Over the weekend I gave a talk on the Battle of Spioenkop to the Johannesburg MG Club who had met at the Nest in the Drakensberg for a weekend away.
The talk was very well received and the plan for the following day was for some of the group to drive to Spioenkop. This is the note I received from them
Hi Don,
It was really interesting, and I think you did a great job. Everyone was enthusiastic about your presentation around the pub that evening.
As luck would have it, I was offered a lift in an MGA which broke down and boiled. We made it about halfway and then aborted the actual ‘Kop’.
Thanks once again,
Regards,
Glen
Should you wish to arrange something similar with an interest group, please contact me so we can work out the logistics.
About the Battle of Spioenkop
Spioenkop was fought on 23 and 24 January 1900 during the Anglo-Boer War, as part of the British attempt to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. British troops climbed the hill at night and took the summit, only to find at dawn that they held a small, exposed position under heavy Boer fire. After a day of fierce fighting both sides withdrew, and the British left the hill. It is one of the most dramatic and moving battlefields in KwaZulu-Natal.
Talks for clubs and groups
I give talks on the Anglo-Zulu and Anglo-Boer wars to clubs, societies, schools and tour groups, and these can be combined with a visit to the battlefields themselves. See the Battlefields Tour for the kind of sites we can visit, and use the form below to tell me about your group.