Identity
Person No.
45952
Service No.
Unknown
Last Name
First Name
W.p.
Initials
W
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Unknown
Age at Death
Unknown
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,778
Killed in action
Military Service
Location
Operation
Operation
Dates
1900-02-12 to 1900-02-28
About
Final British attempt under General Sir Redvers Buller VC to break the Boer line along the Thukela (Tugela) and relieve Ladysmith (siege ended 28 February 1900). Stages covered by Gillings include the south-bank advance on Cingolo / Monte Cristo / Green Hill / Hlangwane, the Wynne Hills (Horseshoe / Hedge), Hart’s Hill (Terrace / Inniskilling Hill), and the Pieters Ridge breakthrough of 27 February. Acting Commandant-General Louis Botha and General Lucas Meyer commanded the Boer line. Gillings notes official British casualties for 14–27 February as 27 officers and 280 other ranks killed (figures often treated as conservative); Boer losses in Cas Bakkes’s research as 30 killed among other categories, also likely understated. Natal Carbineers and Imperial Light Horse squadrons under Maj H. de la P. Gough were among the first mounted troops into Ladysmith on 28 February.
Notes
WMBR id 1685
Research notes
Gillings, Ken. While They Kept The Flag Flying: The Relief of Ladysmith — The Battle of the Thukela Heights, 12th to 28th February 1900. 2nd ed. Just Done Productions / Lulu, 2012 (ISBN 978-1-920315-80-1).
5 Sep 2026: Regiment/Unit swapped -- "Swaziland Commando" (a Commando, the Boer War-era regiment-equivalent) moved to Regiment; "Boer Forces" (the generic force-wide designation) moved to Unit, per John's decision.
Citations
Unknown
External References
-
Anglo-Boer War Museum
open source ↗
Anglo-Boer War Museum
-
Gillings — While They Kept The Flag Flying (Thukela Heights)
open source ↗
Battle of the Thukela Heights / Relief of Ladysmith — CauseDeath already places this casualty on the battlefield; Gillings (2012) is the battle narrative source.
- South African War Graves Project open source ↗
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