home Anglo-Boer-War >> next << back
Military History – South Africa – Europe – England 19th Century
.Article – Online Historic Information | Military
.Page 80
and public buildings were converted into hospitals to deal with the epidemic. Doyle and his
companions fought the disease for three months. He wrote: “. . . the general condition of the town was
very bad. Coffins were out of the question, and the men were lowered in their brown blankets into
shallow graves at the average rate of sixty a day . . . You could smell Bloemfontein long before you
could see it.”
Doyle himself contracted fever, but fortunately in a mild form, although it did recur in later life.
By the time the British had taken Pretoria it appeared the war would soon be over and the hospital
was closed down. Doyle took a ship for England on 11 July. His account of the conflict, The Great
Boer War,was published later that year. While in South Africa Doyle had had some relief from his
duties and travelled, observed and questioned with eagerness. As a result he had formed some
adverse but well-founded opinions of the British conduct of the war and he did not disguise these
views in his book. His comments on tactics, the need for marksmanship and the irrelevance of the
attitudes of many of the officer class were not popular with the army. This was followed in 1902 with
The War in South Africa: Its Causes and Conduct,which was translated into a number of European
languages. Although critical of the British, it also condemned some Boer practices and was, on the
whole, well-balanced. It certainly influenced some of the Europeans in Britain’s favour. When
informed that the king, Edward VII, intended to confer a knighthood on him, Doyle considered
declining it as he felt he had only been doing his duty as a doctor in South Africa. However, he was
persuaded that to fail to accept would be an insult to the monarch and the honour was bestowed on 24
October 1902.
Bloemfontein; Medical Services; Sannaspos, Battle of.
Reference:
Booth, Martin, The Doctor, the Detective and Arthur Conan Doyle (London, Hodder and Stoughton,
1997).
Drakensberg Mountains
The borders south and east of the two Boer republics, the Orange Free State and the South African
Republic (the Transvaal), are defined by the mountains of the Drakensberg Range. They are difficult
to cross even today and effectively confined the war largely to two major theatres, Natal and the Boer
Republics. The territory held by the republics themselves consists, for the greater part, of wide bush
country, veldt, while the colony of Natal is a wedge of hilly country driving into the Drakensbergs.
See also:
Botha’s Pass, Action at; Brandwater Basin, Surrender at.
Driefontein, Battle of,
10 March 1900
The Battle of Driefontein was the final stand by the Boers, under De Wet, against the British before
the capture by the British of Bloemfontein. It was bravely fought by the Boers, but their
home
Anglo-Boer-War
>> next
<< back
Critical USA/EU Defense Intel Item / Threat Reporting Issue (Urgent for USA/NATO/German attention)
US/EU Investment & Security Risk – GBP Crash – ponzi ‘Rainbow Investment scheme ‘ – SEC insider Trading investigation
Additional Intel Details & Forecast(1 Year & 5 Year):
Industry : US & EU Defense
9/11 Attackers & Financiers : England(Prince Philip/Charles & Windsors)/Russia/China
Finance Source (9/11) : Diamonds via Anglo America plc / De Beers extracted SA & Namibia (ex German SWA) – Marketed China USA
Attack Co – Ordinators (9/11) : England -Windsors / Privy Council (UK)
Intelligence Intrusion Mgt/Blowback Suppression (9/11) : UK/England (MI5 & GCHQ – rainbow moles – Erik Ciaramella types )
Proxy Attack team(9/11) : Muslim “rainbow team” (non Christian) led by Mohammed Atta etc
Latest Defense Threat/Opportunity USA : Mi5/GCHQ “intel mole Erik Ciaramella unmasked” attempts to smear President Trump and enable corrupted $400million package to Ukraine
Latest Download Details :