The Somerset East District Mounted Troop surrendered in its entirety to a Boer Commando close to that town on 15.10.1901. It was judged by many that the D.M.T. gave up without offering much resistance and the loss of 121 horse and 161 rifles was such a disgrace that several of the Officers were placed under arrest, eight men gaoled awaiting court-martial, and the D.M.T. at first refused Medals 'for throwing away their arms in the face of the enemy.' James Troup, a Colonial Defence Force Surgeon-Captain from Somerset East, witnessed the surrender: 'We learnt afterwards that the Boers had gradually crept all round and that at last the white flag had been hoisted by a Lieut. Botha, that all the better class of our men had fought well, but that the poorer class in the force, of whom there were a large number, miserable dirty cowardly good-for-nothing creatures, had never fired a shot, but lain flat on their faces and put up their hands on the first opportunity ... The misfortune was due to a variety of causes. The initial blunder consisted in moving out of camp at all - 150 comparatively untrained men, against 300 Transvaal Boers who had been at it for two years and knew how to take advantage of every error on our part. The second blunder was in giving away two of our flanks. And thirdly inexperience, want of gumption and cowardice among half the Officers and men would have rendered any sort of attempt on our part hopeless either in attack or defence' (Physician and Friend refers).