Slag van Spioenkop

Spioenkop Monument Ladysmith

Kaart van Natal

The Battle of Spioenkop (Tweede Vryheidsoorlog) also known as the Battle of Spionkop was fought on the 23rd and 24th of January 1900, the Battle of Spioenkop (Spionkop) was the scene of the most futile and certainly the bloodiest of the four battles fought to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith from the surrounding Boer forces. The dreadful day of bloodshed cost the British some 1,200 casualties, of whom over 300 were killed. In total Boer casualties amounted to some 300 men, 62 percent of whom were from the Carolina Commando.

The tapestry of the conflict is rich with the names of men who went to war in South Africa – Winston Churchill, (Churchill captured), Mohandas Gandhi, Jan Smuts, Robert Baden-Powell, Louis Botha, Deneys Reitz, Redvers Buller, Lord Kitchener, Lord Roberts, Piet Joubert and Christiaan de Wet; while battle honours reflect bloody conflicts and famous engagements: Talana, Elandslaagte, Seige of Ladysmith, the Armoured Train Incident, Colenso, Thukela Heights, Spioenkop and Vaalkrans.