The First and The Second Boer War

The Boer War

The Boer war is split into two parts; The First Boer War, and The Second Boer War. These wars are referred to in many ways. “For the British they were the Boer Wars, for the Boers, the Wars of Independence.”1 Many Afrikaners today refer to them as the Anglo-Boer Wars to denote the official warring parties. “The first Boer War occurred from 1880-1881 and has been named the Transvaal Rebellion2”, as the Boers revolted against the British takeover of 1877. Most scholars prefer to call the war of 1899-1902 (the second Boer war) the South African War, acknowledging that South Africans, white and black, were affected by the war and that many participated. This war was started over the riches of gold and diamonds. These two wars were a very large turning point for the Canadian Government, symbolizing that Canada is separate from Brittan and also the first time Canadians fought in a war oversees.

As part of a surge of imperialism, the British Colonial Secretary, Lord Carnarvon, proposed a confederation of South African states in 1875, along the lines of the Canadian federation of 1867. In a rather unstable political and economic region, this would create a settled environment for greater economic integration and progress under British supremacy, particularly after the discovery of diamonds in 1867 near the confluence of the Orange and Vaal Rivers.

Leading up to the First Boer War

Between 1835 and 1845, about 15,000 Dutch people moved out of the British Cape Colony, across the Gariep River into the interior of South Africa. Their 'Great Trek' was a rejection of the British philanthropic policy with its equalization of black and white at the Cape colony, and of the political marginalization they experienced on the Eastern Cape frontier. “They established two independent republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, as recognized by Great Britain at the Sand River (1852) and Bloemfontein (1854) Conventions.”3 The republicans acquired the name Boers', the Dutch word for farmers. Like the African societies within their borders, the Boers enjoyed a pre-capitalist, near-subsistence economy.

As part of a surge of imperialism, the British Colonial Secretary, Lord Carnarvon, proposed a confederation of South African states in 1875, along the lines of the Canadian federation of 1867. In a rather unstable political and economic region, this would create a settled environment for greater economic integration and progress under British supremacy, particularly after the discovery of diamonds in 1867 near the confluence of the Orange and Vaal Rivers.

The First Boer War

At the beginning, the Boers used a passive resistance strategy. When the British government made its determination to achieve control, the Boers turned to armed resistance in December 1880. The first Boer War broke out on December 16th 1880.

Uniform/Weapons

Except for the artillery and the police in the second Boer War, no uniforms were worn. The Boers preferred everyday clothes. The Boer force was a classic example of a citizen army, because virtually the entire white male population of the republics between the ages of 16 and 60 were obligated to participate in unpaid military service. Growing up on the farms with a rifle in their hands made the Boers good marksmen, with the ability to judge distance accurately. The commando formation for attack was a loose swarm with intent of outflanking the opponents. When mobilized, a Boer had to be prepared with his horse, rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition and food enough to last for eight days. In the first Boer War, The bores used the “British-made .450 Westley Richards, falling-block, single-action, breech-loading rifle, with accuracy up to 600 yards. It was very similar in manufacture, sighting, caliber, weight and ammunition to the Martini-Henry Mark II carried by British troops.”

The fight

When The British were on their way to relieve Pretoria, “Lieutenant-Colonel Philip Anstruther’s British force was crushed by Boer Commandant Frans Joubert near Bronkhorspruit on 20 December 1880. Colley’s attempt to enter the Transvaal was stopped by Piet Joubert at Laing’s Nek on 28 January 1881 and again by General Nicolaas Smit at Ingogo on 8 February 1881. The British were driven back with heavy losses.”5 During the night of 26 February, Colley occupied Majuba Hill, which was a great vantage point looking over the countryside on the Transvaal border, with 400 men. The Boers stormed Majuba Hill, reaching the top, and achieving a brilliant victory.

The second Boer war

The South African War, started on October 11th 1899 and ended on May 31st 1902. Great Britain defeated two Boer nations in South Africa Schindelwutz: the South African Republic (Republic of Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. Britain received assistance by its Cape Colony, Colony of Natal and some native African allies and was further supported by volunteers from the British Empire, including Southern Africa, the Australian colonies, Canada, India, and New Zealand. “The British were overconfident and under-prepared. The Boers were very well armed and attacked first on Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafeking in early 1900, and won significant battles at Colenso, Magersfontein and Stormberg.”

Overwhelmed, the British brought in large numbers of soldiers and fought back. Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener replaced General Redvers Buller. They relieved the three cities taken earlier by the Boers, and invaded the two Boer republics in late 1900. The onward marches of the British Army were so overwhelming that the Boers did not fight head on battles defending their homeland. The British quickly gained control of all of the Orange Free State and Transvaal, as the Boer army went into hiding. Everyone thought, the war was over. Britain officially controlled the two countries in 1900, and called an election to give the government another six years of power in London. However, the Boers refused to give up. They reverted to guerrilla warfare under brilliant order from new generals Louis Botha, Jan Smuts, Christiaan de Wet and Koos de la Rey.

Two more years of surprise attacks and quick escapes followed. As an army without uniforms, the Boers easily blended into the farmlands, which provided hiding places, supplies, and horses. The British solution was to set up strong points, and barbed wire fences, closing off the entire conquered territory. The civilian farmers were taking by the British into concentration camps, where very large proportions died of disease, especially the children, who mostly lacked immunities. Then the British infantry units tracked down the Boer guerrilla units. The battles at this stage were small operations with few combat casualties (most of the dead were victims of disease.) The war ended in surrender and on British terms at the Treaty of Vereeniging in May 1902. The British successfully won over the Boer leaders, who now gave full support to the new political system. This was a very significant time for Canada because Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier did not force Canadian troops to fight the first overseas war, but instead he let the Canadian population volunteer for service.