Battle of Silkaatsnek Traditional Cache
RedGlobe: I visited the cache site today and removed the container. Archiving this cache.
RedGlobe
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After the fall of Pretoria on 5 June 1900 and the battle of Diamond Hill - 10 miles(16 km) east of Pretoria - on 11 and l2 June 1900, the British forces found themselves in command of most strategic points. The Boers moved to the north of the Magaliesberg, a single mountain range forming a natural barrier rising near Diamond Hill and extending just north of Pretoria, and a further 100 miles (160 km) to the west.
Silkaatsnek, west of Pretoria, is one of seven gateways through this mountain range. This gateway became a feature of great tactical importance in the campaign of the Western Transvaal now known as the Northwest Province.
General De la Rey had commanded the northern sector of the Boer forces at Diamond Hill. After this battle, De la Rey, who also commanded the Western Transvalers, fell back to the Bronkhorstspruit-Balmoral area. De la Rey was sent back to reorganize and revitalize the Western Transvaal burghers who had begun to think that the war was virtually over and had surrendered Rustenburg to Lieutenant Colonel R S S Baden-Powell.
Lieutenant Colonel R S S Baden-Powell was in command of 1 500 men and two batteries at Silkaatsnek and Commando Nek. Lt Col the Hon W.P. Alexander Bart and his men were instructed to relieve Lt Col Baden-Powell and his men because they were send to support Maj Hanbury-Tracy’s garrison west of Rustenburg, who were threatened by 400 Boers. Due to a mistake in the orders Lt Col Alexander Bart and his men were delayed. To save time they and sections of the Royal Horse Artillery battery under the command of Maj Sir JH Jervis-White-Jarvis, took the direct road to Rustenburg on the exposed northern side of the Magaliesberg. With the English was a troop of the fifty Australian Horse command.
All this movement was being observed by the Boers on top of the Magaliesberg, but they were unable to gather sufficient numbers to mount an attack in time. On l0 July 1900, De la Rey was travelling north of Silkaatsnek towards Rustenburg with some 200 men, when his scouts brought information that Silkaatsnek was lightly held and that the commanding shoulders of it had been ignored. He decided to attack.
At daybreak Mauser fire broke out from the peaks. The English had to climb up Silkaatsnek to try and get to the Boers who were well hidden from enemy fire. The English were not so lucky, they had only covered about a third of the 300 yards when the Boers had the range and killed or wounded seven men and most of the horses and the mules.
The increasing rifle fire prevented service of the guns and anyone visible above the sangar was shot down. Some English were caught in a crossfire between Boers to the north-east and those to the south-west. They contacted Pretoria for reinforcements, after they managed to get to their heliograph which they left behind when trying to get to the Boers. This force had come within a few miles of Silkaatsnek when they met Lt Col Alexander Bart and what was left of his men. They returned to Pretoria.
The English abandoned on Silkaatsnek realized the hopelessness of their position. They surrender shortly after sunset on the 11th July 1900. A white flag was raised. De la Rey himself came down to take over the prisoners. The wounded were allowed to proceed to Pretoria. The Boers assisted in carrying the wounded down Silkaatsnek.
Adjudants Mussman and Roth and a PJ Jacobs of Elofsdal, Pretoria, are buried beneath a recent memorial stone in the Ras family cemetery (See Cache “Marthinie” – GC16G9G) at Sandspruit 2km north-east of Silkaatsnek. Christiaan de Wet, aged 22, and Isaac Jacob Janse van Vuuren, aged 30, lie buried, according to the National Monuments Council Boer War Graves records, in the same grave, a total of five.
Cache details:
Permission was given by the owners for the placing of the cache, so please respect their private property. Follow the road at the turnoff waypoint to the dead-end and park your vehicle before approaching the cache site.
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