Churchill at Pretoria

From 1899 to 1902, South Africa was the stage of one of the most divided battles of its history. Many well known political figures took part on both sides, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Sir Winston Churchill, and Florence Nightingale.

The Boers independent republics were fighting against the British empire in order to mantain their independence and the control over the resources of gold and diamonds of the Transvaal area, while the British wanted to expand the borders of their colonies and put under control their enemy. The war ended with the victory of the British Empire and the political unification of the country.

To achieve this victory a huge amount of money was spent, and many lives were lost. The Anglo-Boer War was one of changing military forces between a 19th century army and the begininnings of an technologically advanced 20th century army.

The area where we are working is where the Battle of Vaalkrantz was fought.

There has never been a full study on this specific area, and from a comparison done with material and structures found during our surveys and what is reported on official texts and documents some interesting differences have emerged.

There are text and maps recording in details the movements of the British and Boer forces during the battle. However, while we were undertaking our latest surveys, we have found unique unrecorded material. Once studied and properly organized this might give us the rare chance to understand one of the less known, but crucial battles.

We may have located two of the missing six Boer graves of this battlefield.

The aim of this project is to survey in detail the area, and compare that with the official reports. We intend to document the various fortifications, field hospitals, and smaller structures related to this battle.

We have the support of a military historian who will place our findings into context, and give us more historical informations on the battle. 

During the survey we use different survey tools, from maps and Google Earth, GPS, photogrpahy, etc.

Umphafa game reserve

Part of the area where we'll be working belongs to Umphafa Game Reserve, all the safety instructions necessary to work in such a unique environment will be provided at your arrival. If needed we'll be followed by local game rangers.

All the material neccessary to work will be provided by us, we'll email you a list of what you'll need to bring along once you have payed the joining fee.

The course is opened to a maximum of 6 people. While no previous experience is required, a list of fieldwork would assist in assessing each person.

At the end of theten days we'll release a participation certificate.

Umlando is an accredtied archaeological company with the regional (http://www.heritagekzn.co.za), and national (http://www.sahra.org.za/) heritage authorities.