This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. Winston, Churchill, My Early Life. The reason why the older spelling is used internationally is because the name Spionkop originates from Dutch; spion [spee-yawn], and not spioen [spee-yoon], is the Dutch word for "spy". [4] They would then attack the defensive line that blocked Buller's advance to Ladysmith. Churchill acted as a courier to and from Spion Kop and General Buller's HQ and made a statement about the scene: "Corpses lay here and there. However, the Boers did not reclaim their positions. Privacy policy The area was only 20 miles (32 km) from Ladysmith. Approximately 1,250 British were either wounded or captured. Three attempts by General Sir Redvers Buller to break the siege resulted in defeat for the British forces at the battles of Colenso, Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz. [11] Ten British soldiers were wounded in the charge. Warren had already dispatched Major General John Talbot Coke's brigade of two regular battalions and the Imperial Light Infantry (raised in Durban) to reinforce the summit. However, he refused to launch an attack on Tabanyama and barred his guns from firing on Aloe Knoll, believing this to be part of the British position. At 11:40, Buller, who could see that things were not going well, suggested to Warren that Thorneycroft be appointed commander on the Kop. Three attempts by General Sir Redvers Buller to break the siege resulted in defeat for the British forces at the battles of Colenso, Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz. The Boer Generals were not unduly concerned by the news that the British had taken the Kop. Buller managed to rally his troops; Ladysmith would be relieved by the British four weeks later. Medical assistance, water and ammunition were also tardy in arriving. "[18] He ordered the brigade to retreat. [6], Spion Kop, just northeast of Warren's force, was the largest hill in the region, being over 1,400 feet (430 m) in height (relative height from the ground). At the top of the off-ramp go left to Bergville /Winterton . The fighting on the British right now became a stalemate. Although the common English name for the battle is Spion Kop throughout the Commonwealth and its historical literature, the official South African English and Afrikaans name for the battle is Spioenkop: spioen means "spy" or "look-out", and kop means "hill" or "outcropping". They were about to retreat, when Botha appeared and persuaded them to stay. New York; Harper & Row, 1976. At the Battle of Spion Kop he commanded a large force that was sent to capture the strategic hill in a night assault on 23 January 1900. Morale began to sag on both sides as the extreme heat, exhaustion and thirst took hold. The Boer Generals realised that Spion Kop would have to be stormed quickly if disaster were to be averted. A half-company of British Sappers began to entrench the position with a mere 20 picks and 20 shovels (while almost 1,000 soldiers stood around idle) and Major General Woodgate notified General Warren of the successful capture of the hilltop. Thorneycroft personally intervened and shouted at the Boers who advanced to round up prisoners, "I'm the Commandant here; take your men back to hell sir! It lay almost exactly at the centre of the Boer line. It gives a brief definition of each concept and its relationships. If the British could capture this position and bring artillery to the hill then they would command the flanks of the surrounding Boer positions. ; Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop(1) along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa from 23–24 January 1900. [4] However, the Boer Generals also knew that sniping and artillery alone would not be sufficient to dislodge the British - and the Boer position was desperately vulnerable. In late December, 1899, Buller made a frontal assault on the Boer positions at the Battle of Colenso. The British suffered 243 fatalities during the battle, many were buried in the trenches where they fell. [1] This time he brought the first orders from Warren since he elevated Thorneycroft to brigadier. They knew that their artillery on Tabanyama could be brought to bear on the British position[dubious – discuss] and that rifle fire could be brought to bear from parts of the Kop not yet occupied by the British. Colonel Malby Crofton of the Royal Lancasters took charge and semaphored a plea for help, "Reinforce at once or all is lost. It was fought between the South African Republic and the Orange Free State on the one hand and British forces during the Second Boer War campaign to relieve Ladysmith. The Battle of Spion Kop (Dutch language: Slag bij Spionkop, General Sir Redvers Buller, VC, commander of the British forces in Natal, was attempting to relieve a British force besieged in Ladysmith. Each square carries a letter. More languages soon.  | Last modifications, Copyright © 2012 sensagent Corporation: Online Encyclopedia, Thesaurus, Dictionary definitions and more. After sixteen hours on the Kop doing the job of a Brigadier General in total absence of instructions from Warren, he ordered an unauthorised withdrawal from Spion Kop after reporting that the soldiers had no water and ammunition was running short. E. Woodgate (letter to C.Warren, 24 January 1900) from Uncovered Editions. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Swedish, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Catalan, Czech, Hebrew, Danish, Finnish, Indonesian, Norwegian, Romanian, Turkish, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai, Greek, Bulgarian, Croatian, Slovak, Lithuanian, Filipino, Latvian, Estonian and Slovenian. (Thorneycroft was one of six "special service" officers, among whom were also Robert Baden-Powell and Herbert Plumer, despatched to South Africa shortly before the war to recruit local irregular corps. The reason why the older spelling is used internationally is because the name Spionkop originates from Dutch; spion [spee-yawn], and not spioen [spee-yoon], is the Dutch word for "spy". Get XML access to reach the best products. The British had failed to exploit their initial success, and the initiative now passed to the Boers. Major General Woodgate fell about 08:30, mortally wounded by a shell splinter. To make matters worse, the British trenches were inadequate for all defensive purposes. During the Second Boer War, the 2nd Battalion saw action at the Battle of Spion Kop in January 1900 and took part in the Relief of Ladysmith in February 1900. The Boer Generals were not unduly concerned by the news that the British had taken the Kop. It lay almost exactly at the centre of the Boer line. 2, pp 28 to 35, and p. 71), ISSN 1524-8666. At the same time, Buller sent Lyttelton strict orders to recall his troops from Twin Peaks. [4] On the 23rd they marched westward to cross the Tugela. "[15] He ordered the brigade to retreat. "[16] Luckily for Thorneycroft, the first of the British reinforcements arrived at this moment. Give contextual explanation and translation from your sites ! [7] They surprised the small Boer piquet and drove them off the Kop at bayonet point. When morning came, the Boer Generals were astonished to see two Burghers on the top of Spion Kop, waving their slouch-hats in triumph. The Boers suffered 335 casualties of which 68 were dead. As dawn broke, the British discovered that they held only the smaller and lower part of the hilltop of Spion Kop, while the Boers occupied higher ground on three sides of the British position. Mohandas Gandhi was a stretcher-bearer at the battle, in the Indian Ambulance Corps he had organised, and was decorated. The area was only 20 miles (32 km) from Ladysmith. Letters must be adjacent and longer words score better. indicating Spion Kop Lodge /Spioenkop Dam / Ladysmith . Buller managed to rally his troops; Ladysmith would be relieved by the British four weeks later. A windows (pop-into) of information (full-content of Sensagent) triggered by double-clicking any word on your webpage. Spion Kop (or Kop for short) is a colloquial name or term for a number of single tier terraces and stands at sports stadiums, particularly in the United Kingdom.. Their steep nature resembles a hill near Ladysmith, South Africa, that was the scene of the Battle of Spion Kop … Once all his force had crossed the river, Warren sent part of an infantry division under Lieutenant General Francis Clery against the Boer right flank positions on a plateau named Tabanyama. The Boers then won a series of tactical victories at Stormberg, Magersfontein, Colenso and Spion Kop. General Sir Redvers Buller, VC, commander of the British forces in Natal, was attempting to relieve a British force besieged in Ladysmith. [citation needed], Over the next few weeks, Buller received further reinforcements, and also acquired sufficient carts and transport to operate away from the railway line which was his main supply line. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Thorneycroft was selected to lead the initial assault. The result was a heavy British defeat. Churchill said 1,400 men were on the way with two large naval guns. Spion Kop, just northeast of Warren's force, was the largest hill in the region, being over 1,400 feet (430 m) in height (relative height from the ground).It lay almost exactly at the centre of the Boer line. Then, to compound all these blunders, at 9:00 pm Warren had ordered Coke to return to the HQ for consultation, leaving Thorneycroft alone among the horrors on the summit.[17]. Although the common English name for the battle is Spion Kop throughout the Commonwealth and its historical literature, the official South African English and Afrikaans name for the battle is Spioenkop: spioen means "spy" or "look-out", and kop means "hill" or "outcropping". Meanwhile, Coke never reached the summit. E. Woodgate (letter to C.Warren, 24 January 1900) from Uncovered Editions. (Thorneycroft was one of six "special service" officers, among whom were also Robert Baden-Powell and Herbert Plumer, despatched to South Africa shortly before the war to recruit local irregular corps. Without asking Buller, Lyttelton sent two battalions toward Spion Kop. I allow no surrenders. Buller delegated control of his main force to General Sir Charles Warren, (who as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police had previously investigated the "Jack the Ripper" murders), to cross at Trikhardt's drift. Lettris is a curious tetris-clone game where all the bricks have the same square shape but different content. General Sir Redvers Buller, VC, commander of the British forces in Natal, was attempting to relieve a British force besieged in Ladysmith. The Battle of Spion Kop (Slag bij Spionkop; Slag van Spioenkop) was fought about 38 km west-south-west of Ladysmith on the hilltop of Spioenkop (1) along the Tugela River, Natal in South Africa from 23–24 January 1900. [8] Ten British soldiers were wounded in the charge. ('The English are on the hill!). At the battle of Spion Kop Gandhi and his bearers moved to the front line and had to carry wounded soldiers for miles to a field hospital because the terrain was too rough for the ambulances.