Evacuation from Ladysmith
French leaves Ladysmith by rail shortly before the Boer siege completely isolates the town.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1899 in Great Britain — Page 2
Explore 119 historical events and records for Great Britain in 1899.
Historical records for Great Britain in 1899
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 119 unique records.
119Unique records
2 of 3Page
17Named events on this page
20Named people on this page
14Places on this page
November
Siege of Ladysmith
Takes part in operations around the siege and relief of Ladysmith.
Siege of Ladysmith
Takes part in operations around the siege and relief of Ladysmith.
Siege of Ladysmith
Takes part in operations around the siege and relief of Ladysmith.
Siege of Ladysmith
Is besieged in Ladysmith by Boer forces.
Surrender Demand Rejected
Kekewich rejects a Boer demand to surrender before the bombardment of Kimberley intensifies.
Armoured Train Ambush
Is captured after an armoured train is derailed.
Armoured Train Ambush
Haldane commands the troops aboard the armoured train ambushed and derailed near Chieveley.
Arrest of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
Leaves Escourt in a train commanded by Captain Haldane to explore Boer positions
Battle of Belmont
Methuen defeats Boer positions at Belmont during the advance intended to relieve Kimberley.
Battle of Willow Grange
Kitchener commands the British force that attacks Boer positions at Willow Grange and is forced to withdraw.
Battle of Graspan
Methuen continues the Kimberley relief advance and defeats Boer forces at Graspan.
Battle of Modder River
Takes part in operations leading to the relief of Kimberley.
Battle of Modder River
Fights through Boer resistance near the Modder River.
Siege of Kimberley
Takes part in operations leading to the relief of Kimberley.
Arrest of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
Arrested, asked to be released because he is a correspondent but refused
December
Birth of John Barbirolli
Birth of John Barbirolli
Battle of Stormberg
The British are defeated by the Boers
Battle of Stormberg
Gatacres forces are weakened after a Boer ambush
Battle of Stormberg
Suffers severe losses against the Boers in an ambush 70 miles from Queenstown
Battle of Stormberg
Suffers defeat during Black Week.
Battle of Magersfontein
The British are defeated by the Boers
Battle of Magersfontein
Cronje inflicts heavy losses on the British under Methuen
Battle of Magersfontein
Is defeated while trying to relieve Kimberley.
Battle of Magersfontein
Wauchope is killed while leading the Highland Brigade during the failed British assault at Magersfontein.
Arrest of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
Makes a dramatic escape from the Boers which reaches the world's headlines
Arrest of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
The Boers offer 25 pounds for Churchill dead or alive
Bounty
The Boers offer 25 pounds for Churchill dead or alive
Escape from Pretoria
Escapes from Boer captivity and reaches safety.
Battle of Colenso
Babtie treats wounded gunners under heavy fire at Colenso and is wounded while carrying out his medical duties.
Battle of Colenso
The British are defeated by the Boers
Battle of Colenso
Is defeated during the attempt to relieve Ladysmith.
Battle of Colenso
Clery issues the formal movement orders for the British attack intended to force a crossing of the Tugela at Colenso.
Battle of Colenso
Congreve crosses exposed ground under heavy fire while helping to recover guns and wounded men at Colenso.
Battle of Colenso
Long places his field batteries dangerously close to the Boer line, where intense fire forces the crews away from their guns.
Battle of Colenso
Nurse helps save two guns under sustained Boer fire and receives the Victoria Cross for his actions.
Battle of Colenso
Roberts helps recover artillery under heavy Boer fire at Colenso and is mortally wounded during the attempt.
Battle of Colenso
Schofield helps bring two field guns out of action under intense Boer fire at Colenso.
Arrest of Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill
Reaches Durban and describes his escape to an enthusiastic crowd
Escape of Churchill
British defeats during Black Week expose early military failure.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.