Jameson: Famous or infamous - The man and the raid

The effects of the Jameson Raid in 1896 still touch our lives.  Its results were irreversible and its consequences reverberated to distant corners of the British Empire and Europe.

In a presentation at Origins Centre on Tuesday 8 May, Dr John Bleloch, a member of the SA Military History Society, the Rand Club HIstory Society and the Ladysmith History Society, will explore the background and development of the complex and charismatic Leander Starr Jameson in the latter half of the 19th and the early 20th centuries.  He will  highlight some of the influential personalities involved in this period such as Rhodes, Kruger, Phillips, Robinson and Flora Shaw.

Questions raised will include: Whose idea was the raid and how was it implemented? What were the hidden agendas? What happened to Rhodes and Jameson and their friendship? How did Kruger and the British handle the situation? What was the aftermath?

Dr Bleloch, a retired surgeon, is also a registered guide to the KZN Battlefields.  He is involved in research on the history of the Witwatersrand and history of the Anglo Boer War in the old western Transvaal.

Please e-mail your request for seats to ask@origins.org.za. If you are a Wits student or Wits staff member, please include your student/staff/membership number. We will then e-mail an invoice to you, which can be paid by eft or at the Origins Shop.