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Abbottabad

443 bytes added, 06:08, 11 December 2012
Former Boer War POW Camp
''1. Until April 1901 the British captured approx 25,000 Boers. Of these various numbers were sent to various places as POWs (See [[POW Camps in India#Boer War| POW Camps in India-Boer War]]).''
''2. Only a total of 9000 Boer POWs were ever sent out to India of this number, and they were held in some 14-15 camps in selected Indian cantonments. About 1000 of this number were sent out to various POW camps in the areas of former British India now comprising Pakistan--Abbottabad was only one of these and the number of POWs here from 1902 onwards until 1904 was around 300-400 most times, and they were never ever more than 400-450or so. A few of them succumbed to illness and disease and are still buried here <ref>See a new joint-note on this topic by S Farrington and OSK Tarin in a forthcoming edition of the ''Durbar'' IMHS journal, 2012-3013. In this, at least some 23 Boer POWs were listed as buried in this small graveyard, although only 14-15 graves can now be identified. See photo, Syed Saquib, Abbottabad, above</ref> at Kakul/Kakool about 6 kms out of Abbottabad town, within the compound of what is now the PMA (Pakistan Military Academy) there. The majority were all sent home. A member of [[British Association for Cemeteries in South Asia|BACSA]], Ms Sue Farrington did a survey of the Boers' graves here in the 1980s-90s and her findings are also available on record I believe.'' [http://www.bacsa.org.uk BACSA Website]
''3. The duty of guarding the Boer POWs fell exclusively upon the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) as Abbottabad was their home station, and they in fact levelled and prepared the location where the camp was and also looked after their charges in every way. The best account of them is given in the ''History of the 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, 1858 to 1928'' Aldershot: Gale and Polden, 1928, and this confirms all other records and verifiable sources. A very good mention is also made in an article by C Parrett in ''Durbar: Journal of the IMHS'' Vol 28, No 1, Spring 2011, regarding Boer POWS in India.'' [http://www.imhs.org.uk IMHS Website]
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