Medals Database – All Medals from the Boer Wars or South African War

After General Redvers Buller was replaced by Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener, British military invaded and occupied the two Boer Republics in early 1900 at the head of a 180,000-strong expeditionary force. Although the British Empire officially annexed the two republics in 1900, the Boer guerrilla campaign proved difficult to defeat. British high command ordered several scorched earth policies and erected a network of barbed wire fences, nets, blockhouses, and strongpoints. British mounted infantry units were also deployed to track down and engage individual Boer guerillas units. These efforts were aided by local forces from the Cape Colony, the Natal Colony, Rhodesia, and volunteers from Australia, Canada, India and New Zealand.

It’s estimated that 22,000 British soldiers were killed, of which only 35% died in battle, and the remaining 65% from disease. 78 Victoria Cross war medals were awarded to British and colonial soldiers for their actions during the Second Boer War. Other medals warded to participants of the Boer Wars include the Queen’s South Africa Medal, the Queen’s Mediterranean Medal, the Transport Medal, and the King’s South Africa Medal.