The Battle of Spion Kop: 24 January 1900

The Battle of Spion Kop: 24 January 1900

Also referred to as “The Acre of Massacre” This battle turned out to be the bloodiest battle in the whole war. On the night of the 23rd January 1900, 1700 British troops under the command of Gen. Woodgate detached themselves from the main army under command of Gen.Sir Charles Warren, to start ascending this 500meter high mountain to launch a surprise attack on the Boer position at the top. The attack took place under cover of heavy fog. Capturing the hill in the early hours of the morning of the 24th Jan. Gen. Woodgate found that the same fog, which gave cover for their attack also now turned out to be their greatest adversary. It not only gave the enemy the chance to retaliate, but they dug their trenches in the wrong place, wasting time and giving Gen. Botha's commando's the edge.

The Boer guns, placed in strategic positions, soon dominated the battle site. It was the small calibre Maxim-Norfelder, or "Pom-pom" guns that created havoc in the British trenches, ripping apart and killing the occupants. Although wave on wave of reinforcements were sent in, they just became canon fodder, because they had no answer to these insignificant little one inch shells. the British armoury was way out of reach, reduced to useless pieces of cast iron, draped around Three Tree Hill, One source reports that at one stage there was as many as 4300 soldiers cramped on that hill top. Winston Churchill, in his memoirs refers to "the hellish sound of the Pom-pom guns". At the end of the day the Boer artillery secured the victory for them when the British evacuated the hill
 

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AB Mass grave on Spion Kop (South side).jpg135.99 KB
Burger monument on Spion Kop207.62 KB
Lancaster monument on Spion Kop138.66 KB

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