Did You Know?
The Monument for the last Long Tom gun near Haenertsburg, Limpopo, commemorates the final use of a 155 mm Creusot Long Tom cannon during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902). This particular gun, known as 'Long Tom No. 4,' was part of the Boer artillery and was destroyed by its crew on 8 September 1901 to prevent capture by British forces. The site includes remnants of the gun barrel, which were later recovered and mounted as a memorial. The monument also honors multiple South African wars, reflecting the broader military history of the region, including conflicts such as the First Anglo-Boer War and the South African Border War, though the primary focus remains on the Boer War era. Haenertsburg, a small town in the Limpopo Province, was established in the 1880s after the discovery of gold, and its surrounding area saw skirmishes during the Boer War due to its strategic location near the Wolkberg mountains.
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