Chapter III.

South African Wars. — [Transvaal] — [Orange River Colony] — [Krugersdorp] — [Kuruman] — [Lydenburg] — [Mafeking] — [Pietersburg] — [Rustenburg] — [Schweizer Renecke] — [Volksrust] — [Vryburg] — [Wolmaranstad] — [The Union] — [South African War of 1914].

86 87

Transvaal. The stamps of the Transvaal illustrate the important changes through which the country has passed during the past forty years. Fig. 86 represents an early stamp of the Republic, while the next figure (Fig. 87) is just one example of several denoting the annexation of the country by the British in 1877. There are several types of the "V.R. Transvaal" overprint, as in Figs. 88-90.

88 89 90

These were followed by stamps bearing the portrait of the British Sovereign (Fig. 91).

91 92 93

A great blow to British prestige was struck in 1881, and the result of the disaster of Majuba Hill was the establishment of a Second Republic which in its turn overprinted the Queen Victoria stamps with a Dutch inscription "Een Penny" (Fig. 92), subsequently returning to the original Arms design of South African Republic stamps ([Fig. 86]).

95 96 97

Just before the outbreak of the last South African War in 1899 the ascendancy of President Kruger had led to the ambition to see his features depicted upon the postage stamps of his country, and a new stamp design ([Fig. 93]) was prepared for this purpose, and a special paper was manufactured watermarked Z.A.R. (Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek) as illustrated in Fig. 94. But the stamp was never issued, and the quantity of the "Z.A.R." paper was sold and used for purposes very different from that for which it was prepared. In 1900, after the late Lord Roberts' march to Pretoria, the contemporary South African Transvaal stamps came under British control again, and were issued at first with the overprinted initials of Queen Victoria, V.R.I. (Fig. 95), and later of King Edward, E.R.I. (Fig. 96). These were superseded in due course by the London printed issue of Transvaal stamps bearing the portrait of King Edward (Fig. 97).

Orange River Colony. On March 17, 1900, Field Marshal Lord Roberts issued the following

PROCLAMATION.

"Whereas it is deemed expedient and necessary for the welfare of the Orange Free State that the Postal Service shall be resumed in the aforesaid Republic as far as circumstances permit.

"Now therefore,

"I, Frederick Sleigh, Baron Roberts of Khandahar, K.G., G.C.B., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., V.C., Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in South Africa, do hereby nominate and appoint David George Amosi Falck Administrator of the Civil Posts in such portions of the Orange Free State as have been or may hereafter be occupied by British troops.

"And I do hereby order that the Postal and Telegraph Services shall be resumed in the portions of the aforesaid Republic already referred to, from the nineteenth day of March, 1900, under the existing Laws and Conventions of the Orange Free State, subject to such alterations as may from time to time be notified.

Given under my hand at Bloemfontein this seventeenth day of March, 1900.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.

(Signed) ROBERTS,

Field Marshal,
Commander-in-Chief British
Forces in South Africa.

The Administrator shortly afterwards issued the following

NOTICE.

It is hereby notified for general information that Orange Free State postage stamps, in use up to the 14th inst., are no longer valid; surcharged stamps of the same denomination having been substituted.

(Signed) A. FALCK,
Administrator.
General Post Office,
Bloemfontein, March 22nd, 1900.

The stamps of the Orange Free State were successively overprinted "V.R.I." and "E.R.I." (Fig. 98), and later on new stamps were issued with the portrait of King Edward (Fig. 99).

99 100

Cape of Good Hope stamps were also used in the new Colony with a special overprint reading "Orange River Colony" (Fig. 100).

A sixpence blue stamp of the Orange Free State ([type of Fig. 98]) was in readiness for issue at Bloemfontein when the British forces took over the control, and a few of these escaped the "V.R.I." overprint. The stamp is familiar to collectors with the overprint, and strictly speaking, without the overprint it has no record of postal use.

A type-set label was issued by the Orange Free State early in the war to indicate the franking of official correspondence probably on military service. The stamp has a border of fancy type ornament and simple type inscriptions in three lines "IN DIENST—R.D.M.—O.V.S."

The so-called "Commando Brief" stamp alleged to have franked the correspondence of burghers on commando is a bogus production.

Krugersdorp. The South African Republic stamps alleged to have been used in this Transvaal town with V.R.I typewritten across them are believed to be purely fictitious creations.

Kuruman. During the siege of this town in British Bechuanaland Cape of Good Hope stamps were overprinted "KURUMAN BESIEGED" and the date, but they are not fully credited by philatelists as bonâ fide issues.

Lydenburg. During the temporary occupation of this South African Republic Town in September, 1900, the stamp commemorative of penny postage (Fig. 101) was surcharged "V.R.I. 1d." and the ordinary Transvaal stamps were locally overprinted "V.R.I." (Fig. 102). The values are ½d. green,

1d. carmine and green, 2d. brown, 2½d. blue, 3d. on 1d. carmine and green, 4d. sage green and deep green, 6d. lilac and green, 1s. ochre and green.

101 102

Mafeking. During the memorable siege of Mafeking, a Bechuanaland town but under the Cape postal administration, arrangements were made for a local post, and for occasional transmission of letters to Cape Colony, Natal, Rhodesia, and the United Kingdom. The postal arrangements of the town had only been transferred to the Cape Colony shortly before the siege, a fact which explains the variety of Bechuanaland and Cape stamps available in the town during the siege. Payment of postage at the special rates chargeable for the service in the town and beyond was payable in the stamps of either "British Bechuanaland," "Bechuanaland Protectorate," or of the Cape overprinted "Mafeking—Besieged," and the new value (Figs. 103-114). As will be noticed from the illustrations, the Bechuanaland stamps were chiefly created by overprinting the name "BRITISH BECHUANALAND" or "BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE" on English stamps.

103 104 105

106 107 108

109 110 111

112 113

114

The foregoing stamps were chiefly used for letters sent by native runners who had to dodge through the enemy's lines and get either to Buluwayo in the north or Kimberley in the south. A special penny and a threepence stamp were prepared by a photographic process in the town, and these form the most interesting philatelic souvenirs of the South African War. The penny stamp, designed by Dr. W. A. Hayes, shows a portrait of Sergeant-Major Goodyear, of the Cadet Corps (Fig. 115), and there are two sizes of threepence stamp, designed by Captain Greener, the Chief Paymaster, showing a portrait of the gallant defender of Mafeking, General Baden Powell.

115

116 117

Pietersburg. This town in the north of the Transvaal provided an interesting set of type-set provisional stamps during the Boer occupation, from March until April 9, 1901, when

the British troops occupied the town and district. The stamps, which were but roughly printed in the office of De Zoutpansberg Wachter in the town, are inscribed "POSTZEGEL" at top "Z. AFR. REP." at each side, and "1901" at foot. The value is expressed in figures and word in the rectangular opening of the frame of printer's rule (Fig. 118). The values issued were ½d. green, 1d. rose, 2d. orange, 4d. blue, 6d. green, and 1s. yellow, and owing to the crudity of the printing, specialists find a very extensive range of minor technical varieties amongst this issue of six denominations.

118

Rustenburg. After the relief of the British garrison by Baden Powell's force in June, 1900, the British hand-stamped South African Republic stamps with the sans serif initials V.R. in violet, the values known being ½d. green, 1d. carmine and green, 2d. brown and green, 2½d. blue and green, 3d. purple and green, 6d. lilac and green, 1s. ochre and green, 2s. 6d. dull violet and green (Fig. 119).

119

Schweizer Renecke. This Transvaal hamlet, in which a British force under Colonel Chamier was besieged from August 19, 1900, to January 9, 1901, overprinted some Cape of Good Hope ½d. and 1d. and Transvaal ½d., 1d., 2d., and 6d. stamps with a handstamp, reading "BESIEGED" in violet, but this scarcely alters the postal status of the stamps (Fig. 120).

120

Volksrust. Here also in June, 1900, a number of Boer stamps were overprinted "V.R.I." in serif letters. The stamps used for the overprinting were fiscal stamps of the type of Fig. 121, converted for postal use by the overprint "POSTZEGEL" (postage stamp) (Fig. 122). The values overprinted V.R.I. were 1d. pale blue, 6d. carmine, 1s. olive-bistre, 1s. 6d. brown, 2s. 6d. purple.

121 122

Vryburg. In November, 1899, the Boers occupied this town in Griqualand West, and they surcharged some of our Cape Colony stamps in stock there with the initials of the South African Republic (Z.A.R.) and a new value (Figs. 124, 125, [129]).

124 125

The town was retaken by the British in May, 1900, and certain stamps of the South African Republic left behind by the Boers were overprinted with an English inscription (Figs. 126-128).

126 127 128

129

Wolmaranstad. Occupied by the British in June, 1900, the available South African Republic stamps having the Dutch name overprinted "Cancelled" and the addition of the sans serif letters, separated by hyphens "V-R-I." in blue and red. The values are the ½d., 1d., 2d., 2½d., 3d., 4d., 6d., and 1s. of the regular South African stamps, and the 1d. red commemorative stamp, in which, however, the word cancelled is in a square, script type (Figs. 130, 131).

130 131

Union of South Africa. It was fondly regarded as the settlement of British and Boer troubles in South Africa when the former belligerents in the Transvaal, Free State, Natal, and Cape Colony combined to form the Union of South Africa. The opening of the Union Parliament was commemorated in a special stamp (Fig. 132), the first to bear the portrait of H.M. King George V. after the decease of King Edward.

132 133

This has since been followed with a complete issue of Georgian stamps for the whole of the Union (Fig. 133).

South Africa in 1914. Already we have a first instalment of special marks used on letters of General Botha's loyal forces against the rebels, and against German raiders. The first (Fig. 134) is the handstamp struck in violet of an official regimental frank. The army base and field post offices have their postmarks of the pattern indicated in Fig. 135, and the censor label illustrated (Fig. 136) is printed in violet, apparently in sheets which before use are endorsed with a black mark of concentric circles bearing an inscription of which only a portion shows on each label, and of which we have only seen an undecipherable part.

134 135

136

All three of these were used on a letter from a member of the South African Scottish regiment at Luderitzbucht in German South-West Africa.