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Military History – South Africa – Europe – England 19th Century
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Benson, Colonel G. E.,
1861–1901
Benson was responsible for guiding the Highland Brigade at the Battle of Magersfontein and it has,
unjustly, been suggested that the disaster that befell it was his fault. He later became one of the most
effective commanders of British mobile forces. He was killed in an heroic rearguard action against
Boer forces under Commandant-general Louis Botha at the Battle of Bakenlaagte on 30 October 1901,
in which he enabled the greater part of the column to get away.
G. E. Benson joined the Royal Artillery in 1880 and it was under the rank of Major that he
undertook the planning of the approach at Magersfontein. The conditions were very difficult, with
heavy cloud and pouring rain. Benson’s task was emulated by Colonel G. R. Duxbury, then the
Director of the South African National Museum of Military History, in 1973. Duxbury had no
problem with keeping on his compass bearing, but he found himself nearly 200 yards (175m) short of
his intended position. Benson was still further away, a little off line and some forty-five minutes
behind schedule when he advised Major-general Andrew Wauchope to deploy. When the Boers
opened fire nearly half an hour later, the Scots were still in a dense mass, undeployed, and suffered
accordingly.
Later in the war Benson became one of the most successful column commanders, moving at night
to attack Boer positions at dawn and making great use of intelligence supplied by Sir Aubrey WoolsSampson, an uitlanderwho had co-founded the Imperial Light Horse. On 20 October Benson led a
column south from Middleburg and scored initial success, but the forces of Commandant-general
Louis Botha, Vecht-general J. N. H. Grobler and Commandant J. D. Opperman gathered to trap their
troublesome adversary north-west of Bethal, at the Battle of Bakenlaagte. Benson organised a tough
defence, during which the bulk of his column was able to withdraw, but the cost was high and Benson
himself was fatally wounded.
See also:
Bakenlaagte, Battle of; Magersfontein, Battle of.
Reference:
Duxbury, G. R., The Battle of Magersfontein (Kimberley, McGregor Museum, 1997); Pretorius,
Fransjohan, Life on Commando during the Anglo-Boer War 1899–1902 (Cape Town, Human &
Rousseau, 1999).
Bergendal, Battle of,
27 August 1900
The battle that took place east of Belfast on the Pretoria-Delagoa Bay railway route was the last setpiece fight of the war. The Boers under Commandant-general Louis Botha established a complex of
positions on a line of hills, north of the railway, many protected by marshland. The ridge carrying the
railway was held by the ZARP (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek Politie), the police, based on a kopje
at Bergendal farm. General Sir Redvers Buller took their position
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