The Institute for Historical Review website has published an interesting article Remembering the Boer War. The IHR, founded in 1978, is an educational publishing centre which is non-partisan, non-ideological, and non-sectarian.
My interest is that I recall my grandfather, who served as a private in the Gordon Highlanders in the Boer War, being highly critical of Brit conduct in the war and swore to his dying day he would never again serve in a British regiment.
As a result I arrived in SA as a very young man with my head filled with pro-Boer sentiment which gradually turned to disenchantment with Nat politics. Since reading this article I realise just how much their desperately isolationist policies were driven by their history.
Comment anyone?
Regards,
Bob.
Link: (via shareaholic) http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v18/v18n3p14_Weber.html
A lot of people do not realise that their were Irish, welsh and scots on both sides of this conflict..... My father is a big Boer war buff, but to get him online is neigh impossible....
:ciupa1:
again another war among the many of eons , sentiments anti and pro .. each side doing their own bit of wrongdoing ... the Boers had to admire their ragtag courageous first to practice guerilla warfare , the Brits sticking to conventional to their disadvantage ... the scorched earth policy a total travesty as it singled out the civilians , the prisoner camps another travesty ... war in the words of Bob a sickmaking thing ...
Gen Beyers’ driver , with the Daimler car in which De La Rey was shot . Beyers' attended De la Rey’s funeral with this car with the bullet hole clearly visible . This car were stolen and mysteriously disappeared 1947
Why was De La Rey shot?
There is some debate about who shot De la Rey or why but the facts are that the car ran through a couple of police road blocks set up to catch a gang of criminals (the Foster gang) and at one of these the shot that killed him was fired into the back of the car.
Because it was wartime and Byers and De la Rey were suspected of plotting to set up a rebellion the suspicion exists that the road block was set up to assassinate him.
My view is that as only a single shot was fired into the car after it passed the road block then the first possibility is more likely. An assassination would have riddled the car with shots.
Something that gave rise to the conspiracy idea , was that while traveling - they stopped to stretch legs , and when they got back in the car , Beyers went and sit in the seat where de La Rey sat during the journey up to that point . Shortly afterwards the shooting incident happened . Beyers said that he moved seats because the wind blew smoke from his pipe into de la Rey's face
Strange things happens during wars; Quoting from the "WAR REPORTER " the aftermath of the battle of Tweebosch RSA. ; Gen de la Rey soon heard that Methuen had been wounded , and immediately went to his opponent to pay his respects. and ensured that Methuen received good treatment . De la Ray took command , and made sure that all the wounded warriors on both sides were treated by both the British medic's , and boer doctor Carl von Rennenkamph and his medical team , as well as conditions in the veld allowed . . Our reporter reports that he was struck by almost unbelievable phenomenon that two groups who had moments before done their best to kill each other , immediately after the battle were assisting each other to help the wounded and carry away the dead . it seemed almost irrational.