DESTINED FOR GREATNESS, CHURCHILL IN ANGLO BOER WAR AND THE ARMOURED TRAIN DISASTER

The diamonds and gold were discovered in the Transvaal, one of two Boer republics. Nearly 30 years later, the First Boer War began with Britain annexing the Transvaal in 1880 and it ended in Britain’s defeat. The peace agreement didn’t last long, Britain didn’t respect the independence of the Boer republics and effectively cut the Transvaal off from the sea, claiming new territories and accumulating troops at its borders. In October 1899 the Boers with President Kruger issued an ultimatum, it was contemptuously ignored by the British.

At this point a very charismatic young man, nicknamed by his newspaper colleagues “Pushful, the Younger, saw a chance to capture the attention of the British people and to make a name for himself. His destiny was greatness, at least that’s what he believed in and the fastest route to public acclaim was military distinction, so this war, was his vehicle to political power. By this time twenty-five-year-old, was quite experienced, having served on battlefields on three different continents.

Few days after the declaration of war, on 14 October 1899, Churchill sailed for South Africa as a war correspondent for London’s Morning Post. The ship called Dunnottar Castle, carried many other British officials and soldiers.

After arriving to Cape Town he left by rail at once to East London. From there, he took a ship to Durban, where he learned that a garrison town Ladysmith was already under siege and made the new front for the war. He immediately left by train to Estcourt- the closest to the front he could get. Having arrived, he pitched a small tent near the railway station where he spent around 10 days before getting aboard an armoured train, together with a handful of British regiments on a reconnaissance mission. 15 November the armoured train carrying Churchill and British troops was suddenly ambushed by the Boer commando force at Chieveley.

The expedition was bombarded for over an hour, bullets pinged the sides of the train. During the attack Churchill directed the soldiers to free the train, wounded soldiers were loaded on the still operational locomotive and were able to flee to safety. Unfortunately, he found himself alone in a ditch near the track and was taken prisoner by Boer pointing his Mauser rifle at him. He was forced to surrender when he realised that his pistol was left on the train. The man rumoured to be Louis Botha, the future Prime Minister of South Africa.

Churchill was a civilian but he had taken an active part in enabling British soldiers to escape, so he was treated as an officer - prisoner of war. He also was a prized asset, coming from an elite family, he could be used as a bargaining tool. The captives were transported to a prisoner-of-war camp in Pretoria and imprisoned in the Staats Model School.

Churchill quickly became restless and together with two other officers made plans to escape. They have noticed a gap in routine of Boer guards. Reports had been heard of British soldiers in the area, most of the guards were out patrolling the streets. On the night of December 12, 1899 after being in captivity for only four weeks, they took their chance. When no one was watching, Churchill, told to go first, climbed the 10-feet prison wall and made a break for freedom. He waited for the colleagues, but they never arrived.

The plan was to get to Portuguese East Africa and the journey was 300-mile long through enemy territory, the others had half the food rations, compass and the map, Churchill had some chocolate and £75. The Boers launched a manhunt and put a reward of £25 on his head to be captured dead or alive.

He walked for days avoiding swamps, through long grass hiding by day and traveling at night, spent time hiding on freight trains. Finally, he found himself in Witbank in the Transvaal, completely exhausted took a chance and knocked on the door to ask for food. The man who opened him turned out to be English, John Howard a coal mine manager of the Transvaal and Delagoa Bay Colliery.

Howard and his friend Mr Dewsnap, began to look for the safest way to get Churchill to freedom in Delagoa, Portuguese East Africa. He was hiding in the coal mine for number of days, waiting in total darkness. They eventually managed to smuggle him onto a freight train loaded with wool and hid him amongst the woolsacks. After three days, the train was stopped by Portuguese men, he has reached a safe territory. In Mozambique, after contacting British consul Churchill was put on board of a steamboat for Durban and shortly after sent a message to Howard “the goods arrived safely”.

His story had attracted much publicity in Britain, therefore he decided to return to the front. He enrolled in a cavalry regiment and participated in the relief of Ladysmith, Battle of Spioenkop. In June 1900, the capital of Boer country Pretoria, fell. Churchill led the liberation of the 180 soldiers remaining in his old prison camp.

Churchill arrived in his homeland in full glory, as he always knew, he was destined for greatness. He was the imperial hero in Britain and quickly started his great political career.

Signing the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902 had finished the The Anglo-Boer War. General Botha travelled to England and later met with Churchill, the man who he captured and who was now an established politician. The two men held each other in high esteem. In 1910 Louis Botha became South Africa's Prime Minister.