A towering stone structure with four arches rises before us. This is the Anglo-Boer War Memorial. It stands as a solemn reminder of a conflict that shaped South Africa.
Originally called the Rand Regiments Memorial it honored men from Witwatersrand. They served as British soldiers in the Rand Regiments. They tragically lost their lives during the Second Boer War. That war raged from 1899 to 1902.
Now, the Anglo-Boer War Memorial is next to the South African National Museum of Military History. It was rededicated on October 10 1999. It now commemorates all who perished in the Second Boer War.
After the Second Boer War ended in 1902, Randlord Sir Lionel Phillips wanted to build a memorial. It would honor the British soldiers who died. In September 1904, Captain George A. Hamilton-Dickson proposed a site. He wanted the Town Council to start a building scheme.
The Johannesburg Town Council thought the memorial should honor everyone who died in the war. But Phillips and the committee disagreed. Sir Lionel Phillips purchased land in the Sachsenwald Plantation now Saxonwold. This land would house the Anglo-Boer War Memorial.
Field Marshall the Duke of Connaught laid the cornerstone on November 30 1910. The site had been approved just a month before. No architect or design had been finalized then.
Sir Edwin Lutyens designed the Anglo-Boer War Memorial in 1911. Later, he became famous for his war memorials after World War I. The memorial is 20 meters tall. Its design is based on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It also draws from other Roman triumphal arches.
The town council planned five vistas. They would lead to the Anglo-Boer War Memorial. The 40 acres were fenced off. The names of Rand regiment members are on the columns. These men died in the war. They belonged to various units including Bethune’s Mounted Infantry and the Imperial Light Horse.
Sir Lionel Philips personally funded a bronze sculpture for the top of the Anglo-Boer War Memorial. Sir Hugh Lane commissioned Naoum Aronson to design it in Paris. In April 1914, the sculpture was mounted. It faces west.
Some say the sculpture is Nike the Greek winged goddess of victory. Others call it an “angel of peace”. This was meant to reconcile the English and Afrikaaner populations. The Lutyens Trust says the final design was an angel of peace. The Afrikaaner population called the memorial the Kakiemonument.
The Anglo-Boer War Memorial was rededicated on October 10 1999. It honors all who died in the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902. This includes men women and children of all races and nations.
On June 1 2002, people gathered here. They commemorated the hundred-year anniversary of the war’s end. 22000 British soldiers 7000 Boers and 24000 black people were remembered. 22000 white women and children who died in concentration camps were also honored.
In 2015, Johannesburg budgeted R1000000 to restore the Anglo-Boer War Memorial. This included cleaning the sculpture. It also meant adding a protective coating. Storm drainage was introduced. This was because the stone blocks had shifted due to moisture.
As we stand here let us reflect on the past. This Anglo-Boer War Memorial stands not only as a monument to loss but also as a symbol of reconciliation and hope for a more peaceful future. Its presence reminds us of the shared history and the quest for unity in this Rainbow Nation.