The Battle of Majuba: A shocking British debacle
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- Опубліковано 30 вер 2024
- Walk the battlefield of Majuba - scene of a terrible British defeat during the 1st Anglo-Boer War (aka the Transvaal rebellion). Today I am joined by Tour guide Sean Friend and together we explore the site of the battle.
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Excellent episode, and am really enjoying your channel. You should have many more subscribers IMHO. Can anyone enlighten me as to why the cemetery does not seem to be under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission?
Thanks a lot. Pre CWWGC 👍🏼 I’ve not come across many Napoleonic or Victorian era cemeteries that are managed by CWWGC. I think it’s outside of their remit.
That decade wasn't great for British arms was it? Despite Purchase being abolished. Lions and donkeys again.
The majority of British officers were well versed in their trade and held the full respect of their men.
The problem here is that the British were having to face a mobile enemy who could all shoot!
Between Isandlwana, Majuba, and Spion Kop, the British didn't have the best luck with hills in that part of Africa.
It’s a fair point.
A fascinating podcast and for me, an excellent primer as I will be visiting there next week with Ian Knight on a guided group tour. Part of a wider Boer War battlefield trip. Is the film "Majuba Hill of Doves" available with sub-titles? I have watched it on UA-cam and about 25/30 % is in English, but it would be nice to understand the Afrikaans as well.
The film Majuba was released in 1968 with the Afrikaans people speaking their language and the English theirs. No subtitles were employed back then.
It would seem that the British had a mindset that your battles should won only at close quarters but times had changed, modern rifles made the difference. This was an unnecessary surrender. Churchill wrote that it was part of the decision to engage in the second Boer war as the government was in part still smarting at it. Hard to say whether he was right.
I love these. A great bank holiday relaxing and looking back at Redcoat history.
Fascinating video, all new to me. Thanks for your excellent commentary and visuals
Another great film
I always wonder if artifacts are just lying about on the surface; cartridge cases, buttons, etc.
Great episode 👍
This channel should have so many more views. Good stuff.
Very interesting, Chris. I agree that there is little better than walking the ground of a battlefield. It provides a person with a much better understanding of what went on there.
One question I had regarding the names of the British soldiers on the plaque, since I delve in genealogy. Is there enough detail in the regimental records to be able to figure out exactly who some of these enlisted men are?
Hi. I havent studied the records but generally yest there should be inc. appearance, place of enlistement, trade and also service records such as awards etc etc...
Thank you ,very enjoyable and interesting to watch .
Thank you so much for the battlefield tour. Nothing is as good as seeing the battlefield to understand the battle.
Brilliant stuff..ta!....more please.✌️
Absolutely brilliant. Thank you
Most enjoyable episode. Thanks as always
Another great post thanks. The landscape could easily be in the Lake District fells or Snowdonia back here in the UK!
Absolutely fantastic! I am so glad I found your channel!!
Welcome aboard! Hope you enjoy all the videos. Feel free to keep in touch.
You are a grand historian. I really enjoy this site and have learned so much from you. Thank you!
Fantastic footage, Chris! One day, 'i hope I'll be able to get back and see so much more of these historic sights!
Thanks Rob, it is well worth a visit. If you come back here we will certainly meet and do some battlefield walking together.
Throughly enjoyed this episode Chris 👍🏽 looking forward to more on this conflict
Thanks Jacob.
Thanks so much!
Sorry I missed this video when you first posted it. Thanks for the reminder. It was really terrific with the actual battle site. Maybe if it's not too much trouble add some different scale maps, even if hand drawn, they would help me with perspective.
The thing that got me to watch was your passion of this battle.
another great video. thanks 👍
What a FUBAR the British engineered.
Brilliant as always.
Thanks Rob.
Back in the glorious days of 4 man rooms in a Rifle Company block, I shared a room with a South African Boar.. He constantly banged on about the English crimes and how we invented concentration camps to win a war they would have otherwise won, blah blah blah, and I'd constantly remind him that he'd joined an Infantry Regiment which has a Boar War battle honour Hahaha 😆.. We argued all the time about history, blokes would stand in the corridor and outside our room to listen to us shout at each other about Boar war history and English crimes or victories if you ask me, 😉.. And we were the best of friends.. He left after 5 years I served 14 in total, but in 2019 I went to South African to visit him on his family farm and discovered that he had British war graves on his land from battles past that his family had cared for, for years.. He too me to Mt Majuba and we climbed it to see the graves at the top, we went to Rorkes Drift and Isandlwana and the site of the battle of blood river.. It was a brilliant trip.
Nice one. I love the irony that he joined the British army. Thanks for sharing mate.
@redcoathistory Yeah, he loved the British military, he loved our history and traditions, he'd been to University and was a 24 year old civil engineer when he travelled to the UK and joined the British Army, he tried for the Royal Marines first, so he was pretty keen for it and he had this bee under his bonnet about 9/11 and was desperate to fight in Afghan.. But like most Boars, he was raised on his history and taught to live as if all this stuff happened to him personally and not 104 years earlier as it was at the time he joined.. He admired Jan Smuts, who could have fought against us during the second Boar war and then fought alongside us during the Great War and 2nd World War.. At his farm, he has pictures and Regimental things hanging on his wall with great pride, but would still argue with me when I got there, its our thing I suppose.. But I'd always win by pointing to the Regimental Colours and the words "South Africa" written down one side lol.
Nice one! The lower slopes of Majuba look even more overgrown now than I remember them. It is a haunting place. I can't imagine what Colley intended to achieve with such a rag-tag force. Unless you also haul guns up there, it is of little value, too far from the Nek to effectively engage with small arms fire. Still, I am clearly missing something, as the Boers deemed it important enough to assault without delay. In the end, it was the battle that ended the war, though a change of government in Britain helped as well. Looking forward to your next one!
Taking the high ground is an ancient and time-tested strategy, just as encirclement is.
@@patrickcooper7629 I'm well aware of that, but it's no good taking Mount Snowden if you are attacking Leeds.
@@BoerChris I bet to differ, sir. Disease killed more soldiers than combat in the Crimean War, which is one of the reasons for Sun Tzu's wisdom regarding the highground, aside from the obvious tactical apparent advantage.
Colley could probably have got guns up there, given enough time. However, his men would have run out of water before then! Still, hindsight is 20/20.
war for gold and diamonds,
Very interesting! Thank you!
I'm not a 100% sure but I remember learning in school that the 1st Boer War was just called the Boer War. The 2nd one was called the Anglo boer war. Just thought I'd mention that. Love the videos thanks.
Great video indeed, on a much forgotten matter.
Thanks a lot. I’m really glad that you enjoyed it.
Excellent
Dude you make awesome vids. Thank you ✊🇿🇦
Great video as per usual.
Thanks Jake!
More to the point is " Why did Coley go up there "? Why didnt he just attack laings neck?
He tried on the 28th of January and was soundly defeated. The Boers were well entrenched on the summit and the slopes to the summit are very steep and grassy. The British tried a cavalry charge uphill but the slopes were too steep and the Infantry were slipping and sliding all over the place in their hobnailed boots!
Very interesting.
Great stuff!