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The Anglo-Boer War Memorial in Johannesburg is located in the Westcliff area, within the grounds of the Johannesburg Zoo, on a hill overlooking the city. It was unveiled in 1913, and its design is attributed to the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, who is renowned for his war memorials, including the Cenotaph in London. The memorial was originally conceived to commemorate the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), but its inscription was later broadened to honour all who lost their lives in the conflict, reflecting a post-Union spirit of reconciliation. The structure is a substantial stone monument featuring a central column or obelisk, flanked by bronze figures and relief panels. It stands as one of the few major Lutyens-designed memorials in South Africa. The site was chosen for its prominent position, offering views over the city, and it was a key civic project in the years following the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910. Contextually, the Second Anglo-Boer War was a devastating conflict that involved British imperial forces against the Boer republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The war saw the use of concentration camps, scorched-earth tactics, and guerrilla warfare, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, including many civilians. The memorial's 1913 unveiling came just over a decade after the war's end, during a period when South Africa was attempting to forge a unified national identity, though the memorial's original focus on British casualties was later adjusted to acknowledge the broader human cost.
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