February 27: On This Day in World History … briefly
A British force that set out to teach the Boers of Transvaal a lesson at Majuba is taught a valuable lesson instead. General Colley was shot through the forehead - a chilling tribute to deadly Boer markmanship.
1881: British force sent to ‘teach Boers of Transvaal a lesson’ is wiped out
The Battle of Majuba Hill near Volksrust, South Africa, on February 27, 1881 was the final and decisive battle of the First Boer War. It was a resounding victory for the Boers and 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 February 26/27, 1881. His motive for occupying Majuba Hill may have been anxiety that the Boers would soon occupy it themselves, after Colley witnessed their trenches being dug in the direction of the hill.
The Boers believed that he might have been attempting to outflank their positions at Laing’s Nek. The hill was not considered to be scalable by the Boers, for military purposes, and therefore it may have been Colley’s attempt to emphasise British power and strike fear into the Boer camp
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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