Cecil Rhodes a one-off gun named Long Cecil. Rhodes used his position and influence to lobby the British government to relieve the siege of Kimberley, claiming in the press that the situation in the city was desperate. The military wanted to assemble a large force to take the Boer cities of Bloemfontein and Pretoria, but they were compelled to change their plans and send three separate smaller forces to relieve the sieges of Kimberley, Mafeking and Ladysmith. Although Rhodes remained a leading figure in the politics of southern Africa, especially during the Second Boer War, he was dogged by ill health throughout
Ladysmith Barracks Ladysmith Barracks Ladysmith Barracks was a British military installation on Mossley Road, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester. The barracks were originally established under the name of Wellington Barracks, in response to the threat from civil unrest associated with the Chartist movement, as accommodation for cavalry regiments between 1841 and 1843. In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the Cardwell Reforms and the barracks became the depot for the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th Regiment of Foot. Following the Childers Reforms, the 63rd and 96th Regiments amalgamated as the Manchester Regiment with its