that had proved to be such a reliable friend. There was a typical "bright young gentleman" behind the counter, and when I requested him to show me some "stick" knives, he looked me up and down somewhat disdainfully - evidently rather sceptical as to whether I had it in me to be a butcher! - before passing a knife across the counter for my inspection. His apparent uncertainty about myself was even more evident when I informed him that I wanted a dozen of these, but after a little persuasion he let me have them. I told the salesman that they were very good knives: that, in fact, I had actually once killed a lion with one of them! This evidently confirmed his worst suspicions for, with a distinctly withering expression of the eye he retorted: "Yes they are good. They will also kill a sheep, you know!" As I left the shop I could not help wondering whether that bright young lad was not already feverishly searching the columns of the Police Gazette to see whether any mad gangster had been holding up people and murdering them with sticking knives! I may add that, shortly after the affair with the lion, I received from Mr. Williams himself (who had been informed about the incident), a most beautiful knife, made in his workshop. This knife, of course, I still proudly treasure, is about six inches long and contains about twelve different implements: in fact, as a friend to whom I was once showing it remarked, all it requires to complete it is a small forge and anvil. I may as well conclude this digression by recounting how I came by the original knife with which I killed the lion. One day, when I was in Komatipoort, I visited the shop of a friend, and on the counter was a big Dutch cheese, beside which lay the knife used for cutting it. I picked up the knife and examined it, as I was always interested in sheath knives. This one, I observed, was the famous "Pipe Brand," and far too good a knife to be wasted on cutting! So I removed my own knife from its sheath on my belt, laid it alongside the cheese, and put the "Pipe Brand" knife in its place. This wicked theft was never noticed as the two knives were almost identical in form and size; and my friend never suspected until I told him years later, suggesting that "fair exchange was no robbery." But to get back to my story! My boys told me that the best treatment for the wounds caused by the lion was to bathe them in the soup formed as a result of boiling its skull, but I remarked that though this treatment might prove effective with the natives, it would not be suitable for a white man. I knew that there were some native kraals not more than four miles away, so sent one boy off to commandeer assistance in order that I could be carried by machila, in relays of four bearers, to Komatipoort. Having collected the necessary number of natives, I instructed them how to make the machila with my blanket, and early in the morning we set out on a five days march to Komati. My wound now became septic, I had a fever, and was in great pain. I could, of course, eat nothing and took only water which I consumed in great quantities: two of the natives being occupied solely in carrying it in calabashes, which they replenished whenever we passed any. By the time we finally reached Komatipoort my arm and shoulder were swollen to enormous size, and were smelling so badly that I had to lie with my face turned the other way. On my arrival at Komati, Dr. Greeves attended me, but he had no morphia to deaden the pain which by now was excruciating. Next day my friend, W. Dickson, who you will remember had been with me in Steinacker's Horse, accompanied me by train to Barberton Hospital, where I received every care and attention. I remained on my back for many weeks, and at one period the doctor despaired for my life. Once again, however, a sound constitution saw me through, and although I have never since had full use of my right arm I consider myself exceedingly fortunate in not having lost it altogether. As it is, I can still, with difficulty, lift it high enough to pull the trigger! After some months I was able to return to M'timba to continue my duties. I once again began to hunt lions; and as I had an old score to wipe out, I think I did so with interest! The chief souvenirs of my grim adventure, the skin of the lion, skull, and the knife concerned (the latter has never been used since) are preserved in my house, ad they have all been photographed many times. The faithful and plucky dog "Bull," who played so great a part in preventing the other lion from climbing the tree and pulling me down, was eventually killed in combat with a baboon, though the baboon also died as a result of the fight. The old bitch "Fly," after presenting me with several good litters of puppies, was finally killed by a leopard. Each of them, in common with many other unrecorded dogs and horses - faithful and staunch companions of the men in the veld - played their part in the achievement of the present-day world famous Kruger National Park, and all of them deserves their small tribute." Taken from "MEMORIES OF A GAME RANGER" by H. Wolhuter.
