by Adam Cruise
Museum Africa
De Wet, De La Rey and Botha before the rebellion
Source unknown
Jan Kemp (left) and Manie Maritz (far right) pose at Keetmanshoop before the attack on Upington
Source unknown
Maritz and his brigade head for Upington flying the Vierkleur
Museum Africa
Botha on board the Erna Woermann on his way to South-West Africa. From left to right: Captain Esselen, General Botha, Captain Griffiths and Lieutenant Colonel Collyer, Botha’s chief of staff
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the National Library of South Africa, Cape Town
Botha’s bodyguard leaving for the front
South African National Museum of Military History
Factory pilot Willy Trück (centre) with the LFG Roland in the background
South African National Museum of Military History
Lieutenant Fiedler (left) standing in front of the LFG Roland
Tsumeb Museum
Lieutenant Fiedler’s Aviatik is railed to the front at Aus
Tsumeb Museum
Von Scheele’s Roland biplane used in South-West Africa
Koloniales Bildarchiv, Universitätsbibliothek Frankfurt am Main; Wikimedia Commons
Aerial bombing of a South African military camp at the Tsaukaib railway station, by Fiedler, 17 December 1914
Adam Cruise
Feral horses at Garub today, ancestors of those used by the Boer mounted commandos a hundred years ago
Adam Cruise
Remnants of the old railway line at Garub. Aus is behind the ridge in the background
Adam Cruise
The Commonwealth war graves at Aus
Adam Cruise
The Commonwealth war graves at Gibeon, with Gibeon Station in the background
The McGregor Museum, Kimberley, South Africa
Botha standing behind his carriage at Nonidas. Collyer has his back to the camera
The Times History of the War, Volume VII, 1916; Wikimedia Commons
Crossing the desert was perilous, not just because there was insufficient water. Gun carriages were continually getting stuck. Here a British heavy artillery 4.7-inch naval gun is being pulled out of the sand by a team of oxen
Adam Cruise
The Swakop River Canyon in the Namib Desert between Nonidas and Goanikontes
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy NLSA
South African soldiers trekking over the terrible sand dunes as they cross the desert near the coast
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy NLSA
Desperate men scratched in the dirt of the Swakop riverbed looking for water
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
When they did find sufficient water, the soldiers collected it in these bags
Adam Cruise
First World War cartridges found along the Swakop River, 100 years after the war
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
Botha (seated) and his staff reconnoitre near Riet
The McGregor Museum, Kimberley, South Africa
Burghers laying the narrow-gauge railway from Rössing to Jakkalswater
The McGregor Museum, Kimberley, South Africa
The South African graves (including that of the 62-year-old signaller) at Trekkoppies, a result of the unsuccessful German offensive
Museum Africa
A Herero patrol in South-West Africa
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
Captured German infantry
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
Botha and Smuts meeting in the field at Potmine, just before Windhoek was taken
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
The capture of Windhoek. The mayor of Windhoek surrenders his town to Botha
Museum Africa
Sergeant Digby types out the terms of the German surrender of South-West Africa
Adam Cruise
The narrow-gauge train that took the German command to Kilo 500, seen here at the Tsumeb Museum
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
Franke (left) and the German staff surrender at Kilo 500
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
Botha (second from the right in the background) chats to Franke during the German surrender at Kilo 500. Collyer stands facing the camera in the foreground, left of centre
Adam Cruise
The author at the Khorab Memorial
Source unknown
Mission accomplished. General Botha takes German South-West Africa
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
Botha and his sons returning to the Union after the conquest
Eric Moore-Ritchie, With Botha in the Field, courtesy of the NLSA, Cape Town
Botha receives a standing ovation as he addresses the crowd at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 30 July 1915, after successfully concluding the campaign