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Ad Rates / Articles / Classified Ads / Editorial / Home / Links / Showtime   Anglo-Boer War postcards tell a story   List Mike Smith Next   The Anglo-Boer War: A Brutal Conflict with Wonderful Memorabilia   By Mike Smith The Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) was a brutal conflict that pitted the British Empire against a tenacious Boer "citizen's army." Sifting through the reasons for this war, one soon realizes that it all boiled down to greed (what else?)   When gold was discovered in Transvaal in 1886, it was the beginning of the end of Boer independence. Eyed by the British for decades, the Boer republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State became urgent targets for absorption into the Empire. Prominent Englishmen like Cape Colony's legendary Cecil Rhodes, and British Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain decried that British control of Africa should extend from "Cape Colony to Cairo."   President Paul Kruger of Transvaal and President Martinus Steyn of the Orange Free State certainly saw things differently. Paul Kruger, whose name lives on as the South African "Krugerrand" gold coin, was affectionately known as "Oom Paul" (Uncle Paul) to his Boer countrymen (see Figure 1). Figure 1. A hard cover, pocket book sized life of Transvaal President Paul Kruger published in Philadelphia in 1900. The Boers had many sympathizers in the USA and continental Europe.   When war was declared on October 11, 1899, the British soon learned that they were not dealing with a band of primitive yokels. Using Transvaal gold, the Boers had wisely purchased modern weaponry from Europe before the conflict Their scouting, hunting and leadership skills, combined with German-made Mauser rifles and French "Long Tom" artillery pieces, made them formidable adversaries.   Before long, the British South African cities of Mafeking, Kimberly and Ladysmith were under siege by the Boers, and the vaunted British Army had suffered humiliating defeats at the Battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein, Colenso and Spion Kop. The siege of Mafeking is well known to Boy & Girl Scout enthusiasts. The commander of the city's garrison during the siege was Colonel Robert Baden-Powell, who gained fame defending the city and was universally lauded in the years after the war for founding the Boy Scout Movement (see Figure 2). Figure 2. Cigarette cards from the Boer War era are not hard to find and make wonderful collectibles. Celebrities shown here from left to right include Colonel Baden-Powell, Lord Roberts, Lord Kitchener and General Buller.   In January 1900, Lord Roberts of Kandahar arrived in South Africa to take command of all British forces, which had been buoyed over the previous months by an influx of volunteers from the around the Empire. The first 1,000 of Canada's eventual 7,000-man contribution were trained and ready for a scrap. Roberts rallied the troops and on February 27, 1900, achieved the first important British victory of the war at the Battle of Paardeberg.   This victory is significant in Canadian military history because our soldiers distinguished themselves during the battle and were credited with its success. After the fighting, Lord Roberts sent an official dispatch to the British Government stating, among other things, that "Canadian now stands for bravery, dash and courage."   When congratulations were sent to Canada from Queen Victoria, British Prime Minister Salisbury and government officials throughout the Empire, our country went wild with pride and celebrations. The Battle of Paardeberg became an instant symbol of Canada's military prowess and souvenirs of the battle popped up everywhere (see Figure 3). Figure 3. A highly collectible trade card from Price's Patent Candle Co., Ltd. with a Lord Roberts' portrait and scene from the Battle of Paardeberg. The back of the card describes Canada's significant contribution to the victory.   Throughout 1900, the British gained the upper hand in the conflict, liberating their besieged cities and capturing the Boer capitals of Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Pretoria. Satisfied that the war was 99% won, Roberts returned to Britain to a hero's welcome. Before leaving South Africa, he turned over the reins to his Chief of Staff, Lord Kitchener of Khartoum (see Figure 4), with orders to "mop up."   Kitchener would soon learn that mopping up was a lot easier said than done. The Boers switched to guerrilla war tactics after their key cities had fallen and kept up a tenacious resistance. The conflict only ended after Kitchener constructed a series of blockhouses to protect railway lines from attack, and implemented a ruthless "scorched earth" campaign that slowly robbed the Boer fighters of sustenance.   During the scorched earth campaign, all Boer farms suspected of supplying men or material to the resistance were burned to the ground and the inhabitants, mostly women, children and the elderly, were herded into concentration camps. Tragically, it is estimated that over 25,000 concentration camp inmates, half of them children under 16, died from malnutrition and disease by war's end.   Figure 4. A colourful pin back button of Lord Roberts, a Lord Roberts souvenir watch fob (Kitchener's portrait is on the reverse) and a Lord Kitchener trading card from a box of chocolates. Patriotic souvenirs like these were very popular during the Anglo-Boer War, especially when news of British victories hit the streets. At the end of the day, the British Empire "builders" did achieve their objective. By the time peace was signed with the Boers on May 31, 1902, Transvaal and the Orange Free State were indeed part of the Empire. The cost, however, had been enormous. Over 75,000 men, women and children had perished, and British military prestige had been severely tarnished.   If there's a bright side to all this, today's memorabilia collector has an abundance of Anglo-Boer War trade cards, pin back buttons, plates, jugs, cigar boxes, ashtrays, silks, napkins, beer mats, etc. to satisfy his/her cravings. As for Anglo-Boer War postcards, let's just say that they're important enough to warrant a special article sometime in the future.   If you would like to learn more about postcards, in 2003, Mike authored The Canadian Patriotic Postcard Checklist 1898-1928, which is a full colour handbook and price guide for all Canadian patriotic postcards in circulation in that eventful 30-year period. His second postcard book, The W.G. MacFarlane Picture Postcard Handbook 1902-1910, hit the streets in 2006 and focuses on the amazing variety of postcards published by one of Canada’s most prolific early 20th century printers. Mike's latest book, The Warwick Bros. & Rutter Picture Postcard Handbook 1903-1912, was released in July 2007 in limited quantities. Mike currently resides in Mississauga with his wife and “three” kids (one son, one daughter, and Mooch the cat).You can reach him at 905-567-3370 or send him an e-mail       Return to top of page   This Is Livin' Publishing © 2007 581 8th Line West, RR1 Hastings, ON, K0L 1Y0 Phone/Fax: 705-696-1833   webmaster