Milner's Kindergarten facts for kids

Milner's Kindergarten was the nickname for a group of young Britons. They worked for Lord Milner in the civil service of South Africa. This was after the Second Boer War and before South Africa became a united country in 1910.

It's thought that Joseph Chamberlain, a government official, might have had the idea for this group. These young men wanted to see South Africa become one country. They also hoped for a stronger connection between the British Empire and its colonies.

When Lord Milner retired, most of these men continued their work under Lord Selborne. The group started with 12 men, mostly Oxford graduates. They went to South Africa in 1901 to help Lord Milner rebuild the country after the war. They were quite young and didn't have much experience. One of them brought a book about Alexander Hamilton, an American leader. This book helped them plan how to rebuild the new government of South Africa. The name "Milner's Kindergarten" was first used to make fun of them, but the group adopted it as their own.

The Boer War: A Quick Look

The discovery of gold in the Boer republics (the Transvaal and the Orange Free State) in 1867 caused problems. Many British settlers, called "Uitlanders," moved into these areas. The Boer governments worried about losing control. So, they refused to give the settlers full citizenship rights.

Talks to solve the problem failed, and fighting began. In 1895, a British attempt to overthrow the Transvaal government, known as the Jameson Raid, failed badly. This led to Sir Alfred Milner being appointed Governor in 1897.

Milner blamed the Boer President, Paul Kruger, for the problems. Britain decided to send more soldiers to South Africa. Kruger demanded they leave, and when Britain refused, the Boer Republics declared war. The war lasted from October 1899 to May 1902. It was very costly for both sides. The Boers used guerrilla warfare, while the British used harsh tactics like "scorched earth" and concentration camps for Boer families.

Finally, a peace treaty was signed on May 31, 1902. The two Boer republics became part of the British Empire. In return, they received fair treatment, help with rebuilding, and financial aid. Paul Kruger left South Africa, and Louis Botha and Jan Smuts became the new Boer leaders.

Why Lord Milner Was Chosen

After the Jameson Raid, talks between the British and Boers stopped. The Kruger government started buying many guns, especially from Germany. The British needed a new leader in South Africa. After a long search, Joseph Chamberlain chose Sir Alfred Milner.

Milner was suggested by Lord Selborne, who was a friend of Milner's. Chamberlain had met Milner before and liked a book Milner wrote called England in Egypt.

Milner sailed to South Africa in April 1897. After a year, he wrote to Chamberlain. He said that two very different systems – the old Boer way of ruling and the modern industrial state – could not exist side by side. He believed the old system had to change. Seventeen months later, the war began.

Lord Milner's Important Role

After the South African War, Lord Milner was in charge of rebuilding the country. He needed help he could trust. So, he brought together a group of young men from Oxford University and the Colonial Office.

He wanted "young men" because experienced leaders were hard to find. He believed that "brains and character" were more important than just experience. Most of these young men worked in the Transvaal, where the most rebuilding was needed. They stayed in their jobs even after Lord Milner left in 1905. They worked under Lord Selborne until a new government was formed in 1907. The "Kindergarten" members became very close friends for life.

Their Work in South Africa

Before Rebuilding Fully Began

Milner's Kindergarten

Some of these men arrived before the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed in May 1902:

• Peter Perry was the first person Lord Milner hired. He was an Oxford graduate and worked for the Colonial Office. He came to South Africa in 1900. He helped get African workers for the mines. In 1903, he left to work in private industry, focusing on recruiting and working conditions for African labor.

• Lionel Curtis also graduated from Oxford. He arrived in South Africa in late 1900. He helped write the rules for Johannesburg city and became its Town Clerk. He also started a magazine called The State to help unite the country. In 1906, Curtis read a book about Alexander Hamilton. This book showed how a strong central government could make a country secure and successful. This idea was used to help write a new South African Constitution.

• Patrick Duncan was an Oxford civil servant. Lord Milner invited him to South Africa in 1901 to be the Treasurer of the Transvaal. He later became the Colonial Secretary of the Transvaal.

• Geoffrey Robinson (later Dawson) was another Oxford graduate. He came to South Africa in 1901 to be Lord Milner's secretary. He later became Secretary for Municipal Affairs in the Transvaal. After Lord Milner left, Robinson became the editor of the Johannesburg Star newspaper.

• Hugh Wyndham was an Oxford graduate who came to South Africa for health reasons. He got a job as a private secretary for Lord Milner.

What They Did Later

Many members of Milner's Kindergarten became important public figures later in life. The group often met at Stonehouse, the home of Sir Herbert Baker in Parktown.

Here are some of the original members and what they did:

• Robert Henry Brand (1878–1963): He became a managing director at a banking firm called Lazard Brothers. He wrote two important books: The Union of South Africa (1909) and War and National Finance (1921).
• Sir Patrick Duncan (1870-1943): He stayed in South Africa and became the Governor General of South Africa from 1937 to 1943.
• Sir Herbert Baker (1862–1946): He was an architect who designed many public buildings in South Africa. He was knighted in 1926.
• William Lionel Hichens (1874–1940): He became Chairman of a major shipbuilding company, Cammell Laird & Co.
• Hugh A. Wyndham (1877-1963): He became a writer, writing books about English history. He inherited the title of Earl in 1952.
• Richard "Dick" Feetham (1874-1965): He stayed in South Africa and became a lawyer and later a judge. He was the last surviving member of the Kindergarten.
• Lionel Curtis (1872-1955): After Lord Milner died, Curtis became the unofficial leader of the group. He helped start The Round Table Journal and the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
• F. (Peter) Perry (1873-1935): He worked in investment banking in London.
• Sir Dougal Orme Malcolm (1877–1955): He became a Director of the British South Africa Company for 37 years.
• John Dove (1872–1934): He became the chief editor of The Round Table Journal.
• Philip Kerr, the 11th Marquess of Lothian (1880–1940): He was also an editor of The Round Table Journal. He became a private secretary to Prime Minister Lloyd George during World War I. Later, he was the British Ambassador to the United States.
• George Geoffrey Dawson (1874–1944): He became the chief editor of The Times newspaper in London.

Other members included:

• John Buchan (1875-1940): He became a writer and was elected to Parliament. He was appointed Governor-General of Canada from 1935 to 1940.
• Arthur Frederick Basil Williams (1867-1950): He became a writer, history professor, and historian.
• Sir George Vandeleur Fiddes (1858-1936): He became the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies.
• Sir John Hanbury-Williams (1858-1946): He became Military Secretary and led the British military mission in Russia during World War I.
• Maine Swete Osmond Walrond (1870-1927): He worked in the Colonial Office and helped Lord Milner in Egypt.
• Sir Fabian Ware (1869-1949): He headed an ambulance unit in World War I and was in charge of Graves Registration for the Army. He was knighted for his service.
• William Flavelle Monypenny (1866-1912): He worked for The Times newspaper and became a director.

Many of these men continued to work together after leaving South Africa. They founded The Round Table Journal to promote the idea of a stronger British Empire. An obituary for Patrick Duncan in the journal described them as "Milner's young men," a "band of brothers" who played a big part in uniting South Africa.

Changes After the War

When the peace treaty was being discussed, General Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener told Jan Smuts that a new British government might give the Boers full self-government. This helped the Boers agree to the treaty.

When Henry Campbell-Bannerman and the Liberal Party won the British elections in 1905, the Boers did get back their free elections and majority rule. Some of the changes made by the Kindergarten were reversed. Louis Botha and Jan Smuts became important leaders in the new South Africa.

The Kindergarten wanted an American-style federal government for South Africa. This means a government with different branches, like in the USA. However, in 1909, South Africa chose a unitary government instead, which has a single central power. Despite this, the Kindergarten continued to promote their ideas about federalism in The Round Table Journal. They believed it was a better way to govern than the system in Great Britain.

After South Africa

In July 1909, many members of the Kindergarten returned to England. They had gained valuable experience in South Africa. With Lord Milner's guidance, they renamed their group "The Round Table." New members joined them, including William Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne and Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor.

The group wanted to share their ideas about the Empire with the public and with leaders. Lionel Curtis first thought of having a separate magazine for each part of the British Empire. Lord Milner liked the idea, but worried about finding writers and money.

Eventually, one magazine was published: The Round Table, a Quarterly Review of the Politics of the British Empire. Most of the money came from a South African mining leader, Abe Bailey. The first issue came out in November 1910. The magazine is still published today, though its name changed in 1966 to The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs.

Images for kids

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  Milner's Kindergarten