South African War 1899-1902
Production date
1899-1902
Description
Reports, letters and press cuttings regarding the operations and activities of the National Society and the Central British Red Cross during the first stages of the South African War.
Collection Type
Archives
Level of Current Record
sub-fonds
History
After the South African Rebellion of 1881 the Afrikaners [Boers] were given self-government in the Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. However, the discovery of vast goldmines changed the balance of power and the Afrikaners feared renewed imperial interest on behalf of the British Empire. There were also complaints of mistreatment of immigrant diggers known as ‘uitlanders’ which inflamed the situation. In 1896 the Orange Free State and the Transvaal entered into an alliance, equipped by Germany and fearing British imperial claims struck the important towns of Mafeking and Kimberley in October 1889, inflicting defeats on the British forces.
On hearing of the outbreak of war the Central British Red Cross Committee met to decide on how they would organise themselves during the war. It was agreed that the National Society would be in charge of all subscriptions from the public on behalf of the sick and wounded, and they would also make funds available to fit out two hospital trains and a hospital ship. Finally the National Society would also be in charge of sending a commissioner to South Africa.
The St John's Ambulance would be in charge of running a depot, packaging and sending out gifts of clothing and comforts and providing male nursing assistance. The Army Nursing Reserve would directly handle offers of female nursing assistance.
Colonel J.S. Young was appointed to Chief Commissioner, and on arrival at Cape Town he arranged with the Good Hope Society and the local St. John Ambulance association that they should work as a team. Mr G. Bonham Carter and Dr C.W.J Chepmell were appointed as assistant commissioners.
On behalf of the National Society, the Princess of Wales took an interest in the conversion of a yachting cruiser, devoting £9,000, the balance left over from the fund in her name after the Egyptian Campaign. The ship was named the ‘Princess of Wales’ in her honour and in addition to making 3 voyages between England and Cape Town, 728 cases were treated whilst she acted as a stationary hospital outside of Durban. In addition to the ‘Princess of Wales’ another ship the ‘Maine’ was also chartered and which was run by a committee of American Ladies in London.
The National Society had also undertaken to provide hospital trains, and as Princess Christian had first suggested the idea she contributed £650 from the funds left over from the Sudan campaign and £6100 from the Borough of Windsor. Subsequently the first train hospital train built in England was named the ‘Princess Christian.’ As demand grew a second hospital train was commissioned, No. 4 Hospital Train which became known as the ‘White Train.’ These hospital trains were engaged in bringing down casualties from the front and were met by volunteers who provided comforts. Before they left each train was supplied with hospital kits, containing items such as pyjamas and soap for the wounded on the front. The hospital kits became popular and the continued supply of these kits became the main focus of the British and Good Hope Red Cross Societies.
Although a swift British victory was expected this turned out not to be the case, and as the Army began to suffer great losses it became obvious that not only was more help needed to reinforce troops, but offers of aid also came in from the Imperial Yeomanry Hospitals but also from British Colonies. The National Society Branch in Canada sent a delegate, Colonel G.S. Ryerson who was later appointed to Assistant Commissioner at Army headquarters.
The Afrikaner forces continued to inflict defeats on the British until 1900 when the British, under the Commander in Chief, Lord Roberts and his Chief of Staff Lord Kitchener landed with reinforcements and overwhelmed the Afrikaners with their numbers.
In March 1900 Colonel Young was recalled to England and was replaced as Commissioner by Sir John Furley, who had come to South Africa in connection with the Princess Christian hospital train.
By October 1900 British forces had re-taken much of the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State and the Transvaal were officially annexed under the British crown, but this did not officially end the war as the Afrikaners engaged in guerrilla warfare under Louis Botha and Christiaan de Wet. This meant undertaking raids against British garrisons and towns not only in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, but also through the Cape. The British responded by burning Afrikaner farms and destroying their cattle to deny them the means to continue the raids, and also by interning civilians in concentration camps.
After November 1900 Red Cross work was carried out by the Good Hope Society, when British Red Cross staff were withdrawn. Valuable work was also undertaken by private hospitals which were established at the approval of the Central Committee, such as a hospital established at Kimberley by Mr. Van Alen and an Irish Hospital in Pretoria at the request of Lord Iveagh.
The war officially ended in 1902 with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging. The terms of the Treaty saw that that the Afrikaners declared themselves as subjects of King Edward VII and in return for which they would get their lands back with compensation for buildings and crops that had been destroyed and they would be allowed the use of their language in schools and law courts. Although the Afrikaners were defeated it highlighted deficiencies in the British Army as they lost far more men than the Afrikaner forces and it also highlighted the ill health and condition of recruits.
On hearing of the outbreak of war the Central British Red Cross Committee met to decide on how they would organise themselves during the war. It was agreed that the National Society would be in charge of all subscriptions from the public on behalf of the sick and wounded, and they would also make funds available to fit out two hospital trains and a hospital ship. Finally the National Society would also be in charge of sending a commissioner to South Africa.
The St John's Ambulance would be in charge of running a depot, packaging and sending out gifts of clothing and comforts and providing male nursing assistance. The Army Nursing Reserve would directly handle offers of female nursing assistance.
Colonel J.S. Young was appointed to Chief Commissioner, and on arrival at Cape Town he arranged with the Good Hope Society and the local St. John Ambulance association that they should work as a team. Mr G. Bonham Carter and Dr C.W.J Chepmell were appointed as assistant commissioners.
On behalf of the National Society, the Princess of Wales took an interest in the conversion of a yachting cruiser, devoting £9,000, the balance left over from the fund in her name after the Egyptian Campaign. The ship was named the ‘Princess of Wales’ in her honour and in addition to making 3 voyages between England and Cape Town, 728 cases were treated whilst she acted as a stationary hospital outside of Durban. In addition to the ‘Princess of Wales’ another ship the ‘Maine’ was also chartered and which was run by a committee of American Ladies in London.
The National Society had also undertaken to provide hospital trains, and as Princess Christian had first suggested the idea she contributed £650 from the funds left over from the Sudan campaign and £6100 from the Borough of Windsor. Subsequently the first train hospital train built in England was named the ‘Princess Christian.’ As demand grew a second hospital train was commissioned, No. 4 Hospital Train which became known as the ‘White Train.’ These hospital trains were engaged in bringing down casualties from the front and were met by volunteers who provided comforts. Before they left each train was supplied with hospital kits, containing items such as pyjamas and soap for the wounded on the front. The hospital kits became popular and the continued supply of these kits became the main focus of the British and Good Hope Red Cross Societies.
Although a swift British victory was expected this turned out not to be the case, and as the Army began to suffer great losses it became obvious that not only was more help needed to reinforce troops, but offers of aid also came in from the Imperial Yeomanry Hospitals but also from British Colonies. The National Society Branch in Canada sent a delegate, Colonel G.S. Ryerson who was later appointed to Assistant Commissioner at Army headquarters.
The Afrikaner forces continued to inflict defeats on the British until 1900 when the British, under the Commander in Chief, Lord Roberts and his Chief of Staff Lord Kitchener landed with reinforcements and overwhelmed the Afrikaners with their numbers.
In March 1900 Colonel Young was recalled to England and was replaced as Commissioner by Sir John Furley, who had come to South Africa in connection with the Princess Christian hospital train.
By October 1900 British forces had re-taken much of the Transvaal, and the Orange Free State and the Transvaal were officially annexed under the British crown, but this did not officially end the war as the Afrikaners engaged in guerrilla warfare under Louis Botha and Christiaan de Wet. This meant undertaking raids against British garrisons and towns not only in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, but also through the Cape. The British responded by burning Afrikaner farms and destroying their cattle to deny them the means to continue the raids, and also by interning civilians in concentration camps.
After November 1900 Red Cross work was carried out by the Good Hope Society, when British Red Cross staff were withdrawn. Valuable work was also undertaken by private hospitals which were established at the approval of the Central Committee, such as a hospital established at Kimberley by Mr. Van Alen and an Irish Hospital in Pretoria at the request of Lord Iveagh.
The war officially ended in 1902 with the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging. The terms of the Treaty saw that that the Afrikaners declared themselves as subjects of King Edward VII and in return for which they would get their lands back with compensation for buildings and crops that had been destroyed and they would be allowed the use of their language in schools and law courts. Although the Afrikaners were defeated it highlighted deficiencies in the British Army as they lost far more men than the Afrikaner forces and it also highlighted the ill health and condition of recruits.
Catalogue Number
WAN/15