Unkown British soldiers, there are no Boer War survivors - old age has achieved what the enemy could not.

An English military hospital in South Africa in 1900.

This was the first war where the number of mutilated soldiers that survived their battleground wounds outnumbered the number of the casualties.

Crossing the Modder River (pic shows Canadian Regiment)

The Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. 11 October 1899 - 31 May 1902.

The Boer war was fought between Great Britain and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic and the Orange Free State) and was caused by the refusal of the South African Republic to grant political rights to the English population of the mining areas, which contained the largest gold-mining complex in the world.

Whilst the British had a large, professional, army they were fighting over wide areas in a hostile country over difficult terrain. They had to march in long columns for days at a time across the vast plains or'veldt', with long lines of communications, whereas the mobile, lightly equipped, Boers, were able to use modern rifle fire to good effect, at a time when attacking forces had no means of overcoming it. Over 20,000 British soldiers died in the campaign, almost two thirds from disease.

Name and Rank Events that happened Private C. Arthey Was wounded in the battle of Driefontein, which whilst a British victory, resulted in around 500 casualties for them. He was serving with the Essex Regiment (number 4930). The battle at Driefontein on 10th March 1900 took place on the Modder River. The British force under Lord Roberts was advancing with 50,000 troops from Kimberley to capture Bloemfontein, but the Boers, with about 1500 men, tried to delay them by building a defensive position at Driefontein. At Driefontein, the British had to face the Boer troops of General de la Rey, who inflicted heavy losses on the British soldiers and cavalry whose horses had been driven too hard and had collapsed. Bloemfontein was taken, and occupied by the British on 13 March 1900.

Source for the photographs Conflicts Documents Project Regiment Archives on the Boer War Canadian Heritage

Research Riik Earthy, Mark Earthy February 2002.