by Allan Gordon | May 15, 2020 | Events, South African War 1899 - 1902
In April 1902 safe passage was given to Boer leaders who met in Klerksdorp to discuss the possibility of opening discussions with the British. Three days later a senior Boer delegation travelled to Pretoria and met with General Kitchener at Melrose House where they...
by Allan Gordon | May 12, 2020 | Battles, South African War 1899 - 1902
Mafeking had been under siege since 14 October 1899 when the Boers under Commandant Eloff made an unsuccessful attack on the town. On 14 October over 7 000 Boers under the command of Commandant-General Cronje, surrounded the garrison at Mafeking and a number of...
by Allan Gordon | May 11, 2020 | Battles, South African War 1899 - 1902
The beginning of May 1900 saw the start of the British advance northwards towards Johannesburg and Pretoria. The Boers decided to make an effort to prevent this advance and to defend Kroonstad, the town where a number of Boer krijgsraad (councils-of-war) had been held...
by Allan Gordon | May 9, 2020 | Anniversaries, South African War 1899 - 1902
One of the less spoken about Commandants of the South African War (1899-1902), Danie Theron, was born on 9 May 1872. Before the start of the war he was instrumental in the formation of a Cycle Corps. At the outbreak of war, as a captain he was responsible for...
by Allan Gordon | May 7, 2020 | Anniversaries, South African War 1899 - 1902
Commandant Danie Erasmus died on 7 May 1914. He fought in the First Anglo-Boer War (1880) where he became a Commandant. During the South African War 1899-1900, as a General, he saw action at the first battle of the war – Talana, was involved in the Siege of...
by Allan Gordon | May 6, 2020 | Battles, South African War 1899 - 1902
The Battle of Holkrans, although not the defining moment in the peace negotiations of the war, it became a huge consideration. Up to this point the war had been between the Boers and the British, but Holkrans introduced a new foe to the war – the Zulus. Holkrans is...
