Boer War : Battle of Willow Grange

“Halt! Who goes daar?!” The Boer sentry’s rather lame attempt to pass himself off as an Englishman cut no ice with the British soldiers crouched a few metres below the crest. (Bear in mind you're in the foothills of the Drakensberg here - this is mountainous terrain). “Fix Bayonets! Charge!”

Stumbling and slipping on the steep, rain soaked slope of Harris Hill, the sodden Tommies reached the crest. In the short skirmish that followed the Boer sentry was killed with his comrades fleeing to a ridge to the south where they reformed to try to stem the British advance.

But the khaki clad soldiers had scented blood and, after a few short minutes rest to catch their breath, the shouted order came again: “Charge!” This time the Boers scrambled for their horses and soon disappeared into the morning mist towards the west. The time was 04h00 and the hill was won.

During the late afternoon of the 21st November, the Boers had cut rail and telegraph links at Highlands, between the towns of Estcourt and Mooi River. Like Ladysmith to the north, Estcourt was effectively besieged. This situation could not be tolerated and Gen Hildyard, stationed in Estcourt with his 2nd Brigade and a number of Colonial troops, resolved to re-establish communications to the south without delay.

To achieve this, however, the Boers would have to be dislodged from the high ground some 10 kms to the south of the town, where they had been seen to position a gun on Harris Hill. Colonel Walter Kitchener would command the force which would attempt to surprise the Boers with a night attack the following evening. Despite the torrential rain and massive hailstones that had caused the death of at least one Boer and serious injuries to some British soldiers, the attack – with a local farmer as guide – succeeded.

Leaving companies of the East Surry regiment behind the stone wall that bisected the hill, Kitchener lead his West Yorkshire men to the west in the direction taken by the fleeing Boers. But as the mist melted away and the crest line was reached, the British were confronted with the danger of their position. A wide, featureless valley spread out below them. On the far side of the valley, out of rifle range, was another hill – Brynbella. And Brynbella was swarming with Boers. Worst of all the muzzles of two 75mm guns and a 37mm heavy machine gun were all too apparent.

Of the British artillery there was no sign. [It would be learned later that no one had given any orders to the commander of 7th Battery of the Royal Field Artillery. In fact he did not even know that the attack had taken place!] The Boer guns opened fire and soon found the range. Kitchener’s casualties began to mount. In vain he looked back towards the British position on Beacon Hill in the hopes of seeing signs that the main force, led General Hildyard, had begun to sweep across the valley towards the Boer position. He was not to know that Hildyard was still having his breakfast back in Estcourt and was nowhere near the battlefield.

The Boer counter-attack, led personally by General’s Piet Joubert’s assistant – a charismatic young man by the name of Louis Botha – began. Parties of mounted Boers began to gallop towards the British position, dismounting from time to time to take cover and open long range rifle fire. Kitchener’s position became increasingly dangerous and by 08h00, the West Yorks began to fall back towards the stone wall.

Still no sign of General Hildyard’s force. By 09h00, the British had suffered over 60 casualties and Kitchener decided to withdraw from the hill. Despite being hotly pursued by Boer Commandos, this was carried out in text book fashion and by midday the exhausted soldiers had reached the comparative safety of Beacon Hill. The officer in charge of the 12 pound Naval Gun, alarmed by the sight of the advancing Boers, withdrew the gun to Estcourt causing General Hildyard to abandon his position on Beacon Hill. By 16h00, all the British and colonial troops were back in Estcourt and the Boers were in complete possession of the field.

Two days later however, the Boers – laden with booty and captured cattle - began to withdraw towards Weenen and ultimately north to the Thukela River. There were simply too many British troops pouring into Natal for them to have any hopes of further advances towards the coast. Estcourt was saved. The Battle of Willow Grange was over. The British had sustained about 90 casualties with 16 men killed. The Boers had won the battle but lost the race. From the 24th November their strategy would become defensive.

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