Battlefield Wanderers

A collection of military history and battlefields by Midge Carter and Trish Woodman

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Frere

Natal, South Africa, 1899. An armoured train, used by the British, that was wrecked on 15 November 1899 by the Boers near Frere camp Source: Australian War Memorial
Natal, South Africa, 1899. An armoured train, used by the British, that was wrecked on 15 November 1899 by the Boers near Frere camp
Source: Australian War Memorial

Frere is situated in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Here lieth the remains of those who were killed in the armoured train on Nov 15th 1899. Erected by the Border Reg. in memory of our comrades who fell on Nov 15th.

This grave is near the site of the ambush of the armoured train from which a young Winston Churchill, then a war correspondent, was captured. He later escaped from prison in Pretoria.

I have visited this site several times over the years, as far back as 1965, and taken weapon collectors with me and all agree that among the cartridges used to spell out the memorial inscription are several .303 Mark IV or dum-dums.This is irrefutable evidence that the Boers were correct in their claims that the British used dum-dum bullets, which the British denied.

A “dum-dum” bullet has a hollow point, so that it explodes on impact causing an horrific wound. These were developed and supplied by the Dum-Dum Arsenal in India. They were outlawed for use in ‘civilised’ warfare.

The exploding Mauser cartridges used by the Boers were different. The bullet’s outer casing was cut through lengthwise from the point, so that on impact the case collapsed and the lead core mushroomed. There were four of these cuts. These bullets were used for hunting and caused a horrendous wound. Many Boers were known to mix these with ordinary bullets in their bandoliers.


Taken in 2000. We look at the headstone to the men of the Border Regiment who died in the “Armoured Train Wreck” from which Winston Churchill escaped. We note the Mark IV (dum-dum) cartridge cases.

Taken in 2006. A later look at the Border Regiment headstone and the Mark IV cartridge cases