British Memorials
The South African War can in some respects be seen as a civil war, with its white populations largely split on ethnic Boer/English-speaking lines; but in greater part it was an imperial war, provoked by Britain and with many British troops and those from other parts of the British empire being deployed. Most of the British troops who died succumbed to the same epidemics of diseases that affected people in the concentration camps, rather than being killed in military action. There are many memorials to them in Britain, some of which pointedly differentiate between those killed or injured in battle and those who succumbed to disease, as many of the troops could have been inoculated but were not because high-level military commanders wanted them in the field as quickly as possible. They range from touching plaques to individuals, to memorials to volunteer groups, to imposing regimental monuments. Photograph galleries of a range of them will be found on these pages; brief interpretations of some will be added in due course.
For further information, see the ‘Read about’ guides.