Christmas at Ladysmith

Well, Christmas is here again, so compliments of the season to those who follow this Blog, and it seemed an appropriate time of year to do a short piece on how Yuletide 1899 was celebrated by those besieged in Ladysmith. Republican invasion...

The $64,000 Question

I was staying at a Lodge in the Natal Battlefields earlier this year and got chatting to one of the other guests. Upon hearing that I had written a bit on the Boer War, he asked me what I think is probably the $64,000 question: “There’s one thing...

Klapperkop Claptrap

A visit to Pretoria’s Fort Klapperkop (and the attached South African Defence Force Memorial) is well worth it and makes for an interesting afternoon out. Entry is very cheap, the Fort is well preserved and there is plenty to see there – indeed...

A War By Any Other Name

In one of the more thoughtful reviews of Kruger, Kommandos & Kak, it was mentioned that I use the name ‘the Boer War’ to describe the conflict, and then suggested that this was inaccurate: In the very first footnote Ash rubbishes the need to...