Dear Chris
As a person with a maternal Scottish grandfather (who, by the way, fought against the English in the English War 1899 – 1902) it is painful, hartverskeurend actually and very embarrassing, to see a fellow Scot (well, sort of) suck up to them Sassenach bastards. I am, of course, referring to your book Kruger, Kommandos & Kak.
What the far kiss wrong with you mate, putting that war (that once and for all put paid to the notion of British fairplay and magnanimity) under the spotlight? Why, yet again, rub salt in British wounds, haven’t they been embarrassed enough by that war?
I mean, half a million soldiers from all over the glorious Empire (and nogal Scotsmen among them, AND Welshmen, Irishmen, Picts - there must be some left? - Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Americans PLUS nog ‘loyal’ Afrikaner spies, informers, joiners, traitors and oorlopers) taking 3 years to subdue an amateur army of ‘lowly’ farmers. Can you credit that? Add to that the fact that the allies (has England ever fought a war without help?) had superior armament, better logistics and, compared to the Boers, abundant food then It Does Not Look Good At All. If I were English I’d rather discuss the British motor industry in pubs; less painful.
Moreover, in addition, furthermore and besides the above, the English, living up to their saying of ‘all (and that means ALL) is fair in love and war’ torched homesteads, massacred livestock and carted women, children and old men off to camps where about 27 000 of them died under the supervision of the groothartige English. Definitely NOT cricket but terrorism in its purest form.
You are certainly not doing your English masters a favour by highlighting what they call the second Boer War (incidentally, what happened in the first one?) for, the worse you make out the Boers to have been, the more inept the allies seem to have been.
What was your motive in writing this book 112 years after the event; your sense of fairness, or the fact that all previous books in this regard were written by people lacking your insight, or what? Nay, old chap, nothing that noble; it is simply just another Boerbashing excercise, a common practice since 1994 when the country started its headlong plunge into the mire. There must be SOME justification for your masters’ aandeel in the demise of this once wonderful country. You are mosterd na die maal ou swaer; just another crowd pleaser (the crowd comprising your masters and the brainwashed bleedin’ heart liberals) jumping on the bandwagon.
Two words for you boet, four cough, and the same goes for Maarten Mittner (Dutch or Dutchman?), your resensent who seems to be another English suck-upper (or is it sucker-up?). Just four cough, go and stir up some sheit amongst your own countrymen. Go and irk the Scots by ‘debunking’ Bannockburn and hemeling op Falkirk; you can call your book Skotte, Skirmishes and Skyt. The English would enjoy that and call you a good Scot, maybe give you a title or something.
Jan Rap
Kommentaar
Well said ol' Chap. Men in skirts cannot be trusted.
Beste Jan,
Ek sien dat Chris Ash met sy boek oor Kruger al die "demone" in jou laat losbars het. Terloops, wie is hierdie Chris Ash? Ek het sy naam gegoogle en alleen afgekom op 'n Amerikaanse voetbalonderrigter, en oor hierdie skrywer is daar niks bekend nie. Dus aanvaar ek dat hy 'n "nobody" is wat blykbaar fiksie skryf, en sy leserskring, meen ek, is oneindig klein en beperk.
Skrywers van fiksie deesdae gebruik persone in die geskiedenis en gebeure, en vleg hulle so deurmekaar om 'n storie te vertel. Hulle stories kan mens nie as die "waarheid" aanvaar nie.
Dit sou beter wees as jy jou beberk tot die geskiedenisskrywers van internasionale standaard wat oor die Engelse Oorlog geskryf het, soos Packinham, en gehoor gee aan wat Max Hastings gesê het tydens 'n debat oor die Eerste Wêreldoorlog, toe die kwessie van die konsentrasiekampe in die Engelse Oorlog genoem is: dat hulle barbaars was.
Ek is bevrees dit is al erkenning wat die Afrikaner ooit sal ontvang vir die verdriet wat mense se gemoederes tot vandag nog vergiftig. Die Britse regering van vandag, of die Koningshuis, sal nooit 'n formele apologie aanteken nie, want daar word gereken dat, die dade van die verlede nie volgens vandag se standaarde gemeet kan word nie. Beskaafde Britte met kennis weet wel wat hierdie nasie aan ander volke gedoen het tydens die opbou van hulle Empire, en die letsels is oral vandag te bespeur.
Beste groete,
Pieter Redelinghuys
Hallo Pieter
Ek is bekend met die noem dit maar professionele geskiedsskrywers in die verband soos Thomas Pakenham en Rayne Kruger, dié dat ek vir die vent vra waar hy nou vandaan kom en sy motief maar bloot is om Browniepunte in te samel. Daar is dus nie sprake van myself beperk tot ordentlike skrywers nie, dis juis om dié ou se aandag daarop te vestig dat hy die pad byster is.
Wat 'n apologie van Britse kant betref; dit sal dwaas wees. Dit sal hedendaagse Britte opsaal met allerlei verpligtinge (betaal vir huise, plase, vee, begrafnisse, pyn, lyding, misdaad teen die mensdom ens) ten opsigte van iets waaraan hulle niks mee te doen gehad het nie.
Nee wat, al erkenning vir daardie destydse verdriet moet van ons kant af kom; ons moet nie ons taal besoedel met Engels nie en waar ons kan, op 'n mooi manier, Afrikaans handhaaf en bou. Dan was die stryd van die destydse Boere darem nie verniet gewees nie.
Groetnis en laat dit juig daar by jou!
Jan Rap
In German we say, "die Wahrheit tut weh." (The truth hurts). That accounts for the 'head in the sand' over-reaction from disillusioned Afrikaners regarding this book. As a German living in SA and therefore not too interested one way or the other I must say that I found Ash's book interesting and very close to the truth.
There is no doubt that Kaiser Wilhelm led Kruger on a bit into thinking that the Germans would help him and the German people would love to have seen the Brits get a smack. There was a lot of jealousy in Europe at that time because the British Empire was so rich and powerful. The problem was the Kaiser was a dreamer trying to build his own empire and create a navy as large as his grandmother's. (Queen Victoria). Every time he built one battleship, the British built two - so he had no hope of sending any real support to Kruger. And Kruger was an ignorant fool to believe the Kaiser in the first place and to take on the British. The British had a much tougher government than the one in power at the time of the first Boer War.
But the main and undisputed facts are:
Kruger issued an ultimatum and together with Steyn attacked British territory in Natal and the Cape - the Brits did not start the war;
At that stage the British had very few troops in SA;
The British won the first couple of battles, in spite of their limited resources, and then had a few bad weeks with battles lost;
The British did not lose any defensive battles - Ladysmith, Mafeking, Kimberly, Kuruman etc;
After a few successes the boers lost every battle after that. These were mostly defensive battles which are always easier to hold than for the attackers - nevertheless the British had the tactics and courage to win them;
The boers used dumdum ammunition, which was banned and misused the white flag on many occasions, neither of which the British did;
The boers then started using guerrilla tactics, which are known to be difficult to counter, think of Vietnam;
The boers had ample opportunity to agree to peace, but fought on when they could see all was lost. So the death in concentration camps, which was mostly due to disease, cannot be laid solely at the feet of the British;
In the First World War the British navy played a decisive role by blockading Europe in spite of the Kaiser's "grosse" navy and all-out submarine war on the British. In the end Germany and Austria were starved of food and materials to the extent they had to surrender.
Grow up and face facts, the boers were totally outclassed and ground into dust.
The current ANC government in South Africa learned a lot from the grievance politics of the National Party. As with the Nats, it is impossible to debate rationally with the ANC. That so many of the deaths in the concentration camps of the Boer War were caused by Boer reliance on "Boereraad" or old wive's advice, instead of Western medicine, is completely overlooked. That the use of scorched earth was commonplace (the Boers themselves used it against the indigenous people of the Transvaal when they invaded) is overlooked. That the Boers used illegal bullets is overlooked. That many concentration camps, such as the one in Port Elizabeth, had no deaths, is overlooked. This is precisely how the ANC operates: nothing good can ever have come from their opponents. It is symptomatic of the immature nature of politics and understanding of history in South Africa. Very sad. There is no real hope for the country with people such as those making these polemical comments that has everything to do with lashing out against foes (from more than a century ago!) and nothing to do with the application of reason.
Why would the Boers have used 'scorched earth policy' to invade the Transvaal, ie why 'scorch' where you are going to live?
Besides, the Boers never 'invaded' any territory; the area north of the Vaal river (later to be named Transvaal) was largely unpopulated and where it was not land was acquired by treaty.
At the start of the war the Boers had virtually no ammonution. If, and only if, they had illegal bullets, it could have only been booty, ie, supplied by the English.
Incidentally, 'raad' is 'council' and 'raat' is 'remedy' so it is 'Boereraat', meaning Boer remedy or medicine. Settling in the wild, far from doctors and hospitals, they had, out of necessity, to make use of healing plants etc (at least some of the knowledge they must have picked up from contact with blacks). It was a fact that once a child was taken to hospital in the concentration camps it would certainly die. I know; my grandmother was a girl of 14 when she and her family were taken to a concentration camp.
As for you statement that one could not rationally debate with either the National Party or the ANC you are half right. The debate between the ANC and the NP led to the present 'democracy' (a sorry state of affairs as you are undoubtedly aware of).
As for debating with the ANC you are 100% correct; you can't even talk to an ANC municipality; there is just no reaction.
.... correction: ammunition
Ja outjie, jy spog nou oor iets waarvan jy net mooi blou bokkerol weet.
?????
Dear Chap
In your esteemed opinion, the Boers should have rolled over and played dead.
If it was indeed a war to subdue the Boers why put Blacks in concentration camps?
Dit is 'n hoogs eensydige siening. Die Britte word selfs (in 'n mate) verontskuldig oor die konsentrasiekampe. Die wit vlag is sekerlik deur die Britte misbruik, ens. Ek hoop 'n gesaghebbende historikus reageer op die bostaande teks.
Nee, ek glo nie 'n historikus sal op sulke snert reageer nie.
Today, while tidying up my garage, I stumbled across my copy of 'The White Tribe of Africa' by Davis Harrison, which I was given to read many years ago. One statistic given in the book is that 'Twenty thousand of the twenty six thousand Boers who died in the concentration camps were less than sixteen years old'. Being mainly of British descent and having married an Afrikaans wife, this has always troubled me and helped explain the anti-British sentiment and bitterness of many of the Afrikaners. I almost felt ashamed of being English.
However, after reading Chris Ash's chapter on the concentration camps, I did some research on the internet, and researched the concentration camps at Harrismith (my hometown) and Ladysmith, where I spent several years of my childhood. I am attaching the website addresses below.
I was comforted to find out that the Boer women, children and men in these camps were extremely well looked after. They were adequately fed, while sanitation, health care and education were all provided to a most acceptable standard - totally contrary to what I have been led to believe all my life! There were also very few deaths, although the mortality rate among children was higher, due to their increased vulnerability to diseases such as measles.
Some faith and pride in my heritage has been restored. Thank you, Chris, for prompting me to do some further research on the topic.
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol081sw.html
https://www.geni.com/projects/Anglo-Boere-Oorlog-Boer-War-1899-1902-LADYSMITH-Kamp-Camp/14091
Chris reeds in die derde paragraaf word daar melding gemaak van ander kampe waar ons mense deur die modder moes kruip ens (lees die paragraaf weer). In die bron waaruit jy aanhaal, staan daar dat dit 'n "disgrace" is dat SO 'n Engelsman in 'n gesagsposisie aangestel kon word. Daar is altyd drie waarhede; joune, die ander persoon s'n en wat albei hulleself wysmaak, wysheid gebasseer op hoevele invloede. Dat Chris Ash minderwaardig voel teenoor die Afrikaner bly staan.
Die boek Kruger's War is in Engels geskryf en dus antwoord ek in MY taal: Afrikaans. Ek sal die paragraaf wat ek skryf aan die einde vertaal vir Ash.
Die nuutste boek het ure se pret verskaf. Ek het SO gelag vir die sarkastiese wat (hy dalk gehoop het verkleinerend sou wees?) trant, die oningeligtheid, subjektiwiteit en die blindelingse verdediging van ’n spul paloekas . . . as ek reg onthou was die meeste van die Britse moordbendes wat vroue en klein dogtertjies verkrag het, van die heel laagste uit die laagste van die Britse "stand". Ek wil nou net graag sien hoe lyk die man wat sy boek in Pinelands laat publiseer. Shame man, dis nie hoe 'n intelligente navorser te werk behoort te gaan nie. Het jy ooit die Argiewe in Suid-Afrika besoek? Jy maak mos nou van die edele Britse dame, Emily Hobhouse 'n leuenaar. Skaam jou. PS (Translating above . . . is there not a spelling mistake in your surname?)
The Boer War was never supposed to have occurred and it will and should remain an embarrassment for the British. You make the concentration camps sound like 'come and go' holiday camps. Whatever your intent is, Chris, at presenting yourself as one hot off the top author to please one side you are certainly not. Your research falls short of true accounts of the Boer War.
You mentioned Burgher Jack. That was my great great grandfather. His accounts, families' accounts, correspondence, including that of which was sent abroad by himself and the family, painted a good picture of what they, and others, went through. Would their child Maxwell have died had they not been moved from where they were? Probably not! My g/g/grandparents would say the same. I know what my family went through. And yes, thank you for mentioning that they didn't actually stay in the concentration camp itself. Burgher Jack and Catherina (his Boer wife) were resourceful but I know it was really tough for them but especially others around them.
Burgher Jack (John Moody Lane) was Irish and married to a Boer lady and I know what his feelings were regarding the whole Boer War. He was a man of honesty and integrity and when I see what you write so casually, I agree ... shame on you!
As for Allan: you need to widen your research to the Irene camp as an example. Your faith had been restored?! That is questionable! Refer to the book, Those Bloody Women by John Murray, Chapter 10 (with pictures). You make it sound like it was just war and these things are expected in a war and they had good sanitation, etc, etc. Typhoid and scarlet fever are other things they had to contend with other than measles.
Heilbron: sick people were herded into a camp with healthy people. What do you think would happen? Kitchener was responsible for that.
Overcrowding, inadequate rations, polluted water, no beds or mattresses and even sick children lying on the ground, lack of hygiene, and the inability to contain contagious diseases across many camps.
Read about the conditions at camps in Potchefstroom, Aliwal North, Merebank, Mooi River, Howick, Middleburg and others.
When I read what you say Alan, I cannot fathom where you get that you have been comforted by what Chris has written. I am afraid that by looking at just a couple of camps that may have appeared decent is not the true picture.
Does anyone now know that Kitchener was irritated by the presence of the likes of Emily Hobhouse and the other ladies in South Africa. They were informing officials in England about the state of the camps.
Exposing sick people to healthy camps would mean the death of many. And yes, children are more vulnerable and it was done at the orders of Kitchener, who is responsible for every death that should not have happened.
As for education, well that is interesting. The Boer children were forced to learn to speak English.
The Boer War was disgusting and it is bad enough it has been brushed under the carpet but no one will downplay the terrible conditions the Boer families went through.
Richard Becker, the concentration camps can be laid solely to the feet of the British as it was firstly a war that should not have happened and Kitchener had the intention of herding people in camps with no facilities and knowingly exposing women and especially children to disease from the onset. That in itself is very disturbing.
“Kruger issued an ultimatum and together with Steyn attacked British territory in Natal and the Cape - the Brits did not start the war;”
What an idiotic statement. The British started the war. The Boers only used a pre-emotive strike against an impending attack. The British were starting to mass their troops on the Boer’s borders. Were the Boers supposed to wait for the British to gather full strength?
Ek is nou net klaar met die eerste bladsy van KK en Kak, en het 'n vraag. Ash skrijf dat die Transvaal die Wakkerstroom-gebied ge-"snatch" het. Ek het in ou kaarte gekijk en vind niet dat die Vrijstaat se grense ooit Wakkerstroom ingesluit. Hoe is het moontlik om land van die Vrijstaat te steel as daai land nooit gedeelte van die Vrijstaat was? Is daar enigste bewijs dat Wakkestroom ooit gedeeldt van die Vrijsaat was, of skrijf hy soomer enige klomp gemors ... en ek is nog niet met bladsy twee te begin ... en ek weet dat al jahre gelede het ek vergeten om in Afrikaans te skrijf, ek is nou 35 jahre in de buitenland,