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The ZARPs, turned mounted infantry, held the exposed koppie at Bergendal with exceptional discipline under hours of British shelling. Their stand, praised even by Arthur Conan Doyle, broke Botha’s line and marked the end of conventional warfare in the Anglo Boer War.
1 SWA Specialist Unit, or 1 SWASpes, was a unique South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) counter-insurgency unit during the Border War. Formed in 1977 as 101 Specialist Unit in Oshivelo (in 1980 became part of the SWATF), it combined horse-mounted infantry, motorcycles, expert trackers, and specialized dogs. The idea of this combined unit rose from the use of tracker dogs and mounted infantry that the South African Defence Force (SADF) at the beginning of the Border War.
This chapter examines two linked engagements during the Colesberg campaign of early 1900: the skirmish at Agtertang Station on 3 January and the Battle of Slingerfontein on 9–10 January. British forces under Major General John French sought to secure railway lines and dominate the surrounding high ground, while Boer commandos under Generals Schoeman, Piet de Wet, and later Koos de la Rey attempted to halt their advance. The chapter highlights the role of mounted troops, particularly the newly arrived 1st New Zealand Contingent, whose reconnaissance, outpost duties, and defensive actions contributed significantly to British operations. Their stand on 15 January at what became known as New Zealand Hill—alongside the Yorkshire Regiment—proved decisive, repelling a determined Boer attack with minimal losses. The narrative also includes biographical notes on individual soldiers such as Trooper Alister Hugh Matheson and Private George Bradford, the first New Zealander to die in the Anglo-Boer War. Overall, the chapter situates these actions within the broader strategic contest for control of northern Cape Colony and the eventual British consolidation around Colesberg.
