Ghost and the Gnu

We were up at 6:15am thanks to our friendly wagtail that likes to tap on our car windows all day. He fancies himself in our wing mirrors.
After a couple of coffees we shifted all of the bedding and mattresses into our on- site kitchenette and bathroom and put away all our electrical stuff and then we put the rest of the trailer away and at 8am we pulled out of the campsite.
TomTom has decided in the last few days to take us on the TomTom township terrors tours and we keep having to do screeching 180° turns before we end up in gangland and this morning was no exception only the 180° turn with the trailer on the back looks far more dramatic.
We pulled in to 4x4 Mega world at 8:45am, dropped the trailer off and then left to go just 10 minutes down the road to the Anglo Boer war Museum. This had been recommended to us by our new friend at 4x4 mega world, apparently in this war we were the bad guys and it was a war that we knew nothing about.
We pulled into the car park at 9:30am and the grounds were massive and beautifully kept. There was a large building ahead of us which was the main museum and a huge cenotaphic sculpture behind with plaques lining the pathway to the sculpture.
Various tin buildings were also dotted around the site.
We entered the museum and paid our 30p each and then went to look around. Initially we were just here to kill time and entering the first room were tiled pictures of the famous South African generals of the war of whom we knew none. The tiles were made and housed in the Rotterdam parliament during the war. In this room this we still didn’t know anything about the war, how it started or who or what it was over. Then we entered the second room and everything changed.
If your English and have never heard of the Anglo Boer war it’s because we really were the bad guys. For that reason it will never be taught in an English school or history lesson. We are taught that the Germans invented concentration camps to kill the Jews. The truth as we found out today is that the British invented concentration camps to house the women and children of the fighting men in the war.
The Anglo-Boer War, also known as the Second Anglo-Boer War or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and two Boer republics in Southern Africa: the South African Republic (commonly called the Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. It lasted from 1899 to 1902 and was primarily driven by British imperial interests and the Boer desire for independence.

Key Causes:
1. British Imperialism: The British sought to consolidate their control over South Africa, driven by the discovery of gold and diamonds in the Boer republics, which increased the economic and strategic value of the region.
2. Boer Nationalism: The Boers, descendants of Dutch settlers, had established two independent republics and sought to maintain their independence from British rule.
3. Tensions over British Policies: The British implemented policies that restricted Boer rights, such as limiting the influence of Boers in the political sphere. This caused frustration among the Boers.
4. The Jameson Raid (1895): A failed attempt by British-backed forces to overthrow the Boer government in the Transvaal increased animosity and mistrust.

Major Phases of the War:
1. Initial British Success: The British began the war with an expectation of a quick victory, but they were initially met with fierce resistance from the Boer forces, which were highly skilled in guerrilla tactics.
2. Boer Guerrilla Warfare: The Boers, led by generals like Piet Cronjé, Koos de la Rey, and Louis Botha, used guerrilla tactics, attacking British supply lines, ambushing troops, and utilizing the rough terrain to their advantage.
3. British Response and Scorched Earth Policy: The British, under generals like Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener, shifted tactics to a more brutal approach. They employed a scorched earth policy, burning Boer farms and interned Boer civilians in concentration camps. This led to significant suffering among the civilian population.
4. International Attention: The war garnered global attention, with many in Britain critical of the brutal tactics used. The plight of the Boer civilians in the concentration camps was a significant international issue.

Conclusion of the War:

The war ended in 1902 with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging, which saw the two Boer republics becoming part of the British Empire, though they were granted self-government. The Boers were granted amnesty, and the Dutch language was recognized alongside English as an official language in South Africa. Despite the British victory, the Boers retained a sense of pride and resistance to British rule.

Aftermath and Legacy:
• Political Impact: The war contributed to the eventual unification of South Africa in 1910 under British dominion, which later became the Union of South Africa.
• Economic and Human Cost: The war left deep scars, with significant loss of life, especially among the Boer civilian population in concentration camps, and a lasting sense of bitterness.
• Impact on Apartheid: The war’s aftermath contributed to the development of Afrikaner nationalism, which later played a key role in the rise of apartheid in South Africa after World War II.
During the Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), the British established a system of concentration camps to detain Boer civilians, particularly women and children, as part of their strategy to weaken the Boer forces. These camps were often overcrowded, unsanitary, and lacked adequate food, clean water, and medical care, leading to a high death toll.

It is estimated that around 26,000 Boers—primarily women and children—died in these concentration camps. The majority of the victims were children, who made up roughly 22,000 of the deaths. The total number of civilian deaths in the camps is believed to be around 28,000 when including some men, though women and children were by far the most affected.
The conditions in the camps were harsh, with rampant diseases like typhoid, dysentery, and malnutrition contributing significantly to the death toll. The British treatment of Boer civilians, especially in these camps, caused outrage both in Britain and internationally, and the camps remain one of the most tragic aspects of the war’s history.
When we came out of the main building we felt somewhat ashamed to be British and traumatised at the history we had just learned.
Outside the cenotaphic sculpture we had seen was a memorial to the women and children who had died in the concentration camps and the plaques up the walkway depicted all of the camps and how many people had died in each one. It was beautifully done and horrific at the same time.
The tin buildings we had seen dotted around were actual buildings used by the British during the war and had been saved from demolition.
After the museum we went to the restaurant and had something to eat and drink and then we sat in the memorial gardens pondering on what we had just learnt until 4x4 Megaworld called to say the trailer was ready.
We took the 10 minute drive to the retail park paid the £400 for the work and now finally we have a working trailer that is able to go off grid. We were annoyed that we had, had to shell out the extra expense but grateful to have it fixed.
We returned to camp at 4:30pm and reset camp. The campsite now has another 8 tents and caravans and is sounding busy. We like being on our own.
At 6pm we had dinner and then just sat outside chilling for the rest of the evening until we went in to watch tv at 9pm. Czytaj więcej