‘Rugged Masculinity: British Settler Colonial Soldiers in the Boer War’

According to this article during the United Kingdom’s war against the Boers in southern Africa (1899-1902), British settler colonial soldiers from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were asked for their assistance on the veldt. These soldiers, due to their settler colonial upbringings, were depicted in newspapers throughout the British Empire as being particularly well-suited for fighting the Boers, who were seen as hardy and unpredictable fighters. Compared to the metropolitan British troops, British settler colonial soldiers were seen to possess a rugged masculinity that made them perfect candidates for beating the Boers at their own game. This settler colonial stereotype was also echoed by politicians, famous writers, and even by those at the highest levels of the military. From analysing primary sources of the time, and especially newspapers from across the empire, the article reveals the nature of the romanticised image of the British settler colonial troops that was constructed in popular imagination during this conflict.