War broke out in 1899 between the British and South African settlers of Dutch descent, the Boers, or Afrikaners as they are usually called today. Despite previous clashes, the British seriously underestimated their opponents. Although dressed in battered civilian clothes and made up entirely of volunteers, Boer troops were all mounted on horses and had very up-to-date German rifles.An even more unpleasant surprise than the mounted riflemen were the Boer artillery units. They were the only Boer troops to wear uniforms, were organized on a full-time basis, and were equipped with excellent German field pieces. The British artillery soon found itself out-gunned and out-ranged.Some British officers, however, were capable of adapting to the new conditions in South Africa. Royal Naval vessels anchored off the Cape had powerful, long-range cannons. It was decided to try bringing these guns ashore and mounting them on improvised carriages for field use. Naval infantry brigades had served in some previous campaigns, and proved capable of accompanying the army as gun crews, their straw hats and naval leggings identifiable in many wartime photographs.Although they were depicted in many wartime drawings and photographs, no serious study of the naval artillery has ever been done. Tony Bridgland has spent many years researching the topic and has produced a study of the technical problems involved in this unique operation, as well as a colourful narrative of naval personnel pressed into hazardous service far from the sea.

War broke out in 1899 between the British and South African settlers of Dutch descent, the Boers, or Afrikaners as they are usually called today. Despite previous clashes, the British seriously underestimated their opponents. Although dressed in battered civilian clothes and made up entirely of volunteers, Boer troops were all mounted on horses and had very up-to-date German rifles. An even more unpleasant surprise than the mounted riflemen were the Boer artillery units. They were the only Boer troops to wear uniforms, were organized on a full-time basis, and were equipped with excellent German field pieces. The British artillery soon found itself out-gunned and out-ranged. Some British officers, however, were capable of adapting to the new conditions in South Africa. Royal Naval vessels anchored off the Cape had powerful, long-range cannons. It was decided to try bringing these guns ashore and mounting them on improvised carriages for field use. Naval infantry brigades had served in some previous campaigns, and proved capable of accompanying the army as gun crews, their straw hats and naval leggings identifiable in many wartime photographs. Although they were depicted in many wartime drawings and photographs, no serious study of the naval artillery has ever been done. Tony Bridgland has spent many years researching the topic and has produced a study of the technical problems involved in this unique operation, as well as a colourful narrative of naval personnel pressed into hazardous service far from the sea.

One hundred years after the Boer War, the British continue to debate what went wrong, while the war has significant nationalist overtones in today's South Africa. This book examines changes in interpretations of the war and provides a bibliography of major sources on the Boer War, now sometimes called the South African War. The bibliography focuses on the military history, but also includes some historical accounts of the political debate. The first part of the book provides an extended historiographical essay, while part two provides an annotated bibliography of the titles discussed in part one. Historiographical questions concerning the Boer War are numerous. Discussions of military operations focus on the early use of modern weaponry and the effect of guerrilla tactics on a traditional force, while other historians debate the question of British military leadership and organization. Questions also revolve around British imperialism and the scramble for Africa. Frequently called the second war for freedom by South African authors, the war was the reason that South Africa, unlike other British colonies, gained independence without majority rule. This makes the war of continuing relevance to the turmoil in South Africa, the collapse of the minority government, and the continuing problems of the current government. This book will provide a useful tool for those wishing to research the war.

The Anglo-Boer War in 100 Objects brings the victories and the tragedies and the full extent of the human drama behind this war to life through 100 iconic artifacts.While a Mafeking siege note helps to illustrate the acute shortages caused by the siege, a spade used by a Scottish soldier at Magersfontein and the boots of a Boer soldier who died at Spion Kop tell of the severity of some of the famous battles.The book follows the course of the war but also highlights specific themes, such as British and Boer weaponry, medical services and POW camps, as well as major figures on both sides.The text is interspersed with striking historical images from the museums photographic collection. More than 200 additional objects have been included to help tell the story of a conflict that left an indelible mark on the South African landscape.

How did technical advances in weaponry alter the battlefield during the reign of Queen Victoria? In 1845, in the first Anglo-Sikh War, the outcome was decided by the bayonet; just over fifty years later, in the second Boer War, the combatants were many miles apart. How did this transformation come about, and what impact did it have on the experience of the soldiers of the period? Stephen Manning, in this meticulously researched and vividly written study, describes the developments in firepower and, using the first-hand accounts of the soldiers, shows how their perception of battle changed. Innovations like the percussion and breech-loading rifle influenced the fighting in the Crimean War of the 1850s and the colonial campaigns of the 1870s and 1880s, in particular in the Anglo-Zulu War and the wars in Egypt and Sudan. The machine gun was used to deadly effect at the Battle of Omdurman in 1898, and equally dramatic advances in artillery took warfare into a new era of tactics and organisation. Stephen Manning’s work provides the reader with an accurate and fascinating insight into a key aspect of nineteenth-century military history.