Churchill + Hobhouse Report Flashcards
When did Winston Churchill become involved in the Boer War?
- He got a job with the Morning Post when war broke out
- He sailed for South Africa on the ship carrying Buller
What accounts of adventure did Churchill bring that made him a minor hero in Britain?
- He helped rescue an ambushed armoured train, he was captured by the Boers but managed to escape
What did Churchill do when he rejoined the army?
- One of the first British soldiers into Ladysmith and Pretoria
- After returning to Britain in 1900 he was elected MP for Oldham in the ‘khaki election’
What did Churchills report reveal about his attitudes to war?
- He believed in the British Empire, he supported the ar
- His dispatches were uncensored, revealing deficiencies in the army but also recognising skill of the Boers
- His lively journalism made the readers at home feel close to the action
- This sort of press coverage informed opinion back at home
What was the public attitude like at the relief of Mafeking, after black week?
- Relief of Mafeking sparked flag-waving jubilation in streets, theatres and music halls
- Public opinion had swung back into support and Mafeking became a short lived new word for street celebrations
What was a popular supportive song of the Boer War?
music hall song ‘Tararaboomdeeay’
When was the Daily Mail launched and what did it promote?
- Launched in 1896
- Took a fiercely imperialist tone §
When was the Daily Express launched and what did it promote?
- Launched in 1900
- Echoed a jingoistic tone - belief that your countries always right
How did the press change as the war dragged on?
- Became less supportive
- Questions about Spion Kop, why sieges took so long and why the army were shit
- Questions about concentration camps, politicians began using newspapers and letter columns to argue their case
What did Journalist W.T Stead find?
- ‘Stop the War Committee’ in 1899
- (Jan 1902) Stead launched a scathing attack on the plight of children in the camps, claiming the authorities were effectively murdering them
- He called it a ‘cold blodded deed of state policy’ against people whom Britain could not defeat
What were some of Emily Hobhouse’s contributions to the Boer War?
- She joined the South African Conciliation Committee
- She spoke against the war at protest meetings and rallies in London June 1900
- September 1900 founded the South African Women and Children dishes Fund to collect money for Boer families
When did Hobhouse leave for South Africa?
- 7th December 1900 with a letter of introduction to Alfred Milner
- This was the British high commissioner who offered to help
What did Hobhouse find in South Africa about concentration camps?
- She had only hear of one concentration camp at Port Elizabeth but found over 40 camps
- Milner provided a railway wagon and Hobhouse packed it with medicine, blankets and equipment
What did Hobhouse find at Bloemfontein camp?
- The conditions were appalling
- She had expected to bring comforts such as soap but rather they need food
What did Hobhouse find about the food ration in the camps?
- Food ration was inadequate and selective
- Meat was not given to women or children if their men were not fighting
- Few to no vegetables, no fresh milk and many children dying of malnutrition
