The history behind the Ladysmith Swartkop Challenge and the Long Range 12-pound Naval gun

1. Swartkop – Battle of Vaalkranz 5-7 th February 1900

The siege of Ladysmith is in its 90 th day and with food becoming almost unobtainable as the order goes out to slaughter the cavalry’s horses. Although the animals have had little food themselves for several weeks, this dramatic order ends any hope that the besieged garrison is able to break out and help General Buller’s army in its frustrating battles to break the Boer line along the Tugela River and relieve them. Aerial reconnaissance by balloon as well as ground information identifies a route through the steep hills that line the Tugela River that General Buller describes as ‘The key to Ladysmith’. The bloody stalemate at Spionkop is still a vivid memory as the Staff Officers plan to cross the river again and take the fortified hill called Vaalkranz which dominates the open ground leading to the garrison and town of 23,000 starving people.

Deployment of artillery is a key part of the dispositions since little can match the Boer Long Tom guns with their 100lb shells and range of 10,000 yards. Projecting as a salient into the meander of the Tugela, is Swartkop with heavily wooded sides and an almost flat top. With guns here the objective can be subjected to heavy and accurate fire and if this seemingly impossible gun platform can be occupied in secret, surprise should ensure success of the operation. Reconnaissance of the hill itself by balloon reveals one possible approach up its steep sides but the approach march from Naval Hill will be full view of the enemy. This means an approach under cover of darkness and then a final ascent to the summit using hawsers, tackle and manpower since draught animals can not work at such an incline. The adapted Naval 12pdrs on their wooded trails are hauled to the summit by their escort of Royal Scots Fusiliers and sailors from HMS Tartar.

 

2. The Siege of Ladysmith:

As the Boer forces surround Ladysmith on 29 th October 1899 they mount a Long Tom Creusot 155mm gun on Pepworth Hill and from this vantage point are able to dominate the perimeter of the Town with its British Garrison. Overnight by train from Durban have come Naval guns; two 4.7inch monsters and three of the adapted Long-Range 12pdrs. These are rapidly offloaded from the train and hitched to waiting teams of oxen and proceed towards Pepworth under command of Lt Michael Hodges RN and guided by a local boy on a bicycle. They get too close and one gun has a wheel knocked off but the crew recover it and retreat to safer ground below Gordon Hill engaging the Creusot at a range of 6000 yards. According to the Spotting Officer in the Observation Balloon in the Town it was with only their third shot the Mr Simms the gunner scored a direct hit and put it out of action for the rest of the day. This setback for the Boers made them pause in their rush for the Town and allowed the garrison to form its defensive perimeter on the northern flank. The Naval Brigade are justly awarded the accolade of the pivotal action that saved the Town.

 

3. Wagon Hill, Ladysmith

During the night of 5 th January 1900 there was a determined and nearly successful attack on Wagon Hill which formed the southern perimeter of the line of the besieged town. One of the planned evolutions of the night had been to install one of the 4.7in Naval Guns on Wagon Point so that it could the more effectively assist the relieving forces which were expected at any time from the South. Due to the near success of the Boer attack the potential exposure of one of the only two massive 4.7’s was not risked and the position was taken by one of the four Long 12-pdrs for the duration of the siege. A second one was deployed at Ceasar’s Camp just to the East as additional deterrent to a further attack from the South.


4. Manufacture in Durban Railway Workshops

The inability of the British Army field guns to meet the ranges of the Boer guns was a known problem right at the start of hostilities and as had been the case in other campaigns The Royal Navy was to provide the adequate artillery support. In this case however the guns required had no land-based mountings but the inventive and able Captain Percy Scott of HMS Terrible designed mounts for both the 4.7in and the Long 12pdr guns and these were made from local materials in Durban in the Railway Workshops. Three of the same design as the eight in the picture went to Ladysmith; six were mounted on Swartkop. The wheel sizes vary depending on what was available but they were standard wagon wheels.

The furthest two guns are an 8cwt 12pdr (as used for Gun Runs today) of which one was invested at Ladysmith and a Maxim-Nordfelt ‘Pom-Pom’ which had also been supplied to the Boer forces.


5. Discovery of the Gunslide on Swartkop in 2001

The realisation that the little know battle of Vaalkranz was the heaviest concentration of artillery in the entire Boer War and the feat of raising the guns up the virtually impossible hill encouraged Nicki von der Heyde and historian Steve Watt to get the original photos from Pietermaritzburg musem and try and identify the precise location from the boulders. The hillside was now totally overgrown but eventually identifying marks were made and the help of local rancher and history enthusiast Mike Bentley was enlisted to make a clearance up the hill. In the meantime Campaign Trails floated the idea in the UK that this interesting evolution was part of t he origin of the Naval Field Gun Run which had ceased in the UK in 1999 with the demise of the Royal Tournament. The Portsmouth Field Gun Association were unique in maintaining their skills of the overhead slinging of the 12pdr guns as a civilian organisation and were keen to visit the site and study if a re-enactment would be possible.

Their reconnaissance in November 2001 found the hillside cleared – but not quite in the right place! A roadway would be needed to get to the foot of the slide and a gun would be needed to exercise the visitors. The Utukela District kindly provided a bulldozer for the first and the South African Navy the gun. The Natal Field Artillery signed up to assist the Portsmouth team and plans were made to raise a gun again to the summit of Swartkop in February 2003.