South Australian Boer War Association Inc (SABWA) was established to honour and preserve the memory of the men and women who served in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 in South Africa. Membership is open not only to descendants of servicemen but also to anyone interested in Australia’s forgotten war.
It is not well known that more Australians died in South Africa than in any other war apart from the two world wars. For South Australians it was our first war, its importance to our community reflected in the marvelous equestrian statue of a mounted trooper erected outside the gates of Government House in 1904.
Boer War Dispatches SABWA’s newsletter, appears three or four times annually and publishes short articles on individuals and events with a South Australian focus. In association with the Army Museum of South Australia (AMOSA), SABWA also hosts a number of events for members and non-members including the popular descendants’ and friends’ day. In 2015 a scanfest at Keswick brought to light many valuable letters, diaries, photographs and other memorabilia, almost all of it brought back by returning troops.
SABWA can also provide speakers on this long forgotten war, so unlike the industrialised warfare of World War 1 only a few years later.