7 | The South African / Anglo Boer War 1899 – 1902

Elandslaagte Battlefield

Elandslaagte Battlefield

Elandslaagte Battlefield, Glencoe/Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal

21 October 1899 The Boers occupied the railway Station on the 20th October and early the following morning a British mounted patrol with artillery shelled them. The Boers withdrew, took up a position on high ground overlooking the railway line…

Ladysmith Siege Museum

Ladysmith Siege Museum

151 Murchison Street, Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal

Acclaimed as one of the best Anglo Boer War museums in South Africa, its displays on the famous Siege and Relief of Ladysmith have thrilled countless Boer War enthusiasts. Built in 1884 as a market house, it served as a…

Platrand

Platrand

Platrand, Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal

“The Platrand is a long hill on the south side of the town. It was a critical section in the town’s defences. The soldiers christened the east end Caesar’s Camp and the West end Wagon Hill after features at Aldershot….

Armoured Train Incident

Armoured Train Incident

Armoured Train Incident - Churchill Capture Site, Frere Area, KwaZulu-Natal

On the 15th November 1899 Winston Churchill, a war correspondent for the Morning Post persuaded his friend Capt Haldane to let him accompany him on an armoured train on a reconnaissance along the rail line between Estcourt and Colenso. The…

Battle of Willow Grange

Battle of Willow Grange

Battle of Willow Grange, Estcourt Area, KwaZulu-Natal

23 November 1899 Most southern point that a pitched battle was fought between the British and the Boers. Despite Boer advantage, they decided to withdraw back to the Thukela line. Cmdt. Gen. Piet Joubert injured and invalided to Pretoria. South…

Battle of iNthabamnyama

Battle of iNthabamnyama

Battle of iNthabamnyama, Bergville Area, KwaZulu-Natal

20 – 22 January 1900 In an attempt to turn the Boer right flank Lieut. Gen Sir Charles Warren’s 5th Division mounted an attack across the iNthabamnyama Range but became pinned down by Boer rifle and artillery fire. The British…

Spion Kop Battlefield

Spion Kop Battlefield

Spioenkop/Spion Kop Battlefield, Bergville Area, KwaZulu-Natal

24 January 1900 Certainly the most futile and bloodiest of five battles fought in an effort to relieve Ladysmith. The British occupied the kop during the night of the 23rd January 1900 and the Boers counter attacked as the mist…