I'm now just turned 80 and remember my Grandad showing me a bullet wound he got in his arm in the Boer war. The weird thing is that my father got a bullet wound his arm in France in exactly the same place as my Grandad.
It's amazing you are able to recite that story to us, it is surreal you can recall memories of your father and your grandfather! Was your father in the Great war?
Not as cool but my grandfather had the first digit of his left forefinger shot off in WWII and my mother had an accident where about an inch was severed from the same finger. A couple of years ago I severed the tendons on the same finger but managed to keep it intact, mine is just permanently bent now. I told my Son he should be careful haha...
One of my Great-grandfathers, Peter J C Wallace, was a Sergeant in the Victorian Mounted Rifles who arrived in South Africa on the SS Medic in December 1900, as part of the first contingent of troops from Australia. The VMR were commanded by Colonel Tom Price (of iron-ore mountain in WA fame), and wore slouch hats, with the slouch on the right. I have some photos of him alongside other Australian colonial-contingent commanders, for example Col Harry Chauvel of the Queensland Mounted Infantry (whose slouch was on the left, like the later Australian Light Horse). The slouch depended on the rifle drills of the respective colonies. The VMR were part of forces that relieved Ladysmith. The first contingent came home in about September 1901, by which time the Australian colonies were then states in the Commonwealth of Australia. He later became a Warrant Officer in the Light Horse, and retired from the army in 1927.
That's correct, the Australians throughout history never missed an opportunity to pick off the British 🤣 you guys were always more than willing candidates and up for the task. As I was taught the Rhodesians and Australians were very close allies in these wars
The biggest tragedy of this war was the concentration camps but I still feel sorry for the British soldiers as they had some of the most out-of-touch and poorly skilled leadership. They seemed to all lack the experience of combat or just had no concern for the lives of their men. The craziest thing was in WWI when they took away parachutes from their pilots. Their argument is that it will make them fight harder.
The biggest irony is that the British used slavery as a casus belli to end the war and yet they imported massive amounts of indentured Indians to work the sugar plantations in KwaZulu-Natal. They were practically slaves under British governance
Awesome video! I believe the American Civil War is the 1st modern war. There was no barbed wire yet. However there was artillery, gatling guns, revolvers and repeating rifles; trains for logistics; hot air balloons for aerial surveillance; telegram communications; and large prisoner of war camps. There was also the fist amphibious crossing under fire, landmines and snipers (some with scoped rifles). The use of Napoleonic tactics led to appalling casualties. There was plastic surgery for the equaling appalling number of disfigured soldiers. More Americans were killed in the Civil War, then all subsequent wars combined.
It's often considered to be. However, while repeating rifles were used, they weren't common. It was mostly breach loading rifled muskets. There were even some flintlocks used. Tactics had also not caught up and that's was the casualties were so high, as you said. Also the term "Hobo" came from the aftermath of the war - there wasn't enough done to ship soldiers home. Many jumped on trains to get back, "HOmeward BOund".
The Boars were mainly agrarian in their economy. They had significant assistance from other European powers. Perhaps the Russo-Japanese war is more appropriate? Plus, there was no naval engagements or use of modern weapons from the Boars.
Franco-Prussian (1870-71), and to a lesser extent, the U.S. Civil war (1860-65). Plus, the Boers had almost none. I would argue the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. Is automatic weapons the sole factor? @@NearQuasar
@@bcb5696 Uh yeah no. The Boers had no industrial base, no mobilization of armies, NO LINES OF COMMUNICATION, no general staff, only one peace of rapid fire artillery, (From the Germans Long Tom). Mix and match personal weapons, many of which was smooth barrel musket, an no automatic weapons,, none..none and primarily used guerilla tactics ....Uh yeah no.
Not all Boars fought, many refused or surrendered. They were always divided culture, as could be seen when they turned on one another at the Truth and Reconciliation commission, following their unconditional surrender, without firing a single shot, to the terrorist organization, the ANC. In 1914 Smuts and Both a both fought for the British.
Take a community of Dutchmen of the type of those who defended themselves for fifty years against all the power of Spain at a time when Spain was the greatest power in the World. Intermix with them a strain of those inflexible French Huguenots who gave up home and fortune and left their Country forever at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The product must obviously be one of the most rugged, virile, unconquerable races ever seen upon Earth. Take this formidable people and train them for seven generations in constant warfare against savage men and ferocious beasts, in circumstances under which no weakling could survive, place them so that they acquire exceptional skills with weapons and in horsemanship, give them a Country which is eminently suited to the tactics of the huntsman, the marksman and the rider. Then, finally, put a fine temper upon their military qualities by a dour fatalistic Old Testament religion and an ardent and consuming patriotism. Combine all of these qualities and all these impulses in one individual, and you have the modern Boer. The most formidable antagonist who ever crossed the path of Imperial Britain. Arthur Conan Doyle
@@stephenheath8465 Indeed, but NY was a great natural commercial centre, the watershed port from all the economic activities in the gigantic river catchments to the north/south and west. Holding that against the hungry networking Eastern European throng was impossible.
Arthur Doyle is a British posh mongrel who only made that statement to try and connect the Vikings with Dutxh farmers. Why? To justify to horrendous actions of the British by reminding them of the Vikings.
During World War II's Battle of the Bulge, U.S. General Tony McAuliff told his troops: "Men, we are surrounded by the enemy. That means we have the greatest opportunity ever presented to an army. We can attack in any direction we choose." NOT BY THE BRITISH!
Die Engelse is Afrika se veiand, nie die wit man nie. Ons boere het hand aan hand met die swart nasie geveg teen die Engelse koningshuis wat ons almal wou uitbuit en as slawe hou. Indien dit só gebeur dat daar weer oorloog uitbreek, glo ek nie die Boer sal alleen wees nie. Suid Afrika se mense oor die algemeen is lief vir boere, en waardeer hul. Dit sal n oorlog wees tussen díe wat vrede soek, wat ons land vir al sy mense wil laat floreer.. teen díe brekers en die branders, jy weet, die klomp wat kwaad is, oor goed wat NIE met hulle gebeur het nie, en goed wat NIE deur ons gedoen is nie… Die Suid Afrikaner sal oorwin. En as die stof gaan lê, sal die boer sy skoene af vee, en ‘n land gaan begin voorberei. laastens bo alles, mag dit nooit n werklikweid word nie, in God’s naam. 🙏🏼🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
It really does not matter who started concentration camps , the fact remains 21000 white Boers died in them plus an equal number of blacks all because the Brits wanted gold and diamonds. The loss of 21000 Boers was a big knock on the population as they were a small population to begin with.
Archeological excavation found 8 bodies per grave the 21000 are only grave count. Woman and children were taken from the Boer farms, under force, and farms burnt and destroyed whilst their men fought the war, forced into concentration camps, where they were starved and given rotten food to eat, no hygiene, no medicine and rapid by the British, the British turned the fight toward the woman and children as they could not win against the Boer men, this caused a political victory to the British.
What are your thoughts about this war? Are the Boers underrated for their innovative fighting techniques against the juggernaut that was Britain in the early 20th century? I actually have family that fought on both sides of this war and still possess my great grandfather’s (English) battle diary. May put it on a community post sometime😉
I'M TRULY UPSET THAT BRITISH ELITE TOOK SOME UNNECESSARY STEPS BUT PROUD OF MY FOREFATHERS AND A SHOUT OUT TO THOSE FLATLANDERS WHO ARE NOW LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT FEAR. #LIVERPOOLFC
Why would they be importing slaves if they were taking the local population as slaves? ANSWER: They did not take locals as slaves, certainly NOT the Boers! They did have servants but most of those were from the IMPORTED slaves you mentioned or "adopted" into their families. Even today, most farms have workers who are considered part of their family and treated as such. They Dutch, who originally landed, DID take some of the Khoikhoi as slaves after they attacked the Dutch and stole the cattle which the Khoikhoi had sold to them in the first place. I notice you NEVER mentioned the Mfecane, which lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of the indigenous population and left the hinterland sparse, if not vacant of people. The Boers left the Cape colony due to taxes imposed by the British and the "Anglicization" as you mentioned. The slaves issue was incidental. Apart from the run ins with the Khoikhoi, the Dutch policy was to NOT enslave local population, hence the importation of slaves. By the time the British arrived at the turn of the 18th century, slaves were not being imported in any meaningful way.
I don't recall ever being told or learned about the boer war when I was school, just mainly the 1st and 2nd World War or British history subjects. So watching this video and others are covering events I can now learn more about.
It is said that the British officers running Kitchner's concentration camps used to sell wood from the floors of the latrines to mothers with (now) dead children, to make coffins. Don't know if it's real or one of those myths used to show how horrible one side was.
As a proud boer and Afrikaner, thank you for spreading the knowledge of our culture and our history. The correct term for these "trekkers" are the Voortrekkers. In regards to some questions in the comments about the boers taking on the vastly superior British Empire, I encourage you to read some statistics, especially with regards to the size of the British forces that was needed to defeat them. Kindly view General Montgomery's quotes on the Boers. Additionally the British Commandos special forces were named after the Boers. They grouped themselves into combat units called Commandos to take on the British. Proud of our Heritage.
As an American, I sympathize with the Boers. I wish you could have won the 2nd Boer War and defeated the British Empire from taking your land to expand their control and wealth. Cecil Rhodes was an English globalist who wanted England to dominate the world.
My great great grandfather was on the selection committee for the fourth continent from NZ. They had to pick good men who could ride and shoot well because they knew they were facing a formidable enemy.
Our fight to free ourselves from the dictates and persecution of a corrupt elite class has a long history. The Boer or Afrikaner survived religeous persecution, social and economic domination, greed in the form of annexation of the Transvaal and Orange Free State for its mineral wealth to benefit the Empire. We were forced to accept majority rule against our better judgement only to end up once again having to start over again because South Africa has been raped and pillaged. The Afrikaner is a tough and proud lot and we will overcome this latest setback that was forced upon us as well. Thank you for a very good and objective documentary.
Keep in mind that at the start of the 1800s they were still using flintlock muskets which required constant training to master. By the time of the Boer Wars the guns were magazine loaded, rifled barreled guns that had long distance. The Boers didn't need the sort of drilling required in the past and they didn't need to stand in formation to maximize their firepower. The interesting thing was their training wasn't extensive, they mustered every once and a while and practiced their shooting, not unlike the militias in America leading up to the American Revolution. However, the weapons tech of the time made such drills pointless, making marksmanship more important. Incidentally tractors were starting to be used during this war, they were used as overland transports and move artillery, but the British were starting to see the potential use of them as weapons. One illustration from that time period showed British soldiers riding a tractor into battle shooting from it. Some tractors had armor plating attached to them leading a decade or so later to the invention of the tank.
That's false, the Boers lived by their rifles. If you couldn't shoot you didn't eat for a vast number as they lived off the land. Shooting competitions like in the american west were also common and a main social occasion. The commando system was also frequently used, granted at small scale, so their unit communication and maneuvers (mounted and unmounted) were also very good. Denies Reitz' book Commando is a first hand account of life before and during both Boer Wars from an Afrikaaner perspective. *Not discrediting the rapid transformation of weapons or the first use of tractors (though tractors weren't widespread and cattle still performed better). They're super interesting points and worth getting more airtime.
My grandfather was a soldier in the Cape Mounted Rifles, 1877-1907. He knew Rhodes and was one of his bodyguards for a time. Grandfather liked the Boers, and sympathized with their cause. They treated him better than his countrymen did.
A Māori chief offered to send 500 warriors to fight the Boers. His offer was refused. Apparently it was too embarrassing to send brown boys to fight Boers.
Imagine the negative press the poms would get if they let some bros go on a culinary tour. And you know they would, its tradition. Would have been a mean story though.
As I recall, the Second Boer War also saw the first prosecution of a British soldier for warcrimes, though the specifics of that particular story escape me.
@@spectreagent00he might have been one of those who commited war crimes but he was made a scape goat for the Brits. On the other hand both sides ccommited war crimes which is unavoidable as its war, no side was innocent.
@@Cloggieclover The Boer War was the most costly war Britain had ever fought up until that time - it almost bankrupted the empire and contributed to the bankrupted state Britain found itself after WW1. Britain already started borrowing money from the US after WW1 and defaulted on that loan in 1932 already. Moral bankruptcy - Women and children were forced into concentration camps, and those who's husbands/farthers did not surrender received less food than those who did (a lot died that way) Not only is that morally bankrupt, it is probably the most cowardly action displayed by any army in the history of warfare. Call me old-fashioned but I believe men should fight like men
@@ejmproductions8198 The Berlin bankers lent Britain the money to finance the war as she was bankrupt after her Asian exploits & desperately needed access to the minerals of the 2 Boer republics. A win win solution after the war for both parties. What could possibly go wrong in South Africa after this financial grab by the mightiest empire of that period, Follow the news.
What an absolute brilliant video. Just one thing.....didn't the Groot Trek begin because the British wanted the Cape and didn't the English want to tax the Dutch farmers out of existence? Didn't the Brits hate for many historic decades? Didn't the English want the diamond mines of Kimberly then started the first Boer (farmer) war? Was it the English who started the Second Boer War so that they could get the Gold Fields of the Witwaters Rand of Johannesburg? Am I wrong in thinking all this about the Noble English? Otherwise, this was a great video. Thank you. Now get your facts straight and this will be one of the best video's I've ever seen on South African History.
As a 50/5 0 English and Afrikaans mixture I am ashamed of my British background, Kitchener's concentration camps caused the deaths of over 26000 women and children. The Boers could never understand anyone attacking women and children. General de Wet also wrote that he did not know of one Boer that was capture or killed as a result of the barb wire stretched between any of the blockhouses.
Here is some text as quoted by great men surrounding the south African Afrikaners or BOERS "Give me 20 divisions American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen, and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers (Meaning Farmer, originating from the Boer War) and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth." Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of the Allled forces during WWII. "The Americans fight for a free world, the English mostly for honour and glory and medals, the French and Canadians decide too late that they have to participate. The Italians are too scared to fight; the Russians have no choice. The Germans for the Fatherland. The Boers? Those sons of bitches fight for the hell of it." American General, George "Guts and Glory" Patton "Take a community of Dutchmen of the type of those who defended themselves for fifty years against all the power of Spain at a time when Spain was the greatest power in the world. Intermix with them a strain of those inflexible French Huguenots, who gave up their name and left their country forever at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The product must obviously be one of the most rugged, virile, unconquerable races ever seen upon the face of the earth. Take these formidable people and train them for seven generations in constant warfare against savage men and ferocious beasts, in circumstances in which no weakling could survive; place them so that they acquire skill with weapons and in horsemanship, give them a country which is eminently suited to the tactics of the huntsman, the marksman and the rider. Then, finally, put a fine temper upon their military qualities by a dour fatalistic Old Testament religion and an ardent and consuming patriotism. Combine all these qualities and all these impulses in one individual and you have the modern Boer." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The history on the Great Trek is missing vital information: British - Boer antagonism, the abolition of slavery in 1834, Ordinance 50, the fragility of the Cape frontier due to the Xhosa wars, the religious aspect and the role Calvinism played, not to mention treaties and negotiations Voortrekkers carried out with African counter-parts in the interior.
even then they knew of they decided us we will be weaker.....England wrecked us and we allowed it. the Vritish came up with segregation not the Afrikaner/Boer we just wanted to be free and farm in peace....the queen was not having that o no .....
Wars I've seen referred to as 'the first modern war' under various criteria: 30 years war 7 Years War Crimean War US Civil War Franco Prussian War 2nd Boer War (here for the first time) WWI Interested to see where this fits in in terms of earning that moniker, I don't know much about this conflict.
@@GerardMenvussa Yeah, a good rule of thumb for me is whether line formations are still being used or artillery and direct fire weapons have forced looser formations. Also relevant but more nebulous is when regular uniforms go from identifying friend to hiding from foe.
Jou siening is die selfde as wat jou oupa grooitjie gehad het💪🏻General Piet Joubert se politieke posisie teenoor Pual Kruger was dat hy eerder dan oorlog n verhouding met die britte wou groei alhoewel hy geveg het in die eerste boere oorlog
Really great story... All what you have said, gave way to the term commando..hence Royal marines commandos, who would train the US rangers in ww2.. For any American viewers here Commando, really translates to a group of elite soldiers who can cover ground very fast..
Very well presented. The only point on which I would disagree is that Boers had slaves. The slaves that were imported into South Africa were brought here by the Dutch from their colonies in the east. I would would almost be impossible to control slaves while trekking through the open velt. I think the slaves rather fled with the Boers.
As important as this war was, I believe the American Civil War was the 1st modern war. Why? 1. Telegrams were used in war for the 1st time. 2. The 1st war where mass production was key. 3. The Gatling gun was the 1st successful machine gun despite not being a true automatic weapon. 4. Railroads were used in warfare for the 1st time. 5. Repeating rifles saw combat for the 1st time despite not being standard issue. 6. Ironclad battleships replaced wooden ones. 7. Scoped sniper rifles were introduced. 8. After the Civil War, muzzle loaders were done away with completely in military service, particularly by the 1870s
Wrong. The Dutch did not wage war on "local populations", not sure what you mean by that. As matter of fact, the settlers and the Koi and San (more the Koi) established thriving trade, although the San, called bushmen by the settlers, were known to have killed settlers after trading with them. The first Governer of the settlement actually bought land from the Koi, you can find the deed of sale in the Zuid Afrikaanse Musuem in Cape Town. Which "rich natural resources" are you talking about? The soil was too acidic and forced Jan van Riebeeck to ask for staples such as rice to be brought to the settlement on a number of occasions. It was only much later that they found the acidic soil was perfect for growing citrus. I believe the British had by that time already captured the settlement and started colonising from there.
A soldier and journalist called Winston Churchill was captured by the Boers he fled trough South African border to Mozambique( my country) and the Portuguese helped him to go back to Britain and one day became a Prime Minister.
My great x4 grandfather came from a poor family in Ireland and moved to Scotland where he married a girl and then joined the British military in order to make a living. He was an Irish catholic and had no other choice as there was no money for his kind in his own country. He served and was wounded in the 2nd Boer war. In turn, he was given land in the Canadian province of PEI. Ever since, 17 other members of my family served in wars for Canada.
The British burned homestead and interned thousands of woman and children in concentration camps, where so many innocents died of disease and starvation, more deaths than soldiers that died in the actual war. We South Africans remain bitter about this shamefully episond in history
According to British conservative MP Jacob Rees Mogg on being questioned on this matter, his response was that the women & children were placed in the camps for their own protection while their men were away, How magnanimous a gesture was that by Britain.
If not for the brutal way the British treated Boer women and children in the death camps, we would have won the 2nd War as well. The thing is, it really affects your mental health when you know your wife and child might be slowly dying in a tent, while the Brits give them food mixed with glass and other sharp objects. The Boer people are built tough, thats why we are still here in 2024. Just a note, people tend to think Boer people are Dutch, although Dutch is just 1/3 of our heritage.. We are a mix of Dutch, French and German settlers and in most case refugees, who were fleeing the Catholic genocide against Protestants in Europe.
Early recording of scorched earth doctrine in the "modern age" of warfare happened when General William T Sherman razed Atlanta and burned plantations to give no shelter to the rebellion
When things get tough here in SA. I like to remind myself of the blood that courses through my veins. I actually have 2 documented relatives who died in the camps. One was not even 2 years old. Ek is trots op my land en my mense, en ek sal nooit vergeet wie ek is nie.
Very strange situation. The Boers were rich from gold and had all the latest firearms. And they were good at it. They beat the British soundly using modern weapons. The British, knowing they couldn't beat the Boers, took the most dishonorable tactic of placing all the Boers women and children in open air, barb wire enclosures and left them to starve to death. The first death camp. Despicable and dishonorable. The Boers capitulated to save what was left of their families.
Concentration cams ae not the same as death camps,, that argument is just whitewashing the Nazi atrocities. Also they weren't the first use of concentration camps, look up the Spanish in Cuba.
The Boer were always thought to be the people who invented guerrilla warfare, as an old guy who served there lived near my relations always swore but clearly this video shows modern war was invented here, such as modern industrial slaughter by artillery and modern troop movement
Uh yeah no the boers didn’t invent guerrilla warfare and you have to have zero knowledge of world history or any other war that’s ever happened to even say something that ridiculous why do people just make things up to comment
The facts and history about the Boer wars, first and second world wars and the change in military strategics is very interresting and good studied. However, the real history of the Boers and the Voortrekkers and their reasons for "trekking" into Africa needs some more info and correct facts. Thanks for othervise very interresting video.
Could I be wrong by stating that it was possibly at the time the largest mass transportation of troops, nearly 450.000 men & supplies, horses, food, weaponry & munition from one continent (mainly) to another over a distance of 5,297 Nautical Miles (9,811 Kilometres to obliterate an enemy. A lesson in venture capital.
I don’t think the use of guerilla warfare marks this as the first modern war. I’ve read that Spanish partisans killed more of Napoleon’s soldiers in the Peninsula War than the British army did, almost a century earlier.
I find the "English" perspective of the Boer War interesting, having learned this history in the 1960s from an Afrikaans perspective. We learned nothing about the African slavery in South Africa and it's contribution to the Great Trek. Thanks for your video
To my recollection, the Koi and San were never enslaved. Also, they were never one to own land, it's not their culture. The British only took power in 1810. The Xhosa only appeared in the mid 1700 which resulted in the Kaffrerian Wars. It was Rhodes and cronies greed that started the Boer War. By Colonial forces you mean Australians? The British to this my knowledge till this day haven't apologised for the genocide of the Boer Woman and children.Apartheid only appeared in 1961. But that is another story.
Any genocide is wrong. You know the expression, "Do unto others as ...". Going back a hundred years, prior to the second Boer war, the Boer did commit genocide. But that's a story for another day.
While it did feature rifled muskets as an improvement over the smoothbore, line infantry tactics were still used by both sides well into the war but atleast trains played a more important part ferrying men and supplies to the front.
Yes, it was the first industrialized war - the first modern war. Railways, the telegraph, rifled artillery and mass production changed everything. I have no idea why this channel seems to think there was something revolutionary about guerilla warfare.
@@billlansdell7225 Also franco-prussian war,french and indian war,and many more. Also wagon laager was used in hussite war and now history tells it was used in ancient china. Not to mention guerrilla warfare which is as old as civilization itself.
6:15 British narrative: Dutch farmers left because slavery ended. Meanwhile the same Brits were annexing all the Xhosa kingdoms east of the Fish river and expected no retrobution? Only about 1/3 of whole Dutch colony population left and most lived close by the fish river. Piet Retief, a famous trekker leader, even put a piece in a local paper at the time, it said that the Brits use Christianity as a weapon of war, they had missionary spies among the Xhosa at the time. Just like they did 50y later with the Zulus. He was disgusted by this. The Brits were the ones with classism, thats how they kept their Imperial attitude and empire going. The Dutch didnt care about class, but they were unhappy about magistrates being abolished in favor if British law, which favored Brits as most Dutch couldnt speak a word of English. The Netherlands in over hundreds of years couldnt speak Eng, so obviously most Dutch Burgers (citizen) weren't to excited with the new turn of events. The British basically took over the local economy when they imported business people in 1920 in the hundreds, add in the Imperial attitudes of most Brits at the time and there's your answer why so many burgers left. Contrary to popular belief, lots of farmers were more interested in animals as that was more logical. The only farmers who felt the slave abolishment most were those in Stellenbosch and CT region. There were 4 provinces in the colony before the Brits arived. But when they did, they changed up everything, and when they finally annexed most of the Xhosa kingdoms they labelled the remaining few Caffaria. Go look it up. By 1870 most Xhosa were subjugated and 10y later the Zulu kingdom fell, the British had even asked Paul Kruger for advice as he had come back from England with some dignataries trying to de-annex the ZAR by talking to British politicians. Apparently one politician even gave him a ring as he respected his cause. The Dutch weren't the only ones who left in some capacity, indigenous Hunter-Gatherer groups left the area too, they were the ones who established Griqueland-West which the British annexed when they discovered Diamonds on the banks of the Orange river near Hopetown(Kimberley). British weren't some saviour who stopped the racist slave loving Afrikaner boere. Next time just explain the war no need to make one party look like some evil people to justify the horrors Britian performed on the population including most of all the black community who suffered the most especially the concentration camps they were subject too.
8 minutes ago (edited) Could I be wrong by stating that it was possibly at the time the largest mass transportation of troops, nearly 450.000 men & supplies, horses, food, weaponry & munition from one continent (mainly) to another over a distance of 5,297 Nautical Miles (9,811 Kilometres to obliterate an enemy. A lesson in venture capital
This war reminds me of an Australian officer, Breaker Morant and his comrades, who were among the first ever tried for war crimes in a modern war. His dark legacy still casts a shadow on our Australian Defence Forces to this day, especially with alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan recently.
@@The_king567 no I'm right look up the west Africa squadron. the British were intercepting Slave ships from 1807 on wards however they weren't able to effectively shut the trans Atlantic slave trade down till 1833 due to the squadron being under strength due to various wars. West Africa squadron was brought up to full strength of 30 large ships and 20 smaller vessels and a permanent deployment of 10k Marines from 1833 onwards.
Concentration camps are not an invention of the US. That's a modern conceit. Large scale camps of enemy populations or captured military personnel existed throughout history. Assuming otherwise is just a shaming tactic.
The first modern war was the Civil War because it was the first time mass armies were lined up against each other with weapons made out of the Industrial Revolution. That's what most historians debate and if it ain't that, it's World War 1.
Lovely video. Well researched and well narrated. Your neutral coverage of the facts is also refreshing. Well done and thank you. Would it be completely wrong to refer to this war as World War 0? So many people from many nations and countries across the globe were part of it … I wonder?
I'm now just turned 80 and remember my Grandad showing me a bullet wound he got in his arm in the Boer war. The weird thing is that my father got a bullet wound his arm in France in exactly the same place as my Grandad.
Don't suppose you got a bullet wound in your arm, at all?
It's amazing you are able to recite that story to us, it is surreal you can recall memories of your father and your grandfather!
Was your father in the Great war?
@@rebel4029more likely WW2, since being 80, he'd have to have been born in the 40s.
Possible I guess that it could be either, though.
@@huntclanhunt9697 it could well be the second I agree, I also just may have thought it was the first
Not as cool but my grandfather had the first digit of his left forefinger shot off in WWII and my mother had an accident where about an inch was severed from the same finger. A couple of years ago I severed the tendons on the same finger but managed to keep it intact, mine is just permanently bent now. I told my Son he should be careful haha...
One of my Great-grandfathers, Peter J C Wallace, was a Sergeant in the Victorian Mounted Rifles who arrived in South Africa on the SS Medic in December 1900, as part of the first contingent of troops from Australia. The VMR were commanded by Colonel Tom Price (of iron-ore mountain in WA fame), and wore slouch hats, with the slouch on the right. I have some photos of him alongside other Australian colonial-contingent commanders, for example Col Harry Chauvel of the Queensland Mounted Infantry (whose slouch was on the left, like the later Australian Light Horse). The slouch depended on the rifle drills of the respective colonies.
The VMR were part of forces that relieved Ladysmith. The first contingent came home in about September 1901, by which time the Australian colonies were then states in the Commonwealth of Australia. He later became a Warrant Officer in the Light Horse, and retired from the army in 1927.
That's correct, the Australians throughout history never missed an opportunity to pick off the British 🤣 you guys were always more than willing candidates and up for the task. As I was taught the Rhodesians and Australians were very close allies in these wars
The biggest tragedy of this war was the concentration camps but I still feel sorry for the British soldiers as they had some of the most out-of-touch and poorly skilled leadership. They seemed to all lack the experience of combat or just had no concern for the lives of their men. The craziest thing was in WWI when they took away parachutes from their pilots. Their argument is that it will make them fight harder.
The biggest irony is that the British used slavery as a casus belli to end the war and yet they imported massive amounts of indentured Indians to work the sugar plantations in KwaZulu-Natal. They were practically slaves under British governance
Awesome video! I believe the American Civil War is the 1st modern war. There was no barbed wire yet. However there was artillery, gatling guns, revolvers and repeating rifles; trains for logistics; hot air balloons for aerial surveillance; telegram communications; and large prisoner of war camps. There was also the fist amphibious crossing under fire, landmines and snipers (some with scoped rifles). The use of Napoleonic tactics led to appalling casualties. There was plastic surgery for the equaling appalling number of disfigured soldiers. More Americans were killed in the Civil War, then all subsequent wars combined.
It's often considered to be.
However, while repeating rifles were used, they weren't common. It was mostly breach loading rifled muskets. There were even some flintlocks used.
Tactics had also not caught up and that's was the casualties were so high, as you said.
Also the term "Hobo" came from the aftermath of the war - there wasn't enough done to ship soldiers home. Many jumped on trains to get back, "HOmeward BOund".
In regards to no barbed wire, there however was (some limited) use of telegraph wire as entanglements in front of fortifications by the Union.
@@recoil53rifled muskets are not breech loaders they’re muzzle loaders just like a flintlock
The Crimean war is the first modern war
@@bcb5696good point.
The Boars were mainly agrarian in their economy. They had significant assistance from other European powers. Perhaps the Russo-Japanese war is more appropriate? Plus, there was no naval engagements or use of modern weapons from the Boars.
The Anglo-Boer War was the first military conflict in which both sides used fully-automatic machine guns.
Franco-Prussian (1870-71), and to a lesser extent, the U.S. Civil war (1860-65). Plus, the Boers had almost none. I would argue the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. Is automatic weapons the sole factor? @@NearQuasar
@@rodrigodiazdevivar6183 It did lead to the British changing their doctrine allot and not all modern wars are naval wars.
Uh yeah no they used modern firearms for the time and had access to machine guns and automatic cannons you just pulled that out of nowhere
@@bcb5696 Uh yeah no. The Boers had no industrial base, no mobilization of armies, NO LINES OF COMMUNICATION, no general staff, only one peace of rapid fire artillery, (From the Germans Long Tom). Mix and match personal weapons, many of which was smooth barrel musket, an no automatic weapons,, none..none and primarily used guerilla tactics ....Uh yeah no.
Noticed you mentioned Andersonville ... yet you failed to mention scorched Earth policy of General Sherman
My family went on the groot trek
Not all Boars fought, many refused or surrendered. They were always divided culture, as could be seen when they turned on one another at the Truth and Reconciliation commission, following their unconditional surrender, without firing a single shot, to the terrorist organization, the ANC. In 1914 Smuts and Both a both fought for the British.
1900 wasn't "the turn of the 20th Century." The first day of the 20th Century was 1 January 1901.
Emily Hobhouse
Take a community of Dutchmen of the type of those who defended themselves for fifty years against all the power of Spain at a time when Spain was the greatest power in the World. Intermix with them a strain of those inflexible French Huguenots who gave up home and fortune and left their Country forever at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The product must obviously be one of the most rugged, virile, unconquerable races ever seen upon Earth. Take this formidable people and train them for seven generations in constant warfare against savage men and ferocious beasts, in circumstances under which no weakling could survive, place them so that they acquire exceptional skills with weapons and in horsemanship, give them a Country which is eminently suited to the tactics of the huntsman, the marksman and the rider. Then, finally, put a fine temper upon their military qualities by a dour fatalistic Old Testament religion and an ardent and consuming patriotism. Combine all of these qualities and all these impulses in one individual, and you have the modern Boer. The most formidable antagonist who ever crossed the path of Imperial Britain.
Arthur Conan Doyle
Heroic fighters against the janissaries of the (London) Money Power.
To bad they couldn't hold on to what later became New York City
@@stephenheath8465 Indeed, but NY was a great natural commercial centre, the watershed port from all the economic activities in the gigantic river catchments to the north/south and west. Holding that against the hungry networking Eastern European throng was impossible.
Arthur Doyle is a British posh mongrel who only made that statement to try and connect the Vikings with Dutxh farmers. Why? To justify to horrendous actions of the British by reminding them of the Vikings.
British Soldier: "We're surrounded!"
British Officer: "Good, we can fire in every directions, gentlemen."
#OURHISTORY
😂
I think Chesty Puller later said something similar.
Can you give me a source on that please?
During World War II's Battle of the Bulge, U.S. General Tony McAuliff told his troops: "Men, we are surrounded by the enemy. That means we have the greatest opportunity ever presented to an army. We can attack in any direction we choose."
NOT BY THE BRITISH!
The Boer is not a spent force as some might believe. Our greatest history is yet to be written. God be with us all.
Boy I hope you're not talking bollox here and God bless you and yours there 👍 🇬🇧 🙏 🇺🇸 📚 ☘️
@@DaveSCameron I bollox you not.
Survive
Die Engelse is Afrika se veiand, nie die wit man nie. Ons boere het hand aan hand met die swart nasie geveg teen die Engelse koningshuis wat ons almal wou uitbuit en as slawe hou.
Indien dit só gebeur dat daar weer oorloog uitbreek, glo ek nie die Boer sal alleen wees nie. Suid Afrika se mense oor die algemeen is lief vir boere, en waardeer hul. Dit sal n oorlog wees tussen díe wat vrede soek, wat ons land vir al sy mense wil laat floreer.. teen díe brekers en die branders, jy weet, die klomp wat kwaad is, oor goed wat NIE met hulle gebeur het nie, en goed wat NIE deur ons gedoen is nie…
Die Suid Afrikaner sal oorwin.
En as die stof gaan lê, sal die boer sy skoene af vee, en ‘n land gaan begin voorberei.
laastens bo alles, mag dit nooit n werklikweid word nie, in God’s naam. 🙏🏼🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦
@@duktrilfromsouthafricayou need help lad. Get in the modern day 🤣 South Africa is a shit hole
It really does not matter who started concentration camps , the fact remains 21000 white Boers died in them plus an equal number of blacks all because the Brits wanted gold and diamonds. The loss of 21000 Boers was a big knock on the population as they were a small population to begin with.
It does matter.Ribbentrop showed the British ambassador the book that said " first used by the British in South Africa"
More than 26000 died, women and children
@@pierrelightfoot2669 Updated now the records have been released. 38,000.
Not 21000 (more like 28000) Boer, they were mostly women, children and the elderly, amounting to a quarter of the entire Boer population.
Archeological excavation found 8 bodies per grave the 21000 are only grave count. Woman and children were taken from the Boer farms, under force, and farms burnt and destroyed whilst their men fought the war, forced into concentration camps, where they were starved and given rotten food to eat, no hygiene, no medicine and rapid by the British, the British turned the fight toward the woman and children as they could not win against the Boer men, this caused a political victory to the British.
What are your thoughts about this war? Are the Boers underrated for their innovative fighting techniques against the juggernaut that was Britain in the early 20th century? I actually have family that fought on both sides of this war and still possess my great grandfather’s (English) battle diary. May put it on a community post sometime😉
Canadian involvement is an important part of Canadian history. we had just achieved independence in 1867.
I'M TRULY UPSET THAT BRITISH ELITE TOOK SOME UNNECESSARY STEPS BUT PROUD OF MY FOREFATHERS AND A SHOUT OUT TO THOSE FLATLANDERS WHO ARE NOW LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT FEAR. #LIVERPOOLFC
A bit of a snap here, have British and own connections to Kimbery, Ladysmith and Colenso. Also Afrikaaner connections to the concentration camps.😢
Yes. Lots of great stories and tactics can be found when examining the history of the region and all of its peoples.
Yes. The Boers are definitely underrated.
Bunch of farmers almost bangcrupted the super power of the time. What a disgrace. Now we hurt your feeelings on the rugby field time and again😂😂😂.
Another contemporary contender for World War Zero would be the Russo Japanese War
Or the Balkan wars of 1912-1913
@@TheDigitalApple Guess so, seeing as it did feature the first use of Aerial bombing against the Turks
What about the Italian invasions on Africa?
@@michaelandreipalon359 I thought that was between the 2 wars?
@@johnryder1713 The Libya takeover pre-WW1 is an example.
Why would they be importing slaves if they were taking the local population as slaves? ANSWER: They did not take locals as slaves, certainly NOT the Boers! They did have servants but most of those were from the IMPORTED slaves you mentioned or "adopted" into their families. Even today, most farms have workers who are considered part of their family and treated as such. They Dutch, who originally landed, DID take some of the Khoikhoi as slaves after they attacked the Dutch and stole the cattle which the Khoikhoi had sold to them in the first place. I notice you NEVER mentioned the Mfecane, which lead to the death of hundreds of thousands of the indigenous population and left the hinterland sparse, if not vacant of people. The Boers left the Cape colony due to taxes imposed by the British and the "Anglicization" as you mentioned. The slaves issue was incidental. Apart from the run ins with the Khoikhoi, the Dutch policy was to NOT enslave local population, hence the importation of slaves. By the time the British arrived at the turn of the 18th century, slaves were not being imported in any meaningful way.
I don't recall ever being told or learned about the boer war when I was school, just mainly the 1st and 2nd World War or British history subjects. So watching this video and others are covering events I can now learn more about.
It is said that the British officers running Kitchner's concentration camps used to sell wood from the floors of the latrines to mothers with (now) dead children, to make coffins.
Don't know if it's real or one of those myths used to show how horrible one side was.
Does Bonnier make your schoolbooks to?
They were worried it would Boer you.
A bit like the Korean war?
@@roybennett9284 Yeah. Remember how Vietnam was glassing America? *Definitely* not like America and S. Vietnam was blowing up every NVA operation.
Nice video man, the inclusion of foreign volunteers in the Boer Wars is also an interesting topic
Libertarians from America
As a proud boer and Afrikaner, thank you for spreading the knowledge of our culture and our history. The correct term for these "trekkers" are the Voortrekkers. In regards to some questions in the comments about the boers taking on the vastly superior British Empire, I encourage you to read some statistics, especially with regards to the size of the British forces that was needed to defeat them. Kindly view General Montgomery's quotes on the Boers. Additionally the British Commandos special forces were named after the Boers. They grouped themselves into combat units called Commandos to take on the British. Proud of our Heritage.
As an American, I sympathize with the Boers. I wish you could have won the 2nd Boer War and defeated the British Empire from taking your land to expand their control and wealth. Cecil Rhodes was an English globalist who wanted England to dominate the world.
My great great grandfather was on the selection committee for the fourth continent from NZ. They had to pick good men who could ride and shoot well because they knew they were facing a formidable enemy.
Onthou net, dit is nooit aanvaarbaar om op 'n optoggroep te skiet nie, tensy hulle regtig daarvoor vra.
Guerrilla type wars always need lots of troops.
Our fight to free ourselves from the dictates and persecution of a corrupt elite class has a long history. The Boer or Afrikaner survived religeous persecution, social and economic domination, greed in the form of annexation of the Transvaal and Orange Free State for its mineral wealth to benefit the Empire. We were forced to accept majority rule against our better judgement only to end up once again having to start over again because South Africa has been raped and pillaged. The Afrikaner is a tough and proud lot and we will overcome this latest setback that was forced upon us as well. Thank you for a very good and objective documentary.
Keep in mind that at the start of the 1800s they were still using flintlock muskets which required constant training to master. By the time of the Boer Wars the guns were magazine loaded, rifled barreled guns that had long distance. The Boers didn't need the sort of drilling required in the past and they didn't need to stand in formation to maximize their firepower. The interesting thing was their training wasn't extensive, they mustered every once and a while and practiced their shooting, not unlike the militias in America leading up to the American Revolution. However, the weapons tech of the time made such drills pointless, making marksmanship more important. Incidentally tractors were starting to be used during this war, they were used as overland transports and move artillery, but the British were starting to see the potential use of them as weapons. One illustration from that time period showed British soldiers riding a tractor into battle shooting from it. Some tractors had armor plating attached to them leading a decade or so later to the invention of the tank.
That's false, the Boers lived by their rifles. If you couldn't shoot you didn't eat for a vast number as they lived off the land. Shooting competitions like in the american west were also common and a main social occasion. The commando system was also frequently used, granted at small scale, so their unit communication and maneuvers (mounted and unmounted) were also very good. Denies Reitz' book Commando is a first hand account of life before and during both Boer Wars from an Afrikaaner perspective.
*Not discrediting the rapid transformation of weapons or the first use of tractors (though tractors weren't widespread and cattle still performed better). They're super interesting points and worth getting more airtime.
Initially the Boer units elected their own commanders and dismissed them if not liked/effective.
The boers learned their fighting techniques from hunting and their exceptional shooting from a young age as it was part of there culture and life
My grandfather was a soldier in the Cape Mounted Rifles, 1877-1907. He knew Rhodes and was one of his bodyguards for a time. Grandfather liked the Boers, and sympathized with their cause. They treated him better than his countrymen did.
For anyone wondering. It is pronounced, "Boo-r". Boer translates directly into farmer
Yup and the word "hasty" is "hay-stee" 😂. It's a great channel but he murders the language(s). Not very professional 😢
@@methanoid Another error, Louis is pronounced Louie not Lewis.
@@micheallewis9156 Cronjé is pronounced Cronyay.
Thank you for finally covering this part of history, I love your content so much.
My pleasure!
A Māori chief offered to send 500 warriors to fight the Boers. His offer was refused. Apparently it was too embarrassing to send brown boys to fight Boers.
Imagine the negative press the poms would get if they let some bros go on a culinary tour. And you know they would, its tradition. Would have been a mean story though.
You can thank God they didn't.
@@bennichols1113 cannabalism was all but gone by the time of the Boer War as most of us had converted to Christianity.
The Brits and Boers wanted to keep the fight as a “white man’s war”, as they feared what would happen if they started arming nonwhites.
@@bennichols1113 Culinary tour. Boerewors. You had me laughing man.
Its amazing to see my peoples history finally getting the attention it deserves 😁
British do get covered in history all over the world
Just not in this way....
The boers have been persecuted almost since they exist and still are, be proud of your name and your people mate
The truth usually gets out eventually
@@Lidavaz_They were persecuted so badly that they ended up persecuting others.
@@noco7243 and? it's them who are oppressed now, and black south africans were never under the threat of genocide like boers now
The British demanding what isn't theirs and starting war and suffering, again! How unusual.
As I recall, the Second Boer War also saw the first prosecution of a British soldier for warcrimes, though the specifics of that particular story escape me.
Breaker Morant
@@spectreagent00he might have been one of those who commited war crimes but he was made a scape goat for the Brits. On the other hand both sides ccommited war crimes which is unavoidable as its war, no side was innocent.
A terribly slippery slope indeed!
There is a good movie about that trial. The prosecutor asks "what rule allows you to execute prisoners?" And officer on trial is like "RULE .303!!"
Except they weren’t British
They were Australian
Aaah, the Boer war, the moment Britain realized that it was financially bankrupt, and the world realized that Britain was morally Bankrupt
What are you chatting mate
@@Cloggieclover The Boer War was the most costly war Britain had ever fought up until that time - it almost bankrupted the empire and contributed to the bankrupted state Britain found itself after WW1. Britain already started borrowing money from the US after WW1 and defaulted on that loan in 1932 already.
Moral bankruptcy - Women and children were forced into concentration camps, and those who's husbands/farthers did not surrender received less food than those who did (a lot died that way)
Not only is that morally bankrupt, it is probably the most cowardly action displayed by any army in the history of warfare. Call me old-fashioned but I believe men should fight like men
@@ejmproductions8198 The Berlin bankers lent Britain the money to finance the war as she was bankrupt after her Asian exploits & desperately needed access to the minerals of the 2 Boer republics. A win win solution after the war for both parties.
What could possibly go wrong in South Africa after this financial grab by the mightiest empire of that period, Follow the news.
The Boer people were tough and built a great country. Too bad it's gone.
What an absolute brilliant video. Just one thing.....didn't the Groot Trek begin because the British wanted the Cape and didn't the English want to tax the Dutch farmers out of existence? Didn't the Brits hate for many historic decades? Didn't the English want the diamond mines of Kimberly then started the first Boer (farmer) war? Was it the English who started the Second Boer War so that they could get the Gold Fields of the Witwaters Rand of Johannesburg? Am I wrong in thinking all this about the Noble English? Otherwise, this was a great video. Thank you. Now get your facts straight and this will be one of the best video's I've ever seen on South African History.
As a 50/5 0 English and Afrikaans mixture I am ashamed of my British background, Kitchener's concentration camps caused the deaths of over 26000 women and children. The Boers could never understand anyone attacking women and children. General de Wet also wrote that he did not know of one Boer that was capture or killed as a result of the barb wire stretched between any of the blockhouses.
Britain for the win! Cry some more
How 500,000 British soldiers defeated 15-17 thousand farmers.
Here is some text as quoted by great men surrounding the south African Afrikaners or BOERS
"Give me 20 divisions American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen, and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers (Meaning Farmer, originating from the Boer War) and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth." Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of the Allled forces during WWII.
"The Americans fight for a free world, the English mostly for honour and glory and medals, the French and Canadians decide too late that they have to participate. The Italians are too scared to fight; the Russians have no choice. The Germans for the Fatherland. The Boers? Those sons of bitches fight for the hell of it." American General, George "Guts and Glory" Patton
"Take a community of Dutchmen of the type of those who defended themselves for fifty years against all the power of Spain at a time when Spain was the greatest power in the world. Intermix with them a strain of those inflexible French Huguenots, who gave up their name and left their country forever at the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The product must obviously be one of the most rugged, virile, unconquerable races ever seen upon the face of the earth. Take these formidable people and train them for seven generations in constant warfare against savage men and ferocious beasts, in circumstances in which no weakling could survive; place them so that they acquire skill with weapons and in horsemanship, give them a country which is eminently suited to the tactics of the huntsman, the marksman and the rider. Then, finally, put a fine temper upon their military qualities by a dour fatalistic Old Testament religion and an ardent and consuming patriotism. Combine all these qualities and all these impulses in one individual and you have the modern Boer." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The history on the Great Trek is missing vital information: British - Boer antagonism, the abolition of slavery in 1834, Ordinance 50, the fragility of the Cape frontier due to the Xhosa wars, the religious aspect and the role Calvinism played, not to mention treaties and negotiations Voortrekkers carried out with African counter-parts in the interior.
That needs another 3 videos at least, to do it justice.
yes the English instated aparteid....but yet the world blame Boere for this ......
even then they knew of they decided us we will be weaker.....England wrecked us and we allowed it.
the Vritish came up with segregation not the Afrikaner/Boer we just wanted to be free and farm in peace....the queen was not having that o no .....
I went on a battlefield study a few years ago and visited these places. Amazing and thank you for the work you do.
My Great grand uncle helped set up the Irish Brigade who fought with the Boers against the British.
Wars I've seen referred to as 'the first modern war' under various criteria:
30 years war
7 Years War
Crimean War
US Civil War
Franco Prussian War
2nd Boer War (here for the first time)
WWI
Interested to see where this fits in in terms of earning that moniker, I don't know much about this conflict.
Anything older than the 2nd Boer War sounds dubious at best. Surely the Crimean war had more in common with older conflicts than it does with WW1.
@@GerardMenvussa Yeah, a good rule of thumb for me is whether line formations are still being used or artillery and direct fire weapons have forced looser formations. Also relevant but more nebulous is when regular uniforms go from identifying friend to hiding from foe.
First modern war was when that one cave man killed the other cave man
Going to throw my hat in the ring with Balkan wars as well
Bro the Russo Japanese war Guys how we forgetting this one
Would love to hear you take on the Bushveldt carbineers and how the fought.
I am modern day Boer...I am also a descendent of a famous boer general on my mother's side. General Piet Joubert...War is such a waste.
Jou siening is die selfde as wat jou oupa grooitjie gehad het💪🏻General Piet Joubert se politieke posisie teenoor Pual Kruger was dat hy eerder dan oorlog n verhouding met die britte wou groei alhoewel hy geveg het in die eerste boere oorlog
Really great story...
All what you have said, gave way to the term commando..hence Royal marines commandos, who would train the US rangers in ww2..
For any American viewers here Commando, really translates to a group of elite soldiers who can cover ground very fast..
Very well presented. The only point on which I would disagree is that Boers had slaves. The slaves that were imported into South Africa were brought here by the Dutch from their colonies in the east. I would would almost be impossible to control slaves while trekking through the open velt. I think the slaves rather fled with the Boers.
As important as this war was, I believe the American Civil War was the 1st modern war. Why?
1. Telegrams were used in war for the 1st time.
2. The 1st war where mass production was key.
3. The Gatling gun was the 1st successful machine gun despite not being a true automatic weapon.
4. Railroads were used in warfare for the 1st time.
5. Repeating rifles saw combat for the 1st time despite not being standard issue.
6. Ironclad battleships replaced wooden ones.
7. Scoped sniper rifles were introduced.
8. After the Civil War, muzzle loaders were done away with completely in military service, particularly by the 1870s
Wrong. The Dutch did not wage war on "local populations", not sure what you mean by that. As matter of fact, the settlers and the Koi and San (more the Koi) established thriving trade, although the San, called bushmen by the settlers, were known to have killed settlers after trading with them. The first Governer of the settlement actually bought land from the Koi, you can find the deed of sale in the Zuid Afrikaanse Musuem in Cape Town. Which "rich natural resources" are you talking about? The soil was too acidic and forced Jan van Riebeeck to ask for staples such as rice to be brought to the settlement on a number of occasions. It was only much later that they found the acidic soil was perfect for growing citrus. I believe the British had by that time already captured the settlement and started colonising from there.
A soldier and journalist called Winston Churchill was captured by the Boers he fled trough South African border to Mozambique( my country) and the Portuguese helped him to go back to Britain and one day became a Prime Minister.
Misluck for millions killed by his orders.
Yes, he violated his parole, such was his contempt.
Thank you for covering parts of the unknown history of the Boere
You have your facts messed up. The Dutch never colonized the Cape. The Trek happened only after the British came. Boers defended their cattle.
My great x4 grandfather came from a poor family in Ireland and moved to Scotland where he married a girl and then joined the British military in order to make a living. He was an Irish catholic and had no other choice as there was no money for his kind in his own country. He served and was wounded in the 2nd Boer war. In turn, he was given land in the Canadian province of PEI. Ever since, 17 other members of my family served in wars for Canada.
Could you please make a video about the South African Border War
The British burned homestead and interned thousands of woman and children in concentration camps, where so many innocents died of disease and starvation, more deaths than soldiers that died in the actual war. We South Africans remain bitter about this shamefully episond in history
According to British conservative MP Jacob Rees Mogg on being questioned on this matter, his response was that the women & children were placed in the camps for their own protection while their men were away, How magnanimous a gesture was that by Britain.
The untangle Africa series is perhaps your best work. It explains so much
You have a very slim grasp of the true history of my people however you seem to try to make fair judgment well done
Sad the Boers didn't win over the tyrants
They were tyrants themselves.
Such is the beginning of the end of the long gone redcoat legacy, and so's the era of "the sun always sets on the empire".
If not for the brutal way the British treated Boer women and children in the death camps, we would have won the 2nd War as well.
The thing is, it really affects your mental health when you know your wife and child might be slowly dying in a tent, while the Brits give them food mixed with glass and other sharp objects. The Boer people are built tough, thats why we are still here in 2024.
Just a note, people tend to think Boer people are Dutch, although Dutch is just 1/3 of our heritage..
We are a mix of Dutch, French and German settlers and in most case refugees, who were fleeing the Catholic genocide against Protestants in Europe.
I think the Franco Prussian war is the first modern war. Predated this by some time.
Magersfontein, the first large-scale use of trenches...
Early recording of scorched earth doctrine in the "modern age" of warfare happened when General William T Sherman razed Atlanta and burned plantations to give no shelter to the rebellion
When things get tough here in SA. I like to remind myself of the blood that courses through my veins. I actually have 2 documented relatives who died in the camps. One was not even 2 years old.
Ek is trots op my land en my mense, en ek sal nooit vergeet wie ek is nie.
Very strange situation. The Boers were rich from gold and had all the latest firearms. And they were good at it. They beat the British soundly using modern weapons. The British, knowing they couldn't beat the Boers, took the most dishonorable tactic of placing all the Boers women and children in open air, barb wire enclosures and left them to starve to death. The first death camp. Despicable and dishonorable. The Boers capitulated to save what was left of their families.
Concentration cams ae not the same as death camps,, that argument is just whitewashing the Nazi atrocities. Also they weren't the first use of concentration camps, look up the Spanish in Cuba.
The British outlawed slavery IN BRITAIN in 1807. Their Colonies continued having slavery until 1833.
The Boer were always thought to be the people who invented guerrilla warfare, as an old guy who served there lived near my relations always swore but clearly this video shows modern war was invented here, such as modern industrial slaughter by artillery and modern troop movement
If you think the brits got a bloody nose in this african war wait until you find out about the riff war.
Guerrillas have been around since before civilization.
@@My-cat-is-staring-at-you Maybe, but the Boer really made the world take notice
Uh yeah no the boers didn’t invent guerrilla warfare and you have to have zero knowledge of world history or any other war that’s ever happened to even say something that ridiculous why do people just make things up to comment
From an Afrikaans South-African with ancestors who fought for their people and land in both Boer wars, thank you for this excellent video.
The facts and history about the Boer wars, first and second world wars and the change in military strategics is very interresting and good studied. However, the real history of the Boers and the Voortrekkers and their reasons for "trekking" into Africa needs some more info and correct facts. Thanks for othervise very interresting video.
Could I be wrong by stating that it was possibly at the time the largest mass transportation of troops, nearly 450.000 men & supplies, horses, food, weaponry & munition from one continent (mainly) to another over a distance of 5,297 Nautical Miles (9,811 Kilometres to obliterate an enemy. A lesson in venture capital.
Good video. I toured this territory during several hunting trips to SA and was impressed by the terrain over which they fought
Nice documentary, but did I miss the Jameson Raid?
Apparently this was the war where "digger" for Australian troops came from.
Awesome awesome video. Thanks for making and thanks for sharing 👍🇿🇦🇿🇦
This conflict is very reminiscent of Afghanistan.
I don’t think the use of guerilla warfare marks this as the first modern war. I’ve read that Spanish partisans killed more of Napoleon’s soldiers in the Peninsula War than the British army did, almost a century earlier.
I find the "English" perspective of the Boer War interesting, having learned this history in the 1960s from an Afrikaans perspective. We learned nothing about the African slavery in South Africa and it's contribution to the Great Trek. Thanks for your video
Your facts are shockingly incorrect
To my recollection, the Koi and San were never enslaved. Also, they were never one to own land, it's not their culture. The British only took power in 1810. The Xhosa only appeared in the mid 1700 which resulted in the Kaffrerian Wars. It was Rhodes and cronies greed that started the Boer War. By Colonial forces you mean Australians? The British to this my knowledge till this day haven't apologised for the genocide of the Boer Woman and children.Apartheid only appeared in 1961. But that is another story.
Any genocide is wrong. You know the expression, "Do unto others as ...".
Going back a hundred years, prior to the second Boer war, the Boer did commit genocide. But that's a story for another day.
@@ebrahimprice2154 Thank, can you please give me a link to the Boer genocide, in all my research I'm having a difficult time finding genuine evidence.
@@andrewdutoit9571you will not find it because it never happened
american civil war is was the first modern war pal
i like your channel but please stop pronouncing hasty as "pasty" it's pronounced "hastey"
Another excellent video guys!!
Why wouldnt the american civil war be the first modern war?
Because it didn't feature any modern weapons or tactics?
While it did feature rifled muskets as an improvement over the smoothbore, line infantry tactics were still used by both sides well into the war but atleast trains played a more important part ferrying men and supplies to the front.
@@squeaky206That and there is also trenches being used.
Yes, it was the first industrialized war - the first modern war. Railways, the telegraph, rifled artillery and mass production changed everything.
I have no idea why this channel seems to think there was something revolutionary about guerilla warfare.
@@billlansdell7225 Also franco-prussian war,french and indian war,and many more. Also wagon laager was used in hussite war and now history tells it was used in ancient china. Not to mention guerrilla warfare which is as old as civilization itself.
I would love for you to do the Battle of Bangui. It is a forgotten and less known battle in the Central African Republic.
6:15 British narrative: Dutch farmers left because slavery ended. Meanwhile the same Brits were annexing all the Xhosa kingdoms east of the Fish river and expected no retrobution? Only about 1/3 of whole Dutch colony population left and most lived close by the fish river. Piet Retief, a famous trekker leader, even put a piece in a local paper at the time, it said that the Brits use Christianity as a weapon of war, they had missionary spies among the Xhosa at the time. Just like they did 50y later with the Zulus. He was disgusted by this. The Brits were the ones with classism, thats how they kept their Imperial attitude and empire going. The Dutch didnt care about class, but they were unhappy about magistrates being abolished in favor if British law, which favored Brits as most Dutch couldnt speak a word of English. The Netherlands in over hundreds of years couldnt speak Eng, so obviously most Dutch Burgers (citizen) weren't to excited with the new turn of events. The British basically took over the local economy when they imported business people in 1920 in the hundreds, add in the Imperial attitudes of most Brits at the time and there's your answer why so many burgers left.
Contrary to popular belief, lots of farmers were more interested in animals as that was more logical. The only farmers who felt the slave abolishment most were those in Stellenbosch and CT region. There were 4 provinces in the colony before the Brits arived. But when they did, they changed up everything, and when they finally annexed most of the Xhosa kingdoms they labelled the remaining few Caffaria. Go look it up. By 1870 most Xhosa were subjugated and 10y later the Zulu kingdom fell, the British had even asked Paul Kruger for advice as he had come back from England with some dignataries trying to de-annex the ZAR by talking to British politicians. Apparently one politician even gave him a ring as he respected his cause.
The Dutch weren't the only ones who left in some capacity, indigenous Hunter-Gatherer groups left the area too, they were the ones who established Griqueland-West which the British annexed when they discovered Diamonds on the banks of the Orange river near Hopetown(Kimberley).
British weren't some saviour who stopped the racist slave loving Afrikaner boere. Next time just explain the war no need to make one party look like some evil people to justify the horrors Britian performed on the population including most of all the black community who suffered the most especially the concentration camps they were subject too.
8 minutes ago (edited)
Could I be wrong by stating that it was possibly at the time the largest mass transportation of troops, nearly 450.000 men & supplies, horses, food, weaponry & munition from one continent (mainly) to another over a distance of 5,297 Nautical Miles (9,811 Kilometres to obliterate an enemy. A lesson in venture capital
Get and tell the story of Tasmanian revolt and how the Brits ended in blood bath
This war reminds me of an Australian officer, Breaker Morant and his comrades, who were among the first ever tried for war crimes in a modern war. His dark legacy still casts a shadow on our Australian Defence Forces to this day, especially with alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan recently.
The british didn't outlaw slavery in 1807, it was in 1833!
I think in 1807 it was the home isles or the slave trade
Home islands had out lawed slavery in the 11th century. Britiain did outlaw slavery in 1807 but was not fully able to enforce it until 1833.
@@Deadeye012011wrong
@@The_king567 no I'm right look up the west Africa squadron. the British were intercepting Slave ships from 1807 on wards however they weren't able to effectively shut the trans Atlantic slave trade down till 1833 due to the squadron being under strength due to various wars. West Africa squadron was brought up to full strength of 30 large ships and 20 smaller vessels and a permanent deployment of 10k Marines from 1833 onwards.
@@Deadeye012011 wrong the British ended slavery by paying off there slave owners that’s. A fact get over it god you people don’t know history
Breaker Morant is the only movie I can think of about the war. It is the forgotten war.
True, but there is the 1964 Rorke's Drift movie which goes to the real centre of the conflict, great actors, rest in peace now all is well and done.
Very interesting. I didnt know much about the boer war. All i knew the brits and the south Africans went at each other's.
Concentration camps are not an invention of the US. That's a modern conceit. Large scale camps of enemy populations or captured military personnel existed throughout history. Assuming otherwise is just a shaming tactic.
I had never heard of this war or these people until now.
Where you from?
The first modern war was the Civil War because it was the first time mass armies were lined up against each other with weapons made out of the Industrial Revolution. That's what most historians debate and if it ain't that, it's World War 1.
Lovely video. Well researched and well narrated. Your neutral coverage of the facts is also refreshing. Well done and thank you. Would it be completely wrong to refer to this war as World War 0? So many people from many nations and countries across the globe were part of it … I wonder?
It was a few years too early for any aircraft to take part in the war, so in that way it still represented previous conflicts.. Great video though. 👍
Ah finally a new video on the Boer war!
As a Brit and a Boer i find this war very interesting and morally ambiguous for me
Great summary of what happened, but, (to me) tactics seems as similar to say the P wars as not
This was on the frindges of the Cape though, before the groot trek
Jy praat nou kak
Great episode mate!
We did not wage wars against the indigenous people, where did you get that from?