During the Anglo Boer War (1899 - 1902) the British had two big concentration camps in Nelson Mandela Bay. One was erected at Kemsley Park in Port Elizabeth while the other one is situated on the current show grounds just outside Uitenhage. On both of these sites there are memorials remembering the mostly women and children who suffered and died in these camps. The pic is of the memorial at Kemsley Park next to the SAPS sports grounds. I will post a pic of the Uitenhage memorial on another occasion.Did you know: The Anglo Boer War was the first time in history that concentration camps were used.
It was also the first time modern guerilla warfare (terrorism as we know it today) was applied.'
ReplyDelete"'n Boer maak 'n plan"
Just to broaden the discussion a bit, both guerilla warfare and concentration camps were also a central feature of the Filipino Insurrection against the United States, 1899-1902. The conflict in the Philippines was an extension of the Spanish-American War, 1898. Defeating the Spanish was relatively easy but the Filipinos thought the US had arrived to help them gain their independence. When they discovered this was not true, they revolted and created America's first conflict in SE Asia. So, the Boer War and the war in the Philippines share a number of dubious distinctions.
ReplyDeleteThe dead from this concentration camp are buried in the North End Cemetery where there is also a memorial. It is well worth a photo and a visit!
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