Anglo-Boer War conventionally seen as a “White man’s war” fought between Boers and the British, the three bloody, costly years of conflict not only involved all sectors of South Africa’s population but attracted foreign volunteers from around the world.
The Anglo-Boer War started, pitting the two small Boer Republics against Britain, backed by her colonies of Natal an the Cape. Both sides anticipated victory within weeks, but battle succeeded battle and casualties lists lengthened. Colonial troops from Canada, Australia and New Zealand, reinforced the British Divisions. Republican sympathy brought the Boers medical assistance and fighting volunteers from America. Ireland, Germany, Italy, France and the Scandinavian countries.
Serving with both forces were the South African blacks and coloured, some 100 000 with the British Army and at lest 10 000 with the Boers. Contrary to popular belief, many fought armed, particularly by the British Later in the ware or as official Town Guards. The majority however, served in a support capacity as essential transport drivers, guides, scouts, spies ,labourers or servants.
When guerrilla-style warfare replaces conventional battles the rural populations became inevitable victims. A scorched -earth policy, introduced by Britain to contain the mobility of the commandos, resulted in destruction of homes, animals and crops, compounding the hardships caused by loss of jobs, drought, closure of mines or the absence of men. Concentration camps, also known as refugee camps, and serving in addition as black labour vamps ere established, some 40 for whites and dome 66 black camps. Badly planned, the initial conditions were often horrific, and while exact numbers remain uncertain it is believed that well over 14 000 blacks, some 27 000 Boers, mostly women and children, died within the camps. The aftermath of the war was bitter, with may returning Boer prisoners of war finding their homes destroyed or their families dead. Thousands of blacks were jobless, homeless and destitute, with minimum compensation available as priority was given to re-starting white agriculture. Labour conditions on the gold mines worsened rather than improved, while British victory brought no hope for extension of black political rights.
The Battlefield Route consists of The Belmont battle, Graspan, The battle of Modder Rivier, Magersfontein, Koedoesberg, drift and Paardeberg.
Greater wars than the Anglo-Boer War have pushed the conflict between Queen Victoria’s Empire and the Transvaal and Orange Free State Boer Republics into minor chapters of military history. The battles are over, The Battlefields, a legacy of a bygone age, remain. Besieged by Boers since 14 October 1899, Kimberley was the key to the war on the western front. Most of the major and many minor battles took place within an hour’s drive of Kimberley.
Lt-General Lord Methuen, with a field force of 8500 – it was to rise to 15 000 at Magersfontein – had to march 120 kilometers from Orange River Station to relive Kimberley.