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THE SOUTH AFRICAN TRAGEDY
New Zealand's Role 1899-1902 Lt. Col. (Rtd) Tony Howell, MC RNZIR/ NZSAS |
Synopsis:
2024 marks the 125th anniversary of the departure of the First New Zealand Mounted Rifle (NZMR) Contingent from Wellington on 21 October 1899. This was New Zealand’s first involvement in an overseas war.
The First South African War, 1880 to 1881, failed to resolve issues between the Boers and British. An uneasy peace existed until the Boer Republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State declared war on Britain on 11 October 1899. The Boers had prepared for the war by re-arming over the preceding three years, and the British responded by mobilising their 1st Army Corps.
The Imperial Government requested support from the colonies, with New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Rhodesia and Natal responding. In 1899, New Zealand was a colony of Great Britain. Following the New Zealand Wars (1845 to 1872) the nation’s people had lived in relative harmony for 27 years. Premier Richard Seddon was determined to provide the first colonial contingent to join the war and, aided by an enthusiastic population of just 800,000, he succeeded. The First Contingent of New Zealand Mounted Rifles arrived in Cape Town on 23 November 1899. New Zealand would provide ten contingents comprising nearly 6,500 men and 8,000 horses; to fight in their first foreign war.
Phase one of the war did not go well for the British with four major early defeats. Field Marshal Lord Roberts arrived to take over command of British forces in January 1900, and he, along with massive reinforcements, turned the tide in Britain’s favour.
While the Ninth and Tenth Contingents arrived too late to be involved in operations, the earlier Contingents were engaged in extensive skirmishing as well as heavy fighting. Major battles involving the Contingents were: Slingersfontein, the relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Diamond Hill, Sanna’s Post, Barberton, Rhenosterkop and Langverwacht. The Contingents proved their skill and professionalism in the pursuit of de Wet’s commando at Kameelpoort Drift and de la Rey’s commando near Wildfontein. During the war, 228 men died: 59 men were KIA, 11 DOW, 133 died of disease. Twenty-five were killed accidentally – 16 in the Machavie railway accident.
The South African Tragedy gives the reader the historical context of the Second South African War and details the part New Zealand played in it. During their deployment in that war, the NZMR Contingents won high praise from senior officers such as Field Marshals Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener. The battles described in this book show the professionalism and courage of New Zealand’s Mounted Rifles as they patrolled and fought in a hostile land chasing a wily, courageous and aggressive Boer enemy. These men answered their government’s call and did their nation proud.
Review the Tragedy of the South African War 1889-1902
by Peter Millward. After more than 20 years as a teacher, Peter Millward then
spent a similar amount of time in the Museum sector. Science and community
engagement have been a common theme in both parts of his working life.
Since retirement from being Director of Nelson Provincial Museum he has
spent countless hours researching the military and early settler history
of Nelson.
Many books have been written about the 2nd Boer War [2nd South African War] but very few have taken the time to try and explain its origins in the historical context provided in the early chapters of New Zealanders Role in the South African Tragedy.
Despite the embarrassment of defeats in the 1st Boer War the British continued to supply arms to the Boers right up to 1899. They would rue the day as the highly mobile mounted commandos harassed and killed British and Colonial troops in an environment they knew and understood very well. British troops complete with white helmets and red jackets provided excellent targets for Boer marksmen.
The volume is bookended with a first person account [albeit not a real Trooper] of enlistment in the Contingents sent from New Zealand, supported and funded initially by public subscriptions as well as Government funds; ending with his return home. This sets the tone for the telling of subsequent actions; a mixture of personal accounts, official records, an excellent selection of historical images and some wonderful full colour contemporary images of important battle grounds.
Students of war history will find plenty to keep them enthralled, aided by well-drawn maps and photos. Consider the steady aim of a Boer who can without telescopic sights take out a British soldier at a distance of a kilometre or more. But this book offers far more than just a study of weapons, tactics, strategies, successes and blunders, though these are covered in considerable detail.
It goes on to consider the history of the medical aid available at the time. As would be the case just over a decade later, a silent enemy was enteric fever being the major cause of death. It also takes into account the social impact on Boer families who in many cases were extracted from their homesteads and placed into concentration camps where they died in their thousands. The intent may have been to try and shorten the war but there sentiment and anger it generated amongst the strictly religious Boer must have been very obvious.
The role of women is not omitted here as it so often has been in other texts. Neither is the impact on indigenous peoples, whether that is Māori at home in Aotearoa or the black nations of Africa. Fascinating to see that in endeavouring to see Māori soldiers officially included Premier Seddon calls on The Treaty of Waitangi to support the claim that as equal citizens, Māori had a right to fight for the same cause. A number of Māori did serve in South Africa, frequently anglicising their names to do so. This was paralleled in WW1 by soldiers whose families were of German origin. The other parallel between South Africa and Europe fifteen years later is the role of animals, more than 8000 horses used by the men of NZMR, as well as thousands of mules, donkeys and oxen.
In behind, and at a distance that made communication difficult at best, Colonial and Imperial Governments played out their stately roles, often with no real knowledge of what was happening on the ground. Why was Premier Seddon so determined to have New Zealand troops be first on the scene to help ‘mother England’? This was after all the first time New Zealand born troops fought on foreign soil. Public sentiment may have been very jingoistic to begin with but this quickly soured as troop deaths mounted. The memorials to the dead sprung up quickly in the years after the war and they continue to be permanent reminders of the conflict and its consequences, and places of remembrance as befits their intent.
Few books of this nature reflect on the ongoing impacts or on lessons learned. This author is knowledgeable enough to attempt both and the result is a rather sobering and sad reflection worthy of contemplation by those responsible for committing troops to conflict.
The book has an extremely thorough index and set of appendices that provide an excellent aide to anyone wanting to study this conflict at a national, regional or local level. This level of detailed indexing facilitates navigating the detail. Students of history will see it for what it is – a tragic example of what happens when diplomacy fails. It will be interesting to see if students are given the opportunity to study this conflict separated as it is by 125 years from the present fighting in all parts of the globe.
Publishing Date: 21 October 2024
Price: $86.00
Size: 200mm x 260mm
Extent: 364 Pages (approx)
Illustrations: 350 coloured & B/W (approx).
Binding: Cased & Dust Jacketed
ISBN: 978-0-9941323-7-6
2024 marks the 125th anniversary of the departure of the First New Zealand Mounted Rifle (NZMR) Contingent from Wellington on 21 October 1899. This was New Zealand’s first involvement in an overseas war.
The First South African War, 1880 to 1881, failed to resolve issues between the Boers and British. An uneasy peace existed until the Boer Republics of the Transvaal and Orange Free State declared war on Britain on 11 October 1899. The Boers had prepared for the war by re-arming over the preceding three years, and the British responded by mobilising their 1st Army Corps.
The Imperial Government requested support from the colonies, with New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Rhodesia and Natal responding. In 1899, New Zealand was a colony of Great Britain. Following the New Zealand Wars (1845 to 1872) the nation’s people had lived in relative harmony for 27 years. Premier Richard Seddon was determined to provide the first colonial contingent to join the war and, aided by an enthusiastic population of just 800,000, he succeeded. The First Contingent of New Zealand Mounted Rifles arrived in Cape Town on 23 November 1899. New Zealand would provide ten contingents comprising nearly 6,500 men and 8,000 horses; to fight in their first foreign war.
Phase one of the war did not go well for the British with four major early defeats. Field Marshal Lord Roberts arrived to take over command of British forces in January 1900, and he, along with massive reinforcements, turned the tide in Britain’s favour.
While the Ninth and Tenth Contingents arrived too late to be involved in operations, the earlier Contingents were engaged in extensive skirmishing as well as heavy fighting. Major battles involving the Contingents were: Slingersfontein, the relief of Kimberley, Paardeberg, Diamond Hill, Sanna’s Post, Barberton, Rhenosterkop and Langverwacht. The Contingents proved their skill and professionalism in the pursuit of de Wet’s commando at Kameelpoort Drift and de la Rey’s commando near Wildfontein. During the war, 228 men died: 59 men were KIA, 11 DOW, 133 died of disease. Twenty-five were killed accidentally – 16 in the Machavie railway accident.
The South African Tragedy gives the reader the historical context of the Second South African War and details the part New Zealand played in it. During their deployment in that war, the NZMR Contingents won high praise from senior officers such as Field Marshals Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener. The battles described in this book show the professionalism and courage of New Zealand’s Mounted Rifles as they patrolled and fought in a hostile land chasing a wily, courageous and aggressive Boer enemy. These men answered their government’s call and did their nation proud.
Review the Tragedy of the South African War 1889-1902
by Peter Millward. After more than 20 years as a teacher, Peter Millward then
spent a similar amount of time in the Museum sector. Science and community
engagement have been a common theme in both parts of his working life.
Since retirement from being Director of Nelson Provincial Museum he has
spent countless hours researching the military and early settler history
of Nelson.
Many books have been written about the 2nd Boer War [2nd South African War] but very few have taken the time to try and explain its origins in the historical context provided in the early chapters of New Zealanders Role in the South African Tragedy.
Despite the embarrassment of defeats in the 1st Boer War the British continued to supply arms to the Boers right up to 1899. They would rue the day as the highly mobile mounted commandos harassed and killed British and Colonial troops in an environment they knew and understood very well. British troops complete with white helmets and red jackets provided excellent targets for Boer marksmen.
The volume is bookended with a first person account [albeit not a real Trooper] of enlistment in the Contingents sent from New Zealand, supported and funded initially by public subscriptions as well as Government funds; ending with his return home. This sets the tone for the telling of subsequent actions; a mixture of personal accounts, official records, an excellent selection of historical images and some wonderful full colour contemporary images of important battle grounds.
Students of war history will find plenty to keep them enthralled, aided by well-drawn maps and photos. Consider the steady aim of a Boer who can without telescopic sights take out a British soldier at a distance of a kilometre or more. But this book offers far more than just a study of weapons, tactics, strategies, successes and blunders, though these are covered in considerable detail.
It goes on to consider the history of the medical aid available at the time. As would be the case just over a decade later, a silent enemy was enteric fever being the major cause of death. It also takes into account the social impact on Boer families who in many cases were extracted from their homesteads and placed into concentration camps where they died in their thousands. The intent may have been to try and shorten the war but there sentiment and anger it generated amongst the strictly religious Boer must have been very obvious.
The role of women is not omitted here as it so often has been in other texts. Neither is the impact on indigenous peoples, whether that is Māori at home in Aotearoa or the black nations of Africa. Fascinating to see that in endeavouring to see Māori soldiers officially included Premier Seddon calls on The Treaty of Waitangi to support the claim that as equal citizens, Māori had a right to fight for the same cause. A number of Māori did serve in South Africa, frequently anglicising their names to do so. This was paralleled in WW1 by soldiers whose families were of German origin. The other parallel between South Africa and Europe fifteen years later is the role of animals, more than 8000 horses used by the men of NZMR, as well as thousands of mules, donkeys and oxen.
In behind, and at a distance that made communication difficult at best, Colonial and Imperial Governments played out their stately roles, often with no real knowledge of what was happening on the ground. Why was Premier Seddon so determined to have New Zealand troops be first on the scene to help ‘mother England’? This was after all the first time New Zealand born troops fought on foreign soil. Public sentiment may have been very jingoistic to begin with but this quickly soured as troop deaths mounted. The memorials to the dead sprung up quickly in the years after the war and they continue to be permanent reminders of the conflict and its consequences, and places of remembrance as befits their intent.
Few books of this nature reflect on the ongoing impacts or on lessons learned. This author is knowledgeable enough to attempt both and the result is a rather sobering and sad reflection worthy of contemplation by those responsible for committing troops to conflict.
The book has an extremely thorough index and set of appendices that provide an excellent aide to anyone wanting to study this conflict at a national, regional or local level. This level of detailed indexing facilitates navigating the detail. Students of history will see it for what it is – a tragic example of what happens when diplomacy fails. It will be interesting to see if students are given the opportunity to study this conflict separated as it is by 125 years from the present fighting in all parts of the globe.
Publishing Date: 21 October 2024
Price: $86.00
Size: 200mm x 260mm
Extent: 364 Pages (approx)
Illustrations: 350 coloured & B/W (approx).
Binding: Cased & Dust Jacketed
ISBN: 978-0-9941323-7-6