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Summary The Second Boer War,
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A summary of the Second Boer War, . Taken from classroom notes, lectures, "The British experience of warfare, c" & the official Edexcel AS/A-Level History textbook.
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1The Second Boer War, 1899-1902
• The South African war was fought by the British army against the Boers
• Britain had annexed parts of South Africa due to colonization
‣ Involved battles with Dutch & Zulus – First Boer War (1880-1881) & Zulu
War
• The Pretoria peace deal in 1881 favoured the Boers & the London Convention
in 1884 left the Boers in control of Transvaal
Steps to war
• Outlanders looking for gold & diamonds were oppressed by the Boers so the
British moved troops into South Africa
• The Boers demanded the withdrawal of British troops & when they refused,
the Boers attacked Cape Colony & Natal on 11 October 1899
Boer & British forces in South Africa
• Boers respected but did not fear the British troops but were worried about
‘empire building’
• Knowing they would be outnumbered, the Boers brought weapons from
abroad
• British confidence was high after the First Boer War & victories in recent wars
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HOW EFFECTIVELY DID THE BRITISH ARMY MEET THE CHALLENGES
FACED IN SOUTH AFRICA?
The nature of the British army
• George Wyndham, under-secretary at the War Ofce, declared the army to be
more efcient than at any time since Waterloo
• Cardwell reforms of the 1860s & 1870s had improved organization &
recruitment
Army strength
• British army had around 250,000 regular soldiers & 78,000 reserved
• Many soldiers still wore red uniforms although khaki had started to be used as
well
• Soldiers joined to escape poverty & unemployment
• Boers had around 50,000 men & originally outnumbered the British (27,000)
but brought in reinforcements to 84,000 by December 1899
• Britain used navy & railway to move troops whereas Boers used ox-wagons
• Logistics improved significantly, lessons learned from Crimean War
• Britain did not know the Boer territory & Boers attacked the railways
Importance of railways
• The British army controlled the railways although the Boers found it easy to
sabotage them
• Areas of land were huge, so railways were seen as important (essential)
• To prevent sabotage, Lord Kitchener ordered the fortification of railway
stations & armored trains
The Boers’ readiness for war
• Boers had experience of warfare from the first war & fighting Zulus. They
were also skilled hunters
• Only professionals were artillery gunners & concealed guns to outgun the
British
• Support from the locals meant they were always supplied
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