This tells of a certain class who were
members of the DMT.

March 1902

Did you ever hear of the gallant D.M.Ts,
They are the most gallant set that you ever I did see.
They are all splendid fighters, shots, and riders too,
For none can join the D.M.T. unless an exam he’s gone through.

They are such stalwart fellows, they’re never sick at all,
They scorn to see a doctor, for anything so small
As coughs and colds, rhu[e]matics; fever or swollen eyes, ^{(Mosquito bites)}
Or any other pain that’s caused, by anything you can surmise.

They are such goody fellows, they never ask for leave,
They never prowl the streets at night, or girls try to deceive.
Oh no, they live for glory, not seven and six a day.
They give their service gratis, and don’t won’t any pay.

They know more of music, than a donkey of the same;
But yet a donkey beats them, he has but little brain,
But they have none, and he has some, and he plays his natural strain,
And they try to imitate him, but retire to whence they came.

And as for being goody, why, they’ve done some dreadful things,
To hear of which would make you shake, and your hair stand up and singe.
I’m sure they’l[l] never get to heaven, or any such like place,
And the only other place for them, is H- with its disgrace.

Now as to their great gallantry, I won’t screen that at all.
They are never ready; to fight, to stand or fall.
But here I make a great mistake, for to fall they’re always glad,
But it’s always behind a great big sack, them from which you cannot drag.

Just look at their fight at Rooipoort, when they tackled the Boers so gay,
They happened to fall right on to the Boers, just at the break of day.
Within five hundred yards; never such a chance had they,
They fired about fifty shots and then, highed themselves away.

For at the very first shot, the Boers were up in arms
For they are always ready to answer war’s alarms
The galloped around and almost cut off the retreat of the D.M.T
But the D.M.T were mounted well and their backs let the wily Boers see.

They made a stand at Jonnespoort but the Boers were on their track
They hastly got dismounted till volleys came in with a whack
Again the Boers were on their flanks and almost cut off their last hope
The hastily mounted and galloping away hard never stopped till in Burghersdorp

Now this is a sketch of the D.M.T very faithful I think you’ll see
They aren’t exactly soldiers and don’t intend to be
They’re only civil volunteers, who offered their service free
So when fighting starts, each says to himself, Burghersdorp’s the place for me.

I shouldn’t be too hard on them, as father was in this fight
and had his horse shot under him.

W E