Boer War 1899-1902 Flashcards
What were the Impacts of the Jameson Raid in 1895
. The failed Jameson raid to overthrow Transvaal government caused tension between Britain and the orange free state
. The Boers issued an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of British troops from their frontier
. Britain refused and war began on the 11th October
What was the British army like at the start of the Boer war
. 250,000 regular soldiers
. New Khaki uniform introduced
. Generals Buller and Roberts and Kitchener were sent to command the British army
. Railways were key for the British to move men and supplies
.
What were the Boers like before the war
. 50,000 men
. Most Boers were farmers who were skilled hunters and were used to riding across rugged country on horses
. Any farmers without a gun were provided one by the government
. Had some modern day french and German artillery
. Had local support to move supplies
. Boer commando units were highly effective and could live off the land if necessary
What were attitude like towards one another
. Mutual respect on both sides with humane treatment of white prisoners
. British attitudes were tinged as they believed the Boers were pro German and hostile to democracy
What was Boers organisation and tactics like
. Boer generals planned their own campaigns, assisted by expert guides to scout trails and cross rivers
. Used siege attacks on key towns
What was British organisation and tactics like
. Lacked local knowledge and local Boers were unwilling to help
. Had inaccurate maps and assumed the Boers would surrender as soon as they saw the strength opposing them
. Used outdated tactics , still attacked using infantry in lines
. Supported by horse drawn artillery and machine guns
How did the Boers attack in the first few weeks of the war
. Sieges the towns of Ladysmith , Kimberley and Mafeking
. They Boers also raided the railways system and cut communications and isolated garrisons
. The Boers showed themselves capable of prolonged warfare with artillery
. The impact of these Sieges was disbelief , gloom and anger
What occurred at the Siege of Ladysmith
. Ladysmith was the most brutal for the British
. Surrounded in Nov 1899 by 35,000 Boers
. Sir George White set up a defensive perimeter and settled down for seige
. The Boers made one attempt to assault the town on 6th January 1900 but were driven back
What was Black week
. The British response to the Sieges was led by Redvers Buller
. He dispatched relief columns to the besieged towns
. During the week 10-17th December 1899 the British army suffered successive defeats , earning the nickname black week
. The week caused outrage and grief back in Britain
What was Bullers plan to relieve the besieged towns
. Planned to advance along the railways to attack
. Split his forces into 3 groups
. Gatacre with 3,000 to recapture Stormburg
. Methuen with 10,000 to relieve Kimberly and Mafeking
. Buller with 20,000 to relieve Ladysmith
What occurred at Stormberg
. Gatacre’s force travelled by train to within marching distance of Stormberg
. His attack on 10th December failed dismally
. The British infantry , exposed to Boer rifle fire and their own artillery , retreated
. More than 500 left behind and taken prisoner
What occurred at Magersfontein
. Boer forces were entrenched on the lower slopes of a hill called Magersfontein
. On 11th December the British attacked but didn’t count properly , causing the Boers to be alerted by wire and tin cans strung up
. British’s troops were pinned down in the day time and were exposed to the sun and enemy fire
. They were then shelled by their own side
. They lost 200 men
What occurred at Colenso
. Buller attempted to cross the Tugela river on 15th December 1899 to reach Ladysmith
. Due to not having proper maps and being poorly guided officers sent troops to cross in the wrong places and into heavy Boer fire
. Managed to save 2 field guns but lost 10 in the process
. Buller eventually called off the assault despite capturing the town of Colenso
. 899 casualties with 143 dead
What occurred at Spion Kop
. British infantry took what they thought was the hilltop but when morning mist cleared discovered they were exposed to Boers shooting from a higher position
. Poor communication resulted in some men being told to defend Spion Kop while other withdrew
. Losses were heavy before the British pulled back across the Tulega river : 1350 casualties , 243 dead
What occurred during the relief of Ladysmith
. On 14th February 1900 Lord Roberts used pontoon bridges to cross the Tuluga river
. With artillery support the British forced the Boers to withdraw
. On 28th February British troops marched into Ladysmith and the 118 day siege was over
What occurred during the relief on Kimberley
. Lord Roberts took personal command of the relief force setting out on the 10th February with 40,000 men
. Roberts used superior numbers to push the Boers back
. On 15th February sir John French’s cavalry fought through Kimberley to lift the 124 day siege
What occurred during the relief of Mafeking
. Colonel Roberts uses fake mines and dummy guns in his defences to give the elision he had more than he truly did
. He used 300 teenage African boys as messengers and sent an armoured train to attack the Boer camp
. On 12th May 1900 Boer raiders were defeated by African fighters
. On 17th May the 217 day siege was finally lifted
What effect did the sieges have on public opinion of the war
. Shocked British confidence
. Public opinion about the war was changed from positive to negative quickly
. Black week caused an outrage within the British public
Why was General Buller criticised for the first phase of the war
. He was reluctant to commit to attacks , as shown at Colenso
. Failed to communicate his plans to subordinates
. He told white to abandon ladysmith , this was deemed politically unacceptable
. In October 1900 he was dismissed from the army for breaking regulation
How was General Buller successful in the Boer war
. In the later stages of the war he learnt from his previous mistakes by gathering better intelligence and using cavalry to out flank the Boers
. He was an innovator and urged his men to make better use of natural cover
. He urged better co ordination and use of creeping barrages to counter Boer tactics
What occurred during the second phase of the war
. Buller was replaced by field Marshall Lord Roberts
. He arrived in January 1900 and knew he must lift British morale
. He intended to lift the sieges but also capture the capital of the Orange free state ( Bloemfontein)
. Implemented fresh instructions : frontal assaults to be avoided and instead outflank the Boers
. The capital of the orange free state was captured on 13th March 1900 ( Bloemfontein )
. By the end of the summer Transvaal and the orange free state were annexed by Britain
How did Lord Roberts achieve such success in second Phase of the war
. Roberts used superior numbers to outflank the Boers and force them to retreat
. He had better intelligence
. He knows the Boers were were thin on the ground and could pick lightly defended territories to advance into
. He believed soldiers to be best when busy , gave his Men half rations when attacking
What occurred during the last phase of the war
. In November 1900 Kitchener took charge of the war effort
. He was responsible for defeating the Boer Guerrillas and seeing the war to its end
What was the scorched earth policy
. The policy began under Robeets and was implemented to deny and food or shelter to the guerrillas
. The British swept through Boer areas removing or destroying : food , livestock , ammunition or anything else the Boers could use
. This tactic produced thousands of displaced civilians who were sent to concentration camps
What were concentration camps like
. Over crowded , food supplies erratic , medical care almost non - existent
. Running the camps was of low priority for the army and administration was very poor
. Due to poor sanitation disease like typhoid killed thousands of Boer civilians
. In march 1901 their were 27 camps holding 35000 people
. By September 1901 their were 35 camps holding 110,000 people
. Nearly 28,000 people died in the camps, 22000 were under 16
How did Britain win the war
. By September 1900 most Boer commandos had surrender or were prisoners of war
. However Boer resistance still continued through a Guerrilla campaign
. The British didn’t have enough men to control both Boer republics
. They had a Dilema : do they defend towns , railways and roads or hunt down and destroy the remaining Boers
What were Block Houses
. To isolate Boer resistance Kitchener ordered the segmenting of the country side through wire and blockhouses
. Blockhouses were small forts occupied by 8 soldiers
. 8,000 blockhouses and 4000 miles of barbed wire helped the British to establish control
How did the war end
. Kitchener met with Boer leaders and the treaty of Vereeniging was signed on the 31st May 1902
What were the impacts of Winston Churchills Journalism and the press in general
. Churchill believed the war was just and believed in the British empire
. He dispatches were uncensored , and although generally supportive , they reveal deficiencies in the army
. His lively journalism made readers at home feel close to the action
. Press coverage informed and shaped opinions at home , photographs had an immediate and often dispiriting impact , showing the horrors rather than the glories of battle
What were attitudes like in Britain
. Public opinion had been pro-war at the beginning, but then dipped into gloom and anger after the military failures. The mood soon become more optimistic and triumphant
. Popular culture tended to be patriotic and pro army , supporting the soldiers going away
What was press coverage of the war like
. Most British press backed the war with most sending correspondents to South Africa
. As the war dragged on the press became less supportive
. As politicians and army leaders sought to avoid the blame , they used newspaper articles and letter columns to argue their case
What impact did press coverage have on politics
. The government during. The war was a coalition between the conservatives and liberal unionists
. Prime minister Lord Salisbury called an early general election in the autumn of 1900
. The war was a key issue and many candidates were army officers , earning the election the nickname the ‘Khaki election ‘
. The press supported the election and Salisbury won with 51% votes
Who was Emily Hobhouse
. She was a British peace activist
. On December 7th 1900 she left the Uk for South Africa
What was the Hobhouse report
. A report of Emily Hobhouses findings at Bloemfontein camp
. She was appalled by cramped and squalid conditions
. The food rations were inadequate and selective
. Many children were dying of malnutrition
. Insanitary conditions with adequate toilets or clean water
. Measles , typhoid and diarrhoea spread quickly
What was the impact of the Hobhouse report
. The public reaction in Britain was one of shock and a demand for action
. The government acted and responsibility for the camps was taken away from the army and passed to civilian administration
. By the end of the war the death rate in the camps had fallen to 2%
What impact did the Boer war have on Britain’s Military
. The navy’s role after the war was changed from transporting men and supplies to maintaining supremacy over Germanys navy
. Officers were trained in modern day tactics and technology
. Different uniforms introduced
. New organisation , training and mobility
