Ladysmith Road, EN1

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 lifting of the siege was greeted with huge celebrations back home in the UK and many streets were named after it by jingoistic developers. 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. This street was under construction in 1903 with the first houses occupied in 1905, originally it stretched only as far north as Sketty Road. It was later extended to Carterhatch Lane in the 1930s. Nearby streets are also named after battlefields in the Boer War see Kimberley Road and Mafeking Road.

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