Did You Know?
The Long Tom gun referred to here was a 155 mm Creusot fortress gun, officially designated as the 15 cm Krupp siege gun, used by the Boer forces during the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). These guns were originally captured from the British at the Battle of Ladysmith in 1899 and were prized for their long range and destructive power. By 1901, the Boers had retreated into the northern Transvaal (now Limpopo), and the remaining Long Toms were being moved to avoid capture by British forces under Lord Kitchener's sweeping drives. Near Haenertsburg, on the Magoebaskloof escarpment, the last operational Long Tom was spiked (destroyed) by its Boer crew in August 1901 to prevent it from falling into British hands. The gun was rendered useless by driving a spike into the breech or by damaging the barrel, and the site became a symbol of the Boer retreat and the end of heavy artillery use by the Boer forces. The exact location is on a ridge overlooking the town, and a memorial cairn or marker has been placed at the site by local heritage groups. Contextually, Haenertsburg was a small gold-mining and farming settlement in the Zoutpansberg district, and the surrounding area saw skirmishes and guerrilla activity during the latter phase of the war. The destruction of the Long Tom marked a significant tactical loss for the Boers, as they had relied on these guns for long-range bombardment. Today, the site is part of the broader heritage trail of the Anglo-Boer War in Limpopo, though it is not a formally declared national heritage site; it is maintained by local historical societies.
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