Following up from the successful Isandlwana battle in January, the team on Saturday re-enacted the battle of Majuba, outside Newcastle, with a team of Boer soldiers.

The battle marked the 136 th anniversary of this main and decisive battle of the First Boer War. The battle is considered to have been one of the most humiliating defeats of British arms in history.

Major-General Sir George Pomeroy Colley occupied the summit of the hill on the night of 26–27 February 1881. His motive for occupying the hill remains unclear.The Boers believed that he may have been attempting to outflank their positions at Laing’s Nek. The hill was not considered scale-able by the Boers for military purposes and thus it may have been Colley’s attempt to emphasize British power and strike fear into the Boer camp. It failed.

There was a bit of fun on Saturday when the Diehard’s Gavin Slater launched a surprise attack on a Boer soldier:

Saturday’s re-enactment was held in great spirit and the future bodes well for the Diehards with a visit to Val, near Standerton, on Saturday to ‘re-enact’ a Boer War incident where the Boers hijacked a whiskey-laden train.
The Diehards have also recently purchased a trailer which is currently been customised to suit the Diehards specifications, for transport of all tents and other equipment. There are now more members in Newcastle than Dundee. Anyone wishing to join the team, or have any enquiries, are welcome to contact Gavin Slater 084 485 9173.

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