TOPIC:

David

This is a surprising piece of information. Perhaps there were subsequent reports on these men in Greek newspapers?

Regards
Brett

PS Many men who served with the British forces in South Africa either stayed in SA, or returned later to settle there. When I was young (not long after the Boer War), many towns in SA had a Greek-owned café or "convenience store'. I wonder .....?

Interested members
Re foriegn volunteers for the Brits in SA; I thought I had read about this "SOMEWHERE" and I ran across it second go. I refer to Vo.3 of THWSA, that far reaching and at times irritating polemic. Specifically pages 55 and 56. I do not propose to reproduce the passage word-for-word. However the editor of the volume comments that "it would be a mistake to assume that this violent hatred of England (on the part of Germany, France and Russia) was universal in Europe". The editor continues that in Italy - with the exception of the extreme clerical and socialist sections - was generally friendly. General Garibaldi even offered his own services and those of a contingent of volunteers to show the strength of Italian gratitude for the part England had played in furthering the cause of Italian unity.
The Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph had great influence amongst the ruling class (described by Amery as "England's best friend in Europe"). Hungary and Poland both expressed their regret at the early British reverses in SA.
The passage on the sympathies of the Greeks is quite interesting. Parliamentary debate both Government and opposition came down on the side of the Brits with loud cheers. At Larissa, a memorial service and cenotaph was erected with the inscription "Thessaly in gratitude to the champions of civilisation". My own comment would be that an interested person might do some reading about the path to Greek independence to understand these sentiments.
Amery further goes on to comment that "the newly liberated Cretans offered to raise a contingent of a thousand men". Similar reading might lead persons to discover "the reason why".
All these offers, of course, could not have been accepted. The foriegn volunteers - no matter how well-intentioned - were not British subjects and the spectre of a thousand or two mercurial Hellenes, Cretans and/or Italians descending upon the Boers has to be fanciful.
Nevertheless the sentiment was there and needs to be recognised.
Regards to all who read this far.
IL.

Ian,

I had not realised there had been so much foreign support beyond mere words (as a few horses!).

I will see what else I can find in the papers based on your leads.

Many thanks
David

David
Yes, things were not always as they are seen to be through some modern eyes. I will explain what I mean by that. Many years ago I realised I had to remedy a truncated education if ever I was to get a half-decent job - so I did the old Night School/Evening College bit for several years. Hard work for four nights a week when holding a job. Anyway, one of the subjects was Modern History and I clearly recall the teacher/lecturer saying that the Boer war made the British the "pariah of Europe". I didn't know any better and it was not until I took an interest in the ABW several years later that I ran across a battered copy of THWSA and saw that my erstwhile learned teacher was, in fact, quite in error. When the teacher's comment was made, I assumed that some of the European moral support would have been because a Republic was threatening a Monarchy - and that may well have been a part of it.
If anyone is seriously interested in this thread, I strongly suggest a careful reading of THWSA Vol.3, pp 55-56.
Best wishes,
IL.

An article on the Balkan view of the War from The Times 19 Apr 1900:

From 5th March 1900: