“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.
If tales like these excite you, there is no better place to hear them, and to immerse yourself in South African War memories and memorabilia, than Spionkop Lodge in the foothills of the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal.
You will also be treated to sumptuous though not fancy food, comfortable rooms, birding and boating on the nearby dam, as well as a game drive and a tour to the koppie where the battle took place, with knowledgeable guide Raymond Heron.
I found the trip a fascinating and engrossing experience of interweaving the history of the Anglo-Boer War with the attractions and comforts of the present day. This included being able to sleep under the same roof as the young Winston Churchill when he came to bring messages to the commander of the British troops in Natal, General Sir Redvers Buller, on the farm in 1899.
The original homestead where Buller made his headquarters is still standing, though it has been extensively renovated and turned into nine comfortable and stylish en-suite double rooms. These are available from R890/pp/night, and there are two cottages with accommodation for four people, from about R2,000 for the night.
Heron and his wife Lynette own and run the lodge, which they opened in 1999. Situated on Woodlands Farm, it borders a nature reserve with rhino, giraffe, zebra, many types of antelope and other wildlife. The birdlife is plentiful, with about 270 species having been spotted, and the farm has a profusion of aloes.
The grounds are park-like, and the premises spick and span. The dining room and pub, decorated with a spectacular array of war memorabilia, are in a characterful stone building with a vegetable patch to the side. We enjoyed the home-made soups — lettuce, pea, lemongrass and mint — as well as the chicken stuffed with spinach and mozzarella and the beef fillet cordon bleu. Desserts were chocolate cheesecake and crème brulee, and we had some of our meals on the patio overlooking lush trees and greenery.
The Herons prefer to write Spionkop in the old Dutch way, but the koppie is also called Spioenkop — “Spy Hill”. It is about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from Johannesburg and we arrived on a warm November day of about 28° C. Who knows what the temperatures were like when about 15,000 of Buller’s soldiers made their way into the Colenso area just weeks after the Anglo-Boer War started in October 1899, but photographs taken at the time show the terrain as flat and dry, whereas today it is covered in trees and grasses.
The Boers had lain siege to Ladysmith, trapping 13,000 troops under Lt-Gen Sir George White and about 8,000 civilians and servants, and it was to relieve the town that the British forces arrived in the area. The dynamic Boer Gen Louis Botha, just 37 years old, was holding the defensive line and Buller and about 19,000 men could not break through. The revered war hero was forced to reflect on his own abilities and send a telegram to the war secretary saying: “I do not think I am strong enough to relieve White.”
A recipient when much younger of the Victoria Cross, Buller was by then 60 and many historians attribute the subsequent failures in the then colony of Natal, among them the tragic Battle of Spionkop, to his muddled leadership. Churchill, who came to SA as a war correspondent and then enlisted in the SA Light Horse, wrote in his memoirs that Buller feared being besieged like the unfortunate residents of Ladysmith, and “these dangers were rendered real by the leisureliness which marred all Buller’s movements”.
Strengthened by the 5th Division under Lt Gen Sir Charles Warren, Buller’s forces headed for the Tugela Valley, where he hoped to cross the plains to Ladysmith. In the several nearby koppies — Ntabamnyama, Child Koppie, Aloe Knoll — they were being watched by Botha’s burghers from various Boer republics.
A photograph of 20 or so of the Boer forces assembled at the foot of Spionkop can be seen in the Spionkop Lodge dining room and bar. Dressed in their customary rough white shirts with black waistcoats, they stand in strong contrast to the precise uniforms of the British, who by then were wearing khaki. Churchill even wore a long plume of feathers from the sakabulu finch in his hat. Some of the units that trekked up the koppie to engage the Boers included the 2nd Royal Lancaster Regiment, 2nd Lancashire Rifles, 1st South Lancashire Regiment, Lt-Col Alexander Thorneycroft’s Mounted Infantry (a volunteer unit composed of “Uitlanders” and Natal farmers), and the 17th Royal Engineers.
The Lancashire Brigade comprised the majority of the force on Spioenkop, hence the ‘Kop End’ at the home of Liverpool football, Anfield.
Lynette Heron drew my attention to a plaque on the main building’s wall, which commemorates Liverpool Football Club. “The Lancashire Brigade comprised the majority of the force on Spioenkop, hence the ‘Kop End’ at the home of Liverpool football, Anfield,” she explained. “You’ll never Walk Alone” the plaque says, and lists the names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the battle.
The morning after arriving at the lodge, our first outing after a large English breakfast served by the lodge’s friendly and helpful female staff, was to Mount Alice. Heron drove us to the neighbouring cattle farm in his air-conditioned bakkie, and up the hill to see the gravestones and memorials and look across the valley to the flat-topped kop where the battle took place. He seated us under shaded netting to ward off some annoying small flies and the already fierce heat, and began sketching the history of the land, which had led to the events at Spionkop. It was from Mount Alice that Buller could observe the fighting, but parts of the terrain were obscured, and this was to present many problems as he tried to get signals across to the fighting men.
Many historians, such as Torlage, question why Buller even sent his forces up Spionkop when they could have bypassed it. There were some Boers — about 123 Vryheid burghers and German Corps members on the summit. Still, in late January 1900, about 1,700 British troops, each carrying 150 rounds of ammunition, a rifle, bayonet, rations and water began to ascend, with orders to surprise the Boers on the hill, drive them off and entrench themselves. The Engineers would bring up entrenching equipment, but much of this was dumped on the way as it was too heavy to carry.
When we went to Spionkop on the second day, we were thankfully able to drive up. I believe it is an exhausting climb, especially in hot weather. On the summit one’s attention is first drawn to the trenches, filled with white stones, which during the fierce fighting began to fill up with bodies and later became the graves of the men. One is able to walk around to the many memorials on the kop — those commemorating the fallen Boer and British soldiers, as well as a new monument in honour of the Indian Ambulance Corps. This unit was started by Mohandas Gandhi, who served as a stretcher-bearer in the war and was working as a lawyer in SA at the time. The Herons initiated the project to erect the memorial, which they achieved with the assistance of the KwaZulu-Natal Amafa and Research Institute.
Heron told us that when the British troops began ascending the Kop on January 23 at about 9pm, they were told to be silent — no talking, smoking, lights or firing without orders — so as to surprise the Boers. Thorneycroft led the way. As they summitted, a loud challenge was heard: “Wer da?” from a burgher manning the picket. The battle started, with the Boers and British sending subsequent reinforcements.
The British were able to dig only shallow trenches because the soil was hard, and at the same time, the Boers were firing from the surrounding koppies with their Maxim-Nordenfeldt, Krupp gun and two Creusot guns.
The British had no artillery fire, and it was when the mist cleared in the morning that they realised the vulnerability of their position: due to the angle of the trench, the men’s heads became outlined in the skyline. As carnage ensued, some of the men began to raise white flags, but Thorneycroft ran at the Boer attackers and shouted: “I’m the commander here; take your men back to hell, sir!”
The battle, which could have been terminated then, continued throughout the day. It ended in the early hours with Buller announcing the men were to withdraw.
When in the early hours of January 25 the ambulance men made their way to the summit, a horrific sight met them: hundreds of dead and wounded men lay strewn across the koppie. The exact losses are not known, but it is estimated that 58 Boers were killed, and 322 British. About 800 in all were wounded, and 300 British soldiers were missing.
As you walk on the top of the koppie, a breeze blowing the grass, you can stand in front of each memorial and ponder the madness and waste of war, and the almost mad courage of the men fighting. But you can also, as you drive back down again to a long bath, a sundowner and a hot supper, reflect on the so much better times you live in.
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