1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Spion Kop

SPION KOP, a mountain in Natal on the north side of the Tugela River, and 24 m. W.S.W. of Ladysmith. It is celebrated as the scene of a battle (Jan. 24, 1900) in the Transvaal War, in which the British forces under Sir Redvers Bullcr were defeated by the Boers (see Transvaal and Ladysmith). The Spion Kop incident led to much controversy; for an admirable elucidation of the facts see The Times History of the War in South Africa. The name itself (Dutch for " Look-out Hill ") is fairly common as a place-name in South Africa.