Desmond Latham The Anglo-Boer War

Episode 10 - the Battle of Modder River

Loading player...
The Battle of Modder River took place after two other skirmishes which are called soldiers’ battles. These are bloody affairs where men die in droves, The battles of Belmont and Graspan then elicited a strategic master stroke by the Boers where they figured out how to exact high casualties by placing trenches at the base of hills and using their high powered Mauser bolt-action rifles to sow mayhem amongst the attacking British force.
28 Nov 2017 English South Africa Education

Other recent episodes

Episode 14 - The end of Black Week

It’s December 1899 and the British have already registered 3 000 casualties in various battles across South Africa. The latest we heard about was the Battle of Colenso on 15th December in Natal where the British casualty rate topped 1 130 with over 700 wounded and the result cost Commander…
24 Dec 2017 17 min

Episode 38 - Roberts marches into Pretoria but de Wet assaults Roodewal

For those who’ve followed this story from our start in October you know that we’re tracking the weeks of the war itself, and it’s now the first week of June 1900. This moment is what Lord Roberts has been waiting for - the triumphant march into the Transvaal Capital Pretoriathus…
10 Jun 2018 20 min

Episode 43 - General Hunter hunts de Wet and Canada loses a famous son

The conventional war has ended and the guerilla war has begun. The next few episodes will explore the actions of various leaders as they criss-crossed the South African countryside. But its not a romantic gallop, there are moments of unbelievable pain and suffering on all sides. The British soldiers were…
15 Jul 2018 20 min
All episodes