Episode 16 - Winston Churchill escapes but Spion Kop looms

The Anglo-Boer War - A podcast by Desmond Latham

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Winston Churchill who had been captured near Chieverley on the railway line between Escourt and Ladysmith in October and was lucky not to have been shot on the spot. While ostensibly working as a war correspondent for the Morning Post newspaper, he really was more than an imbedded reporter. Churchill’s father was Lord Randolph, a British Lord and well-known politician. Churchill literally took over the situation when his train was ambushed and issued orders to the commander who followed his orders. The Boers capture of one the empire’s famous sons was deeply embarrassing for the British commander Redvers Buller. But Churchill's escape coincides with a terrible battle called Spion Kop which resonates to this day in so many ways.