Who Captured Winston Churchill During The Boer War?

Winston Churchill & The Boers - the making of a Prime Minister. Join my Supporter’s Club. When the second Boer War broke out on the 11th October 1899, a young journalist eagerly set off to cover the story. His name was Winston Churchill. This is the story of how he ended up captured by the Boers and the daring escape which propelled him into the political career that would last over 60 long years and culminate in his leading Britain and the free-world during World War Two. But it also tells another story. A almost story of the foreigners who fought on behalf of the Boer Republics, of some larger than life characters, and how one of them claimed to have crossed swords with Churchill himself. Join my Supporter’s Club #winstonchurchill #boerwar #militaryhistory WINSTON CHURCHILL AND THE BOER WAR Having resigned from the army earlier in 1899, Churchill accepted a commission to cover the Boer War for the “Morning Post”. On the 15th November 1899, just 2 weeks after war had broken out, Churchill was captured when the train that he was travelling on was abushed. In later years, the British wartime Prime Minister insisted that he had been captured by Boer general, but other names have been suggested including Kommandant Dolf de la Rey (a future leader of the Torch Commando) and an Italian Adventurer, Camillo Ricchiardi. Ricchiardi commanded the Italian Volunteer Legion, who were fighting for the Boers. Over 3,000 foreigner sympathisers joined the Boer army including the Scandinavian Corps who fought heroically at the Battle of Magersfontein, and two Irish brigades. WINSTON CHURCHILL - PRISONER OF WAR Having played a very active role in trying to free the train and directing the fire of the British troops, the Boers refused to accept him as a mere civilian journalist and made Churchill a Prisoner of War. He was transported to a POW camp in Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal (South African Republic), one of the two Boer republics fighting against the British Empire. WINSTON CHURCHILL - BOER WAR ESCAPE Less than a month later, having spent his 25th birthday in captivity, Churchill escaped from the prison and made a daring 300 mile journey to safety. News of his escape capture the newspaper headlines in Britain, whilst the Boers issued a reward of £25 for Winston Churchill - alive or dead! Successfully reaching neutral Portuguese territory in Mozambique, Churchill returned to Britain a hero. His new found celebrity status enabled him to be elected to the House of Commons at the General Election in 1900 - the beginning of a parliamentary career that would last over 60 years. The story is almost like something out of the “Boy’s Own” magazine but it raises two intriguing questions: First, who really captured Winston Churchill? Was it future South African Premier, Louis Botha? Or was it an Italian adventurer who lived almost as colourful life as Churchill himself? The second question is a intriguing “what if?” What if Churchill had not been captured or had not escaped?Would he have found entered parliament in 1900 (or at all)? And what if the Boers at some stage in this adventure had shot and killed him? In either scenario, history would have turned out very differently. Chapters 0:00 The Boer War 0:48 Winston Churchill 3:06 Train Ambushed 5:24 Churchill - Boer Prisoner 7:03 Who captured Winston Churchill? 7:17 Louis Botha 9:00 Foreign Brigades 13:50 Italian claims 17:40 Winston Churchill Escapes 20:55 Churchill The Hero 22:49 What if? History 23:45 The History Chap Follow me at: : Facebook: My name is Chris Green (“The History Chap“) and I am on a mission to share the amazing history of Britain so that we can appreciate where we have come from and why we are here. History should not be stuffy or a long list of dates or kings & queens. So rather than lectures or Youtube animations, I tell stories that bring the past to life. Just for the record, I do have a history degree and continue to have a passion for the subject I studied. Disclaimer: All opinions and comments expressed in the ’Comments’ section do not reflect the opinions of Chris Green Communication Ltd t/a The History Chap. All opinions and comments should contribute to the dialogue. Chris Green Communication Ltd does not condone written attacks, insults, racism, sexism, extremism, violence or otherwise questionable comments or material in the ’Comments’ section, and reserves the right to delete any comment violating this rule or to block any poster from the channel.