After the fall of Johannesburg on 29 May 1900, the false truce gave the Boers the chance to get their troops out, together with guns and ammunition.
The British, however, weren’t sitting with their arms folded and General Roberts set out along the main Johannesburg – Pretoria route for the Capital, whilst General French took a more westerly route to Pretoria.
Mid-afternoon on 3 June 1900 French’s scouts spotted a Boer convoy of wagons passing through Kalkheuwel, a pass in the mountains north-west of Johannesburg. As was the Boer way of protecting their convoys, the Groot Marico and Wolmaransstad Kommandos were guarding the pass.
Just after 4 pm French ordered the Inniskilling Dragoons to occupy the western slopes of the pass and the Scots Greys to occupy the eastern slopes. On ascending the slopes, the Inniskillings came across Boers amongst covering rocks, and firing broke out. Those in the rear of the British troops were subsequently confronted by retreating horses. Fighting continued until nightfall, with the Boers withdrawing during the night, leaving six wagons stranded at the far end of the pass. Of the 25 Boer wagons in the convoy, half were captured or destroyed by the British, with the other half making their way Northwards. Three British soldiers were killed.
