MC0001

Did You Know?

The site refers to a military camp established at Jacobsdal in the Orange Free State (now Free State, though the query lists North West Province, which is incorrect for Jacobsdal — the town is in the Free State province, near the Northern Cape border). In 1899, at the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), Jacobsdal was a strategic point due to its location near the Modder River and the railway line to Kimberley. Boer forces used the area for concentration and supply purposes before the battles of Belmont, Graspan, and Modder River in late 1899. The British later occupied Jacobsdal after the Battle of Modder River (28 November 1899), and it served as a field hospital and supply depot for the British advance on Kimberley. The specific camp site in Jacobsdal is not a formally declared heritage site with extensive documentation; however, the town itself is historically significant for its role in the early war period. The surrounding region saw heavy military activity, including the relief of Kimberley in February 1900. No permanent military structures from 1899 survive above ground, and the site is now within the modern town area. Contextually, military camps of this era were typically tented encampments with field hospitals, ammunition stores, and horse lines, often leaving no archaeological trace beyond scattered artifacts.

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