Bloody Sunday of February 18, 1900, was a day of high
Imperial casualties in the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and ...
.
Background
It occurred on the first day of the
Battle of Paardeberg
The Battle of Paardeberg or Perdeberg ("Horse Mountain", 18–27 February 1900) was a major battle during the Second Anglo-Boer War. It was fought near ''Paardeberg Ford (crossing), Drift'' on the banks of the Modder River in the Orange Free St ...
. A combined British-Canadian force of 6,000 finally trapped a group of approximately 5,000 Boer soldiers and some civilians, under
Piet Cronjé, in a bend of the
Modder River near
Kimberley, having
advanced from south of the Modder River on the 11th. The Boers defended a series of trenches on Paardeberg Hill.
The Imperial commander,
Kitchener (temporarily replacing the unwell
Roberts), began the battle by ordering a charge straight at the Boer trenches. The land sloped down to the Boer position and lacked any cover for or more. The
Highland Brigade and the 2nd (Special Service) Battalion,
The Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry, led the attack.
The Boer soldiers withheld fire until the British soldiers were within . The British were pinned and the exchange of fire continued until nightfall when the British withdrew. The Highlanders took almost 300 casualties; the Canadian losses were 18 dead and 60 wounded. Attacks elsewhere along the line resulted in a total 1,100 casualties, with two hundred killed – the worst single day loss for the Imperial forces.
After the first assault Roberts retook command that evening. With the Boers trapped he ordered the digging of trenches and a bombardment, which continued for nine days. On 27 February, after a confused night attack, the surviving Boer soldiers surrendered – around 4,000 in total.
A further 2,000 Imperial soldiers died or were invalided at Paardeberg from illness, mostly due to drinking the water of the Modder River, downstream from where the Boer were throwing horse and cattle corpses killed by the artillery fire.
See also
*
Military history of South Africa
*
Black Week
References
{{reflist
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday
Conflicts in 1900
1900 in the Orange Free State
History of the Free State (province)
February 1900
af:Slag van Paardeberg#Bloedige Sondag