The Great Anglo-Boer War

By: Byron Farwell

Narrated by: Nigel Patterson

Length: 23 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

The Great Boer War (1899-1902) - more properly 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.

This audiobook is a definitive history of a dramatic conflict by a master story teller and historian. Byron Farwell served as an officer in the North African and Italian campaigns in World War II and also in the Korean War. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1964, and is the author of Queen Victoria's Little Wars.

©2017 Byron Farwell (P)2019 Tantor

Shame about the narration

The narrator mispronounced virtually every single Afrikaans word including names of protagonists and words like spruit etc. He even mispronounces many English words. This is inexcusable because of how little effort it takes to check proper pronunciation of foreign words. As for his mangling of the English language, God knows how he manages it. It is a shame because it detracts from the narrative. Example: Boer is pronounced bow-er. Enniskillen is pronounced Enniskilling. Skiet [shoot] is pronounced "sheet" Botha is [sometimes] pronounced "Booth-a". He seems unable to pronounce even English words correctly, which is not uncommon these days but this is supposed to be his job. On the other hand, I think that the material itself is very inspiring.

An Excellent Work

This is an engaging look at the war from each level of action. You're guided not only through the causes, but the personalities and motivations of the prime movers as well. I was also gratified to see the author included the concentration camps and the human toll paid by so many which shouldn't be overlooked.

A truly balanced view.

I have always enjoyed the South African military history. this was one the most balanced and informative book that's paint an accurate and interesting point of view of the whole conflict. He really understands all the various parties and brings that forward.

A deep dive into a war that shaped a century of warfare

This is an engrossing, beautifully written account of a war that, for South Africans, will never be over. The storytelling captures the imagination and great characters of the age - from old Cronje to Kitchener, from Cecil Rhodes to Milner and Oom Paul Kruger, from the ordinary British squaddies and to the legendary De La Rey and “that bloody woman” Emily Hobhouse - all spring to remarkable life. I have just one gripe: To South African ears, the terrible pronunciation of Afrikaans is annoying (Bow-er? Really??) but do not let that deter you! Overall the reading is excellent, even giving Churchill his own familiar voice. Well done and thank you!

Listened as I drove across country

My father spent two years in the mid-1960’s living in South Africa. I’ve been interested in the history of the country and area for many years, but could never find the time to pick up a book. Frankly, had it not been for this audio opportunity I may never have learned what I did from the book. Such a tragic story of empire building and human strength. Many lessons can be learned from this edition.

The content and the narration kept my attention and interest. The history is fascinating, taking the listener up to the 1960’s. I’ll now purchase a copy of the hardback edition and hope that I can recall the many facts and human stories that I’d like to go back and highlight. I think history books are most useful when you’re able to quickly locate some of the most important stories and lessons learned.

well done

I like the mix of story with detail and big picture. Gives a good historical perspective.

Highly informative and relevant.

More of this history should be taught as one can see the patterns and threads that exist throughout history of man in the industrial ages.

Small War, Huge outcome

Good historical read. Small war reminiscent of the American Civil war. Important in that it marked the decline of British Imperialism. Told in easy to follow style with many “Jeopardy type” fun facts.

More than a war, it was a human tragedy

The Anglo-Boer War is one of those [dirty little wars] that no one considers important enough to talk about. It is true that in terms of sheer scale WW1 and WW2 vastly over shadow it but the Boer War was it its heart the essence of what all wars are about "the use of violence to impose ones will upon another".

Both the Anglo South Africans (Boers) and the British had valid and also self-serving reasons for why the war was fought, the Boers wanted independence and to not be arbitrarily forced to bow the knee to a foreign power; the British wanted to end slavery in south Africa, prevent the Anglo South Africans from collapsing into Anarchy but also wanted power and the gold and diamond mines controlled by the Boers.

This book looks at the Boer War from both sides, it explains how each side saw themselves (both felt they had the moral high ground) and how they saw the other (greedy imperialists, stupid savages who needed to be made to kneel) and how they both fought in the War (Conventional vs unconventional) but it also shows something you don't oven see in war histories: The human aspect, the book recounts the bravery and cowardice, the triumphs and tragedies and most of all the cost exacted from both sides, it doesn't let you forget that both the Boers and the British were people, this was not the Rebel Alliance vs. the Evil Empire, this was two culturally and politically different people fighting and dying for what they believed to be right.

Even though the British won the Boer war it brought only poisoned fruit, it left thousands dead, many farms destroyed (some by the Boers others by the British) and in the end accomplished nothing of long term substance for either side. This is why I say that the Anglo Boer war was more than just a war it was a human tragedy and this book shows you how.

An Engaging Perspective

I've read quite a few books about the Boer War but this is the first one that showed me a completely different and more objective perspective. It's an engaging historical narrative with lessons for our society today.