Letters giving a detailed description of the life of a soldier in South Africa during the Boer War. The first letter to his parents is dated 14 March 1901 - at sea in the Indian Ocean; the last is dated 10 January 1902, written not long before he was killed.

This personal account of one officer's experiences in the South African War is based upon the letters, diaries, signals, and over 1000 photographs of Lieutenant Malcolm Riall. A signals officer with the West Yorkshires, Riall was just 20 years old when he embarked for active service in 1899.