Spioenkop Campaign BOOK

A culmination of 50 years of study, correctly places Spioenkop in the context of the larger Natal campaign. It's a detailed account of all the fighting around Three Tree Hill (during the Anglo-Boer/South African War), both west of Spionkop as far as Acton homes and east to Twin Peaks. This book is based on extensive archival study, on-site battlefield research and eye-witness accounts. This book also serves as a battlefield guide to Tabanyama and Spioenkop, providing detailed maps and numerous GPS locations.

After the defeat at Colenso, the Natal Field Force under General Buller needed to break through the Boer lines and relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith. Buller’s army marched westwards, crossed the Tugela River at Trichardt’s Drift and Potgieter’s Drift, and from 17-27 January 1900 fought the Boers with artillery and infantry attacks. These significant and prolonged battles have largely been ignored because of the horror of Spion Kop (Spioenkop) on 24 January. Yet Spion Kop began as a small flank attack - only a tenth of the British force were initially involved, and only 300 Boers counter-attacked.

The author, Dr Rob Davidson, has been a guest, guide, mentor and friend at Three Tree Hill over the past 15 years, and has produced what owner Simon Blackburn describes as “the best book ever written about Spioenkop”