The Talana MuseumThe Talana Museum and Battlefield, Dundee.The Talana Museum is located just outside Dundee and is now situated in park-like surroundings on a portion of the battlefield of Talana. Talana is the Zulu word for little shelf and describes the flat-topped hill on which the fighting took place. At this battle the British wore khaki coloured uniforms for the first time. On 20 October 1899, the battle of Talana, the first Anglo-Boer War, was fought just outside Dundee. The British troops were forced to retire to Ladysmith and Boer forces occupied the town for seven months, renaming it Meyersdorp. Dundee was relieved after the battle of Helpmekaar in May 1900. The buildings from the time of the battle still exist and a cemetery is one of the exhibits. The original Scottish homestead of the founder of Dundee, Peter Smith, has been refurbished as it was in his lifetime. Talana House, the home-built by his son in 1894, houses excellent displays of the earliest inhabitants of the area, the Voortrekkers, the Anglo-Zulu War and Anglo-Boer Wars; whilst the red-brick Henderson Hall contains the Consol Glass Collection, the Chamber of Mines Coal Museum, the Iscor Hall of Mining and the Brick Heritage display. The Talana museum is one of the most impressive museums in the country and houses a restaurant and curio shop. Open Monday-Friday 08h00-16h30, Saturday 10h00-16h30 and Sunday 12h00-16h30 |
