Anglo Boer War website

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I found this as I was searching Sir Sam Steele;

http://www.angloboerwar.com/home

[Green River Powell aka RonC]

Ah, now you are hitting home!
I have been traveling to South Africa for work every year since 1999 and have developed a lasting interest in SA history. The site you list is really good, although they do omit some books on the Boer War that are considered quite authoritative, as histories go. They don't list Pakenham's lengthy tome on the Boer War. Pakenham bases his book on collections of letters from soldiers and officers on both sides during the war as well as newspaper articles and other references of the day.

I have read several of the listed reference books on the site and can recommend "Commando", by Reitz. Reitz was an educated Boer fighter whose father was in the administration of Kruger. Although not in the midst of the fighting up North, his battles, travails and existence along the borders of the Western Cape was difficult at best.

I own an 1895 Chilean Mauser that may be within the serial number range of those that were destined for the Boers, but the ships coming from Germany were intercepted by the British and sent back. The Mauser factories stamped the Chilean Crest on the rifles and sent them off to Chile, instead. Also, in my collection is an 1884 Martini Henry rifle that was issued to Canadian troops that were in South Africa just after the Anglo-Zulu wars.

Thanks,
Ron

[Hangtown Frye]

I second the recommendation on Reitz.  His is a very well thought out, well written account of his adventures against the British which he committed to paper within months of the end of the war. He was quite young (17 at the start of the war as I recall) but managed to be involved in almost all of the major actions, including Jan Smuts' "invasion" of Cape Colony towards the end of the war. There are some rather amusing sidelights in it as well, such as his introduction where he notes that years after the war he was given back his Mauser carbine (which he had "traded" with a captured British officer when his Commando captured the fellow's unit) by that officer himself. Quite a rollicking story, and well worth reading.  BTW, it's available on Project Gutenberg:

http://books.google.com/books?id=x7kxEb_wEZYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Commando,+Deneys+Reitz&source=bl&ots=Z7Yom5qbv5&sig=OqmKq6DgURR4Z50uDl_ZNjYJDBs&hl=en&ei=n21sTeqtMIf4swOp7LWnBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Cheers!

Gordon

[Advertising]