The monument at Langverwacht.

Some years ago I started investigating the Anglo Boer war battle on the farm Langverwacht in the Free State, some 30 kms south of the town of Vrede. Twenty-three men of the 7th New Zealand Mounted Rifles were killed there in a clash with the commando of Christiaan de Wet. When I first saw the monument, it had been smashed by a fallen tree. That was in 2003. Two weeks ago the monument was rebuilt, complete except for the white marble plaque containing the names of the fallen, mostly young men from the South Island of New Zealand.

For me, an emotional experience. The New Zealand government arranged for the rebuilding and it is wonderful that this act means that these young soldiers, fighting for what they felt was right, are not forgotten.

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My military history CV

Robin Smith
Military History CV

I live in Hilton, KZN, South Africa. First interested in Napoleon as a child, my interest in military history progressed from that beginning. Eventually came a realization of just how much there is all around us in South Africa, and still intact, from the several conflicts that were played out on our soil. All of us here tonight are conscious of the value of this wonderful heritage. There are many whose business it is to exploit, in the best sense of the word, the tourist potential of these places.

In the United States Civil War there were no less than fifteen thousand clashes between the forces of the Union North and the Confederate South. In my several visits to America I have visited the sites of more than thirty of them on battlefields that are maintained in pristine condition. The tourism potential of these places is considerable and they seem always to be thronged with visitors.

Each major site has a Visitor Centre with maps and information about the campaign and rangers who are able to answer questions and explain further about what happened there. Shiloh, the subject of tonight’s talk is the best-preserved of all the Civil War battle sites. Located quite a distance from any large city, the closest is Memphis, Tennessee, it still attracts large numbers of sightseers to its spectacular setting on the banks of the mighty Tennessee River.

In South Africa we have Isandlwana and Spionkop which are equally spectacular and evocative and I am so fortunate to have visited them a good many times. They are not far from my home of course. The efforts of the late David Rattray, Ken Gillings and a number of others mean that these sites and many others have a steady stream of distinguished, and not-so-distinguished, visitors. Vandalism is still a problem although our heritage authorities do help greatly to prevent it.

For the last few years I have been investigating another battlefield that offers spectacular scenery and is in the process of restoration – Rietfontein, outside Ladysmith. Another field of study has been the Anglo Boer War monuments of the Imperial Light Horse Regiment, spread over all four of the old provinces. Articles in the South African Military History Journal might be the result in due course.

Robin Smith
21st November 2008.