Boer foreign volunteers
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Although there was a lot of sympathy for the Boer cause outside of the Commonwealth there was not a lot of overt Government support as few countries were willing to upset Britain, in fact no other government actively supported the Boer cause. There were, however, individuals from several countries who volunteered and formed Foreign Volunteer Units. These volunteers primarily came from Europe and particularly Germany, Ireland, France, Holland and Russia.
The influx of foreigners into the country began simultaneously with the war, and it continued thereafter at the rate of about four hundred men a month. These volunteers would have came for a number of reasons, not necessarily because of any sympathy with the Boer cause including soldiers-of-fortune, professional soldiers and Adventurers. Some of the more famous volunteers were:
Ernest Douwes Dekker, Niko the Boer, Alexander Guchkov, Major Baron von Reitzenstein, Viscount Villebois-Mareuil and the men of the Irish Transvaal Brigade, including, John MacBride and John Blake.
None of the foreigners who served in the Boer army received any compensation. They were supplied with horses and equipment, at a cost to the Boer Governments and they received food, but no wages were paid to them. Before a foreign volunteer was allowed to join a commando, and before he received his equipment, he was obliged to take an oath of allegiance to the Republic. A translation of it reads—
"I hereby make an oath of solemn allegiance to the people of the South African Republic, and I declare my willingness to assist, with all my power, the burghers of this Republic in the war in which they are engaged. I further promise to obey the orders of those placed in authority according to law, and that I will work for nothing but the prosperity, the welfare, and the independence of the land and people of this Republic, so truly help me, God Almighty."
Although there are no records of exactly how many foreigners fought on the Boer side an approximate number is given as —
| Country | Number |
|---|---|
| French | 400 |
| Hollanders | 650 |
| Russian | 225 |
| Germans | 550 |
| Americans | 300 |
| Italians | 200 |
| Scandinavians | 150 |
| Irishmen | 200 |
In the early stages of the war the majority of the foreign volunteers were obliged to join a Boer commando though with time they were able to form there own legions where they had a high degree of independence, eventually a number of Foreign legions including were created including, the;
Scandinavian corps, Italian Legion, Irish Brigade, German corps, Dutch corps, Legion of France, American Scouts and Russian Scouts
However the free-rein given to the Foreign legions was eventually curtailed after Villebois-Mareuil and his small band of Frenchmen met with disaster at Boshof, and thereafter all the foreigners were placed under the direct command of General De la Rey.
