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 Buller 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 .