Fenix , Norman George (N G)

H.E.Balls was my Great Granduncle, His full name was Horace Earnest Balls, Military Number 24603, Born (Sep ?) 1879. He was killed in action at Tafelkop ( Orange River Colony )on the 20th December,1901 aged 22 years & three months. I have copies of three letters 2 from him to his brother ( william ) and one from a F.T.Young Sergt 39th Bty R.F.A explaining how he died. On the day of the action 20th the gun with a small escort ( about 50 men ) saw a party of men dressed in our uniforms whom they took for some of our Yeomanry and of course they were left unmolested. These men ( Boers ) took up position in a Kral ( wall Made of stones ) and opened fire on the left flank.A few minutes later another party of Boers dressed in our uniforms took up position on the right flank & opened a deadly fire on the right gun (your brothers ) These two parties of boers consisted of about 300 men each,and a very few minutes the men serving the gun were either dead or wounded. The wounded men would not give in there, but got up and fired again at the Boers.They fired about another 7 or 8 rounds each gun, & as your brother was going back to bring up another magazine of ammunition he was hit in the back of the head with an explosive bullet which blew his face away. He linged for about five minutes & then Expired.He was not previously wounded & believe had not pain as he was unconscious. Your brother had not been in the batterty so very long only having joined it in June of that year, but was well liked by everybody whom he came in contact with. He had not been in the battery long before got his first step to promotion & was the making of a very good & useful solder. The loss of our men 5 killed and 7 wounded cast a deep gloom over the battery being as they were all young men & good & clean Solders. Hoping this will find you all enjoying good health & sympathysing with you all in the loss of your dear brother. The letter was posted on the 10th April.

First letter to his brother William. Heilbron 26.9.1901 My Dear Will & Louie I now take the greatest pleasure of writing these few lines to you hoping that they will find you well and happy, has i must tell you that it does me at present, i am very sorry that i could not write to you before has i suppose you mihgt know that we do not get any times for writing letter when we get any where near the line and other times we are fighting all day long and having a little bit of a fight with the boers now and agian.My dear Will & Louie i mihgt as well tell you that there will be any chance for us to see england this side of Christmas. Has what few Boers are on the field now are more nouisance to us than what they are worth has they never hardly show any fihgt and they are only prolonging the war, but i can tell you the trith that i have nearly had enough of this war but i supose that i have got to stick it, and there is another thing i am going to stick it until it is over if i can possibly help it. But i don't think that Auder ( another brother ) will see much fighting now i think that he knew something and not to come here when the Boers had there big guns on the go. My dear Will i do think there is any more to say at present so i must say goodbye hoping to see you soon from your evertrue brother H Ball Commonly Known Has Dad

Second Letter to his brother William. Frank Fort 27/11/1901 My dear Sister and Brother No dought you will be surprised to hear from me and to hear that i have got the stripe again.I was promoted Bomadier again on the 17th of this month and i am getting on all right and i must tell you that i have had one letter from Auder and have answered it but have not heard from him since.I tell you that you do not get much time for writing but here and when you are done writing you soon want to get down to it and are very soon asleep so i tell you that we are not got such an easy time of it has people think for, my dear Will & Louie i must tell you that we have had a lot of fihgting with that wretched man De Wet and Commandant Roos and what is more we gave Roos a shaking up once or twice lately the other day we captured 17 prisoners and killed 2 we have blown one of them to pieces with one of our shells, and i wish that it had the lot of them for what good they are, they are more nuisance than they are worth. My dear Will and Louie i must say goodbye for this has have got to saddle up we are going on another night march to the same place where we captured the 17 Villiersdorp just on the Vaal river so goodbye for the present hoping to see you soon safe and sound from your ever loving & true brother.