The Battle of Wagon Hill, which took place on 6 January 1900, was one of the most significant in the Natal Campaign, and, had the British not prevailed on that day, the Siege of Ladysmith might have ended very differently. But for the addition of many monuments and graves, the battlefield today is much as it was on the day of the battle. Like Spioenkop, and a few other battle sites in Natal, it has a quality that evokes memories of the dramatic events that took place all along the high ground of Wagon Hill and Caesar's Camp (Platrand to the Boers).
Relics of the battle are now rare and may no longer be collected, but in times gone by before there were such restrictions it was a happy hunting ground for relic collectors. Much was picked up in the 1970's, when a consolidation of graves was done and some new memorials were built. A collector at that time was the late John Parker, who had a passionate interest in the history of Ladysmith and its surroundings during the Boer War. In addition to relics of the war, John had a collection of relevant medals that few others could match. A few years ago, on learning of my interest in the Imperial Light Horse and the Battle of Wagon Hill, he presented me with a few of the items he had picked up in the 1970's. Three of them are shown below, and he described them as follows:
"[The] .303 cartridges and spent 7mm Mauser cartridge case [were] found in the immediate vicinity of the Digby Jones/de Villiers memorials, where the fighting took place which involved, among others, the Imperial Light Horse."
This hand-to-hand action resulted in the award of two posthumous Victoria Crosses - Lieutenant R Digby-Jones (Royal Engineers) and Trooper H Albrecht (Imperial Light Horse).
Brett
![WAGONHILL3-WagonPointcartridges.jpg]()
Relics of the battle are now rare and may no longer be collected, but in times gone by before there were such restrictions it was a happy hunting ground for relic collectors. Much was picked up in the 1970's, when a consolidation of graves was done and some new memorials were built. A collector at that time was the late John Parker, who had a passionate interest in the history of Ladysmith and its surroundings during the Boer War. In addition to relics of the war, John had a collection of relevant medals that few others could match. A few years ago, on learning of my interest in the Imperial Light Horse and the Battle of Wagon Hill, he presented me with a few of the items he had picked up in the 1970's. Three of them are shown below, and he described them as follows:
"[The] .303 cartridges and spent 7mm Mauser cartridge case [were] found in the immediate vicinity of the Digby Jones/de Villiers memorials, where the fighting took place which involved, among others, the Imperial Light Horse."
This hand-to-hand action resulted in the award of two posthumous Victoria Crosses - Lieutenant R Digby-Jones (Royal Engineers) and Trooper H Albrecht (Imperial Light Horse).
Brett
