Koos de la Rey [SEP] conflict
Koos de la Rey
Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey (22 October 1847 – 15 September 1914), better known as Koos de la Rey, was a Boer military officer who served as a general during the Second Boer War. De la Rey also had a political career and was one of the leading advocates of Boer independence.
Early life.
Born on Doornfontein Farm in the Winburg District of the Orange Free State, Koos was the son of Adrianus Johannes Gijsbertus de la Rey and Adriana Wilhelmina van Rooyen. De
Queensland Imperial Bushmen departed Brisbane on 18 May 1900 and were deployed to Cape Town on 31 June 1900. Both contingents served with distinction during the conflict, and developed a tough reputation among the Boers.
One Boer commander, Koos de la Rey, was quoted as saying:
"...For the first time in the war we are fighting men who used our own tactics against us. They were Australian volunteers and though small in number we could not take their position. They were the only troops who could scout our