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ALL BRAVE MEN AND TRUE" - SOUTH AFRICA 2011
AN EXPEDITION TO UNSPOILED BATTLEFIELDS OF THE FIRST ANGLO BOER WAR 1801
 Explore Potchefstroom, Pretoria, Laings Nek, Ingogo and Majuba and study some epic actions
Visit the country of Lesotho, and the towns of Graaf Reinet and Majitsfontein with their Boer and British connections
Stay in famous Kruger National Park
Relax in the lovely city of Cape Town
FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY TO SUNDAY 6 MARCH 2011
(17 DAYS / 16 NIGHTS)
After previous memorable Battlefield expeditions to South Africa,this is another opportunity to explore this vast and beautiful country, study for the most part the lesser known actions of the First Anglo Boer War, and enjoy warm hospitality in good company.
The Expedition will begin in Johannesburg, from where we will travel to Potchefstroom, the old Boer capital of the Transvaal, and where a dramatic siege marked the start of the first Anglo-Boer War. At the end of 1880 some 200 British soldiers with a few civilians began their defence of a very small mud fort in the town and held out for 95 days under the most difficult conditions. Despite the years that have passed, the remains of the fort, the British cemetery, the magazine and the market square can still be seen. Dignified Pretoria, known as the Jacaranda City with its thousands of trees, is our next stop. Here, the remains of forts (which were built by the Transvaal Government in 1896 to protect the City but were chiefly used to accommodate Lord Roberts' troops after British occupation in 1900), Paul Kruger's home and the Voortrekker Monument and Museum will be visited and the Siege of that town discussed.
Heading eastwards we will stop and look at the Bronkhorstspruit Affair before travelling on to the world renowned Kruger National Park for a 3 night stay, a very special place, where it is possible to see lion, elephant, white and black rhino, buffalo, and leopard.
Our next base will be Newcastle, from which we will explore the battlefield of Laing's Nek, where the British, including the 58th Regiment failed in an attempt to enter the Transvaal, and will visit the isolated cemetery there. The action at the Ingogo ambush which followed the Laing's Nek incident will also be studied and we will travel to Mount Prospect British Cemetery. We then plan to join in the commemorative events for the 130th Anniversary of the Battle of Majuba (27th February) when the British force included men of the 92nd Highlanders amongst whom was a certain young Lt Ian Hamilton, recommended for the Victoria Cross for his efforts on that day, later to be come well known for his role in the Gallipoli Campaign, and a fellow Scot Lt Hector McDonald who was to become a soldier of great renown, rising from private soldier to Major General. Major General Sir George Colley was killed in action at Majuba and we will see his grave at Mount Prospect.
There will be an opportunity to explore historic Newcastle itself including Fort Amiel and the monument to the 41st Regiment of Foot.
Continuing our journey we will stay in a very different country in Africa - The "Kingdom in the Sky", the tiny land of Lesotho, once known as Basutoland, where both Boers and British took refuge. Travelling further south we will overnight in Graaf Reinet, the fourth oldest town in South Africa, with its lovely Cape Dutch style architecture before crossing the Great Karoo and stopping in Victorian Majitsfontein, once a tiny railway halt established in 1884 which became the HQ of the Cape Western Command in 1899, a base hospital and convalescent home for British soldiers during the Second Anglo Boer War and where such famous people as Lord Randolph Churchill, Rudyard Kipling, Lord Roberts, Douglas Haig and Edgar Wallace enjoyed the hospitality of this "watering hole".
We then finally arrive in bustling and lively Cape Town - civilisation at last! - for some well earned R&R!
Incidentally this tour will be preceeded immediately by an optional 5 day (Monday 14 February - Friday 18 February) visit to the battlefields of Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift from our Natal base in Helpmakaar.
Each tour will be an unforgettable and unique experience, and if you are interested we would be pleased to forward further details.
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