“Poor South Africa! Will no nice English people ever come out here?”—The South African Constabulary of the Second South African War

Using newly digitized and transcribed attestation records, we provide a detailed description of the composition of the South African Constabulary, a volunteer force of mostly English recruits during and after the Second South African War. These records contain personal particulars, such as age, country of origin, occupation and religion, for 10 399 service terms. We also match these attestation records to the delistment records for each recruit, providing evidence about cause of exit and length of service. The records not only provide a wealth of genealogical data, but also inform our understanding of comparative living standards in the colonies.

N30, N37

Anglo-Boer War, South African War, soldiers, recruits, attestation forms, stature