Duplicated Boer description of Winston Churchill after his escape from captivity, Bloemfontein, 23 December 1899

During the Boer War Churchill was employed as a war correspondent for the 'Morning Post'. He was captured by the Boers during an attack on an armoured train and imprisoned in a POW camp in Pretoria. Churchill escaped from the camp and travelled almost 300 miles (480 km) to Portuguese Lourenço Marques in Delagoa Bay. He then rejoined General Sir Redvers Buller's army on its march to relieve the Siege of Ladysmith.

Although continuing as a war correspondent, he also obtained a commission in the South African Light Horse Regiment and was among the first British troops into Ladysmith and Pretoria. Churchill's exploits in South Africa made him something of a national hero.