In January 1914 a general industrial strike took place in the Union of South Africa. For
the fi rst time since its inception the Union Defence Forces would be used operationally
to suppress the strike. The Permanent Force of the Union Defence Force was not yet
ready to suppress the strike on its own and consequently the commandos of the Citizen
Force reserve were commandeered for service. The Union Government relied on the
support and participation of many of the ordinary men who had fought in commandos
in the Anglo-Boer War to crush the strike. The traditional commando system of the
former Boer Republics would thus briefl y be revived during the 1914 strike. This
article focuses on the experience and circumstances of the members of the commandos
during deployment in January 1914 as it is an important aspect of social military
historiography in South Africa. Topics such as mobilization, supplies, transport,
discipline as well as demobilization and compensation, illuminate the experiences
and circumstances of ordinary citizens on commando service during the strike.
In Januarie 1914 het ’n algehele industriële staking in die Unie van Suid-Afrika
uitgebreek en die Unieverdedigingsmag sou vir die eerste keer sedert sy ontstaan
operasioneel aangewend word om die staking te onderdruk. Die Staande Mag van die
Unieverdedigingsmag was nog nie gereed om die staking op sy eie te onderdruk nie en
gevolglik is die kommando’s van die Burgermagreserwes vir diens opgekommandeer.
Die Unieregering het gereken op baie van die gewone burgers wat in die Anglo-
Boereoorlog in kommando’s geveg het, se ondersteuning en deelname om die staking
te onderdruk. Die tradisionele kommandostelsel van die voormalige Boererepublieke
sou dus vlugtig met die 1914-staking herleef. Dié artikel fokus op die ervaringe en
omstandighede van die kommandolede tydens ontplooiing in Januarie 1914, aangesien dit ’n belangrike aspek van die sosiaal militêre geskiedskrywing in Suid-Afrika is.
Onderwerpe soos mobilisasie, voorrade, vervoer, dissipline, asook demobilisasie en
kompensasie werp dus lig op die ervaringe en omstandighede van gewone burgers
op kommandodiens tydens die staking.
