TOPIC:

I'm hoping someone can assist with a decent map of Ladysmith during the siege showing the exact camps/positions of the British Regiments.

Regards

Rory

Rory
Try Map 31 of the Official History. I have used it in the past. Often, the positions of a certain number of Companies regiments are shown (i.e., Royal Irish, two companies") . And I would imagine that the shown positions were not static during a local attack.
Regards
IL.

Rory,

I have added some maps to the Ladysmith thread in places. These give you some of the information you request.

www.angloboerwar.com/forum/6-places/258-...smith?start=54#89061

Many thanks David - I spy Leicester post in relation to Caesar's Camp which is what I was trying to accomplish. I'm trying to get a handle on my man Whitehead who was Killed on 21/2/00 - my thinking was that Long Tom bombarded the Leicesters on that day, occasioning his demise, but I can find no account to substantiate that.

Rory

The exact locations may take some digging

Pearse, Chapte 4 ( www.angloboerwar.com/books/61-pearse-fou...ly-days-of-the-siege ) says:

Our defences begin to take shape, so that their strong and weak points can be estimated. Southward is a long brown hog-backed hill, which the local people call Bester's Ridge, though military authorities divide it into Cæsar's Camp, with Maiden's Castle forming a spur in the inner curve towards Ladysmith, and Waggon Hill. Altogether it is three miles in length, and being the key of the position will want holding. For that purpose the trusty Manchester battalion is placed there, having roughly constructed sangars for rallying points. This ridge forms one horn of the roughly-shaped horse-shoe which I have already spoken of, the toe of which sweeps round from Maiden's Castle in low but rugged kopjes overlooking slopes of open veldt to where Klip River loops the old camp which, being constructed of corrugated iron, is called "Tin Town." That would be a weak point, but that it is protected by an outlying kopje known as Rifleman's Post on the far side of the river. This is occupied by a small body of the King's Royal Rifles, the other companies of which hold King's Post, an eminence from which the northern horn of the horse-shoe bends along by Cove Ridge, Junction Hill, Tunnel Hill, and Cemetery Hill, to Helpmakaar Hill. Here the Devons are posted at the heel of the shoe, which juts into a scrubby flat pointing towards the neck between Lombard's Kop and Bulwaan.

Jacson's account ( www.angloboerwar.com/books/38-jacson-rec...-ladysmith-1899-1900 ):

The perimeter of Ladysmith was divided into four sections, A, B, C, D, under Colonel W.G. Knox, General Howard, Colonel Hamilton, and Colonel Royston respectively.

Section A extended from Devon Post to Cove Redoubt; on the west of this was section B, extending as far as Range Post on the Klip River. Section C included Maiden Castle, Wagon Hill, and Cæsar's Camp, whilst the plain between Cæsar's Camp and Devon Post was held by the Natal Volunteers under Colonel Royston.

The battalion [the Devons] was ordered to take up the two posts of Cemetery Hill and Helpmakaar Hill. These were the most eastern kopjes of the defences. They skirted the Helpmakaar road and were immediately under Bulwana and Gun Hill. These were distant only some five thousand yards, and dominated Devon Post .

The battalion was distributed: three companies on Helpmakaar Hill, two companies on Cemetery Hill, with three companies in reserve near the road and river-bed immediately beneath Cemetery Hill.