These views quickly changed during the opening salvoes of combat in what would be later known as the ‘Black Week’ of December 1899. 4 During the Battle of Talana Hill on 20 th October 1899, the Boer forces used their Mausers to great effect and were able to take many British lives due to the skill of marksmanship, in conjunction with the ineffective British doctrine of close order marching and formation. 5 During Lord Methuen’s march to relieve Kimberly, an officer described the infantry fighting as “…an honest, straightforward British march up to a row of waiting rifles.” 6 Although the British had great success with close order battle in previous engagements, such as that in the Sudan, the Boer War highlighted its weaknesses against a well defended enemy capable of accurate small arms fire. At the Battle of Enslin on the 25 th November 1899 Lord Methuen suffered a casualty rate of 44% and although the battle objectives were achieved, it was obvious that the attrition level could not be maintained. 7 The British soon realised that the use of tight order formations and a failure to fight from cover where available would lead to further defeats. The Infantry Drill Manual of 1889 maintained the use of the traditional British Line formation and it was not until the 1896 edition that this was adapted to include “… all movements in contact with the enemy should be covered by a screen of troops in extended order…” 8 . Unfortunately, the lack of a cohesive national doctrine led to tactical 4 Field Marshal Lord Michael Carver, The National Army Museum Book of the Boer War , (Oxford: Pan Books, 2000), pp. 15-52. 5 L.S. Amery and others, The Times History of the War in South Africa: 1899- 1902 , (S. Low, Marston and Company, 1902), v. 2. p. 164 6 L.M. Phillipps, With Rimington , (General Books LLC, 2009). 7 Amery and others, The Times History of the War in South Africa: 1899- 1902 , pp. 338-339. 8 E.M. Spiers, The Late Victorian Army, 1868-1902 , (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1992).
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