Episode 21 - Lord Roberts’ Steamroller

After the last few weeks of skop skiet and donder - which means kick, shoot and beating (In Afrikaans) - we’re shifting our gaze back to the Western Reaches of South Africa, back towards the Cape and Kimberley. There are many subtleties at play here which we must address. General Redvers Buller has been demoted as Commander in Chief of the British Army Corps in South Africa, and his replacement Lord Roberts has already arrived in Cape Town. The original British plan was to drive a large army straight up the centre of South Africa northwards towards Pretoria, driving the Boers before this grand force. It was Buller who changed his mind in November and split the force in order to attempt to relieve 13000 men trapped in Ladysmith. The result had been catastrophic for his army as they were defeated in two big battles at Colenso in December and at Spion Kop in January. Now Lord Roberts' 40 000 strong force begins it march northwards.