Wednesday 24^th January

For some time, in fact since November, the Boers have been quiet around Kbly but this morning about 4 o'clock they started shelling from all quarters, the shells dropping all over the town.   A young woman living in Long St Newton was killed by a shell falling in the bathroom.   She was dressing at the time.   A many dropping in the Malay Camp, Transvaal Rd, where the new gun is fixed is a little distance behind the store where I am working.   Yesterday it was firing on to the intermediate station & from what I hear the Boers have a Hospital there & the shells killed some of the wounded, which is the cause of them shelling Kimberley today, so they say (they have no right to make hospitals on Colonial Ground).   It commenced again this morning, the Boers replying from Kamfersdam with shrapnel shell & ring shell & many of these dropping very close to my store.   Whilst getting my breakfast this morning a shell dropped and burst just at the back of the Creamery, not more than five yards from where I was sitting.  It did no damage only making a hole thro the roof of Oliver's building & dropping in the store room.