The erection and maintenance of monuments to Boer prisoners of war in India 1902-1948

Abstract

During the Anglo-Boer War 9 131 Boer prisoners of war were deported to India. Here, from 1901 and 1903, they resided in 17 camps scattered across the subcontinent. During this time an estimated 145 prisoners died and were buried in India. Drawing on a range of sources, this article investigates the period between 1 901 when the first prisoners arrived up to 1948 when the National Party came into power and when diplomatic relations between India and South Africa ceased, the memorialisation of Boer prisoners of war who had died in India. In the process the motivations and meanings behind the erection of the diverse range of monuments by prisoners of war, family members of the deceased, the British authorities, the Indian Government and the South African Government, and the maintenance thereof are examined. Keywords: Anglo-Boer War, India, Boer prisoners of war, monuments, tombstones, memorialisation