At 05h30 on the morning of Friday, 20th October 1899, the first Boer artillery shell exploded on the parade ground of the British camp in the coal mining town of Dundee, fired from a gun on the summit of the nearby Talana Hill. The war had come to the Crown Colony of Natal. Although surprised, the British troops of Maj.-General Sir William Penn-Symons’ Brigade reacted quickly enough and shrapnel fired from the Royal Field Artillery was soon bursting over the Boer positions. The infantry, officially wearing the new khaki uniforms for the first time, soon began the counter attack by storming the hill.By noon, it was all over. The hill was taken and the retreating Boers cantered away to the North East, disappearing into the mist and rain squalls. But was it a splendid British victory? Or was it rather a “contest in blunders”? Consider the following:
The British forces sustained 500 casualties, including a disproportionately large number of officers. A number of these casualties were caused by “friendly fire” from the Royal Field Artillery;
General Penn Symons was mortally wounded after needlessly exposing himself to Boer rifle fire;
Lt.-Col. Möller and the bulk of the British cavalry became lost in the mist and eventually surrendered to the Boers;
No sooner was the hill taken than it was abandoned and two days later the British force slipped away to Ladysmith, abandoning the town, the wounded and their camp to the exultant Boers.
For their part the Boers hardly covered themselves with glory. Of the two Boer armies tasked with the attack on Dundee, only that of General Lukas Meyer took any part whilst General Erasmus’ force on nearby Mpati Hill either ignored Meyer’s increasingly desperate signals or failed to receive them because of the misty conditions. Two days later, when the British began their retreat to Ladysmith, no attempt was made by either of the Boer generals to inflict further damage on the bedraggled and demoralised force – the Boers contenting themselves with looting and celebrating in the town of Dundee.
The Battle of Talana passed into history and the Boer advance into Natal continued.
Audio : Ron - "snapshots" on the Battle Of Talana
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