Boer War- The progression of the war

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What aspects of Boer culture gave them an advantage in the war?
Recreational target shooting, possession of fast and hardy horses
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What did the Boer sieges mean for the British?
Gave them time to regroup
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What were the names of the 3 towns besieged by the Boers?
Ladysmith, Mafeking, Kimberley
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What happened at the Battle of Ladysmith?
Boers shelled it, British counter, high casualties, British retreat
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What made Buller seem a good man to take back the besieged towns?
Knew South Africa and the Boers due to experience in the Zulu War
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How many attempts did it take to relieve Ladysmith?
4
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What mistake did Buller make in Black Week?
Split his forces
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What happened when Buller tried to relieve Ladysmith?
British advance in fog, fog cleared and the British found themselves surrounded by Boer guns
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What was the main problem in Black Week?
High casualties
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What were the merits of the Boers in Black Week? (3)
Prepared defensive positions, good marksmen, used dummy trenches
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What were the failings of the British in Black Week? (3)
Poor command, poor communication, orders rather than initiative
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How did Black Week cause shock in Britain?
Press reports and photos of the dead
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What was the impact of Black Week?
Men were encouraged to volunteer, and there were 30,000 reinforcements
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How many British troops were in South Africa by January 1900?
180,000
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When did Roberts arrive in Africa?
January 1900
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What were Robert's tactics? (4)
Reconnaissance, planning, cover for infantry/artillery, no mass frontal attacks
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What did Kitchener do to ease reliance on railways?
Organised a wagon supply system
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Who was in control of Mafeking?
Baden-Powell
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How many Boers besieged Mafeking?
7000 (1/5 of the total Boer force)
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Why was Roberts delayed from reaching Mafeking?
Supply shortage and typhoid due to water poisoning
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What was the impact of the relief of Mafeking?
Huge celebrations in Britain
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What happened at the relied of Kimberley?
Relieved by a bombardment and cavalry charge by Roberts and Kitchener in 1900
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Why were Kitchener and Roberts successful?
Volunteers brought a large number of infantry and cavalry
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When was Orange Free State annexed?
March 1900
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When was Transvaal annexed?
September 1900
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Who was given command in November 1900?
Kitchener
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What happened to Roberts at the end of 1900?
Replaced Wolseley as commander in chief and was given a monetary award
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Why didn't the war end in 1900?
Boers started a guerrilla war
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Why were guerrilla tactics effective?
Hit and run meant British didn't know where to reinforce and had no time to do so. Veldt vast, so British thinly distributed
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What new tactics did Kitchener use in response to Boer guerrillas? (6)
Blockhouses, barbed wire, new model drives, raiding columns, scorched earth, concentration camps
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How many blockhouses did Kitchener build?
8000
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What were the benefits of blockhouses?
Restricted Boer movements, protected supply routes, allowed light-signalling for rapid reinforcement
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How many miles of barbed wire connected blockhouses?
4000 miles
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What were the benefits of barbed wire?
Trapped Boers, allowed new model drives, made the veldt more manageable
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What technology was introduced to blockhouses and what impact did this have?
Telephone and telegraph wires for improved communications and response time
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What were raiding columns?
Mounted men who could delay Boer movements and block escape routes
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What happened as part of the scorched earth policy?
Farms burned, fields salted, wells poisoned
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What happened to the Boer women and children who lost homes due to the scorched earth policy?
Sent to concentration camps
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What was the British idea behind concentration camps?
Prevent Boer women and children from starving, reduce aid to Boer guerrilla fighters
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What was the effect of concentration camps on guerrilla fighters?
No longer had to worry about providing for families, so could dedicate more time and resources to fighting
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What were the problems in concentration camps
Malnutrition, exposure to elements, overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of medical/food supplies, disease
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How many women and children died in concentration camps?
20,000+
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How many black Africans died in concentration camps?
12,000+
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What did the Boer sieges mean for the British?

Back

Gave them time to regroup

Card 3

Front

What were the names of the 3 towns besieged by the Boers?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What happened at the Battle of Ladysmith?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What made Buller seem a good man to take back the besieged towns?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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