Boer War: the siege of Ladysmith

The siege of Ladysmith was a key moment in the Boer War, also known as the South African War.

In 1899, British troops and civilians were trapped in the besieged South African town for 118 days.

Using a BBC archive recording, James Dalton, a British Army bandsman with the Gordon Highlanders, recalls shelling, hunger, disease and the dramatic relief of Ladysmith.

Produced by Helen Ledwick in collaboration with BBC Archives.

Witness History is a short BBC World Service podcast about history that takes you inside big moments from the past through first-hand testimony and archive. Each weekday, in around nine minutes, we revisit one moment that helped shape the world and hear it through the voice of someone who was there. Scientists, artists, campaigners, soldiers, leaders and everyday people tell their true stories.

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(Photo: Siege of Ladysmith, South Africa, Boer War. Credit: Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)