After the Boers had successfully taken the pass at Silkaatsnek on 11 July 1900 together with the British guns and 80 prisoners, the British, for strategic reasons, needed to re-take the pass.
An attack was planned for 2 August where the British attacked the pass from both the north and south. The Boers, caught in a ‘pincer’ movement, were forced to evacuate the pass, leaving a number of wagons behind.
Private House of 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross for rescuing a fellow soldier under intense rifle fire, being wounded himself in the action.
