Johannesburg with its gold mines was the cause of the war, and yet it suffered very little actual military action. The impact was mainly on the civilian population. Its polyglot inhabitants were divided in their loyalties so when war was declared on 11th October 1899 thousands had to decide whether to go or to stay; whether to volunteer and fight for the side they supported or sit tight and hope it would all be over quickly.
From October 1999 the Trust will be organising bus tours to
different parts of Johannesburg, visiting sites associated with
Boer and Briton; Sunnyside Park Hotel (home of Lord Milner)
The View, Eagles Nest, the redoubt which guarded Van Wyk's
Drift, Johannesburg General Hospital where enteric was
rife and the last stop for these soldiers - the Braamfontein
Cemetery.
Garrison troops, refugees, concentration camp victims and the Black workforce which kept the mines and other essential services operational, the men and women overlooked by most historians, the people of Johannesburg will be highlighted. With guns ranged down on the town the Staatsartillerie kept a sharp eye on developments from The Fort, high on Hospital Hill.
Neighbours found themselves at war with neighbours. Even in
Parktown, home of the Randlords and the wealthy elite, the choice
had to be made. Amongst those residents were men who had been
involved in the conspiracy which led to the Jameson Raid. Now
with increased fervour they founded volunteer regiments such
as the Imperial Light Horse. But others disliked Milner's manipulation
of the Uitlanders' problems and did not share Rand Mines' enthusiasm
for British control.
The majority of the infomation regarding the Anglo Boer War is now kept at The Anglo Boer War Website.