The War Museum of the Boer Republics (also known as the Anglo-Boer War Museum) is situated in Bloemfontein (South Africa’s judicial capital), in Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality in the Free State Province of South Africa.
It is the only museum in the world dedicated solely to the Anglo-Boer Wars of 1899 to 1902.
One of the most significant events in the history of South Africa was the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. Although the protagonists were Britain and the two Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, the population of South Africa as a whole became embroiled in the war either directly or indirectly.
During the war, thousands of women and children were interned in poor conditions in concentration camps, resulting in many casualties. The Women’s Memorial on the museum’s site, fronted by a sculpture by the renowned South African Anton van Wouw, commemorates those who lost their lives.
The war ended in 1902 with the surrender of the Boers and the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging at Melrose House in Pretoria, Gauteng.
The outcome of the war was bitterness, hatred, dispossession and division for many decades to come.
More than a century later, South Africans can look back at this event as a shared tragedy that shaped the social, political, economical and historical landscape of South Africa as we know it today.
The War Museum in Bloemfontein provides an understanding of the background against which the Anglo-Boer War took place and the universal suffering it caused through its unique art collection, dioramas and exhibitions.
The course and development of the war unfolds in front of your eyes as you progress through the museum. You are also afforded a glimpse into the life and suffering endured in the concentration and prisoner-of-war camps.
The museum also introduces visitors to interesting role players in the war, such as Emily Hobhouse, the British activist who alerted her countrymen to the mistreatment of Afrikaner women and children, and Mahatma Gandhi, the secretary of the Natal Indian Congress, who motivated the use of Indian volunteers as stretcher bearers for the British.
Vision
The vision of the War Museum of the Boer Republics is to be an institution of excellence whereby the inclusivity and suffering of all communities during the Anglo-Boer War are depicted, thus propagating the message that negotiation is preferable to war.
Mission
The mission of the War Museum of the Boer Republics is to collect, curate and display items relating to the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902; research, publications and education on this theme and cooperation with other organisations, nationally and internationally, in order to develop this theme.
History of the Museum
After the unveiling of the National Women’s Memorial in 1913, the National Women’s Memorial Committee was of the opinion that a museum, solely dedicated to the preservation of the Anglo-Boer War history and objects should be established. The architect, Frans Soff, was commissioned to design the building.
The corner stone of the War Museum was laid on 26 April 1930 by Senator W.J.C. Brebner, the only living member of the original National Women’s Memorial Committee. During this time various projects were launched in South Africa as well as abroad in the Netherlands and Germany to collect rare and interesting objects, books, documents, and photographs pertaining to the Anglo-Boer War, on behalf of the museum.
On 30 September 1931 the War Museum was officially opened by General J.B.M. Hertzog.
In 1934 the Museum was transferred to the Union Government and placed under the management of the Council of Curators of the National Museum in Bloemfontein, governed by a War Museum Council.
On 1 April 1953 the War Museum became an independent museum with a Council of its own. In the following decades to come the museum was expanded by adding new exhibition halls, an administration block and an auditorium.
Overseeing Department/Entity
Office Bearers/Management
Chairperson
- Mr Quintin Sinclair Norris
Deputy Chairperson
- Mr Hendrik Chabana Chabana
Board Members
- Mr D Brijlal
- Mr Paul Heinrich Theodore Colditz
- Mr Willie Henry Engelbrecht
- Ms Dina Faith Mangope
- Mr Sthembiso Ishmael Mbhele
- Dr Eben Proos
- Ms Mosa Neema Rabannye
Chief Executive Officer
- Mr Tokkie Pretorius
Director
- Mr Tokkie Pretorius
Chief Financial Officer
- Ms Elzaan Wyngaardt
Senior Management
- Mr Johan van Zyl (Head: Museum Human Scientists)
Communications Officers
- Ms Danè Swanepoel
Contact Details
The contact details of the War Museum of the Boer Republics are listed in the table below.
| Physical Address: | 25 Monument Road, Bloemfontein, South Africa 9301 |
| Postal Address: | P.O. Box 34061, Faunasig, 9325 |
| Telephone: | – 051 447 3447 – 051 447 0079 |
| Fax: | 051 447 1322 |
| Email: | museum@anglo-boer.co.za |
| Website: | www.wmbr.org.za |
READ MORE:
➜ List of Galleries, Museums, and Theatres in South Africa
➜ National Government of South Africa
| Galleries, Museums & Theatres under South Africa’s National Government |
|---|
| Amazwi South African Museum of Literature . Artscape Theatre Centre . Die Afrikaanse Taalmuseum en -monument . Ditsong: Museums of South Africa . Freedom Park . Iziko Museums of South Africa . KwaZulu-Natal Museum . Luthuli Museum . Mandela Bay Theatre Complex . Market Theatre Foundation . National Museum in Bloemfontein . Nelson Mandela Museum . Robben Island Museum . South African State Theatre . The Playhouse Company . uMsunduzi Museum . War Museum of the Boer Republics . William Humphreys Art Gallery |
