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Place Name
- Named after the 118 day Siege – or perhaps more accurately the Relief – of Ladysmith, which took place between November 2, 1899 and February 28, 1900 during the Second Boer War. The siege in Natal ensnared some 5,500 British army troops. Led by Lieutenant General Sir George White, the British held out until relieved by General Buller, but the event was a harsh lesson for the army, which was later reorganised into a modern fighting force. News of the relief was greeted with huge celebrations back home in the UK and many streets were named after it. The town itself was named after Juana María de los Dolores de León Smith, also known as Lady Smith, the Spanish wife of Sir Harry Smith, the Governor of the Cape Colony. The street was laid out in a commemorative quartet, namely: Ladysmith Avenue, Colenso Road, Kimberley Avenue and Mafeking Avenue.
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