War's end… the Peace of Vereeniging

REMEMBERING THE FIRST: As the Last Post is sounded, members of Marlborough RSA remember their forebears who served in New Zealand's first overseas conflict - the Boer War in South Africa, 1899-1902.

The oldest battle honour on the Regimental Colours of the Canterbury Nelson Marlborough West Coast Regiment is 'South Africa', the Regiment's Honorary Colonel Doug Kidd, DCNZM, told a last-light ceremony at Collingwood on 31 May 2002, the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Peace of Vereeniging which brought to an end the Boer War of 1899-1902.

This was just one of several ceremonies of remembrance - most in the South Island - held to mark the end of a war that claimed 288 New Zealand lives. About 100 people attended the unveiling and dedication of a memorial plaque in the Port Chalmers Museum.

Twenty-five veterans from Marlborough RSA paraded at a service held at the South African War Memorial at Tua Marina with a catafalque guard from 2 Cant NMWC Regiment flanking the obelisk. Speaking at the commemoration, RSA District President Peter Callahan, said the war was significant for New Zealand "it was the first time New Zealand sent troops to support an international force overseas."

In total, 6495 men accompanied by 8000 horses were dispatched to South Africa from a population of only 750,000. The volunteers had to provide their own horses and, if possible, pay for their own equipment - for those who couldn't, patriotic citizens raised the necessary money.

Colonel Kidd said the Regiment's soldiers were the military heirs and descendants of those who served in nearly all of the ten contingents who left New Zealand.

He said, as the centenary was being marked, the New Zealand Army was about to remount as a mounted manoeuvre force in light armoured vehicles (LAV3s). "The 'horses' this time will be very different," he said. "But the core doctrine of mounted manoeuvre warfare, initially developed in South Africa, and taken further with such brilliance by New Zealand Mounted Rifle units in the Sinai and Palestine in World War I, will carry through to the splendidly equipped 'horse' wherever the future takes our soldiers in pursuit of, or to secure peace."

Colonel Kidd said there were many lessons for a modern army from the South African War. "So the Army should not forget it. Our Regiment hasn't."

He said, he wondered how many other regiments, how many towns, how many mayors and politicians would remember those who died in our first overseas war. "We, here tonight at least can say 'we will remember them'.

"If we don't, no one will - the last New Zealand veteran died 21 years ago."