After the Anglo Boer War the farm Grootfontein in Middelburg, Eastern Cape district was bought by the British Department of War in order to establish a peace-keeping force in the area. This was the beginning of the military era of Grootfontein that lasted from 1903 till 1910.
During this period most of the soldiers lived in tents until prefabricated houses were made of wood and corrugated iron. Some of these houses are still in use.
About 7 000 troops from the Third Manchester Regiment were stationed at Grootfontein. Some of them were married, so about 3 000 women and children also lived at Grootfontein. The infrastructure was well-developed and included schools, a church, hospital and housing for the troops and their families. The troops brought 2 000 horses with them.
The first military cemetery was located to the east of the “Droë” river and was closed in October 1905 due to the spreading of contagious diseases. The other military cemetery was established to the east of Oorlogspoort, about 5 km (8 miles) from the military camp.
From 1908 the troops were disbanded. In July 1910 the Union of South Africa took control of the farm after which the Grootfontein School of Agriculture was established in 1911. The first principal was Mr R W Thornton. His fist task was to renovate the brick houses. The existing wood and corrugated iron buildings were used as stables, shearing-shed, dairy building and offices.