There were two Boer
Wars, based in the Transvaal
region of South Africa
– 1880 to 1881 and 1899
to 1902.
The first war began
on 16th December 1880
with shots fired by
Transvaal Boers (farmers)
at Potchefstroom, after
Transvaal formally declared
independence from the
United Kingdom. From
22nd December 1880 to
6th January 1881, British
Army garrisons all over
the Transvaal became
besieged.
The British government
of William Gladstone
weighed up the prospects
and unwilling to get
further involved in
a distant war with minimal
returns, and demanding
of substantial troop
reinforcement and expense,
ordered a truce.
Under instructions
from the British Government,
Sir Evelyn Wood signed
an Armistice to end
the war, and subsequently
a Peace Treaty on the
6th March 1881. In the
final peace treaty on
23rd March, they gave
the Boers self-government
in the Transvaal under
a theoretical British
oversight. A three-man
Royal Commission drew
up the Pretoria Convention,
which was ratified on
25th October 1881, by
the Volksraad. This
led to the withdrawal
of the last British
troops.
The Convention of
Pretoria in 1881 and
the Convention of London
in 1884 restored Transvaal
autonomy but did not
specifically recognize
Transvaal independence.
By 1899 Britain was
again at war with the
Boer Republics in the
Second Boer War. This
time the lure of gold,
which was found in the
region in 1886, was
more than enough for
the U.K. Government
to commit the substantial
number of troops required.
War was declared
on 11th October 1899.
The Boers immediately
besieged the cities
of Ladysmith, Kimberley
and Mafeking – the latter
defended by Colonel
Robert Baden Powell
(who later went on to
form the Boys Scout
movement). In December
1899 some 8,000 Boers
under the command of
Louis Botha defeated
21,000 British troops
at the Battle of Colenso.
In early 1990 the British
suffered more defeats
in particular at the
Battle of Spion Kop;
some years later, supporters
of Liverpool Football
Club named the popular
end of their ground
at Anfield “The Spion
Kop”.
Mafeking was relieved
on the 18th May 1900
and by November General
Kitchener became Commander-in-Chief
of the British forces.
Over the next two years
the war deteriorated
into guerrilla fighting
with the British deploying
contingents of Yeomanry
rather than more experienced
troops. They also introduced
Concentration Camps
and adopted a scorched
earth policy to force
the Boers to surrender.
Eventually the last
of the Boers surrendered
in May 1902 and the
war ended with the Treaty
of Vereeniging signed
on signed on 31st May
that year.
Although the British
had won, this came at
a cost; the Boers were
given £3,000,000 for
reconstruction and were
promised eventual limited
self-government granted
in 1906 and 1907. The
treaty ended the existence
of the Transvaal and
the Orange Free State
as independent Boer
republics and placed
them within the British
Empire. The Union of
South Africa was established
as a member of the Commonwealth
in 1910.
In all, the war had
cost around 75,000 lives
- 22,000 British soldiers
(7,792 battle casualties,
the rest through disease)
and between 6,000 and
7,000 Boer soldiers.
In the concentration
camps, between 20,000
to 28,000 Boer civilians
(mainly women and children)
died. Some 20,000 black
Africans died on the
battlefield and in the
concentration camps.
During the conflict,
78 Victoria Crosses
(the highest and most
prestigious award in
the British armed forces
for bravery in the face
of the enemy) were awarded
to British, Commonwealth
and Colonial soldiers.
Troops from Canada,
New Zealand and Australia
also took part in the
War on the side of the
British, an act to be
repeated during the
First World War some
14 years later.
Lancashire
Infantry Regiments,
mainly ‘County’ regiments
such as The Loyal North
Lancashire Regiment
based at Fulwood Barracks
in Preston send men,
mostly volunteers, to
South Africa. Similarly,
men from the cotton
towns of East Lancashire
served in South Africa
with the 1st Battalion
of the East Lancashire
Regiment.
In 1904, Preston
unveiled their Boer
War Memorial on the
Flag Market in the town,
to commemorate 124 officers
and men from the Loyals
who died in the War.
This memorial is now
in Avenham Park, having
made way for a larger
memorial to men from
the town who were killed
in the First World War.
Brindle
David
FOULKES
David FOULKES
(1872 - 1950) of Bournes
Row in Brindle fought
in the Boer War. Born
in Aston near Stone
in Staffordshire, he
enlisted in the East
Lancashire Regiment
at Darwen on the 2nd
March 1900. He served
as Private 7357 David
Foulks in the Volunteer
Co., 1st Bn. All-in-all
he spent two years and
113 days in the Army,
of which one year and
91 days were abroad;
he left the Army on
the 22nd June 1902 at
Fulwood Barracks in
Preston. During the
First World War (and
by this time in his
forties) he served as
a Lance Corporal in
the Liverpool Regiment,
although he did not
see active service abroad.
He lived in Brindle
from 1902 until his
death on 22nd May 1950,
working at Brindle Mill
and living on Bournes
Row; he is buried in
the graveyard at Brindle
St. Joseph’s.
Francis John BOURNE
(1864 - 1940) was known
in the village as “Captain
Bourne”, being a member
of the Bourne family
who owned Brindle Mill
and the houses on Bournes
Row. A search of the
1901 census reveals
that he was not in Brindle
or the U.K. for that
matter. It is possible
that he was serving
in the Boer War, as
records show that he
was recalled to the
colours in 1914 (full
details can be found
in the WW1 section).
Thomas ROBINSON
HEATON was born
in Brindle in 1885 and
served as Boy Drummer
7258 in the Lancashire
Fusiliers during the
second Boer War. He
enlisted at Preston
on the 19th April 1899
at the age of 14 years
and 3 months, serving
in South Africa from
the 4th June 1901 until
the 24th July 1902.
He was discharged at
his own request at Bury
on the 24th May 1905,
receiving a £5.00 war
gratuity. Later he re-enlisted
as Gunner 36147 in the
Royal Field Artillery,
serving in World War
One.
Source:
National Archives, WW1
Soldiers Pension Records
Alfred WALMSLEY
of 42 Bournes Row, Brindle
served in South Africa
from May 1901 to March
1903. Born on the 14th
September 1878, he would
appear to be a career
soldier, spending 9
years with the 2nd Bn.
Kings Own Royal Lancaster
Regiment (Serial No.
6282); he also served
in Malta (1903) then
India (1903 to 1907).
At the age of 36 he
re-enlisted at Preston
on the 21st December
1914, serving in the
First World War with
the Loyal North Lancashire
Regiment (Pt., 3457)
and then as a Lance
Corporal in the Labour
Corps (565590), seeing
action abroad during
1917.
Despite him being
released by the Army
on the 3rd September
1919, he re-enlisted
for a further (but shorter)
stint this time with
the RAMC (Pt., 200206)
serving at the Military
Hospital in Whalley
from the 5th September
1919 until finally leaving
the Army on the 27th
August 1920. His records
showed that he was a
Weaver, probably at
Brindle Mill.
Source:
National Archives, WW1
Soldiers Pension Records
