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
Mafeking Cadet Corps he was a cadet. The youngest cadets on the nominal roll were aged 11. At the end of the siege, 24 cadets were awarded the Defence of Mafeking bar to the Queen's South Africa Medal. Robert Baden-Powell was the British commander during the siege of Mafeking. He was impressed by the cadets and wrote of them in the opening pages of his 1908 book, "Scouting for Boys". Baden-Powell related the following conversation with one of the cadets: "I said to one of these boys on one occasion, when he came in through rather a heavy fire: 'You will get hit