You forgot to add to your story that when Churchill was captured by the Boers, Churchill strongly protested that he should be treated as a POW and set free because he was a civilian War Correspondent. The Boer General Jan Smuts, who was also the Attorny General of the Transvaal at the time and a friend of Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill, stepped in and told Churchill that he had better change his tune and accept that he was a POW because if he did not accept that, he would be shot by the Boers as a spy. In later years Churchill confessed that was the best legal advice he had ever received.
Great channel. I'm a Boer from Natal, South Africa. It pains me to let you know that since 1994 not a single monument, battlefield or grave site has been maintained by the state, but guys like me take care of them as well as we can (Boer and Brit). I helped fence off the capture sight of Churchill near Frere. It was disappearing into the veld by the road side. Thanks again for this channel!
Yes, I add my thanks too. My great-grandfather, then Captain William Bolitho, commanded 27th Company, 7th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry, at the British defeat at Nooitgedacht in December 1900, where he was awarded the Distinuished Service Cross, which he later received personally from King Edward VII. With another company of yeomanry, he was ordered by Brigadier Clements to take his men up a steep 900 foot kloof, and engage the Boers on top of the cliffs of the Magaliesberg range. / Assaulting uphill after a 900 foot climb is likely to be to be something of a forlorn hope, and so it proved, for as Wikipedia puts it "Reinforcements climbing the mountain lost heavily when Beyers' men suddenly poured fire into them". William was wounded, and lay there for 2 days and 2 nights with his men, before being briefly taken prisoner. / I would love to see the story of that battle told in detail! And photographs of the battlefield taken from an infantryman's eyes. I would like to see the battlefield as my great-grandfather saw it that day, in as far as a camera's lens can do it justice. / Boer generals De La Rey and Beyers were there, as well as Jan Smuts, so some great leaders. Their plan was brilliant, as the British dispositions were fatally flawed. The British numbered 1,500, and thought there were insufficient Boers locally to risk an attack, but more Boers arrived. The Wily Boer knew both his ground and his enemy, and struck while the iron was hot, for which the Boers deserve rspect. / The story of this battle needs properly telling! / It always amazes me that within 8 years, Britain handed power back to Boers, and that Botha and Jan Smuts played such a great part in sunsequent events. /
@@zen4men Interesting. I'm a member of a group called OMRS which collects and researches the history of medals. I'm from South Africa originally though living in the USA. I gave a presentation on exactly that battle and the Boer awards for service in the Anglo Boer war last year and was able to metion the exact events you speak of. I'm not sure the exact battlefield is visible now as it was then. Much has chaned and while I'm not there and so had to rely on what pictures I could find online I suspect some of the area might now be covered by the Hendrik Vervoerd Dam.
@@petercollingwood522 Hello Peter! Surely the HV / Gariep dam and Nooitgedacht are 350 or so miles apart? www.google.com/maps/@-25.8716095,27.5345544,7037m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu I know there was a Nooitgedacht POW camp at another ( third ) location, but I do not know of a second battle by the same name. Your mention of this dam suggests we are talking of 2 separate battles? Please advise! /
“Hero of the Empire” by Candice Millard is a brilliant detailed account of Churchill’s capture and escape from Pretoria which aided in securing his seat for Oldham on his second attempt. His books covering the Boer War: “London to Ladysmith via Pretoria”, “Ian Hamilton’s March” and “My Early Life” are priceless pieces of literature. Simon Ward should have received a film award for his performance in Richard Attenborough’s Young Winston.
Yep. Churchill was a war hero several times over. Participated in the last cavalry charge in British history. Predicted the "Gestapo" these "Socialists" would become. The River War by Winston Churchill. (Read both single and two-volume books) The Malakand Field Force by Winston Churchill. Churchill's Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government by Larry P. Arnn. Thoughts and Adventures by Winston Churchill. The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by Lt. Colonel J.H. Patterson, D.S.O. The Seven Lives of Colonel Patterson: How an Irish Lion Hunter Led the Jewish Legion to Victory.
@@larrysingleton2864 Read the bulk of Churchill’s works I happen to have first editions of his Great Contemporaries, the Second World War (6 vols) and A History of the English Speaking Peoples (4 vols). I also have an abridged edition of The World Crisis, 1911-1918. One of my favourite biographies of Churchill has got to be Andrew Roberts’ one which is up there with those of Martin Gilbert and William Manchester.
@@augustvonmackensen1101 Damn you. Damn you to HELL! Just kidding. I'm kinda jealous. I've got Manchester's trilogy "The Last Lion" up on my bookshelf. "First editions...." You mutha.....
Great story! My great-great-grandfather Louis Baumann was a friend of Camillo Ricchiardi. They founded a Boer Colony in Argentine Patagonia in 1902. My great-grandfather Luis de Wet told me about them. Greetings from Argentina.
Chris that was bloody Brilliant ! You are one of the most natural story tellers ever to have been on UA-cam. I was hanging on every word of it. Thank you.
Enjoyed your presentation a great deal! Refreshes my memory of the history of that time period. Please do a presentation on John Churchill with his use of the broad sword and archery against the Germans in World War 2. I think he was captured as well (twice as I remember). What an interesting story presented today. I appreciate your presentations and keep them coming!
Two points of note. Firstly, it's true the British abandoned expanding rifle projectiles (exposed lead tip or hollow point) following the adoption of the Hague Convention. However, that was hardly an end to the matter. The reality is that expanding projectiles are simply much more effective at stopping enemy combatants than conventional full metal jacket projectiles. So, to correct this deficit in stopping power, (and skirt the provisions of the Hague Convention) the British Army introduced the Mk VII .303 cartridge in 1910. This cartridge incorporated a lightweight tip (aluminum, compressed paper or cellulose) beneath the projectile's (phosphor bronze) metal jacket which transferred the projectile's center of gravity further aft. This change in weight distribution caused the projectile to 'tumble' under rapid deceleration resulting in a much-increased wound canal, not greatly dissimilar to that caused by an expanding bullet!! lol. And secondly, I think we should take a moment to reflect on the sheer majesty of Herbert Kitchener's Omdurman mustache. It is, without doubt, one of the great military mustaches of all time.
The Boers also used expanding bullets. The Boers were expert hunters and expanding bullets were useful in bringing down game. The nature of Boer commando units lent itself to ad hoc armament. It was much less feesible for a modern army like the British to deliberately supply non standard ammunition. If the British did use dum dum rounds, the likelihood is they were locally sourced and privately purchased. Therefore there is no evidence of a state sanctioned war crime. Also, the law around the Hague convention is hazy as the Boer Republics never signed it, though they were technically under the 'protection' of the British empire at the time. It could also be argued that many Boer units were not recognised military units, but civilian terrorist or insurgency groups, so it is unclear if the convention applied to them as traditional 'combatants'. Either way, it never went to court.
The expanding bullets were useful in colonial wars, when British soldiers shot directly in the bodies of the adversaries. Same with hunting. It was a bad idea, when your enemy hides on the ground, in foliage or in the cities. It is better to use ammo with more punch-through power. Also, wounded soldiers were more a problem for logistics than dead ones - see 1WW. And all pointy bullets for Mausers or Enfields were supersonic - and these make temporary cavities in the body - much bigger than hollow-point rifle bullets. And then thumbling... Yeah. These honorable rules of war...
Wow. You know, I’ve heard and read a hundred times that Churchill was captured in the Boer War, and never once before heard the actual story of what happened. What a nice video.
Ironically, if Churchill was to visit the Lancashire town of Oldham (where he stood for election) today, he might be left with the impression that he was back at Omdurman!
Crikey what another great high quality documentary. I would recommend subscribers to watch the movie "Young Winston" which gives an excellent account of Churchills South African adventure. Also just a little correction. Major John McBride did not command the Irish Brigade. It is known in Ireland as "McBrides Brigade" but it was actually commanded by Irish-American Colonel John Blake who was a former US Calvaryman and veteran of the Indian Wars including the campaign against Geronimo. When Major John McBride was executed by firing squad in 1916 for taking part in the Easter Rising he refused a blindfold stating "This is not the first time I have faced British guns". He was married to Maud Gonne who the Irish poet W B.Yeats was infatuated with and was an inspiration for a lot of his poetry. McBrides son would be a future president of the Republic of Ireland. I would recommend the book "McBrides Brigade-Irish Commandos in the Anglo-Boer War" by Donal P McCraken. Both McBride and John Blake would write about their experiences in the Boer War. Also it was not exclusively soldiers from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers that were on the armoured train as there was soldiers from the Durham Light Infantry and a contingent from the Royal Navy operated the mounted cannon. I personally think Churchill was captured by a rank and file Boer Burgher. For example it made a better story for both Churchill and Botha to give it some embellishment after what they both achieved in their respective careers. The bravery of the Irish regiments in the British Army was immortalized in R.C.Woodvilles painting "My Brave Irish" which is a quote from Queen Victoria. Due to the bravery of Irish regiments in the Boer War a new Irish regiment would be formed which was the Irish Guards in April 1900. There is a monument to the Irish fallen from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers at the entrance to St. Stephens Green in Dublin known as the "Fusiliers Arch". During the Treaty negotiations(October-December 1921) in London between the Irish Delegation led by Michael Collins and the British government there was a heated exchange and Collins stated that the British had put a £10,000 bounty on his head during the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921. Churchill said "One moment Mr Collins" and returned with the wanted poster issued by the Boers for his capture dead or alive. David Lloyd George gave a poignant moving speech in Manchester 1900 condemning the British policy of farm burning etc but just 20 years later in 1920 as Pime Minister his government deployed the notorious "Black &Tan" and Auxiliaries to Ireland who burned down houses as official reprisals and killed innocent civilians. Christain De Wet was the childhood hero of Michael Collins. Christain De Wet wtote to Collins to congratulate him in his fight against the British! I think I gave you a lot of the aforementioned information previously in a post months ago on one of your other excellent Boer War documentaries. As always wishing you continued success in all your future endeavours.
A lot of British football team's formed around the Boer war time have part's of stadium's are called the Kop( liverpool fc) or Spion kop (Sheffield Wednesday)as these terraces were so steep reminding veteran's of the slopes they fought on and saw so many men killed on.
Quite intriguing! Sir Winston Churchill was a man of deep wisdom. The then Donald Trump! I read how he escaped when I was a student in class five. But you know the art of how history should be presented to its audience. Great job, Chris!
Great video Chris, seeing Winston sat in a rickshaw reminded me of my visit to Durban in 1956 on the way to Hong Kong (troopship Empire Fowey) with the Lady in White singing on the dockside, onshore we had a few rickshaw races pulled by Zulus! Happy days
I visited the place where he was held in Pretoria, it was a school but is now a library. I also visited the sight of the train wreck where he was captured . There is an upturned carriage to mark the spot I'm not sure if it's original or not
Fabulous thank you! Would love a video on the story of the jeep in British service. Her Majesty the Queen was the last head of state to work on Jeeps. I wish she was still around to service my Jeep. I Love My Jeep!
“The most powerful person in the world is the story teller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come”. Steve Jobs
I'm no lover of Churchill, but his reaction on the armoured train incident is classic. "When I escaped from the relative safety of a railway accident.......
Another interesting and informative video. I think I was surprised by two things The British use of rum dune after they were banned and the different nationalities fighting on each side.
Thank you very much for covering this episode in Winston Churchill 's life. Did he recover his missing Mauser and use it during the rest of the Boer war?
@@TheHistoryChap thank you very much - did he keep until the end of his life.i wonder. I recall reading that he visited Greece during the war and had a pistol with him during the Communist insurrection.
Churchill's stories were nothing but hot air. He also wrote how he swam the mighty Apies river, which is a river about ankle deep at best when flowing, and maybe waist deep when flooding.
He was also a journalist in Cuba during the SpanAm war. Surprisingly on the Spanish side. His mum was a yank after all. He reported that "incoming rounds were exhilirating".
Your mention of Irish soldiers fighting on both sides of this war remembered me the last Spanish Civil War. Because, according to Hugh Tomas, there were Irish volunteers also on both sides of that war. At 1936 some members of the IRA were pro fascists and others were pro communists. So, the first group fought in the army of the far right Spanish side, lead by general Franco. I suppose that they were part of the Spanish Legion. And the other IRA members enlisted as part of the International Brigades that Stalin recruited at Paris. I know that there were also Italians on both sides and that during the battle of Guadalajara, mainly fought by the Italian Army sent by Mussolini to support Franco, the Italian Batallion Garibaldi, part of one of the International Brigades, was also involved. It would be very interesting to know if the Irish men of the IRA, communists and fascists, fought each other directly also on that war.
I got to meet Churchill and shake his hand. 1956 outside the House of Commons. With my friend, Lord Balniel. "How do you do, sir?" No reply. The Royal Jelly.
@@TheHistoryChap He was still walking then. Had hearing aid. I was with our MP, Lord Balniel, Premier Earl of Scotland. Yes, a major privilege. .....we were also family friends of Julius Nyerere, the first President Of Tanganyika. He is now a Saint, half way to being canonised. "Mwalimu", he was called - "teacher" He made my Mother Godmother to his newborn to thank her for helping him get his start years earlier.
A certain Robert Baden-Powell also took advantage of hero status, resulting from the siege of Mafeking, to further his army promotions and advance the Scouting movement.
Could you do a video on Percy Fawcett sometime? He claimed to have seen Winston Churchill in disguise in the Western Front theatre after his Dardanelles disgrace. Percy Fawcett - very fascinating British explorer, worthy of a good vid.
@@TheHistoryChap The book about him is called, "The Lost City of Z." I think Brad Pitt was in a recent movie based on this book. Percy Fawcett was an artillery man in WW I and then he became the great Amazon explorer whose mysterious disappearance in the deep jungle has fascinated people for generations, a little like Amelia Earhardt. Viewers would love his story!
Keith, it is a while since I have seen the film. It was very much based upon his book "My Early Life". As for my Churchill books they are down on the bottom left hand side, just out of shot.
One of the reasons Kitchener didn't want him on the Nile Expedition was because he already had a track record of writing articles criticising his military superiors!
@@TheHistoryChap They would have been very factual criticisms. The Junior Officer cohort of which he was a member would have pulled apart any exaggerations, and they did not. Again, an excellent history channel !
Winston Churchill had QUITE THE LIFE! Fighting in multiple wars, book writer, politician, and war leader, he achieved what so few others had achieved in life. It is safe to say he ranks next to Queen Elizabeth II in regards to life accomplishments. It was so ironic he had dinner with the very Boer who had captured him in the war, only a few years after the war. As for the big welcomes he would get in big cities in his later stages of life, he definitely got some practice in Durban. I was so glad he got to return to the war after his escape from captivity. I knew there were volunteers from other nations who fought alongside the Boers in the war, but I didn't know they essentially comprised half their army in the war. What's more interesting and sad, is that the Boer War, before the main conflict happened on the island itself, was the first Irish Civil War. One could also nickname the conflict the Boer Civil War for the Boers who fought in the defense of their homeland, and those who fought for the British. As for that Scandinavian unit who fought for the Boers, it was a BIG pity that only 7 survived. The Boers and their volunteer allies fought long and hard against the might of the British Empire before being painfully forced to surrender. As for the dum-dum bullets, I can understand why they were effective in battle, and therefore why they were banned, but I am glad countries soon switched to spitzer bullets. They're modern and more accurate. It was Very funny Churchill got to liberate the prison camp where he was held captive. If I recall correctly, he carried out the call to surrender with his cousin, the Duke of Marlborough. Did the officers Churchill was held captive with survived or did they die? I must say, the British learned quite a bit from the Boers. Learning rifle and artillery marksmanship, and because of them, Churchill would go on to base the British Army's commando units off of the Boer units, which proved very effective close quarter combat situations. It goes to show how much you can learn from one's enemies.
Nathan, thanks for that lengthy and thoughtful comment. Haldane managed to escape shortly afterwards. Not sure about the others, although by WW2 standards they were POW's for a short time (and shorter than many Boer POWs).
With the greatest respect I dont understand the point you make in relation to "First Irish Civil War". There was Irishmen fighting each other in Ireland in previous centuries between those who supported the Crown and those opposed to it. Even during the American War of Independence there was Irish on both sides and also in the American Civil War. Over one third of Wellingtons army at Waterloo was Irish. Even Napoleon had an Irish regiment in his grand Army. Irishmen faced each other on both domestic and foreign battlefields long before the Boer War.
It is estimated that around 3,000-3,500 foreign volunteers served with the Boers. This does not comprise 1/2 of the Boer army as you erroneously stated. At the start of the war young Boer officers like Jan Smuts wanted to invade Cape Colony and race to the sea which in military terms would have been a Boer "Blitzkreig". The younger Boers hoped to raise an army of around 40,000 Cape Afrikaaners who would join with their Afrikaan brethren from the Transvaal and OFS. Depending on what history book you read it is estimated that 7,000-10,000 Cape Afrikaaners joined the Boer War effort.
@@TheHistoryChap If he had it that day it would be taken if not i wonder if it is at his house,according to his police bodyguard he was a dead shot and owned a number of guns, his Adrian helmet is still there. .
The Italians weren't involved in the capture of WSC. They claimed to have dynamited the railway line but it was the Boers who had put rocks onto the line that caused the derailment of some carriages. The line was intact otherwise the train would not have been able to proceed. Sarel Oosthuizen was actually the man who captured WSC.
He bribed John Mcbride who was fighting for the boars with the Irish brigade to let him escape after the 1916 rising in Dublin Churchill insisted on Mcbride execution as Mcbride new the true story of churchills daring escape
I love your videos. However... There are good men in all wars, but some wars are more evil than the few good men. There were great German heroes in WWII shadowed by the holocaust. There were great Brits in the Anglo-Boer war, but the war was one of the most evil wars ever. One can not claim to be the hero that saves a drowning child if your friends is the ones throwing the children in the river in the first place. A hero would have stood up against his friends and made them stop throwing children into the river. . Therefore, I believe one of the few, if not the only hero, of that war was Emily Hobhouse. The rest, by default through participation, was part of an evil plot for gold, and all pirates on a ship is pirates.
Charl, thank you for taking the time to add your comments. Emily Hobhouse was indeed a figure whose story should be told (in fact, I am planning to do so in the future). Of course she wasn't the only British person to oppose the war. David Lloyd George and Millicent Fawcett also received the scorn of patriotic Britons for standing out against it.
I think that you need to do a little more research. It was WORLDWIDE news when he was captured, due to his American connection (his mother) the newspapers were reporting on his escape,with the Americans cheering him on.
@@bartonseagrave9605,um no, a few conspiracy theorist might believe that, the Boers confirmed his capture,they confirmed his escape, the British mine operator confirmed hiding him. The Boers placed posters and adverts in the paper for his capture, Dead Or Alive. I've a framed copy hanging on the wall of my library.
I grew up in Pretoria in the '60s and was familiar with the Staatsmodelskool. One story we were told about Churchill's escape was that he had to swim across the Apies river. This was always met with some hilarity as the Apies river is only about 6 inches deep.
That's correct. I'm from Durban but had maternal aunts living in Pretoria in Brecher street just walking distance from the Apies. I remember walking by it as a kid where ran in a concrete canal and never saw more than a trickle. And I recall one of my aunts who had read Churchills book where he apparently says "I crossed the mighty Apies" which caused her much amusement.
Fascinating historical narrative full of gems of details and questions for history to ponder of “who did it?” and “what if’s..?” But in the end, as fate would have it, Churchill would not be denied to fulfill his destiny for Britain in WW2.
I simply cannot imagine our collective history without Winston Churchill. He played such a crucial role in World War 2, especially in keeping Britain in the fight against Germany. I do not believe there was ANY other British politician who could have accomplished what he did. With his intractable will, he was able to unite the country in a common belief that they could indeed resist the Nazi menace, and that it was worth the sacrifice. Again, I don't think any other politician would have been able to hold out against the fierce political opposition (even amongst those in his own party) who were ready to concede and make peace with Hitler. It also doesn't hurt that he gave some of the most inspiring, rousing speeches that even today still stir up emotions ("[...] We will never surrender!").
Someone once asked me to name three people, dead or alive that I would like to have at a dinner party. The first person I selected was Churchill. His life story could entertain for weeks, let alone the few hours of an evening!
Would be very interesting and I doubt you would have to contribute anything to the discussion. Like all great people, Churchill was probably inspiring and annoying in equal measures. But what a life!
Very interesting. I like how you treat history; that it’s not black and white. So true. I have been up to Spion Kop. An eerie place with the Afrikaans and British graves up there.
I am still looking for my great grandfather Charles Byrne. You mentioned the soldiers on the train with Churchill were the Dublin Irish Fusilers. Assume it was a company strength.
@@TheHistoryChap Wars bring out leaders. WW2 produced Dwight Eisenhower-Supreme Commander of the Allies in Europe, became the 34th US President. Charles de Gaulle was a Brig. General in the French Army when the Nazis invaded France. He led the Free French forces with the Allies in liberating France and Western Europe. He was elected President of France in 1958. Nikita Khrushchev was a Lt General in the Soviet Army and became First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953-1964.
Huge difference in reasons for setting up and actually numbers who died. As a learned historian you have forgotten about the German concentration camps in Namibia which were a protype of the Nazi regime's.
Another excellent & very enjoyable account of stirring wartime escapades, Chris. 👏😊 And what **a fascinating coincidence** we have, with respect to Winston Churchill & Boris Johnson - who, we know, is a huge fan of Churchill, aspired to emulate him & PARTLY SUCCEEDED in doing so, by also becoming Prime Minister. But, IN ADDITION: WINSTON got himself fired at….. And BORIS also, um… got himself fired! 😉
Dolf De la Rey is a distant relative of mine. I still have a newspaper clipping inherited from my grandfather titled "Churchill's captor dies " reporting on Uncle Dolf's passing.
Dear Chris, another terrific video, thankyou so much. This s probably dating me ( and i have not read the entire comments list, so a viewer may have already mentioned it) but the film 'Young Winston', starring the (? late) Simon Ward told the story of Churchill's capture well. I think it dates from the late 70's. The scene is set in the film of the cutting and Churchill's bravery-and then his capture. They have re-created the scene well, as per your description. I beleive the Mauser pistol carired by Ward in the movie was Churchill's actual C9 (?) Mauser pistol.
@@TheHistoryChap Dear Chris, well I'm not 100% certain- funny the things a teenager remembers however, I recall that from the publicity for this movie, at that time! I'll do a search now. Best
James Haldane of the Gordon Highlanders would later escape from Boer captivity and rise to be a corps commander in the Great War; he died in 1950 I believe.
As an American who idolizes A. LINCOLN, I propose the W. CHURCHILL was one of the most pivital & importamt single people in world history. (Writing history, as he, himself, noted could be criticalin this regard.) DOUGout
Hi Doug. As an American you might be interested in the Irish Brigade that fought with the Boers. The title of the military unit is misleading as it was not exclusively Irish and numerically not a Brigade. It comprised obviously Irish,Irish-Americans and some Germans. It was commanded by Irish-American Colonel John Blake who was a former US Calvaryman and veteran of the Indian Wars including the campaign against Geronimo. He wrote a memoir "A West Pointer With The Boers". He died a few years later I think in New York around 1905 in suspicious circumstances. Americans also volunteered in Boer medical units. There is an excellent book "Irish Commandos in the Anglo-Boer War" by Donal P .McCraken. This follows the Irish Brigade. In terms of foreign volunteers in the American Civil War I would recommend the book "Green,Blue and Grey-Irish in the American Civil War" by Cal McCarthy which deals with the Irish units that fought for the Union and Confederacy.
Always find this part of Churchills story hard to swallow, I mean it is possible that an officer or a commanding officer was out on his own without aids or support but unlikely. I think it was just some common Bore, and to be captured by a commoner is just not on.
You have done it again Old Chap. I love your channel. Churchill was indeed a controversial figure. You love him or hate him. I believe he was a man who used the times to his advantage.
The River War by Winston Churchill. (Read both single and two-volume books) The Malakand Field Force by Winston Churchill. Churchill's Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government by Larry P. Arnn. Thoughts and Adventures by Winston Churchill. The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by Lt. Colonel J.H. Patterson, D.S.O. The Seven Lives of Colonel Patterson: How an Irish Lion Hunter Led the Jewish Legion to Victory.
In the early 1960s as a young child my family visited a friend in Cape Town, they cared for a very old man called Mr Elder who claimed to have been Churchill's batman.
Really enjoyed that - thanks Chris. I was hoping to "assist" the story as I have both volumes of "After Pretoria" which are additional to "With the flag to Pretoria". Unfortunately Vol 1 starts June/July 1900. 😞
Very interesting . My mother guided The Duke of Marlboro at The Nathaniel Chew House, Clivdon. It was the site of the Battle of Germantown. The next year we visited Blenheim Palace. It was one of my high points of our Oddesy.
Here's a what if..... When Winston first arrived in India to join the Malakand Field Force, he ripped his right shoulder climbing out of the boat below the Gateway to India monument in Bombay. He had his hand on the ladder when the boat dipped in the swell. He knew he was now unable, as a cavalry officer, to use his sword. At Omdurman you could argue his life was saved because during the charge of the Lancers he sheathed his sword and used the new Mauser pistol. It saved his life. So, no torn shoulder, no Winston, no WW2 leader.... PS thanks for your content. Fantastic. How about the desert column saving Gordon? Brits on camels and two extraordinary battles. Come on!
Fascinating.War is never black and white.Thankfully with a great analysis to show us the intrcacies it is transformed from something dull into something absolutely essential to study.Thank you for grabbing my attention and keeping me rivetted to the story.
Was Churchill a member of a Highland regiment in that picture as he's wearing Glengarry headwear and was he an officer in a Highland regiment in his early year's.
You forgot to add to your story that when Churchill was captured by the Boers, Churchill strongly protested that he should be treated as a POW and set free because he was a civilian War Correspondent. The Boer General Jan Smuts, who was also the Attorny General of the Transvaal at the time and a friend of Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill, stepped in and told Churchill that he had better change his tune and accept that he was a POW because if he did not accept that, he would be shot by the Boers as a spy. In later years Churchill confessed that was the best legal advice he had ever received.
Thank you for adding that story. Interesting that they were to work together in later years.
Didn't his escape break a parole pledge?
Great channel. I'm a Boer from Natal, South Africa. It pains me to let you know that since 1994 not a single monument, battlefield or grave site has been maintained by the state, but guys like me take care of them as well as we can (Boer and Brit). I helped fence off the capture sight of Churchill near Frere. It was disappearing into the veld by the road side. Thanks again for this channel!
Sad to hear but doesn't surprise me. Thanks for all your hard work.
Yes, I add my thanks too.
My great-grandfather,
then Captain William Bolitho,
commanded 27th Company, 7th Battalion, Imperial Yeomanry,
at the British defeat at Nooitgedacht
in December 1900,
where he was awarded the Distinuished Service Cross,
which he later received personally from King Edward VII.
With another company of yeomanry,
he was ordered by Brigadier Clements
to take his men up a steep 900 foot kloof,
and engage the Boers
on top of the cliffs of the Magaliesberg range.
/
Assaulting uphill after a 900 foot climb
is likely to be to be something of a forlorn hope,
and so it proved,
for as Wikipedia puts it
"Reinforcements climbing the mountain lost heavily
when Beyers' men suddenly poured fire into them".
William was wounded,
and lay there for 2 days and 2 nights
with his men,
before being briefly taken prisoner.
/
I would love to see the story of that battle
told in detail!
And photographs of the battlefield
taken from an infantryman's eyes.
I would like to see the battlefield
as my great-grandfather saw it that day,
in as far as a camera's lens can do it justice.
/
Boer generals De La Rey and Beyers were there,
as well as Jan Smuts,
so some great leaders.
Their plan was brilliant,
as the British dispositions were fatally flawed.
The British numbered 1,500,
and thought there were insufficient Boers locally
to risk an attack,
but more Boers arrived.
The Wily Boer knew both his ground and his enemy,
and struck while the iron was hot,
for which the Boers deserve rspect.
/
The story of this battle needs properly telling!
/
It always amazes me
that within 8 years,
Britain handed power back to Boers,
and that Botha and Jan Smuts
played such a great part in sunsequent events.
/
@@zen4men Interesting. I'm a member of a group called OMRS which collects and researches the history of medals. I'm from South Africa originally though living in the USA. I gave a presentation on exactly that battle and the Boer awards for service in the Anglo Boer war last year and was able to metion the exact events you speak of. I'm not sure the exact battlefield is visible now as it was then. Much has chaned and while I'm not there and so had to rely on what pictures I could find online I suspect some of the area might now be covered by the Hendrik Vervoerd Dam.
@@petercollingwood522
Hello Peter!
Surely the HV / Gariep dam and Nooitgedacht
are 350 or so miles apart?
www.google.com/maps/@-25.8716095,27.5345544,7037m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu
I know there was a Nooitgedacht POW camp
at another ( third ) location,
but I do not know of a second battle by the same name.
Your mention of this dam
suggests we are talking of 2 separate battles?
Please advise!
/
“Hero of the Empire” by Candice Millard is a brilliant detailed account of Churchill’s capture and escape from Pretoria which aided in securing his seat for Oldham on his second attempt.
His books covering the Boer War: “London to Ladysmith via Pretoria”, “Ian Hamilton’s March” and “My Early Life” are priceless pieces of literature.
Simon Ward should have received a film award for his performance in Richard Attenborough’s Young Winston.
Thank you for sharing.
Absolutely! Love Simon Ward in "Young Winston." Great movie!
Yep. Churchill was a war hero several times over. Participated in the last cavalry charge in British history. Predicted the "Gestapo" these "Socialists" would become.
The River War by Winston Churchill. (Read both single and two-volume books)
The Malakand Field Force by Winston Churchill.
Churchill's Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government by Larry P. Arnn.
Thoughts and Adventures by Winston Churchill.
The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by Lt. Colonel J.H. Patterson, D.S.O.
The Seven Lives of Colonel Patterson: How an Irish Lion Hunter Led the Jewish Legion to Victory.
@@larrysingleton2864 Read the bulk of Churchill’s works I happen to have first editions of his Great Contemporaries, the Second World War (6 vols) and A History of the English Speaking Peoples (4 vols). I also have an abridged edition of The World Crisis, 1911-1918. One of my favourite biographies of Churchill has got to be Andrew Roberts’ one which is up there with those of Martin Gilbert and William Manchester.
@@augustvonmackensen1101 Damn you. Damn you to HELL! Just kidding. I'm kinda jealous. I've got Manchester's trilogy "The Last Lion" up on my bookshelf. "First editions...." You mutha.....
Great story! My great-great-grandfather Louis Baumann was a friend of Camillo Ricchiardi. They founded a Boer Colony in Argentine Patagonia in 1902. My great-grandfather Luis de Wet told me about them. Greetings from Argentina.
Wow, I never knew that there was a Boer colony in Patagonia. I had heard of the Welsh one.
@@TheHistoryChap Exactly, the Welsh colonization was before the Boer. In any case, the two communities mixed with the passing of the years.
Why did the boers sleep with their boots on ?
To keep De Wet from de feet .
Chris that was bloody Brilliant ! You are one of the most natural story tellers ever to have been on UA-cam. I was hanging on every word of it. Thank you.
Very kind of you, thanks.
Enjoyed your presentation a great deal! Refreshes my memory of the history of that time period. Please do a presentation on John Churchill with his use of the broad sword and archery against the Germans in World War 2. I think he was captured as well (twice as I remember). What an interesting story presented today. I appreciate your presentations and keep them coming!
Strangely enough, someone suggested him last week. I think it would make for a great story.
Excellent doco and thank you for introducing me to Arthur Lynch. I looked him up and what an absolutely fascinating Australian character.
Yes Lynch was.
Two points of note. Firstly, it's true the British abandoned expanding rifle projectiles (exposed lead tip or hollow point) following the adoption of the Hague Convention. However, that was hardly an end to the matter. The reality is that expanding projectiles are simply much more effective at stopping enemy combatants than conventional full metal jacket projectiles. So, to correct this deficit in stopping power, (and skirt the provisions of the Hague Convention) the British Army introduced the Mk VII .303 cartridge in 1910. This cartridge incorporated a lightweight tip (aluminum, compressed paper or cellulose) beneath the projectile's (phosphor bronze) metal jacket which transferred the projectile's center of gravity further aft. This change in weight distribution caused the projectile to 'tumble' under rapid deceleration resulting in a much-increased wound canal, not greatly dissimilar to that caused by an expanding bullet!! lol. And secondly, I think we should take a moment to reflect on the sheer majesty of Herbert Kitchener's Omdurman mustache. It is, without doubt, one of the great military mustaches of all time.
*Aluminium.
We're not yanks 😉
Thanks for that in-depth comment and I am pleased to see that others have contributed to it.
The Boers also used expanding bullets. The Boers were expert hunters and expanding bullets were useful in bringing down game. The nature of Boer commando units lent itself to ad hoc armament. It was much less feesible for a modern army like the British to deliberately supply non standard ammunition. If the British did use dum dum rounds, the likelihood is they were locally sourced and privately purchased. Therefore there is no evidence of a state sanctioned war crime. Also, the law around the Hague convention is hazy as the Boer Republics never signed it, though they were technically under the 'protection' of the British empire at the time. It could also be argued that many Boer units were not recognised military units, but civilian terrorist or insurgency groups, so it is unclear if the convention applied to them as traditional 'combatants'. Either way, it never went to court.
The cellulose was autoclaved, interestingly
The expanding bullets were useful in colonial wars, when British soldiers shot directly in the bodies of the adversaries. Same with hunting.
It was a bad idea, when your enemy hides on the ground, in foliage or in the cities. It is better to use ammo with more punch-through power.
Also, wounded soldiers were more a problem for logistics than dead ones - see 1WW.
And all pointy bullets for Mausers or Enfields were supersonic - and these make temporary cavities in the body - much bigger than hollow-point rifle bullets.
And then thumbling...
Yeah. These honorable rules of war...
Wow. You know, I’ve heard and read a hundred times that Churchill was captured in the Boer War, and never once before heard the actual story of what happened. What a nice video.
Thank you for watching and for commenting too.
Good man, like it! Interesting snippets.
Glad you enjoyed my video
Ironically, if Churchill was to visit the Lancashire town of Oldham (where he stood for election) today, he might be left with the impression that he was back at Omdurman!
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Crikey what another great high quality documentary. I would recommend subscribers to watch the movie "Young Winston" which gives an excellent account of Churchills South African adventure. Also just a little correction. Major John McBride did not command the Irish Brigade. It is known in Ireland as "McBrides Brigade" but it was actually commanded by Irish-American Colonel John Blake who was a former US Calvaryman and veteran of the Indian Wars including the campaign against Geronimo. When Major John McBride was executed by firing squad in 1916 for taking part in the Easter Rising he refused a blindfold stating "This is not the first time I have faced British guns". He was married to Maud Gonne who the Irish poet W B.Yeats was infatuated with and was an inspiration for a lot of his poetry. McBrides son would be a future president of the Republic of Ireland. I would recommend the book "McBrides Brigade-Irish Commandos in the Anglo-Boer War" by Donal P McCraken. Both McBride and John Blake would write about their experiences in the Boer War. Also it was not exclusively soldiers from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers that were on the armoured train as there was soldiers from the Durham Light Infantry and a contingent from the Royal Navy operated the mounted cannon. I personally think Churchill was captured by a rank and file Boer Burgher. For example it made a better story for both Churchill and Botha to give it some embellishment after what they both achieved in their respective careers. The bravery of the Irish regiments in the British Army was immortalized in R.C.Woodvilles painting "My Brave Irish" which is a quote from Queen Victoria. Due to the bravery of Irish regiments in the Boer War a new Irish regiment would be formed which was the Irish Guards in April 1900. There is a monument to the Irish fallen from the Royal Dublin Fusiliers at the entrance to St. Stephens Green in Dublin known as the "Fusiliers Arch". During the Treaty negotiations(October-December 1921) in London between the Irish Delegation led by Michael Collins and the British government there was a heated exchange and Collins stated that the British had put a £10,000 bounty on his head during the Irish War of Independence 1919-1921. Churchill said "One moment Mr Collins" and returned with the wanted poster issued by the Boers for his capture dead or alive. David Lloyd George gave a poignant moving speech in Manchester 1900 condemning the British policy of farm burning etc but just 20 years later in 1920 as Pime Minister his government deployed the notorious "Black &Tan" and Auxiliaries to Ireland who burned down houses as official reprisals and killed innocent civilians. Christain De Wet was the childhood hero of Michael Collins. Christain De Wet wtote to Collins to congratulate him in his fight against the British! I think I gave you a lot of the aforementioned information previously in a post months ago on one of your other excellent Boer War documentaries. As always wishing you continued success in all your future endeavours.
John, thanks for those illuminating insights. Very much appreciated.
Very enjoyable, thank you.
Thanks for watching. Glad you enjoyed.
Excellent! Thank you!
Many thanks.
A lot of British football team's formed around the Boer war time have part's of stadium's are called the Kop( liverpool fc) or Spion kop (Sheffield Wednesday)as these terraces were so steep reminding veteran's of the slopes they fought on and saw so many men killed on.
Correct. In fact I refer to some of those stories in my video about Spion Kop. ua-cam.com/video/CUlHyOHvYgU/v-deo.html
Loved hearing bits and pieces on Murdoch mystery’s and wanted the full story
Hope this helped fill in some gaps.
Quite intriguing! Sir Winston Churchill was a man of deep wisdom. The then Donald Trump!
I read how he escaped when I was a student in class five. But you know the art of how history should be presented to its audience.
Great job, Chris!
Thanks for watching and for taking the time to comment.
Excellent, thanks
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
Great video Chris, seeing Winston sat in a rickshaw reminded me of my visit to Durban in 1956 on the way to Hong Kong (troopship Empire Fowey) with the Lady in White singing on the dockside, onshore we had a few rickshaw races pulled by Zulus! Happy days
Gosh, the Rickshaw boys of Durban. I remember them when I was a child, growing up in the city.
@@TheHistoryChap So you're another Durbanite too eh?
I visited the place where he was held in Pretoria, it was a school but is now a library. I also visited the sight of the train wreck where he was captured . There is an upturned carriage to mark the spot I'm not sure if it's original or not
Interesting. Thank you for sharing.
A man among men
whose star shall never dim
he knew not when
to halt, only to win.
Thank you for sharing.
That was brilliant! Thank you!
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
Fabulous thank you! Would love a video on the story of the jeep in British service. Her Majesty the Queen was the last head of state to work on Jeeps. I wish she was still around to service my Jeep. I Love My Jeep!
That's an interesting suggestion. Will add to my (never-ending) list.
Oldham my home town his seat is now in our new Odeon cinema based in the old magnificent town hall !
Thank you very much for sharing. I wasn’t aware of that.
“The most powerful person in the world is the story teller.
The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda
of an entire generation that is to come”. Steve Jobs
Thanks for sharing.
Really good, interesting and balanced video. Thank you.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
We do not 'run' for office in England; we 'STAND' 🙂
Strange because I stood for election to a county council 😀
Excellent video!
Thanks for watching.
I'm no lover of Churchill, but his reaction on the armoured train incident is classic. "When I escaped from the relative safety of a railway accident.......
Stephen, I am sure that he could be extremely hard work, but he had an incredible knack of popping up in various stories.
@@TheHistoryChap That's probably because he wrote most of them.
多謝！
Thank you very much for your support. Much appreciated.
Another interesting and informative video. I think I was surprised by two things The British use of rum dune after they were banned and the different nationalities fighting on each side.
Glad you found it interesting.
No doubt some squaddies chopped the tips of the rifle rounds off with their bayonets, probably unofficially lol I know I would have done the same.
Thank you very much for covering this episode in Winston Churchill 's life.
Did he recover his missing Mauser and use it during the rest of the Boer war?
Yes. It was left on the escaping train and when he arrived back in Natal after his escape, it was in storage.
@@TheHistoryChap thank you very much - did he keep until the end of his life.i wonder. I recall reading that he visited Greece during the war and had a pistol with him during the Communist insurrection.
He sounds like he would have made a great archaeologists. 🤠
Honestly though, it seems as if everything you learn about Churchill is another surprise.
He has an mazing ability to pop up in stories.
Churchill's stories were nothing but hot air. He also wrote how he swam the mighty Apies river, which is a river about ankle deep at best when flowing, and maybe waist deep when flooding.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Churchhill always was a good story teller, wouldn't believe half of what he made up.
Fair point, but then Ricchiardi doesn't seem to produce many witnesses for his story either. My money is on Dorf de le Rey.
He was also a journalist in Cuba during the SpanAm war. Surprisingly on the Spanish side. His mum was a yank after all. He reported that "incoming rounds were exhilirating".
He was certainly an action seeker
Interestingly enough, Churchill and Smuts became close friends and allies. I prefer to think it was Botha who captured Churchill.
Thanks for taking the time to comment. The Smuts-Churchill relationship is an interesting story.
When I see that photo with the soldier bent over looking at the ground, I think of Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and the film, Gunga Din...
Good point!
Your mention of Irish soldiers fighting on both sides of this war remembered me the last Spanish Civil War.
Because, according to Hugh Tomas, there were Irish volunteers also on both sides of that war. At 1936 some members of the IRA were pro fascists and others were pro communists. So, the first group fought in the army of the far right Spanish side, lead by general Franco. I suppose that they were part of the Spanish Legion. And the other IRA members enlisted as part of the International Brigades that Stalin recruited at Paris.
I know that there were also Italians on both sides and that during the battle of Guadalajara, mainly fought by the Italian Army sent by Mussolini to support Franco, the Italian Batallion Garibaldi, part of one of the International Brigades, was also involved.
It would be very interesting to know if the Irish men of the IRA, communists and fascists, fought each other directly also on that war.
What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing.
These irish fascists were known as the blueshirt's.
I got to meet Churchill and shake his hand. 1956 outside the House of Commons. With my friend, Lord Balniel. "How do you do, sir?" No reply. The Royal Jelly.
Thanks for sharing that brief encounter.
@@TheHistoryChap He was still walking then. Had hearing aid. I was with our MP, Lord Balniel, Premier Earl of Scotland. Yes, a major privilege.
.....we were also family friends of Julius Nyerere, the first President Of Tanganyika. He is now a Saint, half way to being canonised. "Mwalimu", he was called - "teacher" He made my Mother Godmother to his newborn to thank her for helping him get his start years earlier.
I know he was a civilian but it wows me Churchill wasn't awarded some kind of award for his bravery on the train or daring escape.
Thanks for sharing that thought
A certain Robert Baden-Powell also took advantage of hero status, resulting from the siege of Mafeking, to further his army promotions and advance the Scouting movement.
Steve, I will be doing a video about B-P and Mafeking in the near future. Please make sure that you subscribe.
Could you do a video on Percy Fawcett sometime? He claimed to have seen Winston Churchill in disguise in the Western Front theatre after his Dardanelles disgrace. Percy Fawcett - very fascinating British explorer, worthy of a good vid.
Percy Fawcett is a new one on me. You have sparked my interest.
@@TheHistoryChap The book about him is called, "The Lost City of Z." I think Brad Pitt was in a recent movie based on this book. Percy Fawcett was an artillery man in WW I and then he became the great Amazon explorer whose mysterious disappearance in the deep jungle has fascinated people for generations, a little like Amelia Earhardt. Viewers would love his story!
Chris what did you think of the movie "Young Winston"? Also where is the book about Winston Churchill in the bookcase???
Keith, it is a while since I have seen the film. It was very much based upon his book "My Early Life".
As for my Churchill books they are down on the bottom left hand side, just out of shot.
Amazing video Sir
Thanks for your comment.
The River War 1st Edition contains the criticism of Kitchener, but the 2nd is very much toned down. If you want the real thing, get the 1st !
One of the reasons Kitchener didn't want him on the Nile Expedition was because he already had a track record of writing articles criticising his military superiors!
@@TheHistoryChap They would have been very factual criticisms. The Junior Officer cohort of which he was a member would have pulled apart any exaggerations, and they did not.
Again, an excellent history channel !
History is written by the victors!
And he liked writing history!
Not sure if someone mentioned it here...but Churchill got the name for the Commandos...from the Afrikaans...Boer word...Kommando..
Thanks for your comment & for watching my video
Winston Churchill had QUITE THE LIFE! Fighting in multiple wars, book writer, politician, and war leader, he achieved what so few others had achieved in life. It is safe to say he ranks next to Queen Elizabeth II in regards to life accomplishments. It was so ironic he had dinner with the very Boer who had captured him in the war, only a few years after the war. As for the big welcomes he would get in big cities in his later stages of life, he definitely got some practice in Durban. I was so glad he got to return to the war after his escape from captivity. I knew there were volunteers from other nations who fought alongside the Boers in the war, but I didn't know they essentially comprised half their army in the war. What's more interesting and sad, is that the Boer War, before the main conflict happened on the island itself, was the first Irish Civil War. One could also nickname the conflict the Boer Civil War for the Boers who fought in the defense of their homeland, and those who fought for the British. As for that Scandinavian unit who fought for the Boers, it was a BIG pity that only 7 survived. The Boers and their volunteer allies fought long and hard against the might of the British Empire before being painfully forced to surrender. As for the dum-dum bullets, I can understand why they were effective in battle, and therefore why they were banned, but I am glad countries soon switched to spitzer bullets. They're modern and more accurate. It was Very funny Churchill got to liberate the prison camp where he was held captive. If I recall correctly, he carried out the call to surrender with his cousin, the Duke of Marlborough. Did the officers Churchill was held captive with survived or did they die? I must say, the British learned quite a bit from the Boers. Learning rifle and artillery marksmanship, and because of them, Churchill would go on to base the British Army's commando units off of the Boer units, which proved very effective close quarter combat situations. It goes to show how much you can learn from one's enemies.
Nathan, thanks for that lengthy and thoughtful comment. Haldane managed to escape shortly afterwards. Not sure about the others, although by WW2 standards they were POW's for a short time (and shorter than many Boer POWs).
With the greatest respect I dont understand the point you make in relation to "First Irish Civil War". There was Irishmen fighting each other in Ireland in previous centuries between those who supported the Crown and those opposed to it. Even during the American War of Independence there was Irish on both sides and also in the American Civil War. Over one third of Wellingtons army at Waterloo was Irish. Even Napoleon had an Irish regiment in his grand Army. Irishmen faced each other on both domestic and foreign battlefields long before the Boer War.
It is estimated that around 3,000-3,500 foreign volunteers served with the Boers. This does not comprise 1/2 of the Boer army as you erroneously stated. At the start of the war young Boer officers like Jan Smuts wanted to invade Cape Colony and race to the sea which in military terms would have been a Boer "Blitzkreig". The younger Boers hoped to raise an army of around 40,000 Cape Afrikaaners who would join with their Afrikaan brethren from the Transvaal and OFS. Depending on what history book you read it is estimated that 7,000-10,000 Cape Afrikaaners joined the Boer War effort.
Haldane who was a prisoner with Churchill would serve in WW1 including the Gallopoli campaign.
@@johnroche7541 My mistake
Churchill more of the story behind the man
Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment
I wonder what firearm he was carrying was it his broom handled Mauser.
I don’t have that information to hand
@@TheHistoryChap If he had it that day it would be taken if not i wonder if it is at his house,according to his police bodyguard he was a dead shot and owned a number of guns, his Adrian helmet is still there.
.
The Italians weren't involved in the capture of WSC. They claimed to have dynamited the railway line but it was the Boers who had put rocks onto the line that caused the derailment of some carriages. The line was intact otherwise the train would not have been able to proceed. Sarel Oosthuizen was actually the man who captured WSC.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
He bribed John Mcbride who was fighting for the boars with the Irish brigade to let him escape after the 1916 rising in Dublin Churchill insisted on Mcbride execution as Mcbride new the true story of churchills daring escape
Thanks for watching my video & your interesting feedback.
Still beat the lot of them.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Boers were victims of British imperialism? The Boers were themselves colonizers. They just didn’t want to bbe beaten at their own game
More interesting is that the French General who had participated in French imperial conquests in North Africa suddenly felt an affinity for the Boers!
The Boers moved inland, not least, because they disagreed with the British ending slavery. Strange how history turns.
I love your videos. However...
There are good men in all wars, but some wars are more evil than the few good men. There were great German heroes in WWII shadowed by the holocaust. There were great Brits in the Anglo-Boer war, but the war was one of the most evil wars ever. One can not claim to be the hero that saves a drowning child if your friends is the ones throwing the children in the river in the first place. A hero would have stood up against his friends and made them stop throwing children into the river. . Therefore, I believe one of the few, if not the only hero, of that war was Emily Hobhouse.
The rest, by default through participation, was part of an evil plot for gold, and all pirates on a ship is pirates.
Charl, thank you for taking the time to add your comments.
Emily Hobhouse was indeed a figure whose story should be told (in fact, I am planning to do so in the future).
Of course she wasn't the only British person to oppose the war.
David Lloyd George and Millicent Fawcett also received the scorn of patriotic Britons for standing out against it.
WW2 did not start in 1899 lol
I said the Boer War!
Early readings of the Boer War showed no such detail of Churchill's capture.
I think that you need to do a little more research.
It was WORLDWIDE news when he was captured, due to his American connection (his mother) the newspapers were reporting on his escape,with the Americans cheering him on.
@@darrenmarsh8830 It is generally believed that he made it up for his derring -do which Churchill was often prone to do.
@@bartonseagrave9605,um no, a few conspiracy theorist might believe that, the Boers confirmed his capture,they confirmed his escape, the British mine operator confirmed hiding him.
The Boers placed posters and adverts in the paper for his capture, Dead Or Alive.
I've a framed copy hanging on the wall of my library.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Nice response, Darren.
Controversial comment, but Winston Churchill didn't have the brains of his father.
That would be a good pub debate!
Does it bother you Brits that his Mother was an American?
Tad Coder..Not at all.
I certainly doesn't bother me.
Tad Cader..Why have you put such a comment up ?.
Does it bother you she was an American but of British descent?
We see Botha as a traitor, may be he led Churchill go?
It makes sense if you see him as a traitor.
I grew up in Pretoria in the '60s and was familiar with the Staatsmodelskool. One story we were told about Churchill's escape was that he had to swim across the Apies river. This was always met with some hilarity as the Apies river is only about 6 inches deep.
Sounds like Churchill! Thanks for sharing
Douglas Clerk. What else would you expect from a self promoting liar? The truth??
That's correct. I'm from Durban but had maternal aunts living in Pretoria in Brecher street just walking distance from the Apies. I remember walking by it as a kid where ran in a concrete canal and never saw more than a trickle. And I recall one of my aunts who had read Churchills book where he apparently says "I crossed the mighty Apies" which caused her much amusement.
Excellent thank you 👏
My pleasure. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video Chris. An excellent story, told by an excellent teller, your good self! Keep 'em coming!
That's very kind of you, Rob. Glad you enjoyed it.
Except that it's nonsense.
Fascinating historical narrative full of gems of details and questions for history to ponder of “who did it?” and “what if’s..?” But in the end, as fate would have it, Churchill would not be denied to fulfill his destiny for Britain in WW2.
Glad you enjoyed. Maybe some people do walk with destiny.
I simply cannot imagine our collective history without Winston Churchill. He played such a crucial role in World War 2, especially in keeping Britain in the fight against Germany. I do not believe there was ANY other British politician who could have accomplished what he did. With his intractable will, he was able to unite the country in a common belief that they could indeed resist the Nazi menace, and that it was worth the sacrifice. Again, I don't think any other politician would have been able to hold out against the fierce political opposition (even amongst those in his own party) who were ready to concede and make peace with Hitler. It also doesn't hurt that he gave some of the most inspiring, rousing speeches that even today still stir up emotions ("[...] We will never surrender!").
History is full of different shades of grey
Indeed. That's what makes it so fascinating.
@@TheHistoryChap me too history is never clear cut
Also the screw up at Gallipoli.
Indeed.
Someone once asked me to name three people, dead or alive that I would like to have at a dinner party. The first person I selected was Churchill. His life story could entertain for weeks, let alone the few hours of an evening!
Would be very interesting and I doubt you would have to contribute anything to the discussion. Like all great people, Churchill was probably inspiring and annoying in equal measures. But what a life!
Can we really trust Churchill's accounts of these escapades? 18 bottles of scotch and a reputation for rhetorical flourishes after all...
Good point. Thanks for contributing.
Very interesting. I like how you treat history; that it’s not black and white. So true. I have been up to Spion Kop. An eerie place with the Afrikaans and British graves up there.
Thanks for sharing. I always find Culloden to be eerie too.
I think it was the Italian guy who got him 🤔
I'm going for Dorf de la Rey.
A psychologist's worst nightmare? An Italian with a minority complex.....
I am still looking for my great grandfather Charles Byrne. You mentioned the soldiers on the train with Churchill were the Dublin Irish Fusilers. Assume it was a company strength.
Without looking back through my notes I can';t confirm numbers.
Winston Churchill got captured? “He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Didnt Mahtma Ghandi serve in the Boer war
Yes he did. At the Battle of Spion Kop you had Gandhi, Churchill and future South African premier, Louis Botha, all within a few miles of each other!
@@TheHistoryChap Wars bring out leaders. WW2 produced Dwight Eisenhower-Supreme Commander of the Allies in Europe, became the 34th US President. Charles de Gaulle was a Brig. General in the French Army when the Nazis invaded France. He led the Free French forces with the Allies in liberating France and Western Europe. He was elected President of France in 1958. Nikita Khrushchev was a Lt General in the Soviet Army and became First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953-1964.
I am distantly related to Churchill through his American ancestry
I haven't found anyone that interesting in my family tree :)
Consontrated camps during Boar war .contration camps in word war 2 no difference
Huge difference in reasons for setting up and actually numbers who died. As a learned historian you have forgotten about the German concentration camps in Namibia which were a protype of the Nazi regime's.
I think this is my favorite video you've produced thus far. Simply brilliant story telling!
Many thanks.
Another excellent & very enjoyable account of stirring wartime escapades, Chris. 👏😊
And what **a fascinating coincidence** we have, with respect to Winston Churchill & Boris Johnson - who, we know, is a huge fan of Churchill, aspired to emulate him & PARTLY SUCCEEDED in doing so, by also becoming Prime Minister. But, IN ADDITION:
WINSTON got himself fired at….. And BORIS also, um… got himself fired! 😉
Chuckling away. Yes the similarities are uncanny and I thinkBoris has tried to emulate his hero.
Totally true, both Churchill and Johnson are self promoting liars.
Dolf De la Rey is a distant relative of mine. I still have a newspaper clipping inherited from my grandfather titled "Churchill's captor dies " reporting on Uncle Dolf's passing.
What a great relative to have in the family.
Dear Chris, another terrific video, thankyou so much. This s probably dating me ( and i have not read the entire comments list, so a viewer may have already mentioned it) but the film 'Young Winston', starring the (? late) Simon Ward told the story of Churchill's capture well. I think it dates from the late 70's. The scene is set in the film of the cutting and Churchill's bravery-and then his capture. They have re-created the scene well, as per your description. I beleive the Mauser pistol carired by Ward in the movie was Churchill's actual C9 (?) Mauser pistol.
Good film. I wasn't aware about the ~Mauser that Simon Ward carried being Churchill's very own weapon. Thanks for sharing.
@@TheHistoryChap Dear Chris, well I'm not 100% certain- funny the things a teenager remembers however, I recall that from the publicity for this movie, at that time! I'll do a search now. Best
@@TheHistoryChap Yes, Ward unfortunatley passed away in 2012 at the age of 70. The film is dated 1972!
James Haldane of the Gordon Highlanders would later escape from Boer captivity and rise to be a corps commander in the Great War; he died in 1950 I believe.
Thanks for sharing. I knew that he managed to escape but didn't know what happened to him afterwards.
Well done Mr Churchill
Glad you enjoyed,
First rate history.
Many thanks.
As an American who idolizes A. LINCOLN, I propose the W. CHURCHILL was one of the most pivital & importamt single people in world history. (Writing history, as he, himself, noted could be criticalin this regard.)
DOUGout
Doug, Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Hi Doug. As an American you might be interested in the Irish Brigade that fought with the Boers. The title of the military unit is misleading as it was not exclusively Irish and numerically not a Brigade. It comprised obviously Irish,Irish-Americans and some Germans. It was commanded by Irish-American Colonel John Blake who was a former US Calvaryman and veteran of the Indian Wars including the campaign against Geronimo. He wrote a memoir "A West Pointer With The Boers". He died a few years later I think in New York around 1905 in suspicious circumstances. Americans also volunteered in Boer medical units. There is an excellent book "Irish Commandos in the Anglo-Boer War" by Donal P .McCraken. This follows the Irish Brigade. In terms of foreign volunteers in the American Civil War I would recommend the book "Green,Blue and Grey-Irish in the American Civil War" by Cal McCarthy which deals with the Irish units that fought for the Union and Confederacy.
Always find this part of Churchills story hard to swallow, I mean it is possible that an officer or a commanding officer was out on his own without aids or support but unlikely. I think it was just some common Bore, and to be captured by a commoner is just not on.
I tend to agree with you. I know that coincidences do happen but...
Churchill had a charmed life, what luck knocking on the right door
Good observation
As an American, when ever I hear someone with an accent speaking, I alway listen. Because I'm polite.
What? 🤭
This country has produced some great Britain's, & in my opinion he is the greatest.
He topped the BBC public poll of greatest Britons a few years ago.
@@TheHistoryChap Quite right too. Great videos keep them coming.
@@TheHistoryChap that's probably why the bbc slanders his name so often.
they know he is loved among his people
@@craigmason9893 I'm sure he is still loved among HIS people, Thatcher idolised him for instance. The rest of us, not so much.
You have done it again Old Chap. I love your channel. Churchill was indeed a controversial figure. You love him or hate him. I believe he was a man who used the times to his advantage.
I reckon you are right...a man who was always willing to ride his luck.
Great story thanks. I personally don't like Churchill but have an avid interest in military history.
Bet he was a nightmare to work for and an even bigger nightmare to have under your command!
You tell a great story. Thank you!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching.
Lets be honest, the Dutch always have had great influence on English history
Thanks for watching my video
The River War by Winston Churchill. (Read both single and two-volume books)
The Malakand Field Force by Winston Churchill.
Churchill's Trial: Winston Churchill and the Salvation of Free Government by Larry P. Arnn.
Thoughts and Adventures by Winston Churchill.
The Man-Eaters of Tsavo by Lt. Colonel J.H. Patterson, D.S.O.
The Seven Lives of Colonel Patterson: How an Irish Lion Hunter Led the Jewish Legion to Victory.
Thank you for sharing.
In the early 1960s as a young child my family visited a friend in Cape Town, they cared for a very old man called Mr Elder who claimed to have been Churchill's batman.
Thanks for sharing that interesting little snippet
Really enjoyed that - thanks Chris. I was hoping to "assist" the story as I have both volumes of "After Pretoria" which are additional to "With the flag to Pretoria". Unfortunately Vol 1 starts June/July 1900. 😞
Glad you enjoyed.
Very good !!
So important.
Details are brilliant.
Thank you for watching.
Very interesting . My mother guided The Duke of Marlboro at The Nathaniel Chew House, Clivdon. It was the site of the Battle of Germantown. The next year we visited Blenheim Palace. It was one of my high points of our Oddesy.
Thank you for watching my video and for taking the time to share your family story.
Here's a what if..... When Winston first arrived in India to join the Malakand Field Force, he ripped his right shoulder climbing out of the boat below the Gateway to India monument in Bombay. He had his hand on the ladder when the boat dipped in the swell. He knew he was now unable, as a cavalry officer, to use his sword. At Omdurman you could argue his life was saved because during the charge of the Lancers he sheathed his sword and used the new Mauser pistol. It saved his life. So, no torn shoulder, no Winston, no WW2 leader.... PS thanks for your content. Fantastic. How about the desert column saving Gordon? Brits on camels and two extraordinary battles. Come on!
Desert column...? You are on! Just give me a little time.
Fascinating.War is never black and white.Thankfully with a great analysis to show us the intrcacies it is transformed from something dull into something absolutely essential to study.Thank you for grabbing my attention and keeping me rivetted to the story.
Thanks for watching. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Was Churchill a member of a Highland regiment in that picture as he's wearing Glengarry headwear and was he an officer in a Highland regiment in his early year's.
No he wasn't but he did become Lt. Colonel in the Royal Scots Fusiliers during the First World War.