Battle of Doornkop

Following his victory against the Boers at the Battle of Paardeberg, Roberts moved to take the capital cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria, hoping to force the Boers to surrender. By late May 1900, the British army was nearing Johannesburg but across the army's route lay the formidable Klipriversberg Range. In its midst was the position of Doornkop, which the Boers had occupied in force. Doornkop is a ridge on the western boundary of Johannesburg, and much of the area covered by the British advance is now the suburban expanses of Roodepoort and Soweto. However, it played a significant part in the history of Johannesburg in that it was here in January 1896 that the Jameson Raid was halted, and some four years later the last battle in the surrender of Johannesburg was fought. Roberts's advance on Johannesburg was two pronged. The columns under Lieutenant-General French and Lieutenant-General Hamilton were to advance to the west of Johannesburg, with the main force under the command of Major-General Tucker and Major-General Pole-Carew making its way along the railway line, to the east of Johannesburg. ==Battle==

On 28 May, having just crossed the Klip River, French's column met unexpected resistance from a heavy bombardment from the Boers. His advance was temporarily halted and he withdrew to re-group. Hamilton by this stage, with his column, was close behind French, and he moved further west to commence a flanking movement. Together with the force of over 20 000, the British had over 30 guns bombarding the Boers defensive position. In addition to their heavy artillery, the Boers had the Long Tom Gun which had been in action at Mafeking. ==Aftermath==

The Regimental records of the C.I.V. and the Canadians both report that the casualties to the Gordon's were heavy, with the C.I.V. reporting that 12 of their men were wounded, and the Canadians had seven wounded. Thomas Packenham records that the Gordon's lost 100 men in 10 minutes. Regimental history records that "Captain Meyrick and 19 men were killed, with 78 men wounded". Gordon-Duff recorded that "... our dead and wounded numbered 97. Later, 15 or 16 died of wounds and another four or five died of wounds in hospital." Reports in the Morning Post in the UK relating to the battle, and more specifically to the Gordon Highlanders (attributed to Winston Churchill) were – "I think, the finest performance I have seen in the whole campaign", and "There is no doubt they [Gordons] are the finest regiment in the world." One Victoria Cross was awarded for the battle – to Corporal F. Mackay, for conspicuous bravery in dressing the wounds of comrades and carrying one man some distance under heavy fire. The British continued to drive the Boers from the area and on 31 May they captured and entered Johannesburg, and then Pretoria on 5 June. Although their capitals were under British occupation and the government driven from power, the Boers in the field did not surrender and continued to fight the British forces, waging a guerilla war for almost two years. ==References==