The Second Boer War Revision Notes, this is a powerpoint of notes that helped me memorize things about the Second Boer War 1899-1901. It outlines the specific battles and events such as Black Week. I printed these power points off and used them as flashcards. I hope it helps.

1. 1899-1901
The Second Boer War

2. First
Phase
Under General
Buller
British suffer
severe causalities
and defeats
Ladysmith:
• Most important siege
• Nov 1899- Feb 1900
• 35,000 Boers surrounded Ladysmith
• Sir George White, British commander
set up a defensive perimeter.
• Much of the defences were left in the
hands of the Junior Officers which is
criticised.
• Relief: Boer’s withdrew after Kitchener
stepped in with new commander in
chief Lord Roberts and used artillery
bombardment. 118 day siege
SIEGES
Kimberley
• Mining town
• Oct 1899 – Feb 1900
• Heavy losses suffered on Boer side
• Improvised and quick defence of town
Mafeking
• Longest siege
• Oct 1899-may 1900
• Heavy losses on Boer side
• Considerable media attention
because
Lord Edward Cecil besieged in town,
son of British priminister.
• Commander Powell considered
hero.
• Relief was morale boost with little
military significance.

3. Black Week
10-17 December 1899
1.Battle of
Stormberg 10th Dec -
General Gatacre• Boer picket opened fire causing half of
Gatacre’s force to Rush forward on the
offensive.
• The kopje was hard to climb
• Gatacre’s force was hit by enemy fire and its
own artillery as they scrambled up the rocks.
• A panicked retreat was attacked by Boer
reinforcements from both sides.
• In the confusion 600 British soldiers were left
behind
Outcome:
• Gatacre blamed for forcing unnecessary
marches and hard labour on his soldiers
• This bad leadership left the soldiers confused
and tired with little morale left to fight.
• British arm was not yet as agile as mobile in
their tactics.
Gatacre’s troops

4. 2. Battle of Magersfontein
11 Dec – General Methuen
 Methuen in command of Scottish
Highlanders
 British were confident that Boer’s
were encamped on surrounding
hills and believed they would be
sleeping in their tents/easy targets
in early morning hours.
 In reality Boer’s had dug deep
trenches on the hill slopes and
were waiting for British.
 When British attacked, Boer rifle
fire pinned troops down out in
the open desert under scorching
afternoon sun.
 Many died of heat exposure
 Bad planning and bad location
made British easy targets and led

5. 3. Battle of Colenso
15TH Dec – General Buller and Hildyard
 Buller’s army were to cross Tugela
River.
 A miscalculation and lack of
cooperation between divisions led
to defeat
 Local guide led Buller’s troops to the
wrong part of the river where they
were ambushed by Boer troops led
by General Botha.
 Hildyard’s troops had already
crossed river and were moving
towards Colenso with Buller’s army
being the reinforcement.
 With Buller’s army stranded at the
river crossing, Hildyard’s occupation
at Colenso was weak, they became
stranded too and had to retreat.
 The lack of local knowledge of area

6. Battle of Spion Kop
January 23-24, 1900
General Buller
20,000 men
General Botha
8,000 men
Strengths and weaknesses
Of British troops
Strengths and weaknesses of
Boer troops
• Heavy fog made it hard to see
• Trenches could only be dug 16 inches
deep due to rocky terrain.
• General Warren led the army to Spion
Kop.
• Failed to occupy highest parts of Spion
Kop
• Important generals killed during
crossfire making leadership
disorganised and slow.
• Held superior positions on high parts
of hill.
• troops under quickly advanced and
occupied Conical Hill and Aloe Knoll
before the British could occupy these
hills.
• Both British and Boer’s suffered heavy
causalities.
After this battle Buller was discharged
of his post as commanding general and
General Sir Roberts stepped in instead.
Although Buller relieved Ladysmith a
few days later he is not remembered as
a competent leader due to Black week
and Spion Kop.

7. Post Black Week
 British army changed its approach
 Lord Roberts and then Kitchener led the army.
 New recruits for cavalry and mounted infantry
 Ineffectiveness of traditional tactic were reviewed
 New leadership

8. Second Phase
Feb 1900 – June 1900
 British managed to relieve the sieges and capture key Boer settlements
 Lord Robert’s aka ‘Bobs’ was the British commander at this point.
 People believed the war was won after many victories following Black week
Third ‘Guerrilla’ Phase
late 1900 and throughout
1901• Boer’s fought back with a determined Guerrilla Campaign
• Field Marshall Kitchener was commanding the army.
• Boer commandos attacked British railways and supply lines
• The British responded by destroying Boer farms, clearing Boer areas
• Concentration Camps were set up
• In May 1902 the Peace of Vereeniging was signed settling the war
with British imperialism as Orange free state and Transvaal became
part of the British empire.

9. MEDIAAND PUBLIC OPINION
Churchill’s reports
• Pro-war
• Strongly believed British would
Win despite weaknesses
• His journalism made people at home feel
close to the action.
Changing attitudes:
After Black week reports of victories
sparked flag waving jubilation.
Public opinion became aggressively
pro-war. Major newspapers took on a
jingoistic tone.
Popular Culture
Generally patriotic and pro-army
War songs were sung in streets and
ballads were written and British soldiers
were celebrated and popularised with
great enthusiasm.
Press Coverage
Most of the British press backed the
war and most sent correspondents to
South Africa. For example The Daily
Mail was fiercely imperialist.
Anti-War
W.T Stead founded Stop the War Committee, launched attacks on the
conditions of Boer’s in camps. Called the camps ‘ a cold blooded deed of
state policy’ against people Britain was unable to defeat on the battlefield.

10. The Hobhouse Reports Activist Emily Hobhouse as part f the South
African Conciliation Committee spoke against
war at protests and rallies.
 Set up fund to collect money for Boer families
living in camps
 the Fawcett Commission had made some
recommendations for improvement
 Left for South Africa Dec 1900
 was appalled by conditions and mortality rates in
British Concentration Camps.
 Bloemfontein Camp, insanitary and desperate
for food.
 Food rationing was inadequate and selective,
meat was not given to families who’s menfolk
were fighting.
 Children dying in vast numbers from
malnutrition.
 After visiting many camps Hobhouse returned to
England and reported. It took till June 1901 for
her plea to reach the government.
 Reaction to report- some government and
press quarters reacted with hostility.
 Liberal MP’s published her reports in their
newspapers without giving her credit.
 Hobhouse was banned from going back to South
Africa.
 Finally the responsibility of the camps were
transferred from the military to civilian
administration and camp death rate fell to 2%
which is natural death rate at this period of time.
28,000 Boer’s and 20,000 black African
died in these camps.
A mother with dead child.

11. British Concentration Camps
 Roberts’ 'concentration camp' system was expanded, wherein civilians were
confined in camps, especially women and children whose houses had been
burned. In Kitchener’s view this meant that burghers on commando would no
longer be able to obtain food from women on the farms, and would, moreover,
surrender in order to reunite their families.
 Black people, too, were gathered in concentration camps, partly to deprive the
commandos of yet another means of getting to food producers, and to obtain
black labour for the gold mines that had been re-opened by mid-1901.
 In South Africa, the bad administration of the camps led to poor quality of food,
unhygienic conditions and inadequate medical arrangements. Consequently
civilians suffered terribly. Eventually 28,000 Boer women and children and at
least 20,000 black people died in the camps.

12. Khaki Election
 There was a debate on national efficiency
 General election of 1901
 The press broadly supportive of government policy
 Conservative party largely in favour of war
 Liberals and radicals opposed war
 David l. George opposed war
 Sir Henry Campell Bannerman leader of liberal party
spoke out against mistreatment of Boer families and
the war in general.
 Priminister Lord Salisbury called a general election in
the autumn of 1900. The war a key issue and many
candidates were army officers therefore the election
became known as The Khaki election.

13. Reforms
Esher reforms
1904
 The Esher Report of
1904, chaired by Lord
Esher, recommended
radical reform of the
British Army
 The Second Boer War of
1899-1902 exposed
weakness and
inefficiency in the British
Army and demonstrated
how isolated Britain was
from the rest of the world
 The War Secretary was
to have the same power
as the First Lord of the
Admiralty and all military
topics submitted to the
Crown would go through
him.
the War Office was to be
radically re-organised on
rational grounds.
Pg 30 revision book.
Haldane Reforms
1906-1912
• Secretary of State of war
Richard Haldane
In the light of lessons newly
learned in the Second Boer War.
• The major element of the
reforms was the creation of an
expeditionary force,
specifically prepared and
trained for intervening in a
major war.
• To ensure that home defense
would not suffer from sending
the regular forces overseas,
the Militia formed the Special
Reserve and the Volunteer
Force
• in the words of Douglas Haig,
"the greatest Secretary of
State for War England has
ever had“
• Territorial Force provided
forces for home defence.
Liberal reforms