Story: South African War

Memorials to the South African War

New Zealand's pride in the achievements of their men in South Africa was expressed in the erection of some 50 memorials to those who had served or died in the war. The national memorial took the form of a home for veterans of the British Empire's wars, while the local memorials expressed the mythology of the troopers' achievement. The soldier figures were sculpted as smart well-dressed troopers rather than the dishevelled band which the soldiers actually became, and there was much iconography which linked New Zealand with the British Empire. This map shows the location of some of these memorials and the range of memorial types which were used.

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'South African War - The legacy', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/36208/memorials-to-the-south-african-war (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 20 Jun 2012