54: The Battle of Majuba 1881, South Africa

Send me a messageThe Battle of Majuba, fought in South Africa on the 27th February 1881 was one of the British Army’s most humiliating defeats.Of their force of 400 men, the British lost 92 killed (including their commanding general), 134 wounded and 59 captured - a 70% casualty figure.In comparison their Boer opponents lost just 2 men killed and 4 wounded.It would result in the Boers regaining their independence from Britain: the first time since the American colonists that part of the British empire had successfully broken free.It is a story of folly, mixed with ego and good dose of bravery too.Don't forget to sign up for my weekly history newsletterSupport the show