Boer War Memorial. Riverton. New Zealand.
S 46° 21.144 E 168° 00.776
59G E 270182 N 4862460
A South African (Boer) War memorial stands on the waterfront in the small Southland town of Riverton.
Waymark Code: WM6CA3
Location: South Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 05/12/2009
Views: 5
The South African War of 1899-1902, often called the Boer War, was the first overseas conflict to involve New Zealand troops.
Prime Minister Richard Seddon made the offer of troops to the 'mother country' of Britain in late 1899, two weeks before conflict finally broke out. Hundreds of men applied to serve, and by the time war began on 11 October 1899, the first contingent were already preparing for departure. Within a few months, they would be engaging the Boers.
By the time peace was concluded two and a half years later, ten contingents of volunteers, totaling nearly 6,500 men with 8,000 horses had sailed for Africa, along with doctors, nurses, veterinary surgeons and a small number of school teachers. Seventy New Zealanders died in the war as the result of action, with another 158 killed accidentally or dying by disease.
The small Southland town of Riverton has a South African (Boer) War memorial. It stands on the waterfront in Palmerston Street. The memorial was designed and erected by the Italian stonemason Carlo Bergamini who was also responsible for South African War memorials at Palmerston, Waimate, Oamaru and Dunedin.