‘Empire-Enlarging Genius’: Scottish Imperial Yeomanry Volunteers in the Boer War

Abstract

The article examines Scotland’s engagement with the Boer War, through the medium of Imperial Yeomanry detachments raised locally between 1900 and 1902. Drawing partly on data from surviving attestation forms, a picture is built up of the recruitment profiles, enlistment motivations, and war experiences of these ‘soldier-citizens’. This volunteering phenomenon is placed in the context of the Scottish military tradition and popular empire loyalty. Geographically and socially inclusive, the ‘Scottish Yeomanry’ represented a distinctive presence within the larger UK corps. Its war service captured the popular imagination and helped reconnect public opinion with Scotland’s role in the broader imperial project.