Boer foreign volunteers
Encyclopedia
Boer foreign volunteers were participants who volunteered their military services to the Boers in the Second Boer War
.
cause outside of the Commonwealth
, there was little overt government support as few countries were willing to upset Britain
, in fact no other government actively supported the Boer cause. There were, however, individuals from several countries who volunteered and formed Foreign Volunteer Units. These volunteers primarily came from Europe
, particularly Germany
, Italy
, Ireland
, France
, The Netherlands, Poland
and Georgia
.
Ernest Douwes Dekker
, Camillo Ricchiardi
, Niko the Boer
(Niko Bagrationi), Witold Rylski, Alexander Guchkov
, Leo Pokrowsky
, Major Baron von Reitzenstein, Viscount Villebois-Mareuil
and the men of the two Irish commandos, the Irish Transvaal Brigade
of John MacBride
and John Blake, and the Second Irish Brigade
of Arthur Alfred Lynch
.
None of the foreigners who served in the Boer army received any compensation. They were supplied with horses and equipment, at a cost to the Boer Governments and they received food, but no wages. Before a foreign volunteer was allowed to join a commando, and before he received his equipment, he was obliged to take an oath of allegiance to the Republic. A translation of it reads:
In the early stages of the war the majority of the foreign volunteers were obliged to join a Boer commando. Later they formed their own foreign legions with a high degree of independence, including the: Scandinavian Corps, Italian Volunteer Legion
, two Irish Brigades
, German Corps, Dutch Corps, Legion of France, American Scouts and Russian Scouts.
The Italian Volunteer Legion of Camillo Ricchiardi
carried out the capture of an armoured train near Chieveley, Natal. Among the passengers who were taken prisoners there was young journalist Winston Churchill
, whose life Ricchiardi spared by pretending not to see him dumping his pistol and dum-dum
ammo which had been declared unlawful on pain of death.
While the vast majority of people involved from British Empire
countries fought with the British Army, a few Australia
ns fought on the Boer side. The most famous of these was Colonel Arthur Lynch
, formerly of Ballarat, who raised the Second Irish Brigade. Lynch, charged with treason was sentenced to death, by the British, for his service with the Boers. After mass petitioning and intervention by King Edward VII he was released a year later and pardoned in 1907
However the free rein given to the foreign legions was eventually curtailed after Villebois-Mareuil and his small band of Frenchmen met with disaster at Boshof
, and thereafter all the foreigners were placed under the direct command of General De la Rey
.
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
Origin
Although there was a lot of sympathy for the BoerBoer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
cause outside of the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
, there was little overt government support as few countries were willing to upset Britain
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
, in fact no other government actively supported the Boer cause. There were, however, individuals from several countries who volunteered and formed Foreign Volunteer Units. These volunteers primarily came from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, particularly Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, The Netherlands, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
Recruitment
The influx of foreigners into the country began simultaneously with the war, and it continued thereafter at the rate of about four hundred men a month. These volunteers would have came for a number of reasons, not necessarily because of any sympathy with the Boer cause including soldiers-of-fortune, professional soldiers and adventurers. Some of the more famous volunteers were:Ernest Douwes Dekker
Ernest Douwes Dekker
Ernest François Eugène Douwes Dekker was an Indonesian freedom fighter and politician of Indo descent. He was related to the famous Dutch writer, Multatuli, whose real name was Eduard Douwes Dekker. In his youth, he took part in the Second Boer War in South Africa on the Boer side...
, Camillo Ricchiardi
Camillo Ricchiardi
Giuseppe Camillo Pietro Richiardi or Ricchiardi was an Italian journalist, adventurer and soldier.-Early life:...
, Niko the Boer
Niko the Boer
Niko Bagrationi was a Georgian nobleman who fought as a volunteer officer in the Boer army during the Second Boer War...
(Niko Bagrationi), Witold Rylski, Alexander Guchkov
Alexander Guchkov
Alexander Ivanovich Guchkov was a Russian politician, Chairman of the Duma and Minister of War in the Russian Provisional Government.-Early years:...
, Leo Pokrowsky
Leo Pokrowsky
Leo Pokrowsky was a Pole and Captain in the Russian Army, who fought and died on the side of the Boers during the Second Anglo-Boer War...
, Major Baron von Reitzenstein, Viscount Villebois-Mareuil
George Henri Anne-Marie Victor de Villebois-Mareuil
George Henri Anne-Marie Victor de Villebois-Mareuil was a Colonel in the French Infantry, and French Nationalist who fought and died on the side of the Boers during the Second Anglo-Boer War.He was the first of only two Boer foreign volunteers to be handed the grade of Major-General in...
and the men of the two Irish commandos, the Irish Transvaal Brigade
Irish commandos
Two units of Irish commandos fought alongside the Boers against the British forces during the Second Boer War -Irish Transvaal Brigade:John MacBride, a friend of Arthur Griffith's, organised the Irish Transvaal Brigade...
of John MacBride
John MacBride
Major John MacBride was an Irish republican executed for participation in the 1916 Easter Rising.-Early life:...
and John Blake, and the Second Irish Brigade
Irish commandos
Two units of Irish commandos fought alongside the Boers against the British forces during the Second Boer War -Irish Transvaal Brigade:John MacBride, a friend of Arthur Griffith's, organised the Irish Transvaal Brigade...
of Arthur Alfred Lynch
Arthur Alfred Lynch
Arthur Alfred Lynch was an Irish Australian civil engineer, physician, journalist, author, soldier, anti-imperialist and polymath. He served as MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and represented Galway Borough...
.
None of the foreigners who served in the Boer army received any compensation. They were supplied with horses and equipment, at a cost to the Boer Governments and they received food, but no wages. Before a foreign volunteer was allowed to join a commando, and before he received his equipment, he was obliged to take an oath of allegiance to the Republic. A translation of it reads:
- I hereby make an oath of solemn allegiance to the people of the South African Republic, and I declare my willingness to assist, with all my power, the burghers of this Republic in the war in which they are engaged. I further promise to obey the orders of those placed in authority according to law, and that I will work for nothing but the prosperity, the welfare, and the independence of the land and people of this Republic, so truly help me, God Almighty.
Second Anglo-Boer War
Table of foreign volunteers in the Second Anglo-Boer War| Number | Country |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Dutch |
| 550 | Germans |
| 400 | French |
| 300 | Americans |
| 250 | Italians |
| 225 | Russians |
| 200 | Irish |
| 150 | Scandinavians |
| unk. | Australians |
| 100 | Polish |
| 2825 | Known Total* |
In the early stages of the war the majority of the foreign volunteers were obliged to join a Boer commando. Later they formed their own foreign legions with a high degree of independence, including the: Scandinavian Corps, Italian Volunteer Legion
Italian Volunteer Legion
The Italian Volunteer Legion was an expatriate military unit which took part in the Anglo-Boer War, raised and led by soldier and adventurer Camillo Ricchiardi on behalf of General Louis Botha.-Prior events: Italian immigration to South Africa:...
, two Irish Brigades
Irish commandos
Two units of Irish commandos fought alongside the Boers against the British forces during the Second Boer War -Irish Transvaal Brigade:John MacBride, a friend of Arthur Griffith's, organised the Irish Transvaal Brigade...
, German Corps, Dutch Corps, Legion of France, American Scouts and Russian Scouts.
The Italian Volunteer Legion of Camillo Ricchiardi
Camillo Ricchiardi
Giuseppe Camillo Pietro Richiardi or Ricchiardi was an Italian journalist, adventurer and soldier.-Early life:...
carried out the capture of an armoured train near Chieveley, Natal. Among the passengers who were taken prisoners there was young journalist Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, whose life Ricchiardi spared by pretending not to see him dumping his pistol and dum-dum
Dum-dum
An expanding bullet is a bullet designed to expand on impact, increasing in diameter to limit penetration and/or produce a larger diameter wound. They are informally known as a Dum-dum or dumdum bullets...
ammo which had been declared unlawful on pain of death.
While the vast majority of people involved from British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
countries fought with the British Army, a few Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
ns fought on the Boer side. The most famous of these was Colonel Arthur Lynch
Arthur Alfred Lynch
Arthur Alfred Lynch was an Irish Australian civil engineer, physician, journalist, author, soldier, anti-imperialist and polymath. He served as MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and represented Galway Borough...
, formerly of Ballarat, who raised the Second Irish Brigade. Lynch, charged with treason was sentenced to death, by the British, for his service with the Boers. After mass petitioning and intervention by King Edward VII he was released a year later and pardoned in 1907
However the free rein given to the foreign legions was eventually curtailed after Villebois-Mareuil and his small band of Frenchmen met with disaster at Boshof
Boshof
Boshof is the administrative town in the goldfields region of the Free State province, South Africa. The town was formed in 1855 on the Vanwyksvlei farm. It was named after Jacobus Boshoff who became the 2nd President of the Orange Free State on the 27 August 1855.The local commando was involved in...
, and thereafter all the foreigners were placed under the direct command of General De la Rey
Koos de la Rey
General Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey , known as Koos de la Rey, was a Boer general during the Second Boer War and is widely regarded as being one of the strongest military leaders during that conflict....
.