Irish Transvaal Brigade
| Irish commandos | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Irish Transvaal Brigade and all Irish Boer volunteers which was synonomous with the emancipation and independence of Ireland from rule under the British Empire
|
|
| Active | 1899–1902 |
| Country |
 United Kingdom
|
| Allegiance |
 South African Republic Cape Boers
|
| Branch |
Boer Army - Boer foreign volunteers
|
| Type | Commandos |
| Role | Guerilla warfare |
| Size | 150? |
| Engagements | Second Boer War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
General Lukas Meyer Arthur Lynch |
Boer Army - Boer foreign volunteers
Composed of 2 Irish commando units
General Lukas Meyer
Colonel John Y. F. Blake
Two Irish Commandos volunteer military units of guerilla militia fought alongside the Boers against the British forces during the Second Boer War (1899–1902).
The Irish Transvaal Brigade was organised by John MacBride, who at the time was employed at the Band mines. Most of the battalion-strength Brigade were Irish or Irish-American miners living in the Transvaal, who were willing to fight with the Boers against the British. The Brigade was bolstered during its campaign by a contingent of volunteers who came from Chicago and by a variety of Irish volunteers, who travelled from America and Ireland for the purposes of joining the Brigade.
John MacBride wrote his own account of the Irish Transvaal Brigade. This is to be found in Anthony J. Jordan's edited version of the writings of MacBride.
The brigade (also known as MacBride's Brigade) was operational from September 1899 to September 1900. In that time, the brigade fought in about 20 engagements, with 18 men killed and about 70 wounded from a complement of no more than about 300 men at any one time. When it disbanded, most of the men crossed into Mozambique, which was a colony of neutral Portugal. Colonel John Y. F. Blake, a former United States Army officer was the brigade's commander. When he was wounded, his second-in-command, Major John MacBride, took command.
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Wikipedia