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Like many other forummers I have followed this thread with fascination and thanks go to Rob for starting it and to Neville for all that he has supplied. Some of the savage satire is very clever and my favourite is Queen Vic feeding chocolate bullets to a British soldier who is having his backside tarred by Kruger.

It is ironical that at the time French and German satirists were producing these, across the other side of the world there was an eight nation alliance of American, Austro-Hungarian, British, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian troops suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in China. In total the troops numbered 20,000 so the drain on the British Army would have been a pinprick compared to the Boer Rebellion. A French cartoonist produced the following:



The first contingent of the Pembrokeshire Imperial Yeomanry (PIY) arrived in South Africa in early April 1900 and by late July were fed up with their total lack of involvement in any action and the following short article appeared in The Evening News of 28th July 1900. Note the rather misleading headline especially as the PIY exchanged their first shots with the Boers on 21st August 1900 and by the time they returned home two of their number had been killed in action.

Something a bit different ....

A "Sachet Souvenir" enclosing a scented "Mafeking Sachet".

I wonder what the Mafeking sachet once smelt of. From the graphics, I would imagine roses.



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A German card with portraits of "Präsident Paul Kruger", "Dr. W.J. Leyds, Vertreter Transvaals" and "General Joubert". Also with the Transvaal Vierkleur and eight lines from the "Boer Freedom Song".

Das Banner von Transvaal.
“… Wenn auch Tausende kommen, Transvaal anzurgreifen, so icht nichts zu fürchten, den der Herr ist der letzte Richter, – er wird entscheinden!” (Krügers Rede, 2. Okt. 1899).

Das Freiheitslied der Buren.
D’rum flatt’re hoc him Sonnenbrand / Freibanner von Transvaal. / Heil Roth-Weiss-Blau am grünen Rand / Vom Drachenberg zum Vaal! / Der Feind entfloh – im Freiheitslicht / Das heil’ge Vierfarb weht, / Und weh’ dem gottverlass’nen Wicht, / Der’s uns noch einmal schmäht!

Printed/published by "E.R.A. Ges. geschützt".


The depiction of the Vierkleur on this card was used as the basis for an enamel badge that was sold in Germany. These were probably sold as part of a fund-raising exercise, at the same time allowing the wearer to show his/her support for the Boer cause.




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The following postcard is a bit of an enigma. It was sent on the 2nd of June 1900 to Eduard Mueller in Muenchen by M. Lorenz in that same city. Bought by me as a postcard of a Boer celebrating some victory, the card turned out to be an original drawing by an obviously very talented artist. I have once seen a Hoffman (Muenchen) printed postcard with slight differences to the image but with the same illegible name in the right-hand top corner. I always presumed my card was the original artwork for the printed version but now wonder because the greeting text by M.Lorenz in the right margin seems out of place and so is the fact that it was sent via the post to someone in the same city. If a member has the printed version of the card or any thoughts on the matter, please enlighten us!

Everhard,

Whether the original artwork or not, this is an exceptional drawing.

The German script in the top right corner reads (I believe): Aus dem / Buren-Krieg / (Zuidafrika)

Regards,
Neville




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