War on the Veldt: Tracing Your Australian Military Ancestors in the Boer War 1899-1902

The Australian soldiers who returned from the war in South Africa were feted as heroes. Local memorials were soon raised. A number of books were compiled and an official history of sorts was commenced. The memory of the Australians who had fought and died however was soon overshadowed by World War One and the deeds of them men of the Australian Imperial Force. Some saw the Boer War as a rehearsal for a larger main event.

Admittedly the Boer War dead had their names inscribed on the Australian War Memorial honour rolls. But Boer War official records were lost or destroyed while those associated with World War One were collected with reverence. Even today there is a continuing struggle to have the conflict recognised by a National Boer War Memorial. Yet there is a recent growth in interest from genealogists which has helped sustain, indeed revive Australia's prominent part in the Boer War.

The task of researching ancestors in the Boer War has long been frustrated by a lack of awareness and an apparent paucity of records. This is not so. 'War on the Veldt' opens the doors to successfully finding Australian Boer War ancestors.