Boer Guerrilla Warfare Flashcards
how many Boers were involved in active resistance?
20,000
how many British troops were in SA after September 1900?
250,000
who were the Boer guerrilla leaders?
de Wet
de la Ray
Smuts
Botha
what guerrilla tactics did the Boers use?
they were sent to their home districts which allowed them to use their knowledge of the terrain
they striked quickly and fast so that they could deal as much damage as possible before escaping
how did Kitchener restrict the movement of Boers?
by using blockhouses
how many blockhouses did Kitchener build?
8,000
how much land did the blockhouses cover?
4000 miles
what was used in conjunction with the blockhouses?
barbed wire fences
what did the blockhouses allow the British to do?
conduct sweeps of the terrain which allowed them to trap the Boers
what latest technology did the British use against the Boers?
the telephone
telegraph cable
what were mounted raiding columns?
used to follow and harrass Boer fighters in an attempt to cut them off or delay them to allow the main forces to catch up
what acted as a rapid action force for the British?
armoured trains
what had Roberts implemented before leaving SA?
a scorched earth policy
what did Kitchener do with scorched earth policy?
he continued it to greater effect
how was the scorched earth policy carried out?
the British targeted anything which may provide supplies to Boer guerrillas
they destroyed property and crops as well as poisoning wells
what were concentration camps initially used for?
set up as refugee camps for Boer families
+ves of concentration camps
prevented Boer families from helping their soldiers
forced many Boers to surrender in fear of losing their families
-ve of concentration camps
released the pressure on Boers to look after their families
Brits ran them POORLY and drew a lot of criticism
what were the conditions in the concentration camps?
- lack of food
- poor shelter
- bad hygiene and sanitation
- shortage of medical facilities
- overcrowding —> led to disease
which diseases were present in concentration camps?
measles
typhoid
dysentery
how many Boer men and women died in concentration camps?
20,000
1/4 of all inmates
how many concentration camps were built?
40
what happened to black inmates?
they were put in seperate concentration camps
how many black inmates died in the camps?
12,000
what was the reason for the high death rate in the camps?
result of incompetence from British
WAS NOT A DEATH CAMP
which political party criticised the camps?
the Liberals
which politician defended the camps?
St John Broderick
what created an international outcry about the camps?
Emily Hobhouse’s report on camp conditions
when was Hobhouse’s report?
June 1901
when was the Fawcett Commission?
August - December 1901
who led the commission?
Millicent Fawcett
was an all-woman commission
what did the commission do?
it conducted it’s own tour of the camps
backed up Hobhouses’ report
what did the commission reccomend?
- the need for more rations
- more nurses
who took over control of the camps?
civil authorities
what was the death rate by early 1902?
dropped to 2%
what did Kitchener change in his concentration camp policy?
December 1901
he instructed all commanders to stop bringing women and children
why had Kitchener’s change in policy handicapped the Boers?
they now had to look after their families
why was the Boer War a ‘white man’s war’?
both the Boers and British were afraid to militarise the black people
the Zulu war was still fresh in the minds of the British
HOWEVER they began to recruit more blacks as watchmen and auxilaries
how many blacks served in the BA by 1902?
30,000 men
what standw did the Black Africans have?
pro-British
what were Kitchener’s tactics divided into?
containment
harrassment
which treaty ended the Second Boer War?
Treaty of Vereeniging
when was the Treaty of Vereenging signed?
31 May 1902
what was the outcome of the Treaty of Vereenging?
- Boer commanders pledged allegiance to Britain
- reaffirmed the annexation of the 2 republica
how was Britain generous in the Treaty of Vereenging?
- they gave £3 million to the Boers for reconstruction
- Britain agreed to allow for self governance at a later time
who led the reconstruction of SA after the war?
Milner
was Milner successful in removing Boer influence?
NO
Britain still could not gain superiority in SA
when did Britain return self governance to Transvaal and OFS?
1906
when was the Union of South Africa formed?
1910
how many British died in the Second Boer War?
22,000
how many Brits actually died in battle in SA?
7800
rest were due to disease
how many colonial British troops were needed in the Second Boer War?
450,000
how much did the Second Boer War cost the British taxpayer?
£217 million
