Boer War Memorial, Stirling

A few days ago I paid a visit to the city of Stirling in central Scotland. This included a walk around the burial ground connected to the Church of the Holy Rude which is adjacent to Stirling Castle. The latter was a British Army base until the 1960s.

The church burial ground is popular with visitors. Whilst walking along one of the paths I noticed an eroded and inconspicuous small memorial which refers to various battles and sieges during the Second Boer War which occurred Oct 11th, 1899- May 31st 1902.I assume the memorial's location is due to proximity to the castle and it's military connections. Several Scottish regiments played an active role in the conflict.

The Boer War took place in South Africa when the Boers (descendants of Dutch farmers) were challenging Britain's endeavours to incorporate the region into it's empire.Although the British forces ultimately prevailed such victory came at a huge cost of military and civilian suffering.

For ease of reference here is a re-statement of the inscription:

Kimberley, relieved Feb 15th. 1900 

Ladysmith, relieved Feb 28th, 1900 

Mafeking, May 17th 1900

Pretoria, occupied June 5th 1900. This action was undertaken by Lord Roberts Army.

I have a personal connection with the Boer War as one of my grandfathers fought in the conflict with the British Army (and survived).

It will be sad to see the small memorial continue to disintegrate.Perhaps a remake could be considered out of respect for all those who died and suffered in the conflict. 

 More information

The publication Visitors’ Guide to Scotland provides a wide range of information including various battles. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is also available via Kindle.