by John Wilcox
The war itself was the first serious wake-up call received by the British army, following the ‘taps on the shoulder’ delivered by such warriors as the Zulus during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. It revealed again the arrogance of the generals, who completely underestimated the Boer farmers. Even so, French, Haig and Hamilton went on to play major roles in the First World War. The Boer War, however, provided other fundamental lessons that were not learnt: mainly, that the power of the magazine rifle and machine gun firing from trenches had tipped the balance of warfare from attack to defence. The open spaces of the veldt also preserved the myth of the power of cavalry. These lessons had to be assimilated in the mud of Flanders.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Two splendid professional guides and historians in South Africa helped me research this book. Anthony Coleman, of Dundee, Natal, took my wife and I through the gorgeous country of the Free State in the footsteps of General de Wet, and old friend David Sutcliffe, of nearby Newcastle, helped hugely by providing marked maps of the region. Any faults that have arisen in the storytelling, however, are mine and not theirs.
Once again I happily acknowledge other debts: to my agent, Jane Conway-Gordon for her unfailing support; Susie Dunlop and her staff at my publishers, Allison & Busby; the staff of London Library; and, of course, to my wife Betty for plodding with me round the battlefields, helping with the research and proofreading and for putting up with my bad temper.
Library bookshelves groan with the weight of Boer War books. I found the following to be particularly helpful:
The Boer War by Thomas Pakenham; George Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1979
Goodbye Dolly Gray by Rayne Kruger; Cassel & Co., London, 1959
Lord Kitchener and the War in South Africa, edited by André Wessels; Army Records Society, London, 2006
A Subaltern’s Letter to His Wife by J.R.L. Rankin; Green & Co., London, 1901
Commando by Deneys Reitz; Faber & Faber, London, 1929
Three Years War by Christiaan de Wet; Constable and Co, London, 1902
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If you enjoyed Fire Across the Veldt, read on to find out about more books by John Wilcox…
THE WAR OF THE DRAGON LADY A SIMON FONTHILL NOVEL
China, 1900. The Boxers, a cult of young peasants who blame the foreign barbarians living in their country for the nation’s ills, are rampaging through the country. China’s Dowager Empress – ‘The Dragon Lady’ – secretly encourages them. Into this maelstrom land former captain and army scout Simon Fonthill, his wife Alice and ‘352’ Jenkins, Fonthill’s former batman and trusted comrade. In China visiting Alice’s uncle, a country missionary, they find themselves threatened by the Boxers, and must escort the missionary and his family to the safety of Peking.
When the party reaches Peking, however, they discover that the capital is no sanctuary. The legations of foreign ministers within the city are surrounded and the Siege of Peking begins. Fonthill, Jenkins and Chang, the missionary’s adopted son, volunteer to slip through the enemy lines to bring help. It proves to be Fonthill’s most dangerous mission yet …
‘A hero to match Sharpe or Hornblower’
Northern Echo
STARSHINE
The light that froze the killing fields
1914. British forces are desperately attempting to hold off the oncoming German invasion in France. But the German defences are formidable – the British must contend with machine guns, razor-sharp shrapnel, and constant shelling. Their only respite from attack comes as star shells fly high into the night, freezing the action and illuminating the chaos in the trenches below.
Like so many other men, Jim Hickman and Bertie Murphy are plunged into this nightmare. Loyal friends, the pair have done everything together since they became neighbours as children, from falling in love with the same girl to enlisting as soon as the war began. Now, they must become closer than ever to ensure they both survive the countless, gruelling battles at the front line.
As the war progresses, Jim receives honour after honour, whilst loveable Bertie struggles to deal with the mindless slaughter around him. And meanwhile, back in Birmingham, their beloved girl Polly must find a way to choose between the two men. All three are caught up in battles of the body and heart as the war to end all wars changes each of their lives.
About the Author
According to author JOHN WILCOX, an inability to do sums and a nascent talent for stringing words together steered him towards journalism – that and the desire to wear a trench coat, belted with a knot, just like Bogart. After an award-winning career as a journalist, he was lured into industry. In the mid-nineties he sold his company in order to devote himself to his first love, writing. His Simon Fonthill novels have been published to high acclaim and he has also published two works of non-fiction.
www.johnwilcoxauthor.co.uk
By John Wilcox
The War of the Dragon Lady
Fire Across the Veldt
Starshine
Copyright
Allison & Busby Limited
12 Fitzroy Mews
London W1T 6DW
www.allisonandbusby.com
First published in Great Britain by Allison & Busby in 2013.
This ebook edition published by Allison & Busby in 2013.
Copyright © 2013 by JOHN WILCOX
The moral right of the author is hereby asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All characters and events in this publication other than those clearly in the public domain are fictitious and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent buyer.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978–0–7490–1348–6
