Publisher's Synopsis
Commando: A Boer Journal of the Boer War is a memoir written by Deneys Reitz, a Boer soldier who fought in the Second Boer War. The book provides a first-hand account of the war from the perspective of a young Boer soldier. Reitz describes his experiences fighting against the British army, including battles such as the Siege of Ladysmith and the Battle of Spion Kop. He also writes about the Boer commando system, which was a unique form of guerrilla warfare used by the Boers. The book provides insight into the Boer culture and way of life, as well as the political and social factors that led to the war. Overall, Commando is a fascinating and engaging account of one of the most significant conflicts in South African history.1929. Deneys Reitz, who is now one of General Smuts�������s political lieutenants and a warm supporter of the British Commonwealth, fought through the South African War as our enemy. He enlisted on the outbreak of the war as a boy of seventeen and went through it to the bitter end. His father was President of the Orange Free State, and after peace was concluded he and his family went into exile. Later he returned to his own country; and later still fought in the Great War on the side of the Allies, first in West and South Africa, and then in France, where he was severely wounded, and where he came to command the First Battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers. Commando abounds in interesting sidelights and portraits-Kruger, De Wet, Smuts, Kitchener. One of the most remarkable passages gives us a glimpse of the young Winston Churchill as prisoner of war in Pretoria. It is difficult to speak of this book in anything short of a string of superlatives. The spirit of it is magnificent; the uncomplaining courage of the boy-fighter rouses memories of all the stories down the ages about unrecking devotion to an ideal. And not one of them is a finer one than this.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
