Great Boer War

The following battles of the Great Boer War are described and illustrated under this title:

Battle of Talana Hill:  The first battle of the Great Boer War, also known as the Battle of Dundee, fought in Northern Natal on 20^th October 1899. Podcast on the Battle of Talana Hill

Battle of Elandslaagte:  Occasion, on 21^st October 1899, of the devastating charge by the 5^th Lancers. Podcast on the Battle of Elandslaagte

Battle of Ladysmith:  The first defeat of the British, also known as Lombard’s Kop and Nicholson’s Nek and fought on 29^th October 1898, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith. Podcast on the Battle of Ladysmith

Battle of Belmont:  Fought on 23^rd November 1899 in the Great Boer War, beginning the British advance to relieve Kimberley, besieged by the Boers. Podcast on the Battle of Belmont

Battle of Graspan:  (also known as the Battle of Enslin) Fought on 25^th November 1899 in the Great Boer War by Lord Methuen, leading to his advance to the disastrous battles of Modder River and Magersfontein. Podcast on the Battle of Graspan

Battle of Modder River:  Lord Methuen’s encounter battle at the Modder River, fought on 28^th November 1899, as the British advanced to relieve Kimberley. Podcast of the Battle of Modder River

Battle of Stormberg:  General Gatacre’s disastrous defeat in Northern Cape Colony, fought on 9th/10th December 1899; the first battle of ‘Black Week’. Podcast on the Battle of Stormberg

Battle of Magersfontein:  Methuen’s disastrous defeat at the hands of Cronje’s Boers on 11th December 1899; the Highland Brigade suffering severe loss: the second battle of ‘Black Week’. Podcast on the Battle of Magersfontein

Battle of Colenso:  Buller’s disastrous first attempt to cross the Tugela River in Natal and relieve Ladysmith, on 15^th December 1899: last of the three battles of ‘Black Week’. Podcast on the Battle of Colenso

Battle of Spion Kop:  The iconic British defeat on 24^th January 1900, during Buller’s second and disastrous attempt to cross the Tugela River and relieve Ladysmith. Podcast on the Battle of Spion Kop

Battle of Val Krantz:  The third unsuccessful attempt by Buller to push across the Tugela River and relieve Ladysmith, fought on 5^th February 1900. Podcast on the Battles of Val Krantz and Pieters

Battle of Pieters:  The final battle fought by Buller’s Natal Field Force on 14^th February 1900, leading to the relief of Ladysmith and the Boer retreat from Natal.  Podcast on the Battles of Val Krantz and Pieters

Battle of Paardeberg:  The close fought battle that ended on 27^th February 1900 with the surrender of Cronje’s Boer army to the British. Podcast on the Battle of Paardeberg

Siege of Mafeking:  The siege of the railway town on the Bechuanaland border, from 14^th October 1899 to 16^thMay 1900, that fired the British imagination with its resourceful defence by Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout Movement. Podcast on the Siege of Mafeking

Siege of Kimberley:  The siege of the diamond-mining town in the north-west of South Africa, between 14^th October 1899 and 15^th February 1900, whose relief dominated the strategy of the western British forces. Podcast on the Siege of Kimberley

Siege of Ladysmith:  The siege in Natal that ensnared a British army from 2^nd November 1899 to 27^th February 1900, but blocked the Boer invasion of the colony. Podcast on the Siege of Ladysmith