Download or read book Letters from Ladysmith written by Edward Spiers and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2010-11-30 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Edward Spiers, a leading authority on the Victorian British army, presents here a select edition of letters from the siege of Ladysmith (18991900) that have not been seen since their original publication in metropolitan and provincial newspapers. The 250 letters were published in different British newspapers and provide crucial insights into contemporary perceptions of the battles that preceded the siege, the onset of the siege itself, and the desperate and bloody attempts to relieve the town. Subsequent efforts to defend Ladysmith and to march to its relief became the great dramatic saga of the early phase of the AngloBoer War, providing the context for a series of dramatic battles that embarrassed the Empire and destroyed established reputations. Much has been written about the failings of the British commanders but it is clear that in no other theatre in the war were the practical difficulties so real or the stakes so high. These letters reflect vividly the feelings of junior officers and other ranks as they struggled to cope with the demands of modern warfare, These eyewitness testimonies provide first-hand commentary upon the events in Natal that shattered the pre-war confidence in Britain.

Download or read book The Victorian soldier in Africa written by Edward Spiers and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2013-07-19 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. The Victorian soldier in Africa re-examines the campaign experience of British soldiers in Africa during the period, 1874–1902 – the zenith of the Victorian imperial expansion – and does so from the perspective of the regimental soldier. The book utilises an unprecedented number of letters and diaries, written by regimental officers and other ranks, to allow soldiers to speak for themselves about their experience of colonial warfare. The sources demonstrate the adaptability of the British army in fighting in different climates, over demanding terrain and against a diverse array of enemies. They also uncover soldiers’ responses to army reforms of the era as well as the response to the introduction of new technologies of war. Moreover, the book provides commentary on soldiers’ views of commanding officers and politicians alongside assessment of war correspondents, colonial auxiliaries and African natives in their roles as bearers, allies and enemies. This book reveals new insights on imperial and racial attitudes within the army, on relations between soldiers and the media and the production of information and knowledge from frontline to homefront. It will make fascinating reading for students, academics and enthusiasts in imperial history, Victorian studies, military history and colonial warfare.

Download or read book Engines for empire written by Edward Spiers and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-01 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Engines for Empire examines the use of the railway by the British army from the 1830s to 1914, a period of domestic political strife and unprecedented imperial expansion. The book uses a wide array of sources and images to demonstrate how the Victorian army embraced this new technology, how it monitored foreign wars, and how it came to use the railway in both support and operational roles. The British army's innovation is also revealed, through its design and use of armoured trains, the restructuring of hospital trains, and in its capacity to build and repair railway track, bridges, and signals under field conditions. This volume provides insights on the role of railways in imperial development, as a focus of social interaction between adversaries, and as a means of projecting imperial power. It will make fascinating reading for students, academics and enthusiasts in military and imperial history, Victorian studies, railway history and colonial warfare.

Download or read book The Boer War written by Fred R. van Hartesveldt and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2000-05-30 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.

Download or read book Ladysmith written by Giles Foden and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2010-12-22 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of the Whitbread Award-winning The Last King of Scotland comes a spellbinding tale of a town under siege in colonial Africa and a young woman who finds love and freedom in the midst of a devastating war. The year is 1899, and the South African town of Ladysmith is surrounded by Boer forces. No one expects the siege to last, but it does, for a harrowing 120 days -- four months of dire emergency: food shortages during which bread is made with laundry detergent and the soldiers' horses are killed to feed the troops; bombings that force the townspeople into tunnels and makeshift shelters. But in the thick of shells and shrapnel, disease and deprivation, one young woman discovers an unexpected freedom: a chance to break old loyalties and establish new loves. Even as the world she knows collapses around her, Bella Kiernan finds the courage to escape from convention, to rebel against the political forces that threaten her homeland and to pursue her life's greatest romance. Based in part on the letters of Foden's great-grandfather, a British trooper, Ladysmith is a magnificent love story, a vivid portrait of the first modern war of the twentieth century and clear confirmation of Giles Foden's standing as one of Britain's most formidably talented young novelists. From the Hardcover edition.

Download or read book The Great Boer War written by Byron Farwell and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2009-09-19 with total page 920 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of the battle for independence from the British Empire in South Africa by “a vivid chronicler of military forces, generals, and wars” (Kirkus Reviews). The Great Boer War (1899-1902), more properly known as the Great Anglo-Boer War, was one of the last romantic wars, pitting a sturdy, stubborn pioneer people fighting to establish the independence of their tiny nation against the British Empire at its peak of power and self-confidence. It was fought in the barren vastness of the South African veldt, and it produced in almost equal measure extraordinary feats of personal heroism, unbelievable examples of folly and stupidity, and many incidents of humor and tragedy. Byron Farwell traces the war’s origins; the slow mounting of the British efforts to overthrow the Afrikaners; the bungling and bickering of the British command; the remarkable series of bloody battles that almost consistently ended in victory for the Boers over the much more numerous British forces; political developments in London and Pretoria; the sieges of Ladysmith, Mafeking and Kimberley; the concentration camps into which Boer families were herded; and the exhausting guerrilla warfare of the last few years when the Boer armies were finally driven from the field. The Great Boer War is a definitive history of a dramatic conflict by the author of Queen Victoria’s Little Wars, “a leading popular military historian” (Publishers Weekly).

Download or read book British Settlers in Natal 1824 1857 Coward Dykes written by Shelagh O'Byrne Spencer and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book George White and the Victorian Army in India and Africa written by Stephen M. Miller and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-11-16 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a detailed investigation of George S. White’s career in the British Army. It explores late Victorian military conflicts, British power dynamics in Africa and Asia, civil-military relations on the fringes of the empire, and networks of advancement in the army. White served in the Indian Rebellion and, twenty years later, the Second Anglo-Afghan War, where he earned the Victoria Cross. After serving in the Sudan campaign, White returned to India and held commands during the conquest and pacification of Upper Burma and the extension of British control over Balochistan, and, as Commander-in-Chief, sent expeditions to the North-West Frontier and oversaw major military reforms. Just before the start of the South African War, White was given the command of the Natal Field Force. This force was besieged in Ladysmith for 118 days. Relieved in 1900, White was heralded as the “Defender of Ladysmith.” He was made Field-Marshal in 1903.

Download or read book British Settlers in Natal 1824 1857 Eagle Fyvie written by Shelagh O'Byrne Spencer and published by . This book was released on 1992 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book British Settlers in Natal 1824 1857 written by Shelagh O'Byrne Spencer and published by University of Kwazulu Natal Press. This book was released on 1981 with total page 434 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new volume of British Settlers in Natal is part of a massive research project to identify immigrants who came to Natal from Britain before 1858, and to collect biographical material on them and their children. The year 2000 was the year chosen to commemorate the advent of the largest body of settlers, those despatched by J.C. Byrne & Co. in the years 1849-1851. Although Spencer's work focuses on British immigrants who came to settle in Natal, its interest and usefulness are not confined to this region. Some of the new Natalians, and many of the next generation, moved all over South Africa, and indeed all over the world. Spencer's work has already proved to be indispensable to anyone doing research into Natal history, and libraries will welcome this new volume. This seventh volume covers Gadney to Guy.

Download or read book Melton Prior written by Jane Carruthers and published by . This book was released on 1987 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Hunt for History written by Nathan Raab and published by Scribner. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nathan Raab, America’s preeminent rare documents dealer, delivers a “diverting account of treasure hunting in the fast lane” (The Wall Street Journal) that recounts his years as the Sherlock Holmes of historical artifacts, questing after precious finds and determining their authenticity. A box uncovered in a Maine attic with twenty letters written by Alexander Hamilton; a handheld address to Congress by President George Washington; a long-lost Gold Medal that belonged to an American President; a note that Winston Churchill wrote to his captor when he was a young POW in South Africa; paperwork signed and filled out by Amelia Earhart when she became the first woman to fly the Atlantic; an American flag carried to the moon and back by Neil Armstrong; an unpublished letter written by Albert Einstein, discussing his theory of relativity. Each day, people from all over the world contact Nathan Raab for help understanding what they have, what it might be worth, and how to sell it. The Raab Collection’s president, Nathan is a modern-day treasure hunter and one of the world’s most prominent dealers of historical artifacts. Most weeks, he travels the country, scours auctions, or fields phone calls and emails from people who think they may have found something of note in a grandparent’s attic. In The Hunt for History, “Raab takes us on a wild hunt and deliciously opens up numerous hidden crevices of history” (Jay Winik, author of April 1865)—spotting a letter from British officials that secured the Rosetta Stone; discovering a piece of the first electric cable laid by Edison; restoring a fragmented letter from Andrew Jackson that led to the infamous Trail of Tears; and locating copies of missing audio that had been recorded on Air Force One as the plane brought JFK’s body back to Washington. Whether it’s the first report of Napoleon’s death or an unpublished letter penned by Albert Einstein to a curious soldier, every document and artifact Raab uncovers comes with a spellbinding story—and often offers new insights into a life we thought we knew.

Download or read book Philanthropy and Voluntary Action in the First World War written by Peter Grant and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-18 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book challenges scholarship which presents charity and voluntary activity during World War I as marking a downturn from the high point of the late Victorian period. Charitable donations rose to an all-time peak, and the scope and nature of charitable work shifted decisively. Far more working class activists, especially women, became involved, although there were significant differences between the suburban south and industrial north of England and Scotland. The book also corrects the idea that charitably-minded civilians’ efforts alienated the men at the front, in contrast to the degree of negativity that surrounds much previous work on voluntary action in this period. Far from there being an unbridgeable gap in understanding or empathy between soldiers and civilians, the links were strong, and charitable contributions were enormously important in maintaining troop morale. This bond significantly contributed to the development and maintenance of social capital in Britain, which, in turn, strongly supported the war effort. This work draws on previously unused primary sources, notably those regarding the developing role of the UK’s Director General of Voluntary Organizations and the regulatory legislation of the period.

Download or read book Nuns Across the Orange A History of the Pioneering Anglican Community of St Michael and All Angels Bloemfontein written by Michael Sparrow and published by UJ Press. This book was released on 2021-04-21 with total page 610 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Sister Emma and the five women who accompanied her from England crossed the Orange River early in 1874, they exchanged the comfortable mainstream of Anglican Church life for the rigours of pioneering new works in an undeveloped country. Living conditions were primitive, travel was hard, and money was always in short supply. The newly-formed Community of St Michael and All Angels opened the first girls’ schools north of the Orange and the first hospital in the Free State. At Kimberley, Sister Henrietta achieved a world first through her successful campaign for the State Registration of nurses. Four Sisters were besieged in Kimberley during the Anglo-Boer War, and in Bloemfontein their Mother House became a military hospital. By faith and determination the Community recovered. St Michael’s School was raised to new standards of excellence, while the Sisters expanded their mission to include Lesotho and the eastern Free State. Decades of work with Bloemfontein’s sick and deprived led to Sister Enid becoming known as Ma Mohau (Mother of Mercy), and to national acclaim in the 1970s as South Africa’s Mother Teresa. This book studies the development of the Community’s religious life, and charts the progress of their work among all races from their foundation until the death of the last Sister in 2016. Across the Orange, their relative isolation from the strong centres of Anglicanism eventually contributed to their demise, but not before they had established an enduring legacy. The work they began in Lesotho is continued by the Community of the Holy Name, while St Michael’s School in Bloemfontein is recognised as one of the finest girls’ schools in South Africa.

Download or read book Scottish Soldier and Empire 1854 1902 written by Edward M. Spiers and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Scottish Soldier and Empire, 1854-1902 reflects upon the iconic role of the Scottish soldier as an empire builder from the Crimean War to the end of the nineteenth century. It examines how the soldier commented on this imperial experience, largely through letter, diaries and poems published in the provincial press, how his exploits were reviewed in Scotland and how military achievements contributed to both a growing sense of national identity and a deepening degree of imperial commitment.

Download or read book Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society written by Massachusetts Historical Society and published by . This book was released on 1901 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Soldiers and Settlers in Africa 1850 1918 written by Stephen Miller and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2009-09-30 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays in this volume concentrate on imperial conflict. Until recently, most historians of empire have concerned themselves with economic issues. More recently, scholarship has turned to social and cultural aspects of Empire. The role of the military, however, continues to be largely ignored. Historians have traditionally viewed the military as an arm of the civil power, an institution which did not create policy but faithfully obeyed the directives given to it. These essays show that indeed the military thought for itself: its officers made policy, introduced new strategies and tactics, and utilized the services of local settlers and indigenes to pursue the interests of empire, and the rank and file informed ideas in Great Britain concerning Africa and Africans. Contributors are Edward M. Spiers, Ian F.W. Beckett, Bill Nasson, John Laband, Paul Thompson, Fransjohan Pretorius, Tim Stapleton, Ian van der Waag, James Thomas, Jeffrey Meriwether, and Bruce Vandervort.