Troops Passing over the Modder by Train

Despite the retreating Boers blowing up the original bridge, the rapid movement of troops is quickly restored.

In contrast to the other Boer War films of the Modder River, both of which feature a laborious crossing, the scene here is one of speed and efficiency. Riding in coal carts, the Seaforth Highlanders trundle close by the Warwick Trading Company’s camera. The bridging of rivers was a popular subject for filmmakers, celebrating such feats of Victorian engineering.