| 4 | 40[2] | 1.22
Non.-com. officers | | | | | | |
and men | 8,213 | 188 | 18 | 3 | 21 | 11.17 | 0.25
+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+--------
Total | 8,539 | 198 | 21 | 4 | 25 | 12.62 | 0.29
| | | | | | |
_Modder River_: | | | | | | |
Officers | 335 | 22 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 18.18 | 1.19
Non.-com. officers | | | | | | |
and men | 9,856 | 462 | 67 | 9 | 76 | 16.45 | 0.77
+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+--------
Total |10,191 | 484 | 70 | 10 | 80 | 16.53 | 0.78
| | | | | | |
_Magersfontein_: | | | | | | |
Officers | 379 | 68 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 32.35 | 5.80
Non.-com. officers | | | | | | |
and men |11,068 | 918 | 148 | 20 | 168 | 18.30 | 1.51
+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+--------
Total |11,447 | 986 | 166 | 24 | 190 | 19.26 | 1.66
---------------------+-------+------+------+------+-------+-------+--------

The high death rate among the officers will at once arrest attention,
but this has been noticed in other campaigns, particularly in the
Franco-German war. It is mainly attributable to the circumstance that
the officers, as leading, are always in the front and most exposed
position. I much doubt whether at the end of the campaign the entire
abandonment of distinctive badges will be found to have had any very
important result in decreasing the relative number of casualties as
between officers and men. At close quarters distinctive uniform is no
doubt a danger, but at the common ranges of 1,000 yards and upwards the
enemy's fire is rather directed to cover a zone than to pick out
individuals.

The especially high mortality among the officers at the battle of
Graspan was attributable to the casualties among the naval officers, and
the men of the brigade suffered most severely also.

It will be noted that the most expensive battles were those of Belmont
and Magersfontein.

If the numbers of the men actually taking part in the fighting in these
battles