Hello everyone, After much thought, I've decided that I will no longer be replying to comments on the channel. While I truly appreciate the thoughtful, engaging, and often hilarious conversations many of you bring to the table, I've noticed an increasing number of comments that seem more focused on negativity, criticism, or just finding something to be offended about. This channel is a labour of love, and I want to spend my energy creating more content that the majority of you enjoy rather than getting caught up in endless debates or responding to those who seem determined to stir the pot. I probably waste an hour a day replying to comments that would be better ignored. From now on Ill also just delete rude, offensive or aggressive comments. I have a full time job and young kids and so they will be my focus not an angry guy in his basement. To all of you who regularly bring positive vibes, share your insights, and show genuine interest in history-thank you! Your support means the world to me. If you'd like to keep in touch and stay updated with all my latest content, feel free to join my mailing list - bit.ly/redcoathistory. It's the best way to stay connected without the noise. Thanks for your understanding and support! Cheers, Chris.
Boer here. Thank you very much for this documentary. Indeed, long format is much appreciated. I look forward to your next one on the Second Boer War. My ancestors fought in both these wars and we even still have some heirlooms including the swords of British officers. I will just add that the Boer still has many chapters that military historians will write about us, our aspirations for freedom still burn bright.
Dutch hier. Just to let you know there are still many Hollanders that admire your valiant but eventualy futile resistance against the Brits. As a young boy I read books like "de Held van Spionkop" and "de Verkenner van Christiaan de Wet". Ripping yarns... Famous family name, de Wet. 🤨 Any relations...
As a young boy in the early fifties our neighbours were Mr & Mrs Jones. Mr. Jones was the oldest man in our village at 91yrs. of age. We often knocked on his door and Mrs. Jones would take out her glass eye and put it in a dish for our inspection. Mr. Jones would then show us his war wounds - two round scars on his right arm. Next came the medal showing a picture of a woman I later came to know was Queen Victoria. He told us he got his wounds when fighting the Boers, which at the time we thought referred to the four legged variety so we didn't understand why he would have been shot. Mr . & Mrs. Jones died a few years later within one day of each other and whenever I hear the Boer war mentioned I think of them both.
@@gertvanniekerk46 the man just share childhood perspective in how as children they did not understand how the man got shoot by boar. In sharing that he quite clearly doesn't need your superiority to understand the difference. Stop being a bore!😂🤣today's Kids would call you a KAREN🎉🎉🎉
I was born in South Africa and grew up in the general area covered. My great grandfathers all partook in the war. Despite being a self declared anglo boer war "buff," I learned a LOT! Great Documentry!!!
Many thanks Meneer (apologies for my bad spelling!). I would love to make more films also on the 2nd Anglo-Boer are there any experts you would like to see me interview? Especially from within the Boer community?
@redcoathistory I thoroughly enjoyed your reply! As I was from the Eastern Higlands, the best book on that area:" Guide to the Anglo Boer War in the Eastern Transvaal written by Gert and Erika van der Westhuizen" if my memory serves me correctly they were based in Volksrust (near Majuba). I am not 100% sure how to contact them though....I hope this helps a little
Thanks for this. I'm an English South African (multi generational on my dad's side). My family is from Klerksdorp, with me growing up mostly in Potchefstroom.
@@redcoathistory No problem man. Potch is under 2hrs drive from OR Thambo International (Johannesburg). As a 40 year old I'm too young to know much but I can guide you around as best I can
Brilliant documentary. It is stunning to see how you go all into this part of history and share this with. Better than anything in the regular Media. Thanks a lot.
Never judge a book by its cover. Thank you very much for your posting of this video. Been in the previous government army. Now it's a joke. Proud Boer from Capetown South Africa..
Brilliant thanks a lot. I have a new two hour episode out on the Indian mutiny you may like. Any other conflicts or battles you’d be keen to hear more on?
@@redcoathistory Chris I'm probably not the best person to ask what I'd like, because honestly I don't know. I only learn redcoat history from you. So what I know is from your podcasts!
Thanks kindly for this super informative and easily digestible upload. I am recently back from a trip to the cape and took a drive up to port Elizabeth. My partner is Afrikaans and we joined her father on this trip stopping off at his wine clients along the way. Suffice to say that I can count on both hands how many times I was reminded of the British defeat and the superior tactics of the Kommando. As an avid military historian (although somewhat amateur in comparison) , ex Royal Engineer and a Welshman who used to drag my poor mother to the Brecon Museum each school holiday all I could do was agree. ( the key to being offered some beers and Boervost) 😅
Concentration camps ,starving women and children and destroying crops, torching homes and killing cattle won eventually. When they couldn't claim victory fighting men, they declared war against women and children. And claim victory.
I don't often leave comments, but bravo! Love this content and the Boer Wars are fascinating! Thank you for the time and effort you put into this channel.
Brilliant, I love this long style coverage. The devil is always in the details, and more time equals more details. This subject requires such a deep dive!! Thank you, and I look forward to next one!!
Of all the history of the modern world, I believe South African history, and the Boer Wars in particular, has to be my favorite (after my own country’s history of course). And your channel tells this history so well. I have enjoyed it all immensely. Excellent work as always!
I’m American and remember back in the early 1970s in 6th grade having to sing Marching to Pretoria . Kind of a fun song to sing ,but we had no idea why we were singing this crazy song
Yes me too. I had no clue of the context of the song it was just a rousing March. The neighborhood I grew up in was decidedly not Boer or Dutch. In fact in west Denver it had a significant Hispanic influence. Never the less Marching to Pretoria was part of our songbook.
Loved the film. Walking the battle field of Majuba added much to understanding the engagement. British commander Gen Colley shot trying to rally his troops. Brave man.
We use to live in Newcastle, South Africa and I have been up Majuba Hill a few times,although it isn't really a hill but a pretty substantial mountain at around 2200 metres.I think that it's part of the Drakensberg range and is one of 3 mountains and one of the others is Inkwelo.I have even seen snow up in those mountains.
Very much enjoyed that. Thanks for your work it was all new information to me. Also nice to see more South African countryside. One day I'll go there, it looks lovely.
One of your best military analysis yet. Also struck by our lack of political remembrance. In the first 5 minutes, John reminded us of no taxation without representation 1776. As well as Oh, we've run out o money let's join our rich enemies 1704. How much we have to learn and how much we have forgotten !
this is an absolutely brilliant documentary. thank you so much. the old man historian is like a revelation. true history from that guy. I can tell this man's knowledge is near complete, extraordinary.
Great to see the longer videos, I know some like the short videos but personally I enjoy the longer ones much more. Videos much under 20 minutes can feel a bit brief depending on the topic, but these longer ones give you a real feel for the topic. Great work again.
I like the long format and excellent that you actually come here to walk the battlefields, gives the viewers a bit more insight. Re if you stand atop Spienkop( when you cover the 2nd boer war), its amazing to see& feel the vantage point. Tx good work.
I've inherited a book called 'Mevrouw Joubert vertelt'. Boer wives used to accompany their husbands on campaign' She got up in the early hours. Looking up from her crouched position she saw the silhouettes of men milling about on the top of the mountain and woke her husband with this v important bit of news. He mustered his men and they began to make their way up. The poms were so confident that they now possessed the high ground and thought they were safe enough to let down their guard. When it became light they were undetectable, hidden from view from above by the brow of the hill they were able to get all the way to the top. They killed the lookouts silently and were in amongst the enemy before latter could wipe the sleep out of their eyes.
So, so true! There is a strong memory of a very capable boer scout in the 2nd Boer War called Gideon Scheepers. He had gone to Holland and studied heliography. It was due to his messages, unseen from mountain tops, that enabled the Boers to elude pursuit by the Brits time and again. The Brits just didn't cotton on, incapable of believing that the enemy had enough brilliance to outsmart them. He eventually contracted enteric fever and was captured because he was unable to escape.Because he was such a hero among the Boers after his death (shot or died?), they hid his body. His remains were never recovered, probably cut up and flushed down a river (my guess). His bereaved mother died in the 1930s and was never able to get closure. One can fully understand the hatred the Afrikaners have for the English, which only recently has dissipated in the face of a common enemy in the ANC
As a Scot, first and British second, this is one of the few chapters in my country’s history I’m genuinely ashamed of, the loss on both sides and the incarceration in concentration camps is something that should never be forgotten.
I read James Michener's " The Covenant" as a young teenager in the early 1980's and it helped me to make sense of the various ethnic groups which comprise the people of South Africa, why the different groups thought the way that they did, and why the nation was in such turmoil. I enjoyed this long form video and I look forward to your video on the Second Boer War.
A brilliant long form documentary, more of these please. I was very relieved that a fit young bloke like you found climbing Majuba hard. I climbed it in March with Ian Knight and at 66 I was absolutely knackered!! Full credit, therefore, to the fully laden British soldiers who climbed it the night before and to the Boers who assaulted it on the 27th. A great reading list too. The Siege of Potchefstroom by Colonel R W C Winsloe is available as a reprint from Naval and Military Press.
Excellent documentary. Like the format. Have visited most Natal sites of both the Boer wars. Grandfather in the Natal Carbineers with Duncan McKenzie.1899. Thank you.
Thank you very much for the great content. As a Boer I do want to make it clear that there is a definite distinction between Boer and Afrikaner, we identify as Boer, not to be conflated with Afrikaner which is a different grouping with divergent interests. Keep up the great work, thank you sir.
Chris, that black and white clip where a man was addressing a collection of people, ostensibly from a wagon, was a an excerpt from the very old Afrikaans movie about the battle of Bloodriver, and the fiery orator dispalyed there was Andries Pretorius. If you get that film from the museum at Blood River, you will see it in there. I suppose it will suite the representation of Boer discontent with the Brits in Transvaal, but that clip is somewhat older that the Transvaal rebellion.
many thanks Johannn. Yes I managed to find that old film clip and it was the closest thing I could find to illustrate the moment in spirit. I think the film was made in 1916.
This is a great documentary and the footage of the places today plus the input of John Laband plus yourself taught me about a period I didn't know a lot about. I like these long length videos. Thank you.
It's ironic that I'm a black person from Southern Africa yet i wish the Boers had won. At least they were fighting driven by love of where they lived. The Boers had approached Lobengula to warn him about the English but was a little late. I just wish they would have worked together, boer and africans 😢 Fair play to the British too
@@BonganiMagaduthey won the first boer war but unfortunately lost the second the British had far more numbers and the concentration camps hit the boers hard
@@Firefly13114 Also that Second War and Scorched Earth policy, lead to 27k Boers dying. When the British took over they started mining gold in earnest and the Boer survivors who's farms where all destroyed went to the mining towns to survive this new world, but couldn't compete against African miners and Chinese imported as cheap labor. They got paid significantly less and where giving free lodging. The Boers struggled and continued to live in poverty in what became known as "the Poor White Problem". When the British pulled out in 1910 they left the Boers in charge and those same Boers that had been through concentration camps, famine and poverty vowed to never again have their people and culture nearly wiped out like that. So they made a series of policies to specifically give Boers the best jobs and bar Africans from getting them, and to ensure that they have the best lifestyle above everyone else. That is how Apartheid was born. In hindsight it maybe would have been better if the Boers did ultimately win, because it lead to one of the worst events in human history that only ended in 1994.
Brilliant mate! I found it informative and entertaining. Can’t wait for Vol 2! (Where the Brits gave Hitler the idea of exterminating people in concentration camps! Strangely Kitchener was never tried as a war criminal…but then history is written by the victor.)
@@jugbywellington1134 I never said they Invented concentration camps! What I said was that the english empire gladly, spontaneously and brutally used them in SA, India, the Americas etc. BEFORE the Germans did! By the way WHO invented them? Definitely not Ghendis or Kubly Khan because they just massacred and enslaved everybody in their path????
South African of English and Irish descent...and i am proud to state that my ancestor fought for the Boers under Colonel MacBrides Irish Boer volunteers...Eendracht Maak Macht...ek is trots om Boer te wees!🍺
Never judge a book by its cover... The all mighty British underestimate the farmers, "Boers"... If hellboy Kitchener didn't came with his consentration camps, the war would have been a longer war....
Well done. I did enjoy Sean Friend, the tourist guide who took us up the Majuba Mountain. What a character. intend to visit there and climb it myself one day soon. Great format. Scary to think of all those head gunshot wounds. Marksmanship so deadly and dreadful. Keep up the good work. I live in Potchefstroom and drive past the old fort everyday. The librarian at the now dysfunctional library. can get the special keys and show you actual canon balls recovered from inside the fort. The fort is surprisingly small. But it is still there, along with an ammunition magazine nearby. Thanks for the movie.
@@redcoathistory A pleasure kind Sir. I was a liceced Tourist guide 20 years ago in Johannesburg. Great times... I read all the history books in the Potchefstroom Public Library (still exists) I could on the history here. I'll follow up a bit and send you more information and contacts. Lots of military history here. The major army base here is still running. Alot of my acquaintances are soldiers too. Get back to you. P.S. get a selphie stick perhaps. Just an idea. Goo day Sir.
Nothing in the historian’s account of the discovery of diamonds in Kimberly in 1868? The vast potential of wealth from enormous diamond deposits wasn’t a motivation for the Brits. They just wanted to keep things calm and peaceful on their way to and from India.
Schalk Van Niekerk my family started the war by finding the Eureka Diamond he was a farmer,we should have stuck to farming wish we never had diamonds ,then we discovered gold game over ,so many lives lost over Greed .
it was more about the poms wanting controll of the gold and diamonds on Boer land than wanting a stable Africa how did that historian not mention the gold and Diamonds ? 1:22
Sad Story Chris,but our men carried on nobly in the face of defeat... when did the bolt action Mauser come in...the Boers did have it by the second go round
Battle of Mount Street Bridge, Dublin, Easter week, 1916. A handful of Irish rebels held down 2,000 Sherwood Foresters' regiment, British army advance while inflicting many casualties, using Boer tactics of range finding, marksmanship and cover.
The only way the British could beat the South African farmers was to go after their families and put them in concerntration camps. These where the first concentration camps in the world i believe. 27,927 out of 40,000 men, women and children died. Plus the British burned down all the farms in what was called the Scortched Earth policy. This contributed to famine outside the camps. 100s of thousands died and the Boers demoralized where forced to give up. Then a few years later the british packed up and left as part of the pull out of Africa in 1910 and gave all the land back to the Boers. The boers who lived in poverty after the war in what became known as the "poor white problem" couldnt compete against the cheap African labor that worked in mines (Boer means farmer and those farmers with all the farmland burnt down suddenly had to learn other trades). After the British gave them power the Boers vowed never again will they allow themselves to reach being wiped out like that again and dying of starvation. So they designed some policies that put themselves first and ensured that they got all the good jobs first before Africans and other polices to ensure their wellbing. Those policies became known as Apartheid. Edit: Oh I forgot the mention that the reason the Britsh even started the war was because of South African gold mines. South Africa had one of the richest gold deposits in the world. So they brought in miners from overseas and started mining in earnest right after the war. It was this mining environment and economy the Boers found themselves in after the war.
@@redcoathistory I literally just did. Context is important. Here's hoping you wont omit this history when you do your second video on the Second Boer war...
As usual, greatly enjoy the conversation, Chris. I don't suppose that you could comment on some of the references regarding musketry that John based his points on, could you?
Hi Rob, thanks for watching and I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m afraid he didn’t mention sources but I do have his book on the war so I’ll check and let you know.
Rob pls do me a favour and send me a phone message when you get a chance as I recently upgraded my phone and have lost numbers. I’ve found the references and wanted to send you a photo. Thanks
The Boers were very cleaver they employed local trackers and they advised on how to eat and survive off the land. The Army leaders just didn't think they could be beaten by the Boers simply put aggogrant and clueless.
I like the longer format videos for a similar reason to someone else said, my machine cycles time is usually quite short, so I don't have time between parts to thumb through and change videos.
Hello and thank you for your insights. As a fellow descendant of the Boers, I'm particularly keen on accurate historical details. Beyond Wikipedia, where did you find the figures regarding the number of Boer present at Majuba Hill? My interest stems from having climbed Majuba Hill twice, each time encountering different accounts of the Boer forces involved. I came across this article, for instance, which presents yet another variation. Could you shed some light on your sources? On 26 February 1881 Colley decided to march on Majuba with 554 men, where the Boers had an outpost. On the same day, General Piet Joubert and the Boer forces took up a position at Laing's Nek to check on the arrival of British reinforcements. Colley’s men reached the top of the mountain in the early hours of the morning and were very tired. From the hill Colley could see the Boer laager of tents and covered wagons, but as he could not bring his heavy guns up the steep slopes, he was unable to fire on their encampment. Joubert, however, immediately ordered his men to climb the steep hill, take cover and shoot down on the British. At 7 a.m., a force of 150 Boers in three divisions under veld-cornets S J Roos, J Ferreira and D J Malan began to climb from ledge to ledge up the mountain, firing steadily and effectively on the British as they climbed. Untrained in guerrilla warfare, the exposed British soldiers made easy marks, and when Colley himself was killed and the Boers were almost at the summit, the British fled. www.sahistory.org.za/article/first-anglo-boer-war
Splendid film. Very enjoyable and interesting to watch. Thank you for posting it. Out of interest, what is the movie that you show clips of during your commentary please? I Would love to find copy of it for my collection. Thanks again. 👍🏼😊
Chris many again for recommending Bullers rest lounge in Ladysmith. I’ll be there mid July. Can you recommend a good day trip from there to visit Boer battle fields. Can you in advance.
Hello everyone,
After much thought, I've decided that I will no longer be replying to comments on the channel. While I truly appreciate the thoughtful, engaging, and often hilarious conversations many of you bring to the table, I've noticed an increasing number of comments that seem more focused on negativity, criticism, or just finding something to be offended about.
This channel is a labour of love, and I want to spend my energy creating more content that the majority of you enjoy rather than getting caught up in endless debates or responding to those who seem determined to stir the pot. I probably waste an hour a day replying to comments that would be better ignored. From now on Ill also just delete rude, offensive or aggressive comments. I have a full time job and young kids and so they will be my focus not an angry guy in his basement.
To all of you who regularly bring positive vibes, share your insights, and show genuine interest in history-thank you! Your support means the world to me.
If you'd like to keep in touch and stay updated with all my latest content, feel free to join my mailing list - bit.ly/redcoathistory. It's the best way to stay connected without the noise.
Thanks for your understanding and support!
Cheers, Chris.
Thanks for your good work Chris.
Boer here. Thank you very much for this documentary. Indeed, long format is much appreciated. I look forward to your next one on the Second Boer War. My ancestors fought in both these wars and we even still have some heirlooms including the swords of British officers. I will just add that the Boer still has many chapters that military historians will write about us, our aspirations for freedom still burn bright.
Many thanks for your comment and support. I’ll hopefully do a lot more films on the second Boer war eventually.
Dutch hier. Just to let you know there are still many Hollanders that admire your valiant but eventualy futile resistance against the Brits. As a young boy I read books like "de Held van Spionkop" and "de Verkenner van Christiaan de Wet". Ripping yarns...
Famous family name, de Wet. 🤨 Any relations...
A
@@gerardvandermeulen62 ...ik heb die boeken ook allemaal gelezen, als Nederlander ben je eigenlijk ook een boer dan...😀
Nelson Mandela
As a South African I enjoyed this informative documentary. We must remember our past, all of it.
As a young boy in the early fifties our neighbours were Mr & Mrs Jones. Mr. Jones was the oldest man in our village at 91yrs. of age. We often knocked on his door and Mrs. Jones would take out her glass eye and put it in a dish for our inspection. Mr. Jones would then show us his war wounds - two round scars on his right arm. Next came the medal showing a picture of a woman I later came to know was Queen Victoria. He told us he got his wounds when fighting the Boers, which at the time we thought referred to the four legged variety so we didn't understand why he would have been shot. Mr . & Mrs. Jones died a few years later within one day of each other and whenever I hear the Boer war mentioned I think of them both.
Boer in Dutch and Scottish Means FARMER! There is a vast difference between a Boer and a BOAR!
You thought they fought the boars, haha!
@@gertvanniekerk46 the man just share childhood perspective in how as children they did not understand how the man got shoot by boar. In sharing that he quite clearly doesn't need your superiority to understand the difference. Stop being a bore!😂🤣today's Kids would call you a KAREN🎉🎉🎉
I was born in South Africa and grew up in the general area covered. My great grandfathers all partook in the war. Despite being a self declared anglo boer war "buff," I learned a LOT! Great Documentry!!!
Many thanks Meneer (apologies for my bad spelling!). I would love to make more films also on the 2nd Anglo-Boer are there any experts you would like to see me interview? Especially from within the Boer community?
@redcoathistory I thoroughly enjoyed your reply! As I was from the Eastern Higlands, the best book on that area:" Guide to the Anglo Boer War in the Eastern Transvaal written by Gert and Erika van der Westhuizen" if my memory serves me correctly they were based in Volksrust (near Majuba). I am not 100% sure how to contact them though....I hope this helps a little
They were very knowledgeable and would have a wealth of information
Thanks for this. I'm an English South African (multi generational on my dad's side). My family is from Klerksdorp, with me growing up mostly in Potchefstroom.
Thanks Bradley! Maybe see you there one day if I get to visit the fort.
@@redcoathistory No problem man. Potch is under 2hrs drive from OR Thambo International (Johannesburg). As a 40 year old I'm too young to know much but I can guide you around as best I can
@@redcoathistory if you want to see the fort you must come to potch asap as I live here and see it decay year after year
Brilliant documentary.
It is stunning to see how you go all into this part of history and share this with. Better than anything in the regular Media.
Thanks a lot.
I like the full story. The added guest presenters add to the impact of the video.
Never judge a book by its cover. Thank you very much for your posting of this video. Been in the previous government army. Now it's a joke. Proud Boer from Capetown South Africa..
Thankyou, Sir. I am glad you found the video of interest.
Australian here. I like the long format. As I am at the bench stitching saddlery it's good to hear longer stories.
Brilliant thanks a lot. I have a new two hour episode out on the Indian mutiny you may like. Any other conflicts or battles you’d be keen to hear more on?
@@redcoathistory Chris I'm probably not the best person to ask what I'd like, because honestly I don't know. I only learn redcoat history from you. So what I know is from your podcasts!
Thanks kindly for this super informative and easily digestible upload. I am recently back from a trip to the cape and took a drive up to port Elizabeth. My partner is Afrikaans and we joined her father on this trip stopping off at his wine clients along the way. Suffice to say that I can count on both hands how many times I was reminded of the British defeat and the superior tactics of the Kommando. As an avid military historian (although somewhat amateur in comparison) , ex Royal Engineer and a Welshman who used to drag my poor mother to the Brecon Museum each school holiday all I could do was agree. ( the key to being offered some beers and Boervost) 😅
Still lost in the end. It's the finals that count.
... Ex Slimer with a Sapper father and grandfather.
I really enjoyed your comment!
Concentration camps ,starving women and children and destroying crops, torching homes and killing cattle won eventually. When they couldn't claim victory fighting men, they declared war against women and children. And claim victory.
I don't often leave comments, but bravo! Love this content and the Boer Wars are fascinating! Thank you for the time and effort you put into this channel.
Thanks a lot - that is great to hear and I really appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Brilliant, I love this long style coverage. The devil is always in the details, and more time equals more details. This subject requires such a deep dive!! Thank you, and I look forward to next one!!
Thanks a lot and I'm really glad that you like the format.
Of all the history of the modern world, I believe South African history, and the Boer Wars in particular, has to be my favorite (after my own country’s history of course). And your channel tells this history so well. I have enjoyed it all immensely. Excellent work as always!
And to think they don't teach this in our schools anymore.
Thanks for the video. As a south African it's nice to see what it looks like and more info
I’m American and remember back in the early 1970s in 6th grade having to sing Marching to Pretoria . Kind of a fun song to sing ,but we had no idea why we were singing this crazy song
Just curious. Why would americans be singing it?😢😮
Regards from Southern Africa
@@BonganiMagadu because Americans also rose up against the British empire largely over tax grievances much like the boers.
@@Truth_Hurts528Thanks. I see the connection now
@@BonganiMagadu Some American schools had the Anglo Boer war in their history curriculum!
Yes me too. I had no clue of the context of the song it was just a rousing March. The neighborhood I grew up in was decidedly not Boer or Dutch. In fact in west Denver it had a significant Hispanic influence. Never the less Marching to Pretoria was part of our songbook.
How did I miss this little gem? Absolutely brilliant. Thanks mate.
Thanks mate. It's a fascinating war for sure. Glad you found the film interesting. Got a good one about the Maori coming out on Friday.
@redcoathistory Thanks for the heads up Chris. I will look forward to it.
Excellent film, and well put together presentation. With the longer format you can tell a more complete story. Thank you, Chris!
Thanks Keith - hopefully more long format films coming soon. Hope you are well.
@@redcoathistory I am well, thank you; the Boers certainly handed our a$$es to us in that first conflict. Regards!
Loved the film. Walking the battle field of Majuba added much to understanding the engagement. British commander Gen Colley shot trying to rally his troops. Brave man.
We use to live in Newcastle, South Africa and I have been up Majuba Hill a few times,although it isn't really a hill but a pretty substantial mountain at around 2200 metres.I think that it's part of the Drakensberg range and is one of 3 mountains and one of the others is Inkwelo.I have even seen snow up in those mountains.
The Boers were incredible at very high marksmanship.
I believe the sniper concept was born from their tactics and abilities.
Fantastic thank you. Yes, long format, please.
Dank u voor deze zeer interessante en informatieve video. Waardeer het enorm 👍
Groeten uit Nederland 🇳🇱🌷, TW.
Hello from London,from Polish man
I really am blown away by the story of general colley. a brilliant commander who just didn't understand what it means to command in war.
Very much enjoyed that. Thanks for your work it was all new information to me. Also nice to see more South African countryside. One day I'll go there, it looks lovely.
Thanks a lot - it’s definitely worth a visit. 👍🏼
Excellent documentary. Never shall any of us, British or Boer, forget our losses. Today we strive for harmony, peace and reconciliation.
Well said sir.
One of your best military analysis yet. Also struck by our lack of political remembrance. In the first 5 minutes, John reminded us of no taxation without representation 1776. As well as Oh, we've run out o money let's join our rich enemies 1704. How much we have to learn and how much we have forgotten !
Yes, the long videos are a great idea; really enjoyed this one.
this is an absolutely brilliant documentary. thank you so much. the old man historian is like a revelation. true history from that guy. I can tell this man's knowledge is near complete, extraordinary.
Great to see the longer videos, I know some like the short videos but personally I enjoy the longer ones much more. Videos much under 20 minutes can feel a bit brief depending on the topic, but these longer ones give you a real feel for the topic.
Great work again.
South African history has fascinated me since I read James Michener's The Covenant. Fantastic documentary!
I like the long format and excellent that you actually come here to walk the battlefields, gives the viewers a bit more insight. Re if you stand atop Spienkop( when you cover the 2nd boer war), its amazing to see& feel the vantage point. Tx good work.
I was born and still live in bronkhorstspruit south africa nice to see.
I've inherited a book called 'Mevrouw Joubert vertelt'. Boer wives used to accompany their husbands on campaign' She got up in the early hours. Looking up from her crouched position she saw the silhouettes of men milling about on the top of the mountain and woke her husband with this v important bit of news. He mustered his men and they began to make their way up. The poms were so confident that they now possessed the high ground and thought they were safe enough to let down their guard. When it became light they were undetectable, hidden from view from above by the brow of the hill they were able to get all the way to the top. They killed the lookouts silently and were in amongst the enemy before latter could wipe the sleep out of their eyes.
Dang man thats gangster, cool story.
Great video and I liked the long format :)
As an American, love your history videos: never underestimate the enemy.....
Thanks Gary. Yep, cost the Brits a lot over the years.
So, so true! There is a strong memory of a very capable boer scout in the 2nd Boer War called Gideon Scheepers. He had gone to Holland and studied heliography. It was due to his messages, unseen from mountain tops, that enabled the Boers to elude pursuit by the Brits time and again. The Brits just didn't cotton on, incapable of believing that the enemy had enough brilliance to outsmart them. He eventually contracted enteric fever and was captured because he was unable to escape.Because he was such a hero among the Boers after his death (shot or died?), they hid his body. His remains were never recovered, probably cut up and flushed down a river (my guess). His bereaved mother died in the 1930s and was never able to get closure. One can fully understand the hatred the Afrikaners have for the English, which only recently has dissipated in the face of a common enemy in the ANC
As a Scot, first and British second, this is one of the few chapters in my country’s history I’m genuinely ashamed of, the loss on both sides and the incarceration in concentration camps is something that should never be forgotten.
Sorry mate, but you are another person commenting on the wrong war.
@@redcoathistory Howcome?
@@redcoathistoryThis is part of the Boer Wars though.
Second Boer War, not first though. This video is on the first. The British lost the first, won the second.@@rooftile883
@@redcoathistory So What, you then condone the english empire's concentration camps in the third English Afrikaner occupation war?
Great video Chris, I appreciate you climbing all the way up!
Cheers George. It was a fun hike. I really enjoyed visiting.
I like the long format. Great while I’m doing my cardio!
When I turned 64, I climbed Majuba with the Majuba memorial festival 28 Feb 2019.
Great video and very informative. Looking forward to more long format doccies on the Anglo Boer Wars.
I lived in Bronkhorstpruit for many years. Our school anthem even mentioned the battle of Bronkhorstspruit.
I read James Michener's " The Covenant" as a young teenager in the early 1980's and it helped me to make sense of the various ethnic groups which comprise the people of South Africa, why the different groups thought the way that they did, and why the nation was in such turmoil. I enjoyed this long form video and I look forward to your video on the Second Boer War.
Pop llppppp
M8 you bring History alive!, thankyou.
Thanks mate - that is the best compliment I could get.
A brilliant long form documentary, more of these please. I was very relieved that a fit young bloke like you found climbing Majuba hard. I climbed it in March with Ian Knight and at 66 I was absolutely knackered!! Full credit, therefore, to the fully laden British soldiers who climbed it the night before and to the Boers who assaulted it on the 27th.
A great reading list too. The Siege of Potchefstroom by Colonel R W C Winsloe is available as a reprint from Naval and Military Press.
❤ Yes, very much enjoying the longer form doc style. Looking forward to seeing more. Thank you.
Excellent documentary.
Like the format.
Have visited most Natal sites of both the Boer wars. Grandfather in the Natal Carbineers with Duncan McKenzie.1899.
Thank you.
Great work! First time visit, hooked already! Thanks from the Colonies!
Thank you very much for the great content. As a Boer I do want to make it clear that there is a definite distinction between Boer and Afrikaner, we identify as Boer, not to be conflated with Afrikaner which is a different grouping with divergent interests. Keep up the great work, thank you sir.
A distinction I wish was clearer in this day and age.
I always prefer long format videos
Love the long form videos. I really enjoyed it. Thank You
Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to do more in the future.
Excellent video and great production as always!
Thanks a lot. Appreciate the compliment 👍🏼
Another great video, keep at it Chris, thanks for sharing.
Loved this. Thank you for making it.
Chris, that black and white clip where a man was addressing a collection of people, ostensibly from a wagon, was a an excerpt from the very old Afrikaans movie about the battle of Bloodriver, and the fiery orator dispalyed there was Andries Pretorius. If you get that film from the museum at Blood River, you will see it in there. I suppose it will suite the representation of Boer discontent with the Brits in Transvaal, but that clip is somewhat older that the Transvaal rebellion.
many thanks Johannn. Yes I managed to find that old film clip and it was the closest thing I could find to illustrate the moment in spirit. I think the film was made in 1916.
Top notch work, the long-form content is 10/10 📚
Thanks! Long but not too long since it was succinct.
Thanks.
Brilliant! Thoroughly enjoyed this, thank you n more please!
Boer were fighting for independence.
British were fighting and dying to make the small hats rich 🤔
mercenaries
People forget, the British was the first to put women and children in concentration camps, also doing horrific things to people, during the Boer wars
This is a great documentary and the footage of the places today plus the input of John Laband plus yourself taught me about a period I didn't know a lot about. I like these long length videos. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it - that's great to hear. Thanks
Very well put together!!
Thanks a lot
It's ironic that I'm a black person from Southern Africa yet i wish the Boers had won. At least they were fighting driven by love of where they lived. The Boers had approached Lobengula to warn him about the English but was a little late. I just wish they would have worked together, boer and africans 😢
Fair play to the British too
I think maybe you should watch the film mfowethu...the Boers did win!
@@redcoathistory I know Boers win this battle but they ultimately were defeated in the war
@@BonganiMagadu Lol not they werent - they won every battle and won the war - you are thinking of a different war 20 years later. Sharp.
@@BonganiMagaduthey won the first boer war but unfortunately lost the second the British had far more numbers and the concentration camps hit the boers hard
@@Firefly13114 Also that Second War and Scorched Earth policy, lead to 27k Boers dying. When the British took over they started mining gold in earnest and the Boer survivors who's farms where all destroyed went to the mining towns to survive this new world, but couldn't compete against African miners and Chinese imported as cheap labor. They got paid significantly less and where giving free lodging. The Boers struggled and continued to live in poverty in what became known as "the Poor White Problem". When the British pulled out in 1910 they left the Boers in charge and those same Boers that had been through concentration camps, famine and poverty vowed to never again have their people and culture nearly wiped out like that. So they made a series of policies to specifically give Boers the best jobs and bar Africans from getting them, and to ensure that they have the best lifestyle above everyone else. That is how Apartheid was born. In hindsight it maybe would have been better if the Boers did ultimately win, because it lead to one of the worst events in human history that only ended in 1994.
The Boer's are fantastic soldiers.
can't argue with that.
This is very well put together and informative. Well done. Subscribed
Thanks and welcome
Brilliant mate! I found it informative and entertaining. Can’t wait for Vol 2! (Where the Brits gave Hitler the idea of exterminating people in concentration camps! Strangely Kitchener was never tried as a war criminal…but then history is written by the victor.)
Er, no. Whatever the rights and wrongs of their use during the Boer War, the British did not invent concentration camps.
@@jugbywellington1134 But they very effectively used concentration camps in South Africa, India etc.!
@@gertvanniekerk46 Correct, but to say they invented them is untrue. That's just wishful thinking to make them as wicked as possible.
@@jugbywellington1134 I never said they Invented concentration camps! What I said was that the english empire gladly, spontaneously and brutally used them in SA, India, the Americas etc. BEFORE the Germans did! By the way WHO invented them? Definitely not Ghendis or Kubly Khan because they just massacred and enslaved everybody in their path????
@@gertvanniekerk46No. but the OP did. They seem to have come from the USA via Spain.
Great video Chris - cheers.
Glad you enjoyed it
South African of English and Irish descent...and i am proud to state that my ancestor fought for the Boers under Colonel MacBrides Irish Boer volunteers...Eendracht Maak Macht...ek is trots om Boer te wees!🍺
Great documentary! Thanks.
Never judge a book by its cover... The all mighty British underestimate the farmers, "Boers"... If hellboy Kitchener didn't came with his consentration camps, the war would have been a longer war....
You know we (the British) lost by the name of the battle. Hats off to the boers, they were treated badly. Tough people 👍
Well done. I did enjoy Sean Friend, the tourist guide who took us up the Majuba Mountain. What a character. intend to visit there and climb it myself one day soon. Great format. Scary to think of all those head gunshot wounds. Marksmanship so deadly and dreadful. Keep up the good work. I live in Potchefstroom and drive past the old fort everyday. The librarian at the now dysfunctional library. can get the special keys and show you actual canon balls recovered from inside the fort. The fort is surprisingly small. But it is still there, along with an ammunition magazine nearby. Thanks for the movie.
Thanks a lot - good to know re the fort and librarby.
@@redcoathistory A pleasure kind Sir. I was a liceced Tourist guide 20 years ago in Johannesburg. Great times... I read all the history books in the Potchefstroom Public Library (still exists) I could on the history here. I'll follow up a bit and send you more information and contacts. Lots of military history here. The major army base here is still running. Alot of my acquaintances are soldiers too. Get back to you. P.S. get a selphie stick perhaps. Just an idea. Goo day Sir.
Nothing in the historian’s account of the discovery of diamonds in Kimberly in 1868? The vast potential of wealth from enormous diamond deposits wasn’t a motivation for the Brits. They just wanted to keep things calm and peaceful on their way to and from India.
Also gold in witwatersrand.
Excellent documentary..Thank You !
Thanks Ray. Is it a conflict you have read much about? If so, I am always looking out for new book reccomemdations etc...
Schalk Van Niekerk my family started the war by finding the Eureka Diamond he was a farmer,we should have stuck to farming wish we never had diamonds ,then we discovered gold game over ,so many lives lost over Greed .
Very good documentary,I finally understood
I cannot believe that I knew nothing about this . Thanks
it was more about the poms wanting controll of the gold and diamonds on Boer land than wanting a stable Africa how did that historian not mention the gold and Diamonds ? 1:22
True
Sad Story Chris,but our men carried on nobly in the face of defeat...
when did the bolt action Mauser come in...the Boers did have it by the second go round
Search for the Scandinavian volunteers in the boer war
Look up the Battle of Magersfontein. They were there...
Battle of Mount Street Bridge, Dublin, Easter week, 1916.
A handful of
Irish rebels held down 2,000 Sherwood Foresters' regiment, British army advance while inflicting many casualties, using Boer tactics of range finding, marksmanship and cover.
Thank you for the video.
The only way the British could beat the South African farmers was to go after their families and put them in concerntration camps. These where the first concentration camps in the world i believe. 27,927 out of 40,000 men, women and children died. Plus the British burned down all the farms in what was called the Scortched Earth policy. This contributed to famine outside the camps. 100s of thousands died and the Boers demoralized where forced to give up. Then a few years later the british packed up and left as part of the pull out of Africa in 1910 and gave all the land back to the Boers. The boers who lived in poverty after the war in what became known as the "poor white problem" couldnt compete against the cheap African labor that worked in mines (Boer means farmer and those farmers with all the farmland burnt down suddenly had to learn other trades). After the British gave them power the Boers vowed never again will they allow themselves to reach being wiped out like that again and dying of starvation. So they designed some policies that put themselves first and ensured that they got all the good jobs first before Africans and other polices to ensure their wellbing. Those policies became known as Apartheid.
Edit: Oh I forgot the mention that the reason the Britsh even started the war was because of South African gold mines. South Africa had one of the richest gold deposits in the world. So they brought in miners from overseas and started mining in earnest right after the war. It was this mining environment and economy the Boers found themselves in after the war.
If you are going to comment at least bother to comment on the war the video is about...
@@redcoathistory I literally just did. Context is important. Here's hoping you wont omit this history when you do your second video on the Second Boer war...
As usual, greatly enjoy the conversation, Chris. I don't suppose that you could comment on some of the references regarding musketry that John based his points on, could you?
Hi Rob, thanks for watching and I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’m afraid he didn’t mention sources but I do have his book on the war so I’ll check and let you know.
Rob pls do me a favour and send me a phone message when you get a chance as I recently upgraded my phone and have lost numbers. I’ve found the references and wanted to send you a photo. Thanks
Yes please continue to make thes interesting Sout African wars documentaries me knowing a lot of the history beinga tourist guide long age
Love the long form
new subs., i love this kind of documentary very interesting
Thanks, very interesting. Military history is a serious hobby but I focus on WW1 (I'm in the WFA) and the ACW so I like videos about other wars.
Cracking show, loved it
Damn seeing the list of names of people who died really puts into perspective how many people it really was..
The Boers were very cleaver they employed local trackers and they advised on how to eat and survive off the land. The Army leaders just didn't think they could be beaten by the Boers simply put aggogrant and clueless.
I like the longer format videos for a similar reason to someone else said, my machine cycles time is usually quite short, so I don't have time between parts to thumb through and change videos.
Hello and thank you for your insights. As a fellow descendant of the Boers, I'm particularly keen on accurate historical details. Beyond Wikipedia, where did you find the figures regarding the number of Boer present at Majuba Hill? My interest stems from having climbed Majuba Hill twice, each time encountering different accounts of the Boer forces involved. I came across this article, for instance, which presents yet another variation. Could you shed some light on your sources?
On 26 February 1881 Colley decided to march on Majuba with 554 men, where the Boers had an outpost.
On the same day, General Piet Joubert and the Boer forces took up a position at Laing's Nek to check on the arrival of British reinforcements. Colley’s men reached the top of the mountain in the early hours of the morning and were very tired. From the hill Colley could see the Boer laager of tents and covered wagons, but as he could not bring his heavy guns up the steep slopes, he was unable to fire on their encampment. Joubert, however, immediately ordered his men to climb the steep hill, take cover and shoot down on the British. At 7 a.m., a force of 150 Boers in three divisions under veld-cornets S J Roos, J Ferreira and D J Malan began to climb from ledge to ledge up the mountain, firing steadily and effectively on the British as they climbed. Untrained in guerrilla warfare, the exposed British soldiers made easy marks, and when Colley himself was killed and the Boers were almost at the summit, the British fled.
www.sahistory.org.za/article/first-anglo-boer-war
Loved this. Keep it up
Thanks a lot
Splendid film. Very enjoyable and interesting to watch. Thank you for posting it. Out of interest, what is the movie that you show clips of during your commentary please? I Would love to find copy of it for my collection. Thanks again. 👍🏼😊
Glad you enjoyed it - here is the link - th-cam.com/video/kjspSfMMZc8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=5XV8Uy8Eb9-Zew4W
@@redcoathistory Thank you. 👍🏼
Brilliant documentary.
Thanks, Paul.
I am an English Boer in RSA I love country how times jave changed we as white voted in a referendum to make peace And what has transpired a disaster
Chris many again for recommending Bullers rest lounge in Ladysmith. I’ll be there mid July.
Can you recommend a good day trip from there to visit Boer battle fields.
Can you in advance.
By Jove,
I found the Concentration Camp for Boers ,back on TH-cam
Real easy....rock hard proof 😢
Wrong war
awesome