Boer War - 1899
- Harry 'Breaker' Morant - Peter Handcock - Southern Africa - Henry Lawson - the Bulletin - A B 'Banjo' Patterson -
The Boer War began in 1899 when Britain and the Boers (farmers of Dutch descent) clashed over the control of Southern Africa and especially over the exploitation of the gold mines in Transvaal.
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All the Australian colonial governments offered to send troops to help the British forces although there were some including the poet Henry Lawson and the Bulletin magazine who opposed Australian participation.
A quarter of a million people lined the shores of Sydney harbour to farewell the New South Wales contingent for the Boer War in South Africa.
" ... to-day, amid triumphant joybells and floating banners and dense crowds giving forth. The thundering roar of the street, the spirit of fervid patriotism reigned supreme. The 'great national event' of the departure of the Victorian troops took place in exquisite weather, and was made the occasion of jubilant rejoicing. The crowds that thronged the broad thoroughfares of the city to see 'our boys' depart for South Africa were ... large and enthusiastic ... May the return of the contingent be as rapturous as its departure.
Melbourne Gossip' by Viva, dated 28 October in "Sydney Mail" 4 Nov 1899, p 1093
Australians were coming together to form a new nation and at the same time were sending troops off to fight in another country, not for Australia but for the British cause. Australia had no navy, no diplomatic service - relations with the world were to be governed through Britain.
"Her Majesty the Queen desires to thank the people of her Colonies in Australia for their striking manifestations of loyalty and patriotism in their voluntary offer to send troops to co-operate with Her Majesty's Imperial forces in maintaining her position and the rights of British subjects in South Africa.
She wishes the troops God-speed and a safe return."
Message from Queen Victoria to Her Subjects, "Sydney Mail", Saturday 4 November 1899.
 Members of "A" Company, Queensland Mounted Infantry, bound for South Africa (from The Queenslander newspaper, 4th November 1899, p. 808) |
A group of Australian nurses accompanied the forces to South Africa.
It was a grim war, for which the troops were unprepared. The trip from Australia to the Cape took about 4 weeks from the Eastern states and many of the horses suffered on the trip.
Once they got there, conditions were really awful. They only had half rations. Equipment was shoddy. Horses were dying. Polluted water lead to enteric sickness, and death.
Most of the Boer towns had been captured by mid-1900 but the guerrilla forces still held out in the countryside.
In an attempt to break Boer resistance, civilians were put in concentration camps and Boer farms and herds destroyed. The mounted Australian troops were used for hit-and-run missions against the Boers who proved to be a formidable enemy.
With rations low, soldiers often lived 'off the land' - a glorified term for looting, often burning farms and dispossessing inhabitants in the process.
Many became disillusioned, especially at the tactics directed against civilians. There was no 'glory' in this and the Australian forces became discontented as is evidenced in this letter from Major A Maclean:
"Ramah, Orange River, 10/2/1900
Dearest Mother, Susie, Hector, and all at home
There is no doubt that so far we have been beaten all along the line; and if we were not able to outnumber them by ten to one we wouldn't have the ghost of a show of ever seeing Pretoria - except, perhaps, as prisoners. Our people have made some fearful blunders: time after time walking into traps and getting smashed up, until now the ordinary 'Tommy' is absolutely frightened at the very mention of Boer."
Letters of the Late Major A A McLean, DSO, from the date of his leaving Australia for the Boer War, 6th November, 1899 until the conclusion of that Campaign, 1902," William Brooks & Co, 1931, p 17.
The direction the war had taken, and the execution by the British of two Australian soldiers, Harry 'Breaker' Morant and Peter Handcock, for shooting Boer civilian prisoners, led to a growing concern in Australia about the war.
The Boers surrendered on the 31st of May 1902.
Australian troops returned home having built a reputation for tough fighting, guerrilla warfare, independence, horsemanship and bravery.
Memorials to those who were killed in the Boer War were erected in cities and country towns throughout Australia.
From a total personnel number of 16,463,
Australian casualties were:
Total battle casualties 812
Total non-battle casualties 349
Total casualties 1161
Total deaths 588
Also see - 1899 - Jessie Toshack - Boer War Nurse