The Spioenkop Campaign

Dr Robert Davidson discusses this often-overlooked campaign to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith during the early stages of the Boer War.

The Spioenkop Campaign was a ten-day series of battles fought across a front of several miles, involving long-range rifle fire, artillery and trenches. However, it is remembered primarily for the British defeat at the Battle of Spion Kop on 24 January 1900. 

Despite the initial assault on the hilltop of Spion Kop involving less than a tenth of the British force, against only 300 Boers, it resulted in heavy casualties. Propaganda photographs of the British dead led many to believe that the assault had been a disaster. It is this feeling that has overshadowed the wider campaign ever since. 

In this revealing talk, Dr Robert Davidson will use eyewitness accounts and battlefield research to put Spion Kop into its proper context and address common misconceptions about the larger campaign.

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About Robert Davidson 

Dr Robert Davidson is a retired physician specialising in infectious diseases. He grew up in Natal and has spent years researching the battles on the Upper Tugela River.