Editing Second Boer War (section)

=== South Africa ===

During the war, the British army also included substantial contingents from South Africa itself. There were large communities of English-speaking immigrants and settlers in Natal and Cape Colony (especially around Cape Town and [[Grahamstown]]), which formed volunteer units that took the field, or local "town guards". At one stage of the war, a "Colonial Division", consisting of five light horse and infantry units under Brigadier General [[Edward Brabant]], took part in the invasion of the Orange Free State. Part of it withstood a siege by Christiaan de Wet at [[Wepener]] on the borders of [[Lesotho|Basutoland]]. Another large source of volunteers was the ''uitlander'' community, many of whom hastily left Johannesburg in the days immediately preceding the war.

[[File:Rhodesians leaving Salisbury for Boer War.jpg|thumb|[[Rhodesia (region)|Rhodesian]] volunteers leaving [[Harare|Salisbury]] for service in the Second Boer War, 1899]]

Later during the war, Kitchener attempted to form a Boer Police Force, as part of his efforts to pacify the occupied areas and effect a reconciliation with the Boer community. The members of this force were despised as traitors by the Boers still in the field. Those Boers who attempted to remain neutral after giving their parole to British forces were derided as ''"hensoppers"'' (hands-uppers) and were often coerced into giving support to the Boer guerrillas (which formed one of the reasons for the British decision to launch scorched earth campaigns throughout the countryside and detain Boers in concentration camps in order to deny anything of use to the Boer guerrillas).{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}

Like the Canadian and particularly the Australian and New Zealand contingents, many of the volunteer units formed by South Africans were "[[light cavalry|light horse]]" or mounted infantry, well suited to the countryside and manner of warfare. Some regular British officers scorned their comparative lack of formal discipline, but the light horse units were hardier and more suited to the demands of campaigning than the overloaded British cavalry, who were still obsessed with the charge by lance or sabre.{{efn| British cavalry travelled light compared with earlier campaigns, but were still expected to carry all kit with them on campaign owing to distances covered on the Veldt.}} At their peak, 24,000 South Africans (including volunteers from the Empire) served in the field in various "colonial" units. Notable units (in addition to the Imperial Light Horse) were the [[South African Light Horse]], [[Rimington's Guides]], [[Kitchener's Horse]] and the Imperial Light Infantry.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}}