108-667: The McGregor Museum in Kimberley , South Africa, originally known as the Alexander McGregor Memorial Museum , is a multidisciplinary museum which serves Kimberley and the Northern Cape, established in 1907. Housed at first in a purpose-built museum building in Chapel Street, Kimberley, and spreading to occupy further spaces in the city, the museum was, and still is, governed by a Board of Trustees, aided financially by
216-626: A 'Coloured' Group Area, its erstwhile African and other residents being removed to other parts of town). Residential segregation was thus enforced in a process which saw the creation of new townships at the northern and north-eastern edges of the expanding city. Institutions that were hard hit by the Group Areas Act , Bantu Education and other Acts included churches (such as the Bean Street Methodist Church) and schools (some, such as William Pescod and Perseverance School , moved while
324-705: A Parliamentary candidate for Midlothian in the general election of 1892 . The reverberations of the Black Week defeats led to the hasty approval of large reinforcements being sent to South Africa, from both Britain and the Dominions. Although Cronje temporarily defeated the British and held up their advance, General Lord Roberts was appointed as overall Commander in Chief in South Africa; he took personal command on this front, and at
432-615: A competition for display space. South Africa's first school of mines was opened here in 1896 and later relocated to Johannesburg , becoming the core of the University of the Witwatersrand . A Pretoria campus later became the University of Pretoria . In fact the first two years were attended at colleges elsewhere, in Cape Town , Grahamstown or Stellenbosch , the third year in Kimberley and
540-490: A depth of 240 metres (790 ft) and yielded three tons of diamonds. The mine was closed in 1914, while three of the holes – Dutoitspan , Wesselton and Bultfontein – closed down in 2005. On 14 October 1899, Kimberley was besieged at the beginning of the Second Boer War . The British forces trying to relieve the siege suffered heavy losses. The siege was only lifted on 15 February 1900, but
648-479: A fighting formation. Wauchope instructed the brigade to extend its order, but in the face of such close-range Boer fire, the changing formation was thrown into disarray and confusion. General Wauchope was killed by almost the first volley, as was Lieutenant-Colonel G. L. J. Goff, the commanding officer of the Argylls. The men at the head of the brigade disentangled themselves from the dead and most of them fled. Some of
756-579: A little further. " Still in quarter column, the Highlanders advanced further towards the main Boer trench, and when about 400 metres from it, started to extend into attack formation, by which time they were now visible to the Boer riflemen. The Highlanders had advanced to within 400 yards (370 m) of the Boer trenches when the Boers opened fire; the British had no time to reform from their compact quarter columns into
864-548: A night march that would position them to launch a frontal attack on the Boers at dawn the following day. Wauchope had argued for a flanking attack along the Modder River, but had been unable to convince his superior. Methuen's orders show that his intention was to "hold the enemy on the north and to deliver an attack on the southern end of Magersfontein Ridge." The advance was to be made in three columns. The first column consisted of
972-556: A role in articulation with the School of Heritage which is to be a part of the Sol Plaatje University ) in fields of natural and cultural history (including zoology , botany , general history, South African struggle history, archaeology , social anthropology ). It curates important collections and archival material (see below) and, on the basis of its collections and research activities, performs educational and outreach functions to
1080-417: A shovel and pick in saltire, handles downward, Or; sinister, a staff of Aesculapius, Or . In layman's terms, the shield was divided in four by two diagonal lines, and depicted (1) six silver and blue stripes with wavy edges, (2) a crossed pick and shovel on a red background, (3) a golden staff of Aesculapius, and (4) three silver diamond-shaped fusils on a black vertical stripe on a silver background. The crest
1188-545: A similar night march in his advance on Tel el Kebir in 1882, but this time he was faced not by flat desert terrain and clear skies, but rather by torrential rain, rocky outcrops, and thorn scrub, which caused delays and annoyance. The thunderstorm and the high iron ore content of the surrounding hills played havoc with compasses and navigation. The brigade was advancing in quarter column as directed by Methuen's orders. The soldiers advanced packed as closely together as possible, with each ordered to grasp his neighbour to prevent
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#17328551278821296-536: A total loss of 236 men. As with the Boers, several different figures regarding the strength of the Scandinavian outpost exist. British sources quote 80 men and Scandinavian sources between 49 and 52 men. Uddgren records 52 men based on identified names, consisting of 26 Swedes, 11 Danes, 7 Finns, 4 Norwegians, and 4 of unknown nationality, of whom all but five were either killed, wounded or captured. The week from 10 to 17 December 1899 rapidly became known to troops in
1404-481: A witness at the subsequent inquiry, placed the blame squarely on the policy of apartheid – including poor housing, lighting and public transport, together with "unfulfilled promises" – which he said "brought about the conditions which led to the riots." A later generation of anti-apartheid activists based in Kimberley included Phakamile Mabija , Bishop Graham Chadwick and two post-apartheid provincial premiers, Manne Dipico and Dipuo Peters . Other prominent figures of
1512-599: Is located approximately 110 km east of the confluence of the Vaal and Orange Rivers . The city has considerable historical significance due to its diamond mining past and the siege during the Second Anglo-Boer war . British businessmen Cecil Rhodes and Barney Barnato made their fortunes in Kimberley, and Rhodes established the De Beers diamond company in the early days of the mining town. On 2 September 1882, Kimberley
1620-476: The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders were tasked to screen the reorganisation and withdrawal of some of the British troops. The Boer guns, which had not yet seen action that day, opened fire on the cavalry at about 17:30 and the center of the British attack began to fall back. Men instinctively withdrew to beyond the range of the Boer guns; Methuen decided that a total withdrawal was preferable to his troops spending
1728-552: The Basuto border. Reinforcements were also brought up from the Bloemhof and Wolmaranstad commandos who were besieging Kimberley. The remainder of Cronje's force arrived from the siege of Mafeking . Their force now numbered 8,500 fighters, excluding camp followers and the African labourers who performed the actual work of digging the Boer entrenchments. Koos de la Rey had been absent from
1836-620: The Bureau of Heraldry in February 1968. The design was a combination of the Union Jack and the charges from the Cape Colony's coat of arms , with a lozenge to represent the diamond-mining industry : Azure, a cross and saltire superimposed Gules both fimbriated Argent, in chief three bezants Or, each charged with a fleur de lis Azure, and in base three annulets Or; on a lozenge Or, superimposed over
1944-715: The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture , Northern Cape Province, which also employed the staff of the museum. Directors of the McGregor Museum have been: The museum houses major natural history and cultural history collections including a botanical herbarium , zoology collections, a history archive (including documents, photographs and oral history recordings), ethnography collections, archaeology and rock art collections, physical anthropology , palaeontology and geology collections. Most of these fields are represented by professional staff and collection managers, and
2052-736: The Duggan-Cronin Gallery (photographic and ethnographic museum), two house museums, Dunluce and Rudd House , the Pioneers of Aviation Museum , the Magersfontein Battlefield Museum , Wonderwerk Cave near Kuruman and the Wildebeest Kuil Rock Art Centre outside Kimberley. Kimberley, Northern Cape Kimberley is the capital and largest city of the Northern Cape province of South Africa . It
2160-559: The Gore Browne (Native) Training School was closed down). Other legislation restricted the movement of Africans and some public places became 'Europeans Only' preserves in terms of the Reservation of Separate Amenities Act . The Native Laws Amendment Act sought to cleave church communities along racial lines – a law rejected on behalf of all Anglicans in South Africa by Archbishop Clayton in 1957 (in terms of which this aspect of apartheid
2268-747: The Hotel Belgrave (1908–1933) and as the Holy Family Convent School, Kimberley (1933–1971). The new museum headquarters were officially opened on 22 November 1976. For the duration of the Siege of Kimberley (14 October 1899 – 15 February 1900) during the Anglo-Boer War , Cecil John Rhodes lodged in rooms at what was then the Sanatorium. Branches of the McGregor Museum today include the original McGregor Memorial Museum in town (city history displays),
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#17328551278822376-511: The Mayibuye Uprising in Kimberley, on 8 November 1952, revolved around the poor quality of beer served in the beer hall. The fracas resulted in shootings and a subsequent mass funeral on 12 November 1952 at Kimberley's West End Cemetery. Detained following the massacre were alleged 'ring-leaders' Dr Letele, Sam Phakedi, Pepys Madibane, Olehile Sehume, Alexander Nkoane, Daniel Chabalala and David Mpiwa. Archdeacon Wade of St Matthew's Church, as
2484-577: The Orange Free State (now in Sol Plaatje Local Municipality , Northern Cape ). British forces under Lieutenant General Lord Methuen were advancing north along the railway line from the Cape to relieve the siege of Kimberley , but their path was blocked at Magersfontein by a Boer force that was entrenched in the surrounding hills. The British had already fought a series of battles with
2592-524: The 1990s there was a decline in the use of the railways. Today passenger train services to and from Kimberley are provided by Spoornet 's Shosholoza Meyl , with connections south to Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and north to Johannesburg. Luxury railway experiences are provided on the main north–south line by the Blue Train and Rovos Rail . The central railway station of Kimberley is Kimberley railway station . Wagon and coach routes were developed rapidly as
2700-456: The Battle of the Modder River, the Boers initially retreated to Jacobsdal , where a commando from Mafeking linked up with them. The following day, Cronje moved his forces 10 miles (16 km) north to Scholtz Nek and Spytfontein, where they began to fortify themselves in the hills that made up the last defensible position along the railway line to Kimberley. Although closer to the British camp than
2808-738: The Big Hole was mined to a depth of 1097 metres. A popular local myth claims that it is the largest hand-dug hole on the world, however Jagersfontein Mine appears to hold that record. The Big Hole is the principal feature of a May 2004 submission which placed "Kimberley Mines and associated early industries" on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative Lists. By 1873, Kimberley was the second largest town in South Africa, having an approximate population of 40,000. The various smaller mining companies were amalgamated by Cecil Rhodes and Charles Rudd into De Beers , and The Kimberley under Barney Barnato . In 1888,
2916-539: The Black Watch at the head of the column charged the Boer trenches; a few broke through, but as they climbed Magersfontein Hill they were engaged by their own artillery and Boer parties, including one led by General Cronje himself, who had been wandering the kopje since 01:00, and were subsequently killed or captured. Others were shot while entangled in the wire fence in front of the trenches. Conan Doyle points out that 700 of
3024-526: The Boer camp, Jacobsdal was left poorly defended, and continued to function as the Boers' supply base until 3 December. The Free State government decided to reinforce Cronje's position after the Battle of Belmont. Between eight hundred and a thousand men of the Heilbron , Kroonstad and Bethlehem commandos arrived at Spytfontein from Natal, accompanied by elements of the Ficksburg and Ladybrand commandos from
3132-469: The Boer lines. Instead of "softening" the Boer positions, the explosions of lyddite shells against the facing slopes above their trenches merely alerted the Boers to the impending attack. As midnight approached, the rain increased to a downpour and the leading elements of the Highland Brigade commenced their advance towards their objective at the southern end of Magersfontein ridge. Wauchope had made
3240-552: The Boer trenches at their foot. As the day progressed, British reinforcements that were originally left to guard the camp near the Modder River started to arrive—first the Gordon Highlanders and later the 1st and 2nd Coldstream Guards . At the same time, Cronjé launched a fresh attack on the British southern (right) flank in an attempt to extend a salient to the left and behind the remaining Highlanders, cutting them off from
3348-413: The Boers were occupying the crests of the line of kopjes , as they had done at Belmont, but he was unable to reconnoitre the position; his mounted scouts could not roam the countryside freely on account of wire farm fences, nor could they approach any closer than 1 mile (1.6 km) to the Boer positions without being driven off by rifle fire. No serviceable maps were available; those in the possession of
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3456-535: The Boers withdrew after an engagement, this time Cronje held the Magersfontein defence line, knowing that Methuen would again be forced to continue his advance along his logistical railway "lifeline". The British lost 22 officers and 188 other ranks killed, 46 officers and 629 other ranks wounded, and one officer and 62 other ranks missing. Of this, the Highland Brigade suffered losses of 747 men being killed, wounded, and missing. Among
3564-402: The Boers, most recently at Modder River , where the advance was temporarily halted. Lord Methuen failed to perform adequate reconnaissance in preparation for the impending battle and was unaware that Boer Vecht-generaal (Combat General) De la Rey had entrenched his forces at the foot of the hills, rather than the forward slopes, as was the accepted practice. That allowed the Boers to survive
3672-427: The British casualties that day occurred in the first five minutes of the engagement. An attempt was made to outflank the trenches on the right where a number of Boers were taken prisoner, but this action was soon blocked by the redeployment of Boer elements. After sunrise, the remnants of the four battalions of the Highland Brigade were unable to advance or retreat due to Boer rifle fire. The only movement at that time
3780-709: The British forces in South Africa and moved to take personal command of the front. He subsequently lifted the siege of Kimberley and forced Cronje to surrender at the Battle of Paardeberg . In the early days of the war in the Cape Colony , the Boers surrounded and laid siege to the British garrisons in the towns of Kimberley and Mafeking and destroyed the railway bridge across the Orange River at Hopetown . Substantial British reinforcements (an army corps under General Redvers Buller ) arrived in South Africa and were dispersed to three main fronts. While Buller himself advanced from
3888-451: The British officers had been prepared for the purposes of land registration, with no consideration of military operations. Officers supplemented these maps with hasty sketches based on limited daily reconnaissance. The poor maps and lack of reconnaissance would prove critical to the outcome of the battle. Ever since the victory against an Egyptian army at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir , the standard British tactic against an entrenched position
3996-537: The British this opportunity. Cronje, who was the more senior officer, disagreed with him, so De la Rey telegraphed his objections to President Martinus Theunis Steyn of the Orange Free State. After consulting with President Paul Kruger of the Transvaal, Steyn visited the front on 4 December at Kruger's suggestion. Steyn also wished to settle a rift that had developed between the Transvaal and Free State Boers over
4104-442: The Highland Brigade, the 9th Lancers , the 2nd King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry , and supporting artillery and engineer sections as well as a balloon section. The first column was ordered to march directly on the south-western spur of the kopje and on arrival, before dawn, the 2nd Black Watch were to move east of the kopje , where he believed the Boers had a strong-point. He ordered the 2nd Seaforth Highlanders to advance to
4212-625: The Kimberley municipality (up to the 1950s), then by the Cape Provincial Administration and, today, by the Northern Cape Administration through the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. In May 2014 it was declared a Provincial Public Entity, effective from 1 April 2014. Alexander McGregor had been a Mayor of Kimberley, whose wife bequeathed the building to perpetuate his memory. Today the museum has its headquarters at
4320-548: The Modder River crossing. The Boers had demolished the railway bridge when they retreated, and it had to be repaired before the army could advance any further. Methuen also needed several days for supplies and reinforcements to be brought forward, and for his extended supply line to be secured from sabotage. The Boers were badly shaken by their three successive defeats and also required time to recover. The delay gave them time to bring up reinforcements, to reorganise, and to improve their next line of defence at Magersfontein. After
4428-494: The Pan-Africanist Movement from 1989, was born and grew up in Kimberley. The Northern Cape Province became a political fact in 1994, with Kimberley as its capital. Some quasi-provincial infrastructure was in place from the 1940s, but in the post-1994 period Kimberley underwent considerable development as administrative departments were set up and housed for the governance of the new province. A Northern Cape Legislature
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4536-485: The Provincial Administration. It services the mining and agricultural sectors of the region. Battle of Magersfontein 1900 1901 1902 The Battle of Magersfontein ( / ˈ m ɑː x ər s f ɒ n t eɪ n / MAH -khərss-fon-tayn ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein , near Kimberley , South Africa , on the borders of the Cape Colony and the independent republic of
4644-589: The Seaforth Highlanders, who were in the process denied access between the hills and prevented from reaching the Boer guns. Cronje understood the significance of this stand, and said in a subsequent letter to Kruger that "next to God we can thank the Scandinavians for our victory". In the late afternoon, a Boer messenger bearing a white flag arrived at a Scots Guard outpost to say that the British could send ambulances to collect their wounded lying in front of
4752-574: The area, with regular scheduled flights from Cape Town and Johannesburg . Work on connecting Kimberley by rail to the cities along the Cape Colony 's coastline began in 1872, under the management of the Cape Government Railways . The railway line from Cape Town to Kimberley was completed in 1885, accelerating the transport of both passengers and goods. The railway connected Kimberley with cheaper sources of grain and other products, as well as supplies of coal, so that one of its local impacts
4860-533: The army immediately after the Battle of the Modder River, having gone to Jacobsdal to bury his son Adriaan, who had been killed by a British shell during the battle. He arrived at the defensive positions on 1 December and surveyed the Boer lines the following day. He found the defences lacking, and realised that Cronje's position at Spytfontein was vulnerable to long range artillery fire from the hills at Magersfontein. He therefore recommended that they should move their defensive position forward to Magersfontein, to deny
4968-469: The battalions, the Black Watch suffered the most severely, losing 303 officers and other ranks. On 12 December, when British ambulances again went forward to collect the dead and remaining wounded, they found Wauchope's body within 200 yards (180 m) of Cronjé's trenches. The British camp at Modder River, and subsequently at Paardeberg, created ideal conditions for the spread of typhoid fever . By
5076-452: The city for money was prostitutes, from a wide variety of ethnicities who could be found in bars and saloons. It was praised as a city of limitless opportunity. Five big holes were dug into the earth following the kimberlite pipes, which are named after the town. Kimberlite is a diamond-bearing blue ground that sits below a yellow colored soil. The largest, The Kimberley mine or "Big Hole" covering 170,000 square metres (42 acres), reached
5184-495: The city is the settlement of Platfontein created when the !Xun and Khwe community formerly of Schmidtsdrift and originally from Angola/Namibia acquired the land in 1996. Most of the community had moved to the new township by the end of 2003. In 1998 the Kimberley Comprehensive Urban Plan estimated that Kimberley had 210,800 people representing 46,207 households living in the city. By 2008 estimates were in
5292-453: The civilians in Kimberley and the railway was the only means of mass transport available. But his strategy had the disadvantage of making the direction of his approach obvious. Nevertheless, his army drove the Boers out of their defensive positions along the railway line at Belmont , Graspan , and the Modder River , at the cost of a thousand casualties. The British were forced to stop their advance within 16 miles (26 km) of Kimberley at
5400-412: The collections and associated research programs are reflected in permanent and temporary exhibits in various sections and buildings of the museum as well as in outreach programs in the province and displays in smaller museums. Outgrowing available space at its buildings in town, the museum's headquarters were moved in 1973 to the former Kimberley Sanatorium (built in 1897), which at one time served also as
5508-518: The community locally and throughout the province. Research programs include international collaborative projects. The McGregor Museum operates as a Provincial Public Entity (as of April 2014), governed by a board of trustees. It was originally aided by the Kimberley Municipality, De Beers and many donors (from 1907); then by the Cape Provincial Administration (from 1958); and, from 1994, as a Province-aided Museum receiving an annual grant from
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#17328551278825616-648: The diamond fields. The Free State Boers in particular wanted the area, as it lay inside the natural borders created by Orange and Vaal Rivers . Following the mediation that was overseen by the Governor of Natal , the Keate Award went in favour of Waterboer, who placed himself under British protection. Consequently, the territory known as Griqualand West was proclaimed on 27 October 1871. Colonial Commissioners arrived in New Rush on 17 November 1871 to exercise authority over
5724-478: The famous "New Rush" which, as historian Brian Roberts puts it, was practically a stampede. Within a month, 900 claims were cut into the hillock, which were worked frenetically by two to three thousand men. As the land was lowered, so the hillock became a mine – in time, the world-renowned Kimberley Mine . The Cape Colony , Transvaal , Orange Free State and the Griqua leader Nicolaas Waterboer all laid claim to
5832-548: The fess point, a lion rampant Gules . The motto was Spero meliora . The arms were depicted on a cigarette card issued in 1931. Divisional council – The Kimberley divisional council, which administered the rural areas outside the city, registered its own arms at the Bureau in August 1970. The arms were: Per saltire, in chief, barry wavy of six Argent and Azure; in base, Argent, a pale Sable charged with three fusils Argent; dexter, Gules,
5940-736: The field—and to politicians in Britain—as " Black Week ", during which the British suffered three defeats: the battles of Stormberg in the Cape Midlands and Colenso in Natal, as well as the Battle of Magersfontein. The defeat at Magersfontein caused much consternation in Britain, particularly in Scotland, where the losses to the Highland regiments were keenly felt. Wauchope was well known in Scotland, having stood as
6048-506: The first Compton Patterson Biplane preserved there), situated near to Kimberley airport. In the 1930s Kimberley boasted the best night-landing facilities on the continent of Africa. A major air rally was hosted there in 1934. In the war years Kimberley Airport was commandeered by the Union Defence Force and run by the 21 Flying School for the training of fighter pilots. Today Kimberley Airport ( IATA : KIM , ICAO : FAKM ) services
6156-536: The first nineteenth century frontier overlay of farm names. It lay beyond the areas occupied by Tswana people in the precolonial period. Sites such as the nearby Wildebeest Kuil testify to a Khoe–San history dating up into the nineteenth century. In the post-1994 era the Kimberley City Council was renamed the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality after the area it served was expanded to include surrounding towns and villages, most notably Ritchie . Sol Plaatje ,
6264-632: The first town in the Southern Hemisphere to install electric street lighting . The rising importance of Kimberley led to one of the earliest South African and International Exhibitions to be staged in Kimberley in 1892 . It was opened by Sir Henry Loch , the then Governor of the Cape of Good Hope on 8 September. It presented exhibits of art, an exhibition of paintings from the royal collection of Queen Victoria and mining machinery and implements amongst other items. The exhibition aroused considerable interest at international level, which resulted in
6372-406: The force was entrenched in defensive positions some 1,500 metres (1,600 yd) further north-east. In the early morning hours of 11 December, General Cronje ordered Commandant Tolly de Beer to abandon the outpost, but for some reason the order did not reach the Scandinavian section, which was left on its own. Save for seven men, this section was destroyed while valiantly holding back the attack of
6480-543: The fourth year in Johannesburg. Buildings were constructed against a total cost of 9,000 pounds with De Beers contributing on a pound for pound basis. South Africa's first school of aviation , to train pilots for the proposed South African Aviation Corps (SAAC), was established in Kimberley in 1913. Known as Paterson's Aviation Syndicate School of Flying , it is commemorated in the Pioneers of Aviation Museum (and replica of
6588-571: The freshly arrived battalions of the Coldstream Guards were committed too. But once the Coldstreams were committed, Methuen had engaged all of his reserves. The remaining Highlanders, now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Hughes-Hallet of the Seaforths, had been lying prone under a harsh summer sun for most of the day with the Boers still attempting to encircle them from the south. In
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#17328551278826696-470: The ground at Magersfontein was sandy and less rocky. De la Rey recommended, contrary to common practice, that they should entrench themselves forward of the line of kopjes , rather than on the facing slopes. The trenches overlooking the receding, open ground sloping down towards the British axis of advance afforded the Boers concealment and protection from fire, and permitted them to use the flat trajectory of their Mauser rifles to greater effect. Since
6804-402: The head of an army reinforced to 25,000 men, he relieved Kimberley on 15 February 1900. Cronje's retreating army was surrounded and forced to surrender at the Battle of Paardeberg on 27 February 1900. Lord Methuen later salvaged his reputation and career through successes he achieved against George Villebois-Mareuil at the Battle of Boschoff . However, he was the only general captured by
6912-460: The heavily indebted region, but, after striking a deal with the Home Government and receiving assurances that the local population would be consulted in the process, he passed the Griqualand West Annexation Act on 27 July 1877. As miners arrived in their thousands the hill disappeared and subsequently became known as the Big Hole (or Kimberley se Gat in Afrikaans) or, more formally, Kimberley Mine . From mid-July 1871 to 1914, 50,000 miners dug
7020-399: The hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,722 kg of diamonds . The Big Hole has a surface of 17 hectares (42 acres) and is 463 metres wide. It was excavated to a depth of 240 m, but then partially infilled with debris reducing its depth to about 215 m; since then it has accumulated water to a depth of 40 m leaving 175 m visible. Beneath the surface, the Kimberley Mine underneath
7128-407: The initial British artillery bombardment, and when the British troops failed to deploy from a compact formation during their advance, the defenders inflicted heavy casualties. The Highland Brigade suffered the worst casualties, and on the Boer side, the Scandinavian Corps was destroyed. The Boers attained a tactical victory and succeeded in holding the British in their advance on Kimberley. The battle
7236-407: The late afternoon, those who remained alive stood up and fled west towards the main body of British troops. This unexpected move left many of the field guns which had been advanced to the front line over the course of the morning exposed to the Boers. Only a lack of initiative on the part of the Boers saved the guns from being captured. The gap created by the hurried withdrawal of the Highland Brigade
7344-462: The main British force. Initially the Seaforths attempted to stem this attack and ran into the Scandinavian Corps , which they quickly neutralised. The Seaforths then had to regroup, which prevented them from further action to halt the Boer attempts to encircle the Highland Brigade. The Grenadier Guards , with five companies of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, were moved to counter the attack. The British only showed some sign of success after
7452-461: The men losing contact with each other in the darkness. As first light approached, the storm abated and the Brigade was on course, but the delays put them 1,000 yards (910 m) from the line of hills. Wauchope's guide, Major Benson of the Royal Artillery , suggested to Wauchope that it was no longer safe to continue in closed formation and that the Brigade should deploy. Wauchope replied " ... I'm afraid my men will lose direction. I think we will go
7560-411: The mines of Kimberley (and later on the gold fields) drawing workers in growing numbers from throughout the subcontinent. The labour compound system developed in Kimberley from the 1880s was later replicated on the gold mines and elsewhere. The city housed South Africa's first stock exchange , the Kimberley Royal Stock Exchange, which opened on 2 February 1881. On 2 September 1882, Kimberley became
7668-426: The morale of the Free State burghers by dismissing Prinsloo, who was seen as the chief reason for the defeats in earlier battles. The new defensive line occupied a wide crescent-shaped front, extending for 6 miles (10 km) and straddling the road and the railway line that Methuen's advance depended upon. The main trench directly in front of the Magersfontein Hill was 2 miles (3.2 km) long, and protected on
7776-460: The more costly options, while by far the majority of Black people remain in the townships where poverty levels are high. Major township residential developments, with ' RDP housing', were implemented – not without criticism concerning quality. There has been an increase in Kimberley's population, urbanization being spurred on in part by the abolition of the Influx Control Act. Also added to
7884-483: The night near the Boer trenches. Battalions and remnants of battalions retreated throughout the night and were mustered for roll call at the Modder River camp the next morning. The Boers halted Methuen's advance to relieve the siege of Kimberley, defeated his superior force and inflicted heavy losses, particularly on the Highland Brigade. The British were forced to withdraw to the Modder River to regroup and to await further reinforcements. Unlike previous occasions, where
7992-452: The old Kimberley Sanatorium building in Belgravia, Kimberley, and it has several satellites including the original building in Chapel Street. The museum was founded on 24 September 1907. By coincidence 24 September was chosen as Heritage Day, a public holiday in South Africa post-1994. The McGregor Museum is a primary research institute in and for the Northern Cape (and is anticipated to have
8100-482: The outer sections using ropes to guide the four battalions in their night march and deployment for the dawn attack. The second column, on the left under Major-General Reginald Pole-Carew, consisted of a battalion from the 9th Brigade, the Naval Brigade with a 4.7-inch naval gun , and Rimington's Guides (a mounted infantry unit raised in Cape Town ). The third column, led by Major-General Sir Henry Edward Colville ,
8208-425: The poor performance of his Free Staters in the battle on 28 November. He spent the next day touring the camps and defences, then summoned a krijgsraad ( council of war ). The Boers had learnt in earlier battles that the British artillery was superior in numbers to theirs, and could pound any high ground where they placed their guns or rifle pits. At Ladysmith , the Boers used rocks to build defensive sangars , but
8316-560: The port of Durban in Natal to relieve the besieged town of Ladysmith and a smaller detachment under Lieutenant General Gatacre secured the Cape Midlands, the reinforced 1st Division under Lord Methuen advanced from the Orange River to relieve Kimberley. Methuen advanced along the Cape–Transvaal railway line because a lack of water and pack animals made the reliable railway an obvious choice. Also, Buller had given him orders to evacuate
8424-624: The prominent writer and activist, lived for much of his life in Kimberley. Similarly the erstwhile Diamantveld District Council became the Frances Baard District Municipality , with reference to the trade unionist, Frances Baard , who was born in Greenpoint, Kimberley. Municipality – The Kimberley borough council assumed a coat of arms in 1878. The arms were registered with the Cape Provincial Administration in December 1964 and at
8532-634: The promised new constitution and provision for representative government. The delay was in London where Secretary of State for the Colonies , John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley , insisted that before electoral divisions could be defined, the places had to receive "decent and intelligible names. His Lordship declined to be in any way connected with such a vulgarism as New Rush and as for the Dutch name, Vooruitzigt … he could neither spell nor pronounce it." The matter
8640-402: The region of 250,000 inhabitants. The shifts from frontier farm names to digger camp names to the established names of the towns of Kimberley and Beaconsfield – which duly amalgamated in 1912 – are outlined above. The only traces of any precolonial settlement within the city's boundaries are scatters of Stone Age artefacts and there is no record of what the place/s might have been called before
8748-419: The right flank by a single trench. The trenches that were to protect the left flank in the direction of the river were not completed before the battle commenced. Two high wire fences complemented the natural obstacles created by the thick scrub bush. One ran north-northeast and marked the border of the Orange Free State, while a second protected the trenches in front of the Boer position. Methuen believed that
8856-416: The rush for the diamond fields gathered momentum. Two of the major routes were from the Cape and from Port Elizabeth, the nearest maritime port at the time. Contemporary accounts of the 1870s describe the appalling condition of some of the roads and decry the absence of bridges. From the mid-1880s the route through Kimberley and Mafeking (now Mahikeng) became the main axis of British colonial penetration and it
8964-422: The south-eastern point of the hill, and the 1st Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to extend the line to the left. The 1st Highland Light Infantry was to advance as a reserve. All units were to advance in a mass of quarter columns, the most compact formation in the drill book: 3,500 men in 30 companies aligned in 90 files, all compressed into a column 45 yards (41 m) wide and 160 yards (150 m) long, with
9072-463: The southern flank in an attempt to enfilade the trenches. With all guns engaged, including the 4.7-inch naval gun commanded by Captain Bearcroft RN , the Highlanders were given some respite from the Boer small-arms fire, and some men were able to withdraw. As with the preliminary barrage of the previous evening, most of the shot was however again directed at the facing slopes of the hills rather than
9180-533: The struggle against apartheid who had Kimberley connections include Robert Sobukwe , founder of the Pan Africanist Congress , who was banished (placed under house arrest) in Kimberley after his release from Robben Island in 1969. He died in the city in 1978. Benny Alexander (1955–2010), who later changed his name to Khoisan X , and was General Secretary of the Pan Africanist Congress and of
9288-568: The territory on behalf of the Cape Governor. Digger objections and minor riots led to Governor Barkly's visit to New Rush in September the following year, when he revealed a plan instead to have Griqualand West proclaimed a Crown Colony . Richard Southey would arrive as Lieutenant-Governor of the intended Crown Colony in January 1873. Months passed however without any sign of the proclamation or of
9396-468: The time the British reached Bloemfontein , an epidemic had broken out amongst the troops, with 10,000–12,000 taken ill, and 1,200 deaths in the city. The disease ultimately took more British lives during the war than were lost through enemy action. The animosity that the troops on the ground felt towards their leadership is captured in this contemporary poem by a soldier of the Black Watch: Such
9504-426: The trenches at the foot of the hills. Royal Army Medical Corps and Boer medical orderlies treated the wounded until the truce was broken by fire from the British naval gun, Captain (RN) Bearcroft not having been informed of the temporary armistice. A British medical orderly was sent to the Boers with apologies, and the truce was reinstated. When the truce was officially over, G Battery RHA, the 62nd Field Battery , and
9612-403: The trenches were concealed, they could thwart the standard British tactic of advancing to within close range under cover of darkness and then storming the Boer position at daybreak. A final consequence of De la Rey's defensive layout was that the troops would not be able to retreat, as Commandant General Marthinus Prinsloo 's forces had done at Modder River. Before leaving the front, Steyn raised
9720-471: The two companies merged to form De Beers Consolidated Mines , which once had a monopoly over the world's diamond market. Very quickly, Kimberley became the largest city in the area, partly due to a massive African migration to the area from all over the continent. The immigrants were accepted with open arms, because the De Beers company was in search of cheap labour to help run the mines. Another group drawn to
9828-461: The war continued until May 1902. By that time, the British had built a concentration camp at Kimberley to house Boer women and children. The hitherto separately administered Boroughs of Kimberley and Beaconsfield amalgamated as the City of Kimberley in 1912. Although a considerable degree of urban segregation already existed, one of the most significant impacts of Apartheid on the city of Kimberley
9936-523: Was a team led by Lt. Lindsay , who managed to bring the Seaforth's Maxim forward to provide a degree of fire support . Later the Lancers were able to bring their Maxim forward and into action as well. Methuen ordered all available artillery to provide fire support; the howitzers engaged at 4,000 yards (3,700 m) and the three field batteries at a range of 1 mile (1,600 m). The Horse Artillery advanced to
10044-406: Was an approach march at night in close order to maintain cohesion, followed by deployment into open order within a few hundred yards of the objective and a frontal attack with the bayonet at first light. Methuen planned to bombard the Boer positions with artillery from 16:50 to 18:30 on 10 December. Following the barrage, the newly arrived Highland Brigade under Major General Wauchope was to make
10152-482: Was designed and situated to bridge the formerly divided city. The Kimberley City Council of the renamed Sol Plaatje Local Municipality (see below) was enlarged. A new coat of arms and Motto for the city were ushered in. With the abolition of apartheid previously 'whites only' institutions such as schools became accessible to all, as did suburbs previously segregated by the Group Areas Act . In practice this process has been one of upward mobility by those who could afford
10260-486: Was expressed in an editorial in the Diamond Field newspaper when it stated "we went to sleep in New Rush and waked up in Kimberley, and so our dream was gone." Following agreement by the British government on compensation to the Orange Free State for its competing land claims, Griqualand West was annexed to the Cape Colony in 1877. The Cape Prime Minister John Molteno initially had serious doubts about annexing
10368-635: Was filled by the Gordons and the Scots Guards. The Scandinavian Volunteer Corps ( Skandinaviska Kåren ) was not a true corps but rather a unit the size of a company, consisting of foreign volunteers . Approximately half of the Corps (refer to the Order of battle ) was ordered to hold a forward position in the gap between the high ground held by Cronje and De la Rey's forces during the night of 10–11 December. The rest of
10476-625: Was from Kimberley, along that route, that the Pioneer Column for the settlement of Rhodesia set forth in 1890. Today, however, the central arterial route to the north, the N1 from the Cape to Johannesburg, goes via Bloemfontein, not Kimberley. Kimberley is located at the intersection of the N12 and N8 national roads. Today, Kimberley is the seat of the Provincial Legislature for the Northern Cape and
10584-605: Was his father's farm. He showed the pebble to his father, who then sold it. The pebble was purchased from Jacobs' father by Schalk van Niekerk, who later sold it on again. It proved to be a 21.25-carat (4.3 g) diamond , and became known as the Eureka . Three years later, in 1869, an 83.5-carat (16.7 g) diamond, which became known as the Star of South Africa , was found nearby ( 29°3′S 23°58′E / 29.050°S 23.967°E / -29.050; 23.967 ). This diamond
10692-473: Was in reserve and was composed of the 12th Lancers , the Guards Brigade, and artillery, engineer, and medical support elements. A drizzle started by mid-afternoon on 10 December and continued throughout the artillery bombardment, which was delivered by 24 field guns, four howitzers, and a 4.7-inch naval gun. In preparation for the attack, the British soldiers bivouacked in the rain 3 miles (4.8 km) from
10800-465: Was never completely implemented in churches such as Kimberley's St Cyprian's Cathedral). Resistance to apartheid in Kimberley was mounted as early as mid-1952 as part of the Defiance Campaign . Dr Arthur Letele put together a group of volunteers to defy the segregation laws by occupying 'Europeans Only' benches at Kimberley Railway Station – which led to arrest and imprisonment. Later in the year,
10908-426: Was passed to Southey who gave it to his Colonial Secretary J.B. Currey. Roberts writes that "when it came to renaming New Rush, [Currey] proved himself a worthy diplomat. He made quite sure that Lord Kimberley would be able both to spell and pronounce the name of the main electoral division by, as he says, calling it 'after His Lordship'." New Rush became Kimberley, by Proclamation dated 5 July 1873. Digger sentiment
11016-505: Was sold by van Niekerk for £11,200, and later resold in the London market for £25,000. Henry Richard Giddy recounted how Esau Damoense (or Damon), the cook for prospector Fleetwood Rawstorne's "Red Cap Party", found diamonds in 1871 on Colesberg Kopje after he was sent there to dig as punishment. Rawstorne took the news to the nearby diggings of the De Beer brothers – his arrival there sparking off
11124-410: Was the day for our regiment, Dread the revenge we will take. Dearly we paid for the blunder A drawing-room General's mistake. Why weren't we told of the trenches? Why weren't we told of the wire? Why were we marched up in column, May Tommy Atkins enquire… Boer losses are disputed. The official British account of the battle records 87 killed and 188 wounded, while later accounts record
11232-607: Was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere and the second in the world after Philadelphia , Pennsylvania in the United States to integrate electric street lights into its infrastructure. The first stock exchange in Africa was built in Kimberley, as early as 1881. In 1866, Erasmus Jacobs found a small brilliant pebble on the banks of the Orange River , on the farm De Kalk leased from local Griquas , near Hopetown , which
11340-657: Was the implementation of the Group Areas Act . Communities were divided according to legislated racial categories, namely European (White), Native (Black), Coloured and Indian – now legally separated by the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act . Individual families could be split up to three ways (based on such notorious measures as the ' pencil test ') and mixed communities were either completely relocated (as in Malay Camp – although those clearances began before Apartheid as such) or were selectively cleared (as in Greenpoint which became
11448-458: Was the second of three battles during what became known as the Black Week of the Second Boer War : Stormberg on Sunday 10 December, Magersfontein on Monday 11 December and Colenso on Friday 15 December 1899. Following their defeat, the British delayed at the Modder River for another two months while reinforcements were brought forward. General Lord Roberts was appointed Commander in Chief of
11556-574: Was to undercut (mainly African) trade in fresh produce and firewood in Kimberley's hinterland. Another footnote to railway history is its role in the initial rapid spread of the Spanish Influenza epidemic in 1918. The railway reticulation eventually would link Kimberley with Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Durban and Bloemfontein. The major junction at De Aar in the Karoo linked early twentieth century lines to Upington (later to Namibia) and to Calvinia. From
11664-430: Was two crossed rifles in front of an upright sword; the supporters were two kudus; and the motto was "Nitanir semper ad optima". Kimberley was the initial hub of industrialisation in South Africa in the late nineteenth century, which transformed the country's agrarian economy into one more dependent on its mineral wealth. A key feature of the new economic arrangement was migrant labour, with the demand for African labour in
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