Natal Police Discharge Certificate for Trooper Rivett, 1900. He joined the police on 15 October 1896 and was discharged to pension because of wounds suffered in action. The Natal Police, later the Natal Mounted Police (NMP), was raised in 1874 following an African insurrection by Chief Langalibalele. Initially the force mustered 50 whites and 150 Africans. By 1885 the roll-call was 300 whites and 25 Africans. In 1913 the NMP was converted into the 2nd and 3rd Regiments of the South African Mounted Riflemen. Police work passed to the new South African Police. Siege of Ladysmith, 1899-1900: The Boers around Ladysmith were growing weak from lack of forage. With little action, many fighters took unauthorised leave or brought their families into the siege encampments. Eventually, with the Tugela in flood, preventing Buller from giving any support, some younger leaders persuaded Joubert to order a storming attempt on the night of 5 January 1900, before another relief attempt could be made. The British line south of Ladysmith ran along a ridge known as the Platrand. The occupying British troops had named its features Wagon Hill to the west and to the east Caesar's Camp (after features near Aldershot, well known to much of the British army). Under Ian Hamilton, they had constructed a line of forts, sangars and entrenchments on the reverse slope of the Platrand, of which the Boers were unaware. In the early hours of 6 January, Boer storming parties under General C.J. de Villiers began climbing Wagon Hill and Caesar's Camp. They were spotted and engaged by British working parties who were emplacing some guns. The Boers captured the edge of both features, but could not advance further. British counter-attacks also failed. At noon, de Villiers made another attack on Wagon Hill. Some exhausted defenders panicked and fled, but Hamilton led reserves to the spot and recaptured some empty gun pits. Late in the afternoon, a terrific rainstorm broke, and the Boers withdrew under cover of it. The British suffered 175 killed and 249 wounded. 52 dead Boers were left in the British positions, but their total casualties were not recorded. From the History of the Mounted Police of Natal, pages 155 and 156: On the night of the 5th January, 45 of the Natal Police, with 24 of the Carbineers, went out on picket, the police being stationed up- the line to the foot of Caesar's Camp, and bullets began to fall in the neighbourhood of their bivouac soon after midnight. These shots came from the direction of Wagon Hill. Thinking the Manchester Regiment were firing on them, some of the police went up the hill to remonstrate, but when they got near the summit they heard words of command in Dutch, and came down the slope at the double. As the day dawned the horses were seen by the enemy, and before they could be removed the Boers killed or wounded every one; though not one man was touched. The police advanced on foot through the bush under a heavy fire, Sergeant Woon, Trooper Pinto-Leite, and Trooper Rivett being wounded before they reached the base of Caesar's Camp, within two hundred yards of the enemy. Here they were joined by the Natal Mounted Rifles, and the 53rd Battery, which came out from Ladysmith with their big guns, fired 138 shots over their heads, the rattle of musketry at the same time being deafening. The Boers directed a "Long Tom " towards the 53rd Battery, and the bombardment was kept up by both sides all day until 5 p.m., when a heavy thunderstorm came up. The ground on which the police were lying was flooded, and they were relieved by a picket of carbineers at 6.30, getting back to camp by a circuitous route, the river being flooded. The total loss to the British that day was 424 killed and wounded. Sickness still continued to increase at a terrible rate, there being 2400 patients in the hospital by the middle of January, including six members of the police force, four of whom had been wounded.