Boers in action at the Battle of Spion Kop. THe battle was fought 23–24 January 1900, about 38 kilometers from the besieged town of Ladysmith as British forces advanced to break the Boer encirclement. Despite outnumbering the Boers over 2 to (20,000 British versus 8,000 Boers), the battle was a disastrous defeat for British forces.