The South African, Anglo-Boer War
1899 - 1902
Served: 16,363
Died: 518
Wounded: 538
Men awarded Victoria Cross: 6
Since its acquisition by Britain during the Napoleonic wars, southern Africa had been shared between British colonies and independent republics of Dutch-Afrikaner settlers – Boers. Rivalry intensified following the discovery of gold and diamonds resulting in an attack by the Boers to forestall what they saw as an impending British conquest. As part of the British Empire, the Australian colonies offered troops. British counter-offensive actions saw the capture of the major towns and cities by September 1900. From then until the war’s conclusion on 30 May 1902, the war became mostly a guerilla conflict. This included the destruction of Boer farms, confiscation of livestock and the internment of the population into concentration camps where thousands died of contagious diseases.
Serving mainly on horseback Australian troops faced very harsh conditions spending long periods in the saddle. Water contaminated by corpses and human waste infected the army at Bloemfontein causing 1,000 deaths to British and Australian troops. More Australian troops died from disease than in battle.
Under British command, Australian troops were valued for their heroism and ability to ‘shoot and ride’. At Elands River, in August 1900, a mixed force of 505 colonial troops, including 299 Australians, were attacked by a force of 3,000 Boers. An offer from the Boers, after a week of fighting, for the camp to surrender, was refused and the defenders held on for five more days before the arrival of reinforcements. The Boer’s Commander, Jan Smuts, said of the defenders: “Never in the course of this war did a besieged force endure worse sufferings, but they stood their ground with magnificent courage. All honour to these heroes who in the hour of trial rose nobly to the occasion.”
