In the year of 1899 far away from Russia the legendary Anglo-Boer War broke out.
To be honest, the British were wrong, but the independent boer Republics Orange Free State and Transvaal greatly hindered the British government in its colonial ambitions.
In addition, the British monarchy was very attracted by the largest deposits of diamonds and gold, which had been discovered shortly before in those Republics.
The news of the outbreak of the war had a great impact on the Russian society.
Newspapers and magazines called on the population of the Empire to support the Boers in their fight against the treacherous enemy.
The song "Transvaal, Transvaal, my homeland! You are all on fire" written by G. Galina became very popular.
The Russian's sympathy was based not only on the fact that brave farmers had decided to challenge a mighty colonist power, but also on the similarity of Russian and Boer characters, the patriarchal way of life of the Boers, their religiosity and admiration for the republican system of the Boer states.
This emotional upsurge led to the fact that more than 200 volunteers from Russia, including officers of the Russian army, rushed to help the Boers.
Many of them perished on the South African land.
The courage of the Russian soldiers, their dedication and steadfastness left a deep mark in the genetic memory of the Boers.
A few decades later, a monument to Russian volunteers was set up in the town of Utrecht in Natal Province on the initiative of the Boer community of South Africa.
Leo Pokrovsky who was killed in this place in 1900 became a prototype for the monument.
There's also a wonderful Old Parsonage Museum in Utrecht, whose director Annetjie Le Roux has opened an exhibition hall dedicated to Russian participation in the war.
For the 4th year now, the Russian Embassy in South Africa has been holding commemorative events together with the museum.
The ambassador and diplomats lay flowers at the monument of Leo Pokrovsky and the stela with the names of Russian volunteers who fell fighting for the Boers.
The rector of the St. Sergius Russian Orthodox Church serves a prayer services.
The museum's management introduces guests to new expositions.
And even though it was almost impossible to resist a strong opponent, such distant names as Ladysmith, Colenso, Mafeking and Utrecht were inscribed on the map of the Russian military history.
#Memorial #AngloBoer #War #Utrecht #SouthAfrica #flowers #prayer #memory #Russian #Boers #history #British #Transvaal #officers
#Мемориал #Утрехт #ЮжнаяАфрика #АнглоБурская #война #цветы #память #русские #буры #история #англичане #Трансвааль #Галина #ВоеннаяИстория #ВечнаяПамять #офицеры
29 сен 2024
