Military history of Australia during the Second Boer War Military history of Australia during the Second Boer War The military history of Australia during the Boer War is complex, and includes a period of history in which the six formerly autonomous British Australian colonies federated to become the Commonwealth of Australia. At the outbreak of the Second Boer War, each of these separate colonies maintained their own, independent military forces, but by the cessation of hostilities, these six armies had come under a centralised command to form the Australian Army. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, an escalating conflict between the British Empire and the Boer republics of
Battle of Ladysmith commanded by Brigadier General J.H. Yule) as he feared that Boers from the Orange Free State were about to attack Ladysmith. This decision highlighted Ladysmith's exposed position. Yule's force had to make an exhausting four-day march across the Biggarsberg hills before they could rejoin White in Ladysmith. On 24 October, White made a demonstration at Rietfontein against the Boers pressing forward down the railway line from Glencoe to Ladysmith, to distract them from attacking Yule. The British suffered 132 casualties, mainly from artillery fire. Rather than retreat south of the Tugela, White continued to mass supplies and reinforcements in Ladysmith.