SOUTH AFRICAN WARS.--Transvaal--Orange River Colony--Krugersdorp--
Kuruman--Lydenburg--Mafeking--Pietersburg--Rustenburg--Schweizer
Renecke--Volksrust--Vryburg--Wolmaranstad--The Union--South
African War of 1914.
[Illustration: 86 87]
TRANSVAAL. The stamps of the Transvaal illustrate the important
changes through which the country has passed during the past forty
years. _Fig._ 86 represents an early stamp of the Republic, while the
next figure (_Fig._ 87) is just one example of several denoting the
annexation of the country by the British in 1877. There are several
types of the "V.R. Transvaal" overprint, as in _Figs._ 88-90.
[Illustration: 88 89 90]
These were followed by stamps bearing the portrait of the British
Sovereign (_Fig._ 91). A great blow to British prestige was struck
in 1881, and the result of the disaster of Majuba Hill was the
establishment of a Second Republic which in its turn overprinted
the Queen Victoria stamps with a Dutch inscription "Een Penny"
(_Fig._ 92), subsequently returning to the original Arms design of
South African Republic stamps (_Fig._ 86).
[Illustration: 91 92 93]
Just before the outbreak of the last South African War in 1899 the
ascendancy of President Kruger had led to the ambition to see his
features depicted upon the postage stamps of his country, and a new
stamp design (_Fig._ 93) was prepared for this purpose, and a
special paper was manufactured watermarked Z.A.R. (Zuid Afrikaansche
Republiek) as illustrated in _Fig._ 94. But the stamp was never
issued, and the quantity of the "Z.A.R." paper was sold and used for
purposes very different from that for which it was prepared. In 1900,
after the late Lord Roberts' march to Pretoria, the contemporary South
African Transvaal stamps came under British control again, and were
issued at first with the overprinted initials of Queen Victoria,
V.R.I. (_Fig._ 95), and later of King Edward, E.R.I. (_Fig._ 96).
These were superseded in due course by the London printed issue of
Transvaal stamps bearing the portrait of King Edward (_Fig._ 97).
[Illustration: 94 95 96 97]
ORANGE RIVER COLONY. On March 17, 1900, Field Marshal Lord Roberts
issued the following
PROCLAMATION.
"Whereas it is deemed expedient and necessary for the welfare
of the Orange Free State that the Postal Service shall be
resumed in the aforesaid Republic as far as circumstances
permit.
"Now therefore,
"I, Frederick Sleigh, Baron Roberts of Khandahar, K.G.,
G.C.B., G.C.S.I., G.C.I.E., V.C., Field Marshal and
Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in South Africa,
do hereby nominate and appoint David George Amosi Falck
Administrator of the Civil Posts in such portions of the
Orange Free State as have been or may hereafter be occupied by
British troops.
"And I do hereby order that the Postal and Telegraph Services
shall be resumed in the portions of the aforesaid Republic
already referred to, from the nineteenth day of March, 1900,
under the existing Laws and Conventions of the Orange Free
State, subject to such alterations as may from time to time be
notified.
Given under my hand at Bloemfontein this seventeenth day of
March, 1900.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.
(Signed) ROBERTS,
_Field Marshal,
Commander-in-Chief British
Forces in South Africa._
The Administrator shortly afterwards issued the following
NOTICE.
It is hereby notified for general information that Orange
Free State postage stamps, in use up to the 14th inst., are
no longer valid; surcharged stamps of the same denomination
having been substituted.
(Signed) A. FALCK,
_Administrator._
General Post Office,
_Bloemfontein, March 22nd, 1900._
[Illustration: 98]
The stamps of the Orange Free State were successively overprinted
"V.R.I." and "E.R.I." (_Fig._ 98), and later on new stamps were issued
with the portrait of King Edward (_Fig._ 99).
[Illustration: 99 100]
Cape of Good Hope stamps were also used in the new Colony with a
special overprint reading "Orange River Colony" (_Fig._ 100).
A sixpence blue stamp of the Orange Free State (_type of Fig._ 98) was
in readiness for issue at Bloemfontein when the British forces took
over the control, and a few of these escaped the "V.R.I." overprint.
The stamp is familiar to collectors with the overprint, and strictly
speaking, without the overprint it has no record of postal use.
A type-set label was issued by the Orange Free State early in the
war to indicate the franking of official correspondence probably on
military service. The stamp has a border of fancy type ornament and
simple type inscriptions in three lines "IN DIENST--R.D.M.--O.V.S."
The so-called "Commando Brief" stamp alleged to have franked the
correspondence of burghers on commando is a bogus production.
KRUGERSDORP. The South African Republic stamps alleged to have been
used in this Transvaal town with V.R.I _typewritten_ across them are
believed to be purely fictitious creations.
KURUMAN. During the siege of this town in British Bechuanaland Cape of
Good Hope stamps were overprinted "KURUMAN BESIEGED" and the date, but
they are not fully credited by philatelists as _bon[^a] fide_ issues.
LYDENBURG. During the temporary occupation of this South African
Republic Town in September, 1900, the stamp commemorative of penny
postage (_Fig._ 101) was surcharged "V.R.I. 1d." and the ordinary
Transvaal stamps were locally overprinted "V.R.I." (_Fig._ 102). The
values are 1/2d. green, 1d. carmine and green, 2d. brown, 2-1/2d. blue,
3d. on 1d. carmine and green, 4d. sage green and deep green, 6d. lilac
and green, 1s. ochre and green.
[Illustration: 101 102]
MAFEKING. During the memorable siege of Mafeking, a Bechuanaland town
but under the Cape postal administration, arrangements were made for a
local post, and for occasional transmission of letters to Cape Colony,
Natal, Rhodesia, and the United Kingdom. The postal arrangements of
the town had only been transferred to the Cape Colony shortly before
the siege, a fact which explains the variety of Bechuanaland and Cape
stamps available in the town during the siege. Payment of postage at
the special rates chargeable for the service in the town and
beyond was payable in the stamps of either "British Bechuanaland,"
"Bechuanaland Protectorate," or of the Cape overprinted
"Mafeking--Besieged," and the new value (_Figs._ 103-114). As will be
noticed from the illustrations, the Bechuanaland stamps were
chiefly created by overprinting the name "BRITISH BECHUANALAND" or
"BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE" on English stamps.
[Illustration: 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114]
The foregoing stamps were chiefly used for letters sent by native
runners who had to dodge through the enemy's lines and get either to
Buluwayo in the north or Kimberley in the south. A special penny and a
threepence stamp were prepared by a photographic process in the town,
and these form the most interesting philatelic souvenirs of the South
African War. The penny stamp, designed by Dr. W. A. Hayes, shows a
portrait of Sergeant-Major Goodyear, of the Cadet Corps (_Fig._ 115),
and there are two sizes of threepence stamp, designed by Captain
Greener, the Chief Paymaster, showing a portrait of the gallant
defender of Mafeking, General Baden Powell.
[Illustration: 115 116 117]
PIETERSBURG. This town in the north of the Transvaal provided an
interesting set of type-set provisional stamps during the Boer
occupation, from March until April 9, 1901, when the British troops
occupied the town and district. The stamps, which were but roughly
printed in the office of _De Zoutpansberg Wachter_ in the town, are
inscribed "POSTZEGEL" at top "Z. AFR. REP." at each side, and "1901"
at foot. The value is expressed in figures and word in the rectangular
opening of the frame of printer's rule (_Fig._ 118). The values issued
were 1/2d. green, 1d. rose, 2d. orange, 4d. blue, 6d. green, and 1s.
yellow, and owing to the crudity of the printing, specialists find a
very extensive range of minor technical varieties amongst this issue
of six denominations.
[Illustration: 118]
RUSTENBURG. After the relief of the British garrison by Baden Powell's
force in June, 1900, the British hand-stamped South African Republic
stamps with the _sans serif_ initials V.R. in violet, the values known
being 1/2d. green, 1d. carmine and green, 2d. brown and green, 2-1/2d.
blue and green, 3d. purple and green, 6d. lilac and green, 1s. ochre
and green, 2s. 6d. dull violet and green (_Fig._ 119).
[Illustration: 119]
SCHWEIZER RENECKE. This Transvaal hamlet, in which a British force
under Colonel Chamier was besieged from August 19, 1900, to January 9,
1901, overprinted some Cape of Good Hope 1/2d. and 1d. and Transvaal
1/2d., 1d., 2d., and 6d. stamps with a handstamp, reading "BESIEGED"
in violet, but this scarcely alters the postal status of the stamps
(_Fig._ 120).
[Illustration: 120]
VOLKSRUST. Here also in June, 1900, a number of Boer stamps were
overprinted "V.R.I." in serif letters. The stamps used for the
overprinting were fiscal stamps of the type of _Fig._ 121, converted
for postal use by the overprint "POSTZEGEL" (postage stamp) (_Fig._
122). The values overprinted V.R.I. were 1d. pale blue, 6d. carmine,
1s. olive-bistre, 1s. 6d. brown, 2s. 6d. purple.
[Illustration: 121 122]
VRYBURG. In November, 1899, the Boers occupied this town in Griqualand
West, and they surcharged some of our Cape Colony stamps in stock
there with the initials of the South African Republic (Z.A.R.) and a
new value (_Figs._ 124, 125, 129).
[Illustration: 124 125]
The town was retaken by the British in May, 1900, and certain
stamps of the South African Republic left behind by the Boers were
overprinted with an English inscription (_Figs._ 126-128).
[Illustration: 126 127 128 129]
WOLMARANSTAD. Occupied by the British in June, 1900, the available
South African Republic stamps having the Dutch name overprinted
"Cancelled" and the addition of the sans serif letters, separated by
hyphens "V-R-I." in blue and red. The values are the 1/2d., 1d., 2d.,
2-1/2d., 3d., 4d., 6d., and 1s. of the regular South African stamps,
and the 1d. red commemorative stamp, in which, however, the word
cancelled is in a square, script type (_Figs._ 130, 131).
[Illustration: 130 131]
UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA. It was fondly regarded as the settlement of
British and Boer troubles in South Africa when the former belligerents
in the Transvaal, Free State, Natal, and Cape Colony combined to form
the Union of South Africa. The opening of the Union Parliament was
commemorated in a special stamp (_Fig._ 132), the first to bear the
portrait of H.M. King George V. after the decease of King Edward.
[Illustration: 132 133]
This has since been followed with a complete issue of Georgian stamps
for the whole of the Union (_Fig._ 133).
SOUTH AFRICA IN 1914. Already we have a first instalment of special
marks used on letters of General Botha's loyal forces against the
rebels, and against German raiders. The first (_Fig._ 134) is the
handstamp struck in violet of an official regimental frank. The
army base and field post offices have their postmarks of the pattern
indicated in _Fig._ 135, and the censor label illustrated (_Fig._
136) is printed in violet, apparently in sheets which before use
are endorsed with a black mark of concentric circles bearing an
inscription of which only a portion shows on each label, and of which
we have only seen an undecipherable part.
[Illustration: 134 135 136]
All three of these were used on a letter from a member of the South
African Scottish regiment at Luderitzbucht in German South-West
Africa.