In the first months of the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) the British suffered a series of catastrophic defeats – the Boers had defeated them in Natal, besieged three British towns and General Cronjé now sat astride the railway line between Cape Town and the besieged town of Kimberley. In response the British initiated an audacious manoeuvre to outflank Cronjé which culminated in one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war, the Battle of Paardeberg. The outcome was uncertain for both sides - would the British prevail or would the Boers continue to hold the upper hand?