It is not known how much Walter Barley and his comrades knew about the problems in South Africa prior to the outbreak of the Boer war in 1899. It is clear from the letters found in this book that families from the North of England had emigrated there in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Since the 1820's South Africa had attracted a steady flow of British emigrants, from these people, and from reports in the press some details of the tensions in South Africa would have been known to the British public.
As a very young man, Walter Barley worked as a painter and decorator. When he became old enough he joined the local company of the Lincolnshire rifle Volunteers. At the same time in South Africa tensions between the white settlers of Dutch and British origin were building up. Following the occupation of the Dutch Batavian Republic by the British in 1806 many Dutch settlers had participated in the Great Trek and moved further into the interior of Africa.
These people were to become known as Boers, from the Dutch word for farmer, the Volk as they called themselves, crossed the Vaal and Orange rivers and established the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. In 1852 the British ratified the Transvaal as an independent republic, followed by the Orange Free State in 1854.In 1870 diamonds were discovered in the Orange Free State. This led to the annexation of the town of Kimberley to the Cape Colony in the following year and in 1877 the Transvaal was claimed to be a British Crown Colony. In 1880 Paul Kruger led a rebellion which was to become known as the First Anglo-Boer war.
In 1881 the British suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Mujaba and subsequently, independence was restored to the Transvaal in 1884. Two years later gold was discovered there and this provoked new tensions between the two sides. The tension continued to build until, in 1895 the Jameson raid was carried out. The Jameson raid rested on the belief that theUitlanders would rise in support but this did not happen. After Jameson was defeated, Kruger had him deported to stand trial in London.
In 1897, following the Jameson raid, Joseph Chamberlain, the Colonial Secretary put forward Sir Alfred Milner as High Commissioner in South Africa. Milner believed that establishing good relationships with the Boer republics was not enough and believed that the only way forward would be to return them to the imperial fold. Milner sought over the next two years to undermine the peace negotiations between the Colonial government and the Boers. Milner went further to persuade the British War Office to send troops to South Africa to assist the military garrison in Bloemfontein, and also succeeded in aborting the Bloemfontein Conference of June 1899.The failure of the Bloemfontein Conference and the arrival of British troops worried Kruger who was now president of the Transvaal.
Kruger believed that the British intended to take control of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal. Consequently, in October 1899, an ultimatum was delivered to the British in the Transvaal demanding withdrawal of all British troops from the borders of the republic and from the whole of South Africa. When the British failed to respond, war was declared.Walter Barley could not have foreseen in October 1899 that he would be called to play a part in this war.
It was expected that the British would triumph before Christmas, however December brought the British a series of defeats and Walter Barley was called upon to serve Britain and the empire in South Africa.During Barley's time in South Africa he wrote a series of letters to his family back home in Lincolnshire. Against the major political and military events of the war, the letters of a private soldier may seem unimportant. These letters however, provide valuable insight into how the incredible events of those years appeared to the ordinary people of Britain.The letters of the Boer War represent a milestone in the history of communication.
The letters from men at the bottom of the military hierarchy were the first wartime letters to be written by a newly literate lower class, following the education reforms of 1870 and 1880.A second factor that makes these letters so valuable is that the Boer war was the last major war where there was little or no censorship. Walter Barley was able to tell his family exactly where he was and what he was doing in the name of empire.The letters of Walter Barley were written to his mother and his sisters. Their letters, written to him have not been found so it is only possible to identify what they wrote from the answers that he sent to them.
It is evident that Walter's letters concentrates more on family and home news then on events of the war, other then those in which he was closely involved. It is interesting to consider whether Walter may have discussed more military matters if he had been writing to male members of his family rather then his mother and the 'giddy girls' as he called his sisters.During the course of Walter's experience in South Africa it is noticeable that his handwriting, grammar and expression improve. The early letters are written in large, almost childlike handwriting, with many mistakes within the text.
Later letters written by Walter show a marked improvement in both spelling and grammar and observational skills. One reason for this improvement may be the fact that over the course of his time in South Africa Walter had the opportunity and reason to write many letters, thus gaining practice. Another reason for the improvement in Walter's writing ability may be that he was surrounded by men better educated then himself. It is possible that had help from these individuals with his letter writing skills.Walter uses Lincolnshire dialect throughout the letters.
Words such as boom- rumour look sharp- hurry up, and starved- very cold.The letters of Walter Barley add little to the knowledge of the events and military operations of the Boer war, but they do provide a detailed insight into the experiences and emotions of the men at the bottom of the military ladder. The letters are valuable in that they were written by a man who, although low in the hierarchy, was more articulate then the majority of those in the regular army. Many of the volunteers had accepted a lowering of status by offering themselves as private soldiers.Walter does not discuss his motives for enlisting; it is likely that this is because his family would have already been aware of his reasons. He did however, frequently express his desire to be back home in England enjoying the activities of the volunteers that were still at home.
He made clear in his letters that he had no intention of seeking a new start in South Africa when the war ended.Throughout Walter's correspondence mention was made to the physical state of the men. He would often discuss the self-treatment of minor ailments. Walter believed that the health of the men seemed to be 'worse without oranges and apples'. Walter made frequent reference to the availability and choice of food that he and his comrades were given. Walter observes that the health of the men suffered from shortages of food and water, and the high rate of illness was a result of this.
The lack of appropriate clothing and bedding is also discussed and Walter describes how these factors have a direct impact on the morale of the men. Before the development of antibiotics, ailments which would by contemporary standards be seen to be relatively minor, could be life threatening. Several of the volunteers on the voyage to South Africa fell ill and at least one died of what Walter believed to be pneumonia, although he attributed the cause to 'sitting on the deck at sunset when the change comes in the wind'.Walter complained about the water that the men were obliged to take from rivers and pools. He wrote that the men drank any sort of water, 'dead horses and mules in it or else go without'. The quality of the water they were forced to drink probably accounted for the outbreaks of diarrhea and dysentery that Walter describes as well as more serious outbreaks of enteric fever.
Walter was in hospital twice, once for two weeks with an unspecified fever. Several times he mentions trouble with his legs, either blistering after long marches or from 'twisting my knee a bit'. He does not unfortunately describe the conditions of the hospital.Walter's letters home from South Africa present a clear and moving account of the conditions under which those at the bottom of the military hierarchy served.
They tell of the devastating effects of disease, of long marches on pitifully low rations and of inadequate supplies of boots, clothing and bedding. They also describe the comradeship which sustained the volunteers and of Walter's appreciation of the African wildlife and scenery.
