The Rhodesia regiment : From Boer War to Bush War, 1899-1980

The Rhodesia Regiment was formed in 1899 to fight for Queen Victoria during the Boer War.

It was the leading unit in the Relief of Mafeking. Later, at Elands River, along with Australian troops it fought successfully against the overwhelming odds of a major Boer force.

It was later disbanded after the war. Both 1st and 2nd Rhodesia Regiments were reformed in 1914, to fight in the conquest of German South West Africa and later on the Western Front.

In World War II, many thousands of Rhodesian volunteers were posted to various British and South African units, the Royal Navy and particularly to the specially formed Rhodesia Squadrons of the RAF, where more than 100 DFCs were awarded to Rhodesians.

From 1964 to 1979, the Rhodesia Regiment fought gallantly in the Bush War achieving marked successes against their terrorist enemies and inflicting heavy losses on them but paying their own price in blood, losing more than 300 men.

They fought for the survival of Rhodesia, their homeland, without the benefit of allies. Sociologically such losses were a heavy price to pay by a small white population of some 300,000 whites, when compared to the British Army, which over a similar period has lost some 400 men from a population of 55 million during the recent Afghanistan campaign.