Siege of Mafeking

Siege of Mafeking
	Part of Second Boer War
	; British Troops repelling a Boer attack at Mafeking
Date	13 October 1899 – 17 May 1900; (7 months and 4 days)
Location	Mafikeng, Cape Colony; (present-day South Africa)
Result	British victory Mafeking relieved;
Belligerents
British Empire	South African Republic
Commanders and leaders
R. Baden-Powell; B. T. Mahon	Piet Cronje; J. P. Snyman
Strength
1,500	8,000
Casualties and losses
812	2,000

The siege of Mafeking was a 217-day siege battle for the town of Mafeking (now called Mahikeng) in South Africa during the Second Boer War from October 1899 to May 1900. The siege received considerable attention as Lord Edward Cecil, the son of the British prime minister, was in the besieged town, as also was Lady Sarah Wilson, a daughter of the Duke of Marlborough and aunt of Winston Churchill. The siege turned the British commander, Colonel Robert Baden-Powell, into a national hero. The Relief of Mafeking (the lifting of the siege), while of little military significance, was a morale boost for the struggling British.

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