The Kaffrarian Rifles 1876-1986 - Francis L. Coleman

THE KAFFRARIAN RIFLES, pride of the Border, trace the origin of the Regiment back to 1876 when its pioneers in the Buffalo Volunteer Rifles saw action in the 9th Frontier War in what is now Transkei. Subsequently it took part in the Basutoland Campaign of 1879, was in the Langeberg in 1896-7, and was prominent throughout the Anglo-Boer War including the siege of Wepener and the famous `De Wet hunt prior to the onset of the guerilla warfare which brought the war to its end.

It suffered major disaster at the Hex River in 1914 when the train carrying it to Cape Town was derailed at high speed. Nevertheless it later took part in the South West Africa Campaign. Having been involved in the capture of Bardia in the Western Desert at the end of 1941, the majority of the troops were captured at Tobruk and spent the rest of the war as prisoners. In recent years the Regiment has seen action in Angola and has contributed rcgularly to anti-terrorist operations.

All of these campaigns are analysed in depth, the whole interspersed with the peacetime development of the Regiment set in the overall context of the South African background.