TOPIC:

Thank you Mike,

Further examples of how in this era, although often horrific, war was seen as somewhat of an adventure, but not forgetting of course the immense sense of pride and duty that existed.

This thread touches on patriotism and the motivation for soldiers serving in the South African (Boer) War 1899-1902. Regarding this there is an interesting quote in "The Story of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry 1798-1998" by David Eddershaw. The quote comes from a book entitled "Trooper 8008" by the Hon Sidney Peel a son of Viscount Arthur Peel a former Speaker of the House of Commons. That is to say young Sidney was very much part of the establishment and served in the first wave of the Oxfordshire Imperial Yeomanry.

"Among the new volunteers was Sidney Peel from Oxfordshire, who with telling insight recorded the motives of his fellow recruits in the Imperial Yeomanry:

Some came because they saw the chance of emigrating at government expense; some from love of sport and excitement; some because their domestic affairs were in a tangle from which enlistment offered a ready escape; some because they were tired of their present occupation; some because they wanted a job; some because they wanted a medal, and some because others came.

Peel remembered only one man who claimed to be motivated by patriotism and he was generally regarded as peculiar."

Perhaps a bit tongue in cheek?

I do love a good quote and that one is very good. It speaks so much truth and the comment about patriotism being peculiar makes me smile.

From C.S. Jarvis, Half a Life (London: John Murray, 1943), 58-59.

"There was no comparison, of course, between the [First World War] and the South African campaign that is now alluded to as a picnic, but in two respects we were very much worse off... Secondly, in the war of 1914 commanders saw to it that the men had leave …. In South Africa leave of any description was never thought of."

One common theme I have seen in many personal papers of officers is the mention of hoping that they get sent to China where the Boxer Rebellion was going on.

This interesting thread has got a little confused touching on several issues.

Regarding the writings of C.S Jarvis quoted above, was he not comparing chalk with cheese? The South African (Boer) War of 1899-1902 was a very different war from WW1 and took place 7,000 miles away (with a ~6 week boat journey there and back), so obviously home leave was not on for the rank and file. In WW1 Scottish soldiers stationed in France could get back home inside two days - all soldiers on leave received special treatment by the railways. Soldiers who served in more remote regions in WW1 did not get home leave - my grandmother & mother never saw my grandfather for over 3 years while he served in Salonika.

I associate the word rotation with regard to WW1 with men spending a few days in front-line trenches, followed by a few days in the reserve trenches and then a rather longer time in billets. Mind you they were not always safe in billets - there was sergeant drinking a cup of tea outside his billet when an over-range shell landed near him and killed him, my paternal grandfather sent my grandmother a pc of a minor chateaux in the village he was billeted in - one of the outhouses had been destroyed by a shell - not a very reassuring pc to send her!

As Ian said you can find a few instances of officers getting home leave during the 1899-1902 war, they were also quite good at wangling a few days away from their unit going big game hunting and they usually took members of the rank and file with them who were noted shots.

The normal short service assertation for the regular army was for 7 days on active service followed by 5 in reserve with both subject to a one year addition if the country was at war when the periods expired (rather than 8 & 4 as stated above). However, volunteers only attested for one year's service with the one year addition if the war was still going. For the first & second wave the war was still in force by the time their year ended. Was the additional year enforced? - yes, but never fully and most volunteers spent about 15/16 months on South African soil which did allow overlap with their replacements.

The only instances I have come across of soldiers wanting to go to China was while they were still in the UK and their unit had been refused permission to proceed to SA.

I'll post the entire quote so Jarvis can speak for himself!

"There was no comparison, of course, between the horrors of modern wars and the South African campaign that is now alluded to as a picnic, but in two respects we were very much worse off. Firstly, during the last war the feeding of troops was marvellous, and, except for the Mesopotamian front and possibly for a week or two in Palestine, the rank and file were never actually hungry. In the South African War, on the other hand, the men on column lived in a permanent state of semi-starvation. Secondly, in the war of 1914 commanders saw to it that the men had leave; those in France and Flanders were sent home once a year or oftener, and in addition had every possible day off in French towns behind the line, whilst in Palestine the troops were not only allowed five days' leave occasionally in Cairo, Port Said and Alexandria, but a certain proportion were sent home. In South Africa leave of any description was never thought of..

Happy to direct you to a some China references if you are interested.