Reflect on the tragic battle of Spionkop from the comfort of its lodge
A demonstration of the foolishness and waste of war can be relived more than 120 years later
“The sun finally broke through the mist … It was only now [Maj-Gen Sir ERP] Woodgate could see precisely the death trap he and his men were in… It was an open, bald summit, on which they were extremely exposed. The Boers were already lodged on the northeastern slope … But more seriously, they occupied Aloe Knoll, from where they could look into part of the British trench and had an excellent view of those soldiers holding the right extremity of the crest-line.” So writes Gilbert Torlage in his booklet, in the Battle Book series, called The Battle of Spioenkop.
It was at about 8.30am on January 24 1900, that Woodgate was struck in the head by a bullet and mortally wounded. The British forces at Spionkop suffered about 330 deaths, while the Boers lost 58. It is one of the most poignant battle tales, demonstrating so clearly the British forces’ unpreparedness for the terrain they were fighting in, and the Boers’ lethal familiarity with it, which gave them an extreme advantage...<...
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