Boer trench during the battle of Colenso. The Boers often made use of trenches to provide themselves with cover. However the entrenchments used during the Boer war were temporary emplacements, as the Boers did not have the strength or resources to hold a continuous front line as in World War 1. These were basically temporary fortified positions that would be abandoned as soon as a particular engagement was over. As a result, neither side suffered from the awful conditions or the static warfare that prevailed on the western front during world war 1.