CQ Store Book Catalogue

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To order: Email thecqstore@rhodesianservices.org stating your selection of goods, delivery address and we will supply a quote

Africa @ War Series

At any given time there were at least half a dozen conflicts taking place in Africa, from civil strife and brutal insurgencies to full-blown conventional wars. Yet apart from the grand campaigns and battles of colonial yesteryear - Omdurman, Isandlwana, Spoinkop et al - little is known outside the Dark Continent of the plethora of bushfire wars that occur with monotonous regularity.

Each volume is 64 pages, richly illustrated with black and white and colour photographs as well as diagrams and maps, A4 size, softcover.

Africa @ War Volume 2
France In Centralafrique - From Bokassa and Operation Barracuda to the Days of EUFOR by Peter Baxter $30

France in Centrafrique explores the early colonial and post-colonial history of French Equatorial Africa with a particular emphasis on the role of the Central African Republic in the Second World War and the Free French Movement.  One of the key figures to emerge from this period, and a man who would shape the modern destiny of the Central African Republic, was Jean-Bédel Bokassa.  Bokassa served alongside the Free French under General Charles de Gaulle and later in the metropolitan French military as an NCO in Indo-China.  The narrative traces his ascent from these humble beginnings to his position as one of the region’s most notorious dictators, exploring both his excesses of violence and personal aggrandizement and the role played by France and the wide-reaching Foccart intelligence network in his rise and fall.  Baxter examines the past and present relationship of France with her erstwhile African colonial possessions, giving substance to the cause and effect of the many French interventions and the play of various individual personalities, both French and African, and how this has affected the current complexion of the region and its ongoing relationship with France.  The book traces the overt and covert French military actions in the region, the rise of internal violence and insecurity and the increasing involvement of the international community in the series of coups and counter-coups that characterized the 1990s and the new century.  Featured are Operation Barracuda, Operations Almandin I, II and II, Operation Boali and the various regional, international and European regional interventions.

Africa @ War Volume 7
Mau Mau: Kenya Emergency 1957-60 by Peter Baxter $30

The Second World War forever altered the complexion of the British Empire.  From Cyprus to Malaya, from Borneo to Suez, the dominoes began to fall within a decade of peace in Europe.  Africa in the late 1940s and 1950s was energized by the grant of independence to India, and the emergence of a credible indigenous intellectual and political caste that was poised to inherit control from the waning European imperial powers.  The British on the whole managed to disengage from Africa with a minimum of ill feeling and violence, conceding power in the Gold Coast, Nigeria and Sierra Leone under an orderly constitutional process, and engaging only in the suppression of civil disturbances in Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia as the practicalities of a political handover were negotiated.

In Kenya, however, matters were different.  A vociferous local settler lobby had accrued significant economic and political authority under a local legislature, coupled with the fact that much familial pressure could be brought to bear in Whitehall by British settlers of wealth and influence, most of whom were utterly irreconciled to the notion of any kind of political handover.  Mau Mau was less than a liberation movement, but much more than a mere civil disturbance.  Its historic importance is based primarily on the fact that the Mau Mau campaign was one of the first violent confrontations in sub-Saharan Africa to take place over the question of the self-determination of the masses.  It also epitomized the quandary suffered by the white settler communities of Africa who had been promised utopia in an earlier century, only to be confronted in a post-war world by the completely unexpected reality of black political aspiration.

This book journeys through the birth of British East Africa as a settled territory of the Empire, and the inevitable politics of confrontation that emerged from the unequal distribution of resources and power.  It covers the emergence and growth of Mau Mau, and the strategies applied by the British to confront and nullify what was in reality a tactically inexpert, but nonetheless powerfully symbolic black expression of political violence.  That Mau Mau set the tone for Kenyan independence somewhat blurred the clean line of victory and defeat.  The revolt was suppressed and peace restored, but events in the colony were nevertheless swept along by the greater movement of Africa toward independences, resulting in the eventual establishment of majority rule in Kenya in 1964.

Africa @ War Volume 9
Somalia - US Intervention, 1992–1994 by Peter Baxter $30

The end of the Cold War introduced an altered global dynamic.  The old bond of East/West patronage in Africa was broken, weakening the first crop of independent revolutionary leadership on the continent who no longer had the support of one or other of the superpowers.  With collapse of the Soviet Union, all this changed.  The question of global/strategic security devolved into regional peacekeeping and peace enforcement, characterized primarily by the Balkans War, but also many other minor regional squabbles across the developing world that erupted as old regimes fell and nations sought to build unity out of the ashes.  In Africa the situation was exacerbated by an inherent tribalism and factionalism that had tended to be artificially suppressed by powerful, often military, dictatorships, generally unconcerned with the needs and requirements of an oppressed population.

No more striking example of this can be found than Somalia.  One of the only effective armed resistance movements mounted against European colonisation in Africa took place in Somalia, which was suppressed only after enormous military expenditure.  The crisis in Somalia that began to take shape with the ouster of military leader Mohammed Siad Barre during the early years of the 1990s forced both the United States and the United Nations to adapt their collective military policy toward the challenges of peacekeeping, and peace enforcement, in a human environment only dimly understood, extremely austere in terms of local infrastructure and with a warring clan leadership.

This book tells the story of the international intervention that took place in Somalia, the successes, failures and lessons learned.  Many broad assumptions were made based on an unclear understanding of the dynamics of a regional conflict, coupled with the necessity for the first time in modern military history to balance political necessities with military.  The crisis in Somalia set the tone for military intervention in a post- Cold War world, and although the same mistakes have been depressingly often repeated, the complexion of global military organization changed dramatically as a consequence of this episode.

Africa @ War Volume 11
Flechas - Insurgent Hunting in Eastern Angola, 1965–1974  by John P Cann $30

In 1961, Portugal found itself fighting a war to retain its colonial possessions and preserve the remnants of its empire. It was almost completely unprepared to do so, and this was particularly evident in its ability to project power and to control the vast colonial spaces in Africa.  Following the uprisings of March of 1961 in the north of Angola, Portugal poured troops into the colony as fast as its creaking logistic system would allow; however, these new arrivals were not competent and did not possess the skills needed to fight a counterinsurgency. While counterinsurgency by its nature requires substantial numbers of light infantry, the force must be trained in the craft of fighting a ‘small war’ to be effective.  The majority of the arriving troops had no such indoctrination and had been readied at an accelerated pace.  Even their uniforms were hastily crafted and not ideally suited to fighting in the bush. In reoccupying the north and addressing the enemy threat, Portugal quickly realized that its most effective forces were those with special qualifications and advanced training. Unfortunately, there were only very small numbers of such elite forces.  The maturing experiences of Portuguese and their consequent adjustments to fight a counterinsurgency led to development of specialized, tailored units to close the gaps in skills and knowledge between the insurgents and their forces.

The most remarkable such force was the flechas, indigenous Bushmen who lived in eastern Angola with the capacity to live and fight in its difficult terrain aptly named ‘Lands at the End of the Earth’.  Founded in 1966, they were active until the end of the war in 1974, and were so successful in their methods that the flecha template was copied in the other theaters of Guiné and Mozambique and later in the South African Border War. The flechas were a force unique to the conflicts of southern Africa.  A flecha could smell the enemy and his weapons and read the bush in ways that no others could do.  He would sleep with one ear to the ground and the other to the atmosphere and would be awakened by an enemy walking a mile away.  He could conceal himself in a minimum of cover and find food and water in impossible places. In short, he was vastly superior to the enemy in the environment of eastern Angola, and at the height of the campaign there (1966–1974) this small force accounted for 60 per cent of all enemy kills.

This book is the story of how they came to be formed and organized, their initial teething difficulties, and their unqualified successes.

Africa @ War Volume 14
The Great Lakes Conflagration - Second Congo War US Intervention, 1998 - 2003  by Tom Cooper $30

Great Lakes Conflagration is the second in two volumes covering military operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at the turn from the 21st century.  This volume explores developments in the DRC that led to the outbreak of violence in August 1998, and systematically details the continued build-up and status of the Congolese, Rwandan and Ugandan armies, as well as the forces of Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe and other African countries that were sucked into the conflict.

Recounted is the Rwandan attempt to topple the government of Laurent Kabila through an operation that saw a redeployment of some of best Rwandan units from Kigali and Goma to the western DRC, resulting in a series of fierce air–land clashes with Zimbabwean and Angolan forces and culminating in the Battle of Kinshasa.

Also described is the fighting along what became the ‘Eastern Front’ in the DRC, as Zimbabwean and allied troops attempted to stop Rwandan, Ugandan and rebel advances out of Kivu Province in the direction of the Congo River through 1998 and 1999.

These early phases of the war, or ‘The First African War’ as it has come to be known, were characterized by surprising outflanking and infiltration manoeuvres; foreign mercenaries; Zimbabwean Hawk and Lynx light strikers flying intensive combat operations from N’Djili airport, half of which was occupied by Rwandans, Ugandans and Congolese rebels; interdiction strikes guided by special forces deployed deep behind enemy lines; operations of helicopter gunships and transport aircraft under intense ground attack in support of troops cut off by advancing opponents; use of transport aircraft as makeshift bombers in bad weather and by night and clashes of armoured forces and many other elements of ‘high-technology’ warfare.
All the protagonists deployed their best military units, their best equipment and some of their best military commanders, yet despite their best efforts, and hampered by in-fighting, the conflict ultimately resulted in a stalemate which dragged on for a further three years while negotiations bogged down.

This book is illustrated with an extensive selection of exclusive photography, colour profiles and markings, making it of special interest to enthusiasts and professionals alike.

Biography, History & Heritage

African Tears - The Zimbabwe Land Invasions by Catherine Buckle $5.00 (s/b)

 
The story of the 7 months hardship of a white woman farmer and her family living under the constant scrutiny and intimidation of so called war veterans.  She records that she and her family supported the introduction of black rule in Rhodesia during the war years.  She now chronicles the effects that Mugabe's rule has had on Zimbabwe's rural community both black and white.  It tells of the destruction of the country's economy, the collapse of tourism and ruination of agriculture.

Beloved African by Jill Baker $30.00 (h/b)

Love, politics and tragedy in Africa… Tells of the life of John Hammond, one of Rhodesia's earliest and foremost educators.  He was a controversial but much loved figure and his daughter, Jill Baker, tells the touching story of his struggle to achieve his goals. Entwined through the story is the deep love between him and his wife Nancy.

Kinkaseki - One Day at a Time by Arthur Titherington $15.00 (s/b)

 
A true story of survival in the tradition of Tenko.  The author was taken prisoner at the fall of Singapore and spent the rest of the war as a slave labourer in a mine adjacent to the Japanese POW camp at Kinkaseki in Formosa (now Taiwan).  It is a chilling story of brutality and cruelty written 50 or so years after the event and about his journey to revisit the site of his imprisonment and the ghosts he tried to lay to rest.

The Baronet and The Savage King by David Hilton-Barber $25 (s/b)

136 pages 145 b/w illustrations

“Gold mined at Tati was identified with the dynasty of the Queen of Sheba and the ancient rulers of biblical Ophir.  David’s book records how this notion, mentioned in Milton’s Paradise Lost, was discarded as being romantic fiction.  But romance there is here a-plenty.” —John Gordon Davis, best-selling author of Hold My Hand I’m Dying.

The concession to mine gold at Tati was granted to a British baronet, Sir John Swinburne, by Lobengula, last king of the Matabele.  Although called by colonial imperialists as a “savage king” and a “native despot”, Lobengula was “exceedingly well-made (in height about 6 ft 10 inches), corpulent, with a commanding presence and, when in a good temper, having a kind heart and a full appreciation of humour”.

The gold at Tati, which was discovered by the geologist Carl Mauch, was actually on the site of pre-historic diggings that had been mined there 400 years previously by the Makalanga people.  Tati lay on the missionary road to the north, used by Livingstone and Moffat, and it was part of Cecil Rhodes’s dream of a continuous tract of British imperialism from Cape to Cairo.  The annexation of Bechuanaland was a direct result of the conflicts between the tribes within the area and the threats from President Kruger and from Germany which had recently colonised Angra Pequena. 

Gold from the early diggings here found its way to Great Zimbabwe and the famous golden rhinoceros from Mapungubwe was probably fashioned from gold mined at Tati.  This forgotten corner of the sub-continent encapsulates a chapter of our history involving five countries, powerful men, much subterfuge, a botched invasion, a rebellion, land annexation, prospectors, hunters, traders and adventurers.  It is a story begging to be told.

The Many Houses of Exile by Richard Jurgens $3.00 (s/b)

 
This compelling autobiography takes a privileged young white man from studying philosophy at Wits University to joining the banned ANC movement.  Exiled from South Africa he and his wife live in ANC camps in Zambia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.  The insight into his experiences is both forthright and humorous as he explores the many "exiles" he faces.

Fiction

Canvas under the Sky by Robin Binckes $30 (s/b)

“...  enjoyable, convincing story wrapped in dramatic, well-researched history” — John Gordon Davis, bestselling author of Hold My Hand I’m Dying.

It is 1834. The Eastern Cape frontier is burning.  Rauch Beukes, a young Boer of 17, returns to the family homestead to find it razed, the livestock gone and his mother and sisters slaughtered by the marauding Xhosa from across the Great Fish River.  So begins a tale of violence and warfare and love and lust across racial divides, painted against the grand backdrop of the Boer migration north into the hinterland that became known as the Great Trek, the result of British duplicity and injustice.

The dramatis personae are Boer and Brit, Xhosa, Zulu, Matabele and Cape Malay slaves: from the Xhosa chief Hinsta, Colonel Harry Smith, the Zulu tyrant Dingaan, to the Boer trekkers Potgieter, Retief, Maritz, Trichardt and Cilliers.  And in young Rauch’s life are three astonishing women: Ameila, the daughter of an English settler; Marietjie, the beautiful meisie from Graaff-Reinet; and Katrina September, the sensual ex-slave.

Fall of the Leaf by P.C. Feller $20 (s/b)

 
Fall of the Leaf is a sensitive and faithful representation of the lives of three white English-speaking men, from the war years to the present time.  The epoch broadly covers sixty years of South African history; it encompasses the pre-apartheid years of English cultural dominance, the apartheid period under Afrikaner Nationalist rule and the succeeding years of democracy under the ANC government.  The fulcrum and meeting point of the novel is a fifty-year school reunion.

King's Gold by Glenn MacAskill published by Crest Publishing $30.00 (s/b)

 
Set against the backdrops of the genocidal massacre of the Matabele by Mugabe's North Korean trained 5th Brigade in the 1980's and the recent actions of Mugabe in the year 2000, the author, himself a veteran of the Bush War, takes you on a journey with characters based on real people and real events.  Exciting and believable.

Land of the Long Grass by Marina Maxwell $20 (s/b)

Historical fiction.

After a Basutoland battle, young Harrison Clark has a prophetic encounter with a dying chief. Later, erroneously thinking he has killed the husband of the girl he loves, he flees his home and heads for the lands north of the Zambezi. After an exciting series of adventures with his friend Nwata, Harrison reaches the Zambezi where he becomes chief Changa-Changa and rules a vast area. He has a dangerous affair with Bonita, wife of the slaver Matakenya, but he also still loves the white missionary, Venetia. Although Harrison rids the country of the scourge of Matakenya and other slavers, his rule is finally ended when Cecil Rhodes usurps his claims. Torn between two cultures, Harrison is forced to choose between loyalty to his people and his love for Venetia.

World War II, Police, Military, Air Force and African Bush Wars

Echoes of an African War by Chas Lotter (h/b) $75

Chas Lotter served in the Rhodesian Medical Corps in the Rhodesian 'Bush War'.

In this book he has matched his poetry with authentic photos, paintings and sketches to tell the story of the war.

From Fledgling to Eagle by Brig. Gen. Dick Lord $40 (h/b)

The crucible of combat over 23 years forged the fledgling South African Air Force into a formidable strike weapon, capable of defeating the best Soviet air defences of the time.

From Fledgling to Eagle chronicles the evolution of the SAAF in the ‘Border War’ that raged in Angola and South West Africa (Namibia) from 1966 to 1989, covering all the major South African Defence Force (SADF) operations from Ongulumbashe to the ‘April Fools’ Day war’ in 1989. Dick Lord, who writes in a ‘from the cockpit’ style, has drawn on his own first-hand operational reports and diaries, incorporating anecdotes from dozens of aviators from a wide variety of squadrons - Buccaneers, Canberras, Mirages, Impalas, Bosboks, C-160s and -130s, Dakotas and helicopters. He also expands on the close relationship the SAAF had with the ground troops in a variety of operations - such units as the Parabats, Recces and Koevoet.

However, Lord studies the broader ramifications of the conflict in that it was not a simple black–white war. Angola was really just a sideshow for the Soviets who wanted to bleed the SAAF in a war of attrition before attempting total domination of South Africa - their ultimate goal. He is unafraid to admit SADF mistakes - of Operations Hooper and Packer he says: “Lines of communications were too long to ably support the battle, which is why we did not clear them off the east bank of the Cuito River and why they captured the three Oliphant tanks which was their only propaganda victory.”

Although he gives credit to the enemy when they put up a stiff fight, he clearly outlines the overwhelming South African successes and dispels, in accurate detail, all enemy claims by giving an accurate account of each battle.

He says: “I agree with General Geldenhuys that we thrashed them severely on the Lomba in ’85 and ’87 … much recent publicity has also been given to the so-called victory of the Forces of Liberation [SWAPO, MPLA, and 50,000 Cubans and Soviets] over the SADF at Cuito Cuanavale in 1988. Nothing could be further from the truth - it is blatant propaganda.”

From Addis to the Aosta Valley by Keith S. Ford (s/b) $40

 
Based on the author's diaries, From Addis to the Aosta Valley is the account of Keith Ford's service in the Second World War from 1940-1945. As a gunner, he was deployed 'up north' to East Africa and experienced his first taste of action with the 1st South African Division during the invasion of Italian Somaliland; thereafter he was involved in the Abyssinian campaign and was with the victorious Allies when Addis Ababa was liberated. Then came North Africa and the dark days of the Desert campaign as a Gun Position Officer's Assistant on 25-pounders with the 1st South African Brigade: from Taieb el Essem, the defensive box south of Sidi Rezegh, to Bir el Gubi, Bardia, Tobruk and Gazala, and to the annihilation of his battery by German panzers at Agheila. Retrained as a Bofors anti-aircraft gunner, he was with the Eighth Army at El Alamein. On posting to Italy, his Light Anti-Aircraft Unit 1 became D Company Witwatersrand De la Rey Battalion and dug in on the 1944 Winter Line. He saw action during the assault and capture of Caprara, the advance to the river Po and finally, St Bernard's Pass in the Aosta valley.
This is the story of an ordinary soldier, but one who has a keen eye for detail for the countryside and people around him. He brings a sense of immediacy and pathos to his writing through his relationships with his comrades and the civilians he encounters, particularly with the Italian women for whom he retains a special place in his heart.

Standby - South African Air Force Search and Rescue by Brig.-Gen. Dick Lord $40 (s/b)

Unsung heroes-the selfless heroism of South Africa's airmen

In the air force no mission receives greater priority than the mission of mercy.  When lives are at stake all resources available are dedicated to the task.  Aircrew, ground crew, paramedics, doctors, mountaineers, navy divers, policemen and trained civilian volunteers are rapidly organized into a rescue team and dispatched with all haste to the disaster scene.  This requires training, preparedness, dedication, determination and courage.  Rescue missions are often flown in weather conditions that would normally ground all aircraft.  Scenarios are as diverse as high-rise fires, mountain, flood and maritime rescues, to white-outs in the snows of Antarctica. 

Originally published in 1999 as Fire, Flood and Ice, this updated edition includes yet more spectacular South African Air Force (SAAF) search and rescue missions, both military and civilian.  Included is the remarkable rescue of all 581 people from the ill-fated liner Oceanos, for which the author was mentioned in dispatches for his role as commander of the rescue operation.  Also new are heart-warming accounts of SAAF rescues during the devastating floods of 2000 in Mozambique, which captured the world's attention.

Tumult in the Clouds by Dean Wingrin $40.00 (s/b)

The South African Air Force (SAAF), formed on 1 February 1920, is the second oldest air force in the Commonwealth.  The air arm played a major role in securing victory for the Allies during the Second World War, in the 1948/49 Berlin Airlift, and in Korea in the 1950s.  The SAAF assisted Rhodesia in the 1960s and ’70s, made a major contribution to the ‘Border’ or ‘Bush’ war in South West Africa and Angola, participated in the transition to a new democracy in South Africa and continuously supports South African peace missions in Africa.  It has also assisted in countless relief and rescue missions in southern Africa throughout this entire period.  However, the SAAF is not just about aircraft and ordnance; it is made up of people and it is in this compilation that these people, airmen and ground crew alike, find their voice.  These are their stories, all told in the first person by the actual participants as unvarnished, unabbreviated and intensely immediate and personal recollections.  Through their stories of heroism, duty, adventure and tragedy, the reader will follow the history of the SAAF from 1939 to the present day.  To complement the stories, the final chapter includes a collection of squadron pub songs from the Second World War, Korea and the Border War.

The 1879 Zulu War - Through the Eyes of the Illustrated London News. Compiled by Ron Lock & Peter Quantrill $150.00 (h/b)

 
The fascination of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 continues unabated.  It was impassioned almost 40 years ago by the film Zulu, starring Stanley Baker and a yet-to-be-discovered Michael Caine.  Zulu has been shown - and continues to be shown - on British television more than any other feature film.  In the USA and elsewhere it has become a cult movie.  Moreover, it created a near-avalanche of books, articles, lectures, documentaries and websites that has come close to being an industry.  But the basis of all this activity was, in fact, generated 120 years ago by the weekly magazines of Victorian England such as the Illustrated London News.

Every Saturday morning, at the cost of sixpence, the Illustrated London News presented to its readers descriptions of events and bloody battles, brought alive by the magnificent illustrations drawn by the top war artists of the day.

Although copies of the original magazines are much sought after and have become collectors' items, the compilers have painstakingly acquired every issue pertaining to the conflict and, having extracted every report and illustration on the subject, have produced, with an index, and in chronological order, a unique record of the Anglo-Zulu War, albeit through the eyes of a colonial Victorian age.

Vlamgat - The story of the Mirage F1 in the South African Air Force by Brig.-Gen. Dick Lord $40 (s/b)

Vlamgat, literally meaning 'flaming hole' in Afrikaans, was the nickname the South African Air Force (SAAF) gave to the Mirage F1, its formidable frontline jet fighter during South Africa's long Border Wars in South West Africa (Namibia) and Angola from the late 1960s to the late 1980s.

Battling Soviet MiG-21s and -23s over African skies, the 'Vlammies' as the Mirage pilots were affectionately known, acquitted themselves with distinction and honour.

Vlamgat - The story of the Mirage F1 in the South African Air Force is a gripping account of these pilots and their deeds of bravery; their experiences are authentically related with accuracy, humour and pathos by the author, himself a Vlammie.

As Willem Hechter, former Chief of the SAAF, says: "Vlamgat deserves a place of pride in the long history of this, the second oldest air force in the world."

War Dog - Fighting Other People's Wars by Al J Venter $40.00 (h/b)

The modern mercenary in combat - with the horror of 9/11 behind us, a new strategic equation tends to dominate world issues.  These days, when the natives of some wayward African backwater become restless, or a South American warlord fosters insurrection, the big powers are inclined to look the other way.  Thus the possibility of the Pentagon dispatching anything to assist a government in trouble - like the amphibious assault ship USS Saipan that went to Liberia with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit in August 1990, or Britain sending HMS Ocean to Sierra Leone to quell insurrection - is unlikely.  Similarly, the way things are Somalia won't get a sideways glance from any Western force.  So another solution must be sought.  Since it was the dogs of war that cleared the bramble patch in the old days, it will probably do so again.

By proposing to license private military companies in early 2002, Britain now follows the American lead of companies like the Vinnell Corporation or Washington's MPRI in giving tacit support to what is regarded, by many military specialists, as the most logical option.  While the concept of hiring freelance military professionals has some powerful detractors, the actions of these freebooters in recent years have shown that they are both efficient and cost effective.

War Dog deals with mercenary activity in a score of wars: Angola, Sierra Leone, El Salvador, the DRC, Ethiopia, Lebanon and others.  As one of a handful of correspondents who saw action with the South African 'guns for hire' group, Executive Outcomes, Al Venter reveals all about this organization as well as what has been going on in the Congo.  While the major powers grapple with more serious international issues, dogs of war might very well be the answer for some of the brush-fire wars that continue to plague the developing world.

Anglo-Boer War

Bombardment of Ladysmith Anticipated - The diary of a Siege by Alan Chalmers $20.00 (s/b)

 
The fascinating story of the 100 day siege of Ladysmith told from the diary of a British Army orderly, George Maidment.  It is a story of great courage and great stupidity, of the very personal observations of a local boy caught up in one of the most famous sieges in British Military history.

Fire in the Sky - The destruction of the Orange Free State 1899-1902 by Owen Coetzer $20.00 (s/b)

 
Over 27,000 Boer women and children died during the Anglo-Boer War.  This is the account of those who died in the concentration camps of the Orange Free State in appalling conditions, of deprivation and starvation.  It is the deeply moving but shockingly brutal story of a fierce, almost forgotten struggle for freedom.

Halt!  Action Front!  - With Colonel Long at Colenso by Darrell Hall $20.00 (h/b)

 
Darrell Hall tells of the Battle of Colenso, of the bloody battle that left scores of British dead on the field, of how it destroyed several military careers and left the British Army savouring the bitter taste of ignominious defeat.  Yet, with defeat came heroic bravery and at Colenso 7 Victoria Crosses were awarded.  It is also the story of General Louis Botha and his tenacious Boer commandos.

How We Kept the Flag Flying by Donald MacDonald $20.00 (h/b)

  
This is an exciting account of the siege of Ladysmith and is written with the journalist's eye for history in the making.  The author witnessed the battles, the hand to hand combat, experienced the actual bombardment an travelled with raiding parties.  It was first published a century ago but is still eminently readable and intensely human.

Sport

International Rugby Encyclopaedia by Andrew de Klerk $25

544 pages 260mm x 215mm 200 colour & b/w photos Meticulously compiled, this book has been 18 years in the making.  It is the complete international rugby encyclopaedia that presents every single recognized international ever played (since 1871 when Scotland took on England); is well illustrated and structured, featuring stories on the great players to have graced the game, the great matches to have captivated the crowds and the great stadiums to have hosted these internationals, as well as a plethora of rugby trivia.

There is currently no such book on the market and there hasn't been since Chris Rhys published Guinness Rugby - The Records in 1987.

Countries featured:
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, England, Fiji, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Namibia, New Zealand, Portugal, Rhodesia, Romania, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Tonga, USA, Uruguay, Zimbabwe, Wales.

Rugby Stories from the Platteland by Graham Jooste $5.00 (s/b)

 
The heart and spirit of rugby described in Graham's book is still evident today, but the way the game was played-on a Saturday afternoon, on a dusty field, after a long day ploughing, is not.  Somehow all this became overshadowed by the glamour of large clubs and competitions, fuelled by modern technology and communication.
In this book Graham tells the stories, some dating back 100 years, of those recently arrived for work in a strange town on the platteland who, to be accepted by the community, had to play rugby.  From labourers and mechanics to clerks and farmers, these are their stories and each one is unique.  From the Northern Cape and Luderitz, down the west coast, into the Eastern Cape and through the Free State and Mpumalanga, Graham has recorded stories, as told to him, that will have you in stitches.

Graham's style of writing is reminiscent of campfire (or perhaps braais and boerewors) storytelling, the humour lying in all the deviations and asides the story makes along the way.

Children's

What on Earth Activity Series (in Afrikaans) by Jane Theron and Di Goodwin $3.00 per book (s/b)

 
A series of five books (only 2 illustrated above) aimed at the 10 - 13 year old covering birds; fish; reptiles and frogs; large mammals and small mammals.  These books follow principles of the South African Department of Education's Outcomes Based Education policy and are available in Afrikaans.  They are designed to make learning fun and play a roll in enhancing creativity, motor co-ordination, the identification of colours, shapes and textures as well as increasing general knowledge.  If you want your kids to have a wider knowledge than they would ordinarily gain and at the same time instil "a bit of Africa" in them then these quality activity books are for you.

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Please note that these reviews have been compiled by Hugh Bomford and are not necessarily the views expressed by the publishers and authors.  Many of these books are now out of print and stock will not last for ever so be quick.
Contact us:- PO Box 13003, Tauranga 3141, New Zealand. Ph +64 7 576 9500 e-mail: hughbomford@xtra.co.nz