Boer War

At the north end of the Long Gardens, in front of the Municipal offices, is this statue. It stands as a memorial to the men of Cheltenham who lost their lives in South Africa, while fighting in the Boer War (1899-1902). The war resulted in the conversion of the Boer republics into British colonies. These colonies later formed part of the Union of South African. The Boer War led to a change of British foreign policy from one of "splendid isolation" to one that involved looking for allies and improving world relations. That's enough history, back to the memorial.

The statue was created by R.L Boulton & Sons of Cheltenham, and was unveiled on 17th July 1907 by Sir Ian Hamilton. The inscription on the base of the memorial reads "This memorial is erected in memory of those Cheltenham men, who, either as regulars, or volunteers, died in their Country's service, during the South African War, and on the side panels hereof are recorded the names of those Cheltenham men who volunteered, and served in the war."

To finish off today's post below is a photo taken by H.C Giles on 10th June 1901 showing members of the Cheltenham Rifle Volunteers on their return from South Africa. (The soldiers are in the middle of the crowd).

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