TOPIC:

I am floored........

Ordered a copy of Atlas from Amazon UK on Saturday and another item from Amazon CA.......

The Atlas arrived today, 3 1/2 days from UK and the other items not yet.....

Now to settle down and read......

Mike

Picture courtesy of Token Publishing

Inside Mafeking: The diary of Captain Herbert Greener, edited by Robin Drooglever

I have just finished reading this book by ABW member Robin Drooglever and thoroughly enjoyed it. The book is based around the siege diary of Captain Herbert Greener who was the Chief Paymaster in Mafeking and signatory of the famous siege notes.

Robin adds contextual and explanatory notes so that the reader can fully appreciate the diary entries, also filling in details of the siege that are not covered by the diary.

The book is supported by many photographs and is written in an engaging style that captures the interest and attention of the reader and makes you want to keep reading.

151 pps with a good index and useful bibliography from which it can be seen that Robin has consulted some rare Mafeking sources.

IL discovered this interesting and very recent publication during a routine on-line trawl for books about the ABW. Available for $15Aust from it's author, it could be of interest to Australian readers and those researching the members of the Australian contingents for service in South Africa.

Printed on twenty eight pages of quality paper, with illustrations in black/white and colour, author Peter Bakker covers the family background and service of one Jack Alick Bond; "A man known by many names". Of Aboriginal Australian background, Jack Alick Bond enlisted for active service in the 1st Australian Horse in 12/1899 under the name "Jack Alick" . Having rough living skills from his farm labouring and Police Tracker background, he was one of six hundred and forty six applicants for enlistment - just one hundred and forty were selected.
The field service of "1063 Tpr. Alick, J, 1st Australian Horse", where he earned the clasps "Cape Colony" and "Driefontein" on his QSA medal, is covered fairly lightly by author Bakker. This is a little surprising as the 1st AH was a highly regarded unit and its doings were covered in some detail by accredited local war correspondent A.B. "Banjo" Patterson. After returning from active service, Jack Alick later attested for service with the 1st Bn., Australian Commonwealth Horse in 20/1/1902 as number 356 (surname mis-spelled "ALLICK") and the booklet's author illustrates a group picture of the four service companies of the 1st ACH with Jack Alick identified by number. That plus an entry in Murray's "Australian Contingents", would appear to support Peter Bakker's contention that Jack Alick earned the clasps "Transvaal" and "South Africa 1902" for his medal. However, the medal rolls for the ACH do not show any entry for his name (nor any close approximation). That aspect needs clarification.
The author of Recognising a Warrior" has done a very good job in compiling this booklet. His mining of the local newspapers in TROVE in his quest to recognise Jack Alick Bond's service is a lesson in what can be done. And indeed, one which IL has taken to heart.
The publication is recommended.

Author's Contact Details: email [email protected].
Regards to all
IL.

Two that I've acquired this last week - "From Crewe To The Cape" and "The Boer War Volunteers From Seaham."

The first one is an absolute cracker - hardback, over 200 pages, and many photos of Crewe men who saw active service. Crewe in the ABW is probably most well-known for the Crewe Railway Volunteers, and its wonderful war memorial, and the story of the railway men in South Africa has been thoroughly researched. Authors Mark Potts, Tony Marks and Howard Curran have produced a maginificent well-illustrated history, so if you ever see a copy at a reasonable price, grab it! The cover price is £10.99, but it seems to be sold out now.


The Seaham publication, softback, 76 pages, is by Fred Cooper, who has previously published several books on Seaham's local history. Available from the author on ebay and Amazon for £4.49 + p&p, or from bookshops. It's more geared to those with an interest in Seaham, County Durham, although there's a list of the local reservists and volunteers, which is worth the price of the book alone. Compared to the Crewe book, the author had fewer local resources to draw on, but a book on a small mining town's contribution to the ABW is welcome.

I've just finished "Afrikaner Odyssey: The Life and Times of the Reitz Family" by Martin Meredith
I absolutely loved it. It is a sympathetic but objective history of the Afrikaners from about 1850 - 1948, through the lives of Deneys Reitz, his father and his grandfather. The South Africa War is a key part of the book, but especially interesting is the political background to events within the ZAR and OVS before, during and after the War.
I learned plenty, and it is a book I'll re-read in a year or so.
It's printed in SA, too, which is a bonus, and if you can't get a paper copy, you can get a Kindle version for £5.22
Highly recommended!

I have been trying for some time to track down one of Robin Droogleever's publications, 'That Ragged Mob' about the 3rd and 4th Victorian Bushmen Contingents and having no luck due to being out of print. Then searching today, and to my surprise, and a little shocked due to little publicity, there has been a new book released by Robin in the past couple of months, titled ‘Five Good Squadrons’ , A Regimental history of the 1st New South Wales Mounted Rifles in the Boer War (1899-1902).


The synopsis of the book is -

'The five squadrons that constituted the 1st Regiment of the New South Wales Mounted Rifles which joined the British campaign in South Africa in 1900 were initially a mix of trained militiamen, supplemented two months later by volunteers who were prepared to ‘give it a go’. Accepted on the basis of whether they were healthy and could ride and shoot, they were made up of professional soldiers, farmers, landowners, labourers, students, teachers, policemen, gentlemen of leisure, railway and tram workers, unemployed men, and those who had crossed the law. Over 600 served. More than 50 never came home. The regiment played a significant role in the course of the campaign and was described by one British Commander as ‘The finest mounted infantry material in the world’. Their reputation in the Boer War had an impact on the development of the Light Horse Brigades that went on to serve Australia so well in the First World War.

The book covers not only the campaign history of the regiment but there are 185 pages of biographies of all the men who served. There are also 150 pages of photos, most of which have been generously donated by descendants, and which provide a wonderful panorama of social life at the turn of the 20th century.'

For those who are interested in researching further of Australia's involvement in the Boer War (from the perspective of New South Wales involvement of course), I have attached above a link for this book and at a price of A$60 plus postage, it's one book that I had just ordered and waiting for delivery as I currently have very little reference resource books on the New South Wales contingents. I know from previous books that this author is very thorough in his research interests and can be counted on to deliver a good read.

Trev