In response the British adopted counter @-@ insurgency tactics , including a scorched earth policy involving the burning of houses and crops , the establishment of concentration camps for Boer women and children , and a system of blockhouses and field obstacles to limit Boer mobility and to protect railway communications . Such measures required considerable expenditure , and caused much bitterness towards the British , however they soon yielded results . By mid @-@ 1901 , the bulk of the fighting was over , and British mounted units would ride at night to attack Boer farmhouses or encampments , overwhelming them with superior numbers . Indicative of warfare in last months of 1901 , the New South Wales Mounted Rifles travelled 1 @,@ 814 miles ( 2 @,@ 919 km ) and were involved in 13 skirmishes , killing 27 Boers , wounding 15 , and capturing 196 for the loss of five dead and 19 wounded . Other notable Australian actions included Slingersfontein , Pink Hill , Rhenosterkop and Haartebeestefontein .