Boer War 1899-1902

[truthergw]

Having just read Haig's Diaries and realising that all the senior British officers were Boer War veterans, I decided to read about it to see how it had affected their approach to WW1. The book I chose was Thomas Packenham's " The Boer War". It is fairly large and received very good reviews. I have to say that it is very well written and reads very well. The trouble is, I can only read a few pages at a time.

The opening stages of the war are a catalogue of disasters. I cannot understand how Britain retained an empire with such a parcel of unmitigated buffoons in charge of her army. Every time the troops are lead into a completely unsustainable position and then slaughtered, I have to lay the book aside until I calm down. I have only read as far as the start of the battle of Colenso. I cannot, for the life of me, see how Britain managed to win this war.

The really depressing factor for me is that it is like a description of WW1. It seems that the majors and colonels of the Boer War had become brigadiers and generals in WW1 and learned nothing in the interval.

There now! I feel all the better of getting that off my chest.

[AndyHollinger]

There is a better and easier book you should look at ... Called Victoria's small wars or something like that - I know I shouldn't talk till I know, but the bibliography is at home ... it looks at all the 19th C Imperial wars and traces the elements of success and examines a lot about the Boer experience ... not as is usually done in retrospect of WWI but in the evolution from the Indian Wars ... It really is quite enlightening ...

Also, one should look at the work done by Haldane during the early years of the Campbell Bannerman regime ... the reforms were to address all the defciencies of the Boer experienc ...

[Muerrisch]

Another way of looking at the South African War is to infer that, if it had not been from the lessons learned and sweeping chages made, the British would have lost the Great War very early on, and no mistake.

The Army was in turmoil in the years 1902 to 1914: almost all the changes driven by the perceived lessons of the SA War.

Staff work and organisation, uniform, weapons, training, pay and conditions, tactics, Mobilization plans, reform of the Militia and the Volunteers ...... need I go on?

See, for example 'The Development of the British Army 1899-1914' by Col. JK Dunlop, or look at the many new editions of Training Manuals in the period. And a certain maligned D Haig played a major role in the reforms.

As for 'rehearsal for disaster'. anyone would think the British lost the Great War. Or the SA War. Or the Second World War. Or the Falklands. Or the Gulf War.

On today of all days, Remembrance, grateful Remembrance, should be the theme. We will remember them.

[squirrel]

I agree with LB on this.

[DMcNay]

I've got many books on the Boer War, but you'll have trouble finding a better one than Pakenhams. I consider it to be the definitive history.

You can say many mistakes were made during the Boer War, but many important lessons were learned at the same time.

And today, I remember the men of that war who didn't return home as much as I remember the dead of other wars.

[Muerrisch]

How about 'The Defence of Duffer's Drift' as an example of lessons learned? Brilliant.

[truthergw]

Andy thanks for the pointer, I have found two on ABE , Victoria's Wars & Victoria's Small Wars. Both reasonable, so it looks as though another area of reding has opened up. Mounts hobbyhorse once more and charges forth.

LB and Squirrel. I expect you are correct but at the moment I can only see stupid decisions killing men needlessly. By that, I mean decisions that were seen as stupid at the time and not with hindsight. Whatever improvements were made, and I accept that there were many, the one improvement that was demonstrably not made, was to improve the intellectual qualty of the men selected for promotion. It would be very easy to stray off into a discussion of how officers were selected in the first place and how they progressed.

[DMcNay]

I'll admit I've not read that one as it doesn't fall into my sphere of interest. I meant in terms of a general history of the conflict. For that, you can't beat Pakenham.

I'm reading "Goodbye Dolly Gray" by Rayne Kruger right now. Not enjoying it particularly. I was put off by an early bit which mentioned the Scots Guards lying in the sun and getting the backs of their knees burned because they were wearing kilts! If that's not accurate, I thought, what else is?

EDIT: I mean that I've not read "Defence of Duffers Drift". You replied while I was posting!

[squirrel]

truthergw,

with respect, you need to bear in mind that the lessons learned, and there were many, applied to a different kind of war.

WW1 was the first indutrialised war and on a massive scale and mistakes were made.

However, the performance of the BEF in 1914 was based on the lessons learned and while it was not perfect it was admirable.

The major mistakes came later with trench warfare which none of the senior officers had any experience of.

[LtColSki USMC0302]

Gotta support Squirrel on this. The BEF in 1914 was arguably one of the most professional fighting forces in existence at the time. Allot of that was owed to "lessons learned" from both the Boer War and other colonial "small war" actions. Not necessarily lessons in “grand strategy and operational art” but lessons in leadership, marksmanship and troop handling at the tactical vice operational level.

As to the Boer War, and I admit to not being a scholar of this particular war, but I have read Packenham and in some of the early actions, it would seem Buller was placed in an operational position which he did not agree with from the start. Did not he originally advise that the British remain behind the Tugela? He made do though and while mistakes were made, I would submit that to class him as a “buffoon” is perhaps, a bit harsh. In fact, I believe it was Packenham's intent to "rehabilitate" Buller's reputation.

One of the things which I find interesting is that there were instances during the Boer War of officers handling their units based on North West Frontier experiences fighting against an enemy armed with precision firearms much like those the Boers employed. In this I’m referring to open order / skirmishing tactics which prevented some of the wholesale slaughter engendered by massed attacks against a dug-in and well armed foe.

Anyway, my two-bits. I’ll break out my flak jacket and helmet now.

Cheers,

~Dan