The battle of the Platrand was the only serious Boer attack on the British lines during the siege of Ladysmith.
The Platrand is a two-and-a-half-mile long ridge that dominated the south side of Ladysmith. It had been occupied by the British from the start of the siege in November 1899 and was seen by many as the key to the defences of Ladysmith. Its loss would certainly have made Lieutenant-General Sir George White’s task much harder – White being the commander of all forces in Ladysmith at the time.
The British recognised the tactical importance of the Platrand and had fortified the hills at each end. At Caesar’s Camp which was on the eastern end of the ridge they had positioned 400 men from the Manchester Regiment, the Natal Naval Volunteers, and one 12-pounder gun. On Wagon Hill which was on the west end of the ridge there were the 1st King’s Royal Rifle Corps, the Imperial Light Horse, the Royal Engineers and a 3-pounder gun manned by the Natal Volunteers. The British commander on the Platrand, Colonel Ian Hamilton, had around 1 000 men to defend the two-and-a-half-mile long position.
The Boers had twice that number of men. The Transvaal Burghers under Kommandant Schalk Burger were to attack Caesar’s Camp with Kommandant de Villiers and his Free State burghers attacking Wagon Point. Boers from the Vryheid and Winburg commandos and a unit from the German volunteers were to attack the centre of the ridge, between the two hills.
The Boer attack commenced at 2.30am on 6 January. At daybreak the Boer attack had failed to reach the summit of the ridge. Boer guns on neighbouring hills shelled the British positions. Lieutenant General White deployed additional field guns and this helped to stabilise the British position.
The fighting continued until noon when British reinforcements arrived. Whether the Boers were supposed to simultaneously attack other British positions around Ladysmith is unknown, but because this was not done, White was able to deploy these reinforcements.
Later that day, the Devonshire Regiment (who were sent in as reinforcements) managed to force a major portion of the Boer forces from the ridge with a bayonet charge. British losses were significant. As darkness fell the remaining Boers retreated.
British losses were high. 168 men were killed, out of a total of 417 casualties. Five Victoria Crosses were won (two posthumously). Boer losses were probably as high. Officially they were reported as 64 dead and 119 wounded, but the Rifle Brigade counted 99 Boer dead on their part of the hill. Amongst the Boer dead was Kommandant de Villiers. The failure of the attack on the Platrand demoralised the Boers. It was their last attempt to capture Ladysmith.
(with acknowledgement – History of War – Internet)
