home Anglo-Boer-War >> next << back
Military History – South Africa – Europe – England 19th Century
.Article – Online Historic Information | Military
.Page 140
might have been sensible in theory, but it failed in practice and for reasons he might have
foreseen if he had understood people better and been prepared to listen to others.
When Roberts returned to Britain in December 1900, supposing the war to be at an end,
Kitchener became Commander-in-Chief. He was energetic in devising drives or sweeps to round up
guerrilla bands of Boers but enjoyed small success at the outset. He developed Roberts’s policy of
farm burning to deny the Boers supplies and, somewhat casually, thought the women and children
remaining should be looked after as refugees, though he took little interest in how that was to be done.
This lack of attention to a non-military issue led directly to the suffering in the concentration camps
but was an error of neglect rather than a calculated policy of cruelty. The responsibility rests,
nonetheless, with him. The public outcry against the camps led to an abandonment of the policy of
putting newly evicted Boers in camps and the burden of caring for them fell instead on their families,
eventually a factor in the Boers’ surrender.
In order to create catchment areas to entrap the Boers Kitchener had a system of blockhouses and
barbed wire fences erected throughout the land. His methods, carried out with soulless determination,
reduced his enemies to poverty, despair and capitulation. In the peace negotiations he was equally
practical. Unmoved by thoughts of revenge, imperialism or economic and political domination, he
foresaw that reconciliation was needed if the land was to be occupied in peacetime by formerly
warring peoples. Unfortunately, like most men of his time, this liberalism did not extend to black
Africans and although Kitchener’s flexibility promoted the peace agreement, it also helped to lay the
foundations of the colour bar which would later develop into apartheid.
Kitchener became Secretary of State for War in 1914 and foresaw that the fight against Germany
would be long and hard. He therefore launched a recruiting campaign whose success was vital in the
outcome of the war. He was drowned when the cruiser HMS Hampshirestruck a mine off the Orkneys
on 5 June 1916.
See also:
Blockhouses; Concentration Camps; Drives; Paardeberg, Battle of.
Reference:
Hall, Darrell, ed. Fransjohan Pretorius and Gilbert Torlage, The Hall Handbook of the Anglo-Boer
War (Pietermaritzburg, University of Natal Press, 1999); Pakenham, Thomas, The Boer War
(London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1979; Abacus, 1992); Pollock, John, Kitchener: The Road to
Omdurman (London, Constable, 1998).
Klerksdorp Conference,
9 April 1902
In an effort to promote the acceptance of defeat amongst the Boers and hasten fruitful peace talks, the
British facilitated the holding of a conference in Klerksdorp, a town in the South African Republic
(ZAR or Transvaal) south-west of Potchefstroom. Among those attending were Acting President
Shalk Burger of the ZAR, President Marthinus Steyn of the Orange Free
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 :