Featured battle : The taking of Bloemfontein

Part of The 2nd Boer War (or Three Years War)

Date : 13 March 1900

Strictly speaking, this was not actually a battle. The British marched wearily into Bloemfontein on the 13th, the Boer forces including President Steyn having evacuated the city the previous evening following their failure to prevent Lord Roberts' approach at Driefontein. The Orange Free State was then officially annexed and re-named the Orange River Colony. The British troops then spent several weeks there, and many more soldiers succumbed to disease than had to enemy action during those weeks.

The Light Division in the Peninsular War 1811-1814

Tim Saunders & Rob Yuill
Tim Saunders and Bob Yuill have done it again and given us a superb book. After the Light Division 1808-1811 [reviewed on this site] we had high expectations of the second part to take us from 1811 to 1814 and we have not been disappointed. Again the text is well focussed and doesn’t drift off into writing about the wider campaign more than is necessary to tell the Division’s story. This volume seemed to have even more insights into the lives of the officers and ordinary infantry soldiers both in and between the battles. Lots of snippets stick in the mind such as hunting with foxhounds, shooting woodcock and marching whole battalions out of the line to re-uniform. The skirmishes and battles are well described and given colour by the personal reports of both officers and men. The story is not all glory but includes the lows and the dark passages of the division. This is the story of the ‘incomparable Light Division’ accurately and engagingly told.
There are a large number of maps and photographs interspersed throughout the text. Many photographs are of the locations today which would be a big help to anyone visiting the battlefields and marching routes.
We highly recommend you read The Light Division1808-1811 first then you will find this book a ‘must read’.

Pen & Sword Military, 2020