‘In memory of the Prisoners of War who died at Diyatalawa Camp who were buried near this stone. Erected by the Government of United South Africa, 1918’.
The names of 133 Boer Prisoners of War were inscribed on this memorial at Diyatalawa in Sri Lanka. They were among about 5000 Boer POWs sent to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) by British authorities during the Anglo- Boer War (1899-1902).
All of the grave markers in the POW cemetery at Diyatalawa have now disappeared, and more than a century after it was erected, even some of the names on the memorial have become unreadable.
It’s not known precisely how many Boer prisoners died in Ceylon during the Anglo-Boer war, but the number is probably in the low hundreds, mainly from diseases.
During the war, some were allowed to go home when they became ill. Almost all of the rest were repatriated when the war ended, with only a handful opting to remain in Ceylon.
Back in South Africa, the British established concentration camps for both Boer and black prisoners during the war.
In those camps, conditions were far more harsh than at Diyatalawa. Emeritus professor of History at the University of Pretoria, Fransjohan Pretorius, says it’s well-established that 28,000 white people and 20,000 black people died. (1)
(1) “Concentration camps in the South African War? Here are the real facts” The Conversation, Feb 19, 2019