Chapter 66 Chapter 10 The Boer War

I must omit many other experiences of the period 1897-1899, and come directly to the Boer War. When the war was declared, I was completely sympathetic to the Boers, but I thought I had no right to enforce my own convictions on the matter.I have written at length about the inner struggle on this subject in my History of Nonviolent Resistance in South Africa, and need not repeat it here.Anyone who is curious, I invite him to turn over those pages.Needless to say, it was my devotion to British rule that drove me to join the British side in the war.I feel that if I claim the rights of a British citizen, then I also have a duty to take part in the defense of the British Empire.I thought at the time that India could only be fully liberated in and through the British Empire.So I recruited as many comrades as I could, and it took a lot of effort to get them accepted for service as an ambulance team.

Most British people think that Indians are timid, dare not take risks, and can't see anything bigger than immediate self-interest.So many British friends poured cold water on my plan.But Dr. Booth gave his full support.He trained us to do ambulance work.We have obtained certificates suitable for medical work.Both Mr. Lawton and the late Mr. Escambe enthusiastically supported the scheme, and we finally applied to work at the front.The government gratefully accepted our application, but said we were not required to serve at the time. However, I was unwilling to give up on this rejection.Through Dr. Booth's introduction, I visited the bishop of Natal.We have a lot of Christian Indians in our team.The bishop appreciated my advice and promised to help us get permission to serve.

The timing is also in our favor.The Boers have shown more vigor, determination, and courage than one might have expected; our service has at last come to pass. Our ambulance team has more than 1,100 members, with nearly 40 captains; about 300 are free Indians, and the rest are indentured workers.Dr. Booth was also with us.The ambulance team did a great job.Although our work is outside the front line, even though we are protected by the Red Cross, we are also sent to the front line to work in emergencies.This reservation was not at our request, but because the authorities did not want us to be within range of artillery fire.After Spion Cooper's defeat, however, the situation changed, and General Buller wrote to us that, although we had no risk, the government would be very grateful if we would go to the field to aid the wounded.We don't hesitate, so our activities at Spion Cooper put us in the line of fire.During these days we marched 20 to 25 miles a day and carried the wounded on stretchers.Among these wounded soldiers, we had the honor to rescue soldiers like General Woogate.After six weeks of work, the ambulance team announced that it was disbanding.After the defeat at Spion Copper and Valkrantz, the British commander-in-chief abandoned the attempt to take the main force at Ledismith and other places, and decided to send troops gradually, pending the arrival of British and Indian reinforcements.Our little work was then greatly praised, and the reputation of Indians was enhanced.

The newspapers published poems in our praise, saying "We are the sons and daughters of the empire after all".In his report, General Buller mentioned the work of the ambulance team with gratitude, and the captains were all awarded combat medals.At this time, the Indian Overseas Chinese Mission was more well organized.I have come into closer contact with Indian indentured workers.They have come to a higher level of awareness that Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Tamils, Gujaratis and Sindhis are all Indians, sons and daughters of the same motherland, and this feeling has been ingrained in them up.Everyone believes that the sufferings of the Indians must now be relieved from the disease.There seemed to be a noticeable shift in white attitudes at the time.During the war, there was nothing better than white people.We had access to thousands of soldiers who were kind to us and grateful that we were there to serve them.

I cannot refrain from writing how sweet it is to remember the heroism shown when humanity was tested.We are on our way to Chiffry Barracks, where Lord Roberts' son, Lieutenant Roberts, is badly wounded and in urgent need of medical attention.Our ambulance party had the good fortune to rescue him from the field on a scorchingly hot day—the day we were marching.Everyone is thirsty.There is a stream on the way to quench your thirst, but who will drink first?Our opinion is that we will drink after the soldiers have finished drinking.But they didn't want to be the first, and they insisted that we go first, so a pleasant humility lasted for a while.