Military Sites

15 May Durban Gun Batteries

Posted at 09:39h in Military Sites

Whilst I am often on the beach front, I have often walked past the Natal Command façade but never noticed the two gun emplacement positions directly adjacent to Pirates Lifesaving club. These Batteries were two of many gun emplacements constructed during WWII to protect...

05 May Rietfontein Farm – Ladysmith – 24 October 1899

Posted at 12:46h in Military Sites

A visit to this site on the farm Rietfontein,near Nicholson's Nek, brings one into contact with John Hawkesbury, the owner of the farm and an ex Military man (Kings Own Border Regiment & U.S.M.C.R).John kindly gave me some background and then allowed me to photograph...

05 May Tchrengula – Ladysmith

Posted at 12:30h in Military Sites

A visit to this site which is on private property, provides an opportunity to stretch the legs up a fairly steep and overgrown kopje. Like the Brits in October 1899, I lost the path which ended in a full frontal ascent to the top, collecting...

05 May Laing’s Nek – near Majuba & Schuinshoogte (Ingogo)

Posted at 12:17h in Military Sites

The site of the battle at Laing's Nek where the British were defeated on 28th January 1881 is totally overgrown with wattle and the cairns have been destroyed. In contrast the battle site at Schuinshoogte (Ingogo) is well maintained and easily accessible. This battle took...

05 Mar Glenwood High School Military Project

Posted at 08:14h in Military Sites

I have recently been in contact with Kevin Jordan, a teacher at Glenwood High Scholl who along with his pupils is doing a project to research more information on the South Africans whose names appear on the many monuments in KZN, in particular WWI. It's a...

15 Sep Mt Itala Battlesite

Posted at 09:56h in Military Sites

The visit to the summit of Mt Itala, (S 28.31.149 E 31.02.140 Elev 1472m), was worth the effort just for the views. This was the site of the battle in the Boer War on 25 September 1901. The summit requires about a 2.5km hike up...

23 Feb Wagon Hill – Ladysmith

Posted at 13:26h in Military Sites

On my visit to Wagon Hill, I came in for an attack of another kind . Whist walking up to the Burgher Monument I came under attack from some very angry Wasps , clearly very agitated in the hot weather. Did the 100 metres in...

07 Feb Nkambule Battle site visit

Posted at 11:27h in Military Sites

I visited the Nkambule 1879 battle site with Louis Daniel M. Scheepers, whose wife owns the Petra's Farm Guesthouse in Vryheid. He is a keen historian and was able to identify his Great Grandfather's name on my Spionkop photo of the Burgher Memorial on the...