Boers Treatment of Natives. Battle.
Heroes Remember - South African War
Boers Treatment of Natives. Battle.
Transcript
Picture of six soldiers standing or on a fence.
Interviewer: How would you say that, that the Boer War differed mostly for, between the, lets say the difference between the Boer War and the First World War? Well there was a lot of difference. It was every man for himself. I mean to say you wasn't organized like the First World War. They had, they had cookies and they added administration and cooks and everything to administer grub and they could eat in their trenches and it was took to them and fed. But as I said we had to scourge around and cook our own when we could get it. They, the First World and the Second it appears that they, they had everything like a big picnic. Of course, the machinery they had to work with was different to what we had. We had justSoldier holding his rifle on horseback.
the old rifle and the bayonet and if the one fella if you, if you hadn't any ammunition you had to use the butt of your rifle. As a rule for the butt of your rifle you got pretty, you cleared away. Somebody, somebody didn't get ya. Interviewer: Now the bayonet, was there very much close quarter fighting. Oh, some, not too much, I never seen too much of it. There was some hand to hand where you could use the butt of your rifle. The bayonet was an obstacle, in a way, at close quarters, as far as we was concerned. I know if you took the end of your rifle, and just swung around, that fella that was trying to get you, some fella might get you but you'd get the other fella.Soldier posing with rifle slung.
You'd get one or the other. The butt of the rifle, boys, I believed in that. Interviewer: Did you ever have to use it? That was quite a, quite an undertaking to have to use that. Interviewer: Did you have to use it yourself? (No.) Ever? (No.) You said earlier that you were at Spioenkop, now you were at Spioenkop? Well not, when, not in the big battle, I wasn't at the big battle in Majubi Hill. But I was at Majubi Hill, twice, and twice, three times at Spioenkop. And twice at Smithsfarm down in the valley. Interviewer: Now what brought to these places, just a... Well we was on the march continually. Our column, we never letPicture of a man standing and a woman sitting, holding flowers.
up. We was on the march. If it wasn't during the day, it wasn't going the day, we'd be going at night, on night march. We was never camped, the longest we were ever camped would be a week waiting for supplies. Sending, sending some bullet wagons out for supplies. That would hold us up more than anything else. Otherwise, we were on the trek all the time. Everywhere. Interviewer: Did you ever hear of a Major later promoted to Colonel Thornycroft from Spioenkop. He was supposed to be one the heros of the battle, (No) having captured a number ofThree Veterans standing in front of war memorial.
Boer guns and this sort of thing. Well that, wasn't that before the Boer War? Interviewer: No that was in, that was in the big engagement at Spioenkop, I just happened to read it in, in that book. On this other page by the way. Well wasn't that before the... (There's a.) There's Kitchener. Uh isn't that Botha. (That's Botha and this is, this looks like.) Oh lets see, there all marked there number, number 7. Roberts defeated Bullar. Now as a... here's, here's one of the things I was saying. By the way, just for the sake of the tapeBoer War Veteran talking with current service men.
recorder here, I'm using, I'm using a book called "The History of the 20th Century." This is the number one issue. They're talking about the Boer War and these are some sketches of what the Boer War was supposed to have been like. These sketches were made in Europe in newspapers and things. The top sketch shows an archangel and the dove of peace with a British Soldier with a whip in his hand and a terrible look on his face, whipping over the grave of some Boers. I'll tell you, pardon me, but I will tell you what that originated from. (Okay) That originated from the Boers, how they use to treat the natives, the Capers, with a shambock.Boer War Veteran sitting on a chair, holding a document.
Now that, that whip there, that they call a whip is a shambock. Made out of rhinoceros hide (Rhinoceros hide) Yes, and it's all in one piece, handle and all is all in one piece. It's about the size of that, the handle, and it tapered right to a fine, very fine point. And boys, I've seen them there, the Boers, I've seen them with a Caper lashed to the wheel of one of the guns. Put on and cut, cut with that shambock there til the blood flew out. That's how they handled him. And another thing, going through any of the towns after they were captured, before the British took it, the, the Capers wasn't allowed on the sidewalks.Picture of six soldiers standing or on a fence.
After the British took it the, the Capers was right on the sidewalk and the troops would have to walk on, out on the street. But they would, they would use that shambock and all their servants, you know was naked. They were, they were nude, they just had a loin cloth on. And they had servants there and that's how they use to treat their, their servants. Interviewer: Now are you saying that were habitually cruel and inhumane to the... The Boers was pretty cruel to the natives. Interviewer: And these were black natives, I take it. Them was the Capers, but they couldn't put it over on the Zulus or the Swazies or the Basutos. Interviewer: What do you know about the Zulus? These are a very famous tribe. Well, we were all through the, weSoldier holding his rifle on horseback.
were all through the Basuto land, and Swaziland and the Zulu land We were all through there up to Portugese territory. We were all through that. Interviewer: These are very impressive people, were they, the natives? Look, the Zulus and the Basutos and the Swazies was the finest race of people that you ever met. They, them people were honestest, most straightforward people. I've seen there, a crowd of them, march up alongside the guns with the assegai. Do you what their assegais are? Well it's a long spear, a spear about that long, kind of a pointed affair, like a heart, a longSoldier posing with rifle slung.
heart, down to a sharp, sharp point with a long handle on it. And that long handle has got a lot of little copper wire all around it, all ornamented up. And, I've seen them there, them there fellas with the assegai them there Basutos and Swazies and Zulus. They'd march along their guns just itching to get at the Boers. But they wasn't allowed. Had the word been given for them to let them they'd have just swarmed into the Boers. I've seen one of them there Zulus just pick anything off a post, you're at fifty yards with a assegai. To get on a post away down there and he get back and (inaudible) and away she'd go, cut thatPicture of a man standing and a woman sitting, holding flowers.
right off the top of a post. Boys they, they was pretty clever. Interviewer: Did you ever see the movie called Zulu? (No) There was a tremendous Hollywood production made in England that, in the early sixties, I think. The movie was filmed and it was all about the British war with the Zulus and it, I think it was pretty authentic. It was very good. I was just wondering if you'd seen it. Now in the bottom caricature here, we have some British Soldiers kicking a pregnant women and her childrenThree Veterans standing in front of war memorial.
into the concentration camps. How does that make you feel? Well, I don't know. I've never seen anything like that. I never, I never seen anything like that, and I don't believe, I don't believe for one minute that a British Soldier would do that or any other soldier. Interviewer: So it's propaganda? I wouldn't, I wouldn't put that to a man that would do that in, in war time. They might do it out there in Vietnam and they might do it in Korea. They might do it in, in these African countries, one native against the other. But not a British or a, or a Canadian Soldier. I don't believe for another British soldier anyway. I don't believe, I wouldn't believe that at all.Boer War Veteran talking with current service men.
Interviewer: Okay, there's, there's some more photographs here on this side. This is why I asked you questions about the trenches. There's photographs of some of the trenches. Yes well, that's, that's about as much of a trench as you would get. Now you see how much trench they got there. Interviewer: Not very deep is it? Well, well that's what I said. (You didn't have time) Now look, I'll just draw a picture of it yourself. Now your travelling along and your with a body of troops. You've got perhaps, four or five squadrons at the back of ya, and then you got at the back of that the main body coming up with the guns on the artillery and the infantry men coming at the back again, and theBoer War Veteran sitting on a chair, holding a document.
transport and all. But your up on the advance guard. And you, you suddenly struck an enemy coming down from Monawaganish Road and you're going this here valley. Now where ya gonna get, make a make a trench. (I'm not) What? (I don't think I would) No, but if you seen the rock, or something that you jam your head in, you'd jam your head, or get a rock, or get behind that. (Exactly) Now, that's just how they were fixed in Africa, the way we were fixed. If couldn't find a rock you'd get on the ground and you'd try and burrow your head into the ground. It, it wasn't all, you didn't have these things cut and dried.Description
Mr. Weaver discusses the differences between battle in the Boer and First World War. He then recalls how the Boers treated the natives.
Frank Weaver
Frank Weaver was born in England, April 7th, 1881 and moved to Canada following his service in the South African War. At the time of this interview Mr. Weaver was 97-years-old. This interview was recorded in Saint John, New Brunswick on August 13, 1971 as part of the Living History Project completed by students and faculty of Military and Strategic Studies, Department of History, University of New Brunswick. This interview is used with permission of the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. Mr. Weaver's interview was taped outdoors. VAC apologizes for the sometimes poor audio quality of these clips.
Meta Data
- Medium:
- Video
- Owner:
- Veterans Affairs Canada
- Duration:
- 11:18
- Person Interviewed:
- Frank Weaver
- War, Conflict or Mission:
- South African War
- Branch:
- Army
Related Videos
Basic Training
Mr. Weaver recalls joining the army and basic training before going to Africa.
Boers Marksmen. Transportation.
Mr. Weaver recalls the voyage from Australia to Durban Africa and how the Boers were great marksmen. He also talks about their means of transportation and his first battle.
Dispatcher Duties. Weapons
Mr. Weaver talks about his duties as a dispatcher and the different weapons used during the war.
Weather. Geography. Naval Role.
Mr. Weaver recalls the weather, geography and naval role in South Africa.
Execution.
Mr. Weaver recalls the events leading to his captain Harry Morant being executed after he shot a Dutch Missionary because the Missionary would not tell Harry if he had seen any Boers.
Boers. Concentration Camps.
Mr. Weaver shares his thoughts on the Boers as people and the purpose of concentration camps.
Boer Soldiers. Battle at Diamond Hill.
Mr. Weaver recalls Boer soldiers from as young as ten and up. He then tells the story of how he captured the rifle of Commandant Wessels and talks about the Battle at Diamond Hill.
Reason for War.
Mr. Weaver gives his thoughts on the reasons for war.
Humour.
Mr. Weaver recalls getting caught by his pants on a fence and having to be helped down by his girlfriend's father when he was back in Brisbane.
Lessons of War.
Mr. Weaver gives his point of view on lessons learned from the Boer War.
Return to Civilian Life.
Mr. Weaver remembers what it was like when he returned to civilian life and getting a job as a roughrider. He also talks about a girl he was acquainted with before the war and how they kept writing to each other and later got married.
- Date modified: