Fire Across the Veldt (28 page)

Fonthill, Jenkins, Alice, Hammond, the Captains Forbes and Cartwright, James Fulton and many of the bit players in this story are fictional, of course. But Kitchener, Hamilton, Kekewich, Milner, Methuen, Colonel Benson, Major Chapman, the Boer leaders, their generals, the British politicians and journalists I name very much existed. I have described the battles and skirmishes as accurately as a study of well-regarded sources allows, although, of course, I have thrust Fonthill, Jenkins etc into the roles played by gallant British officers of the time. By the same token, I have allowed a little imagination to creep into the detail of such descriptions, such as the night raid on President Steyn’s house in Reitz (which still stands and from where, by the way, he
did
escape in his nightshirt, riding bareback on his horse!).

Kitchener eventually had his way at the Pretoria negotiations,
revealing a surprising skill as a diplomat, and giving the Boer leaders just sufficient concessions (including the granting of three million pounds for farm rebuilding) to agree to surrender, although the word was avoided. The British government were forced to lean on Milner to get him to bend the knee, and the much respected Boer Generals de Wet and de la Rey held out almost to the end before conceding.

Botha, who had proved himself to be a skilled politician as well as a fine general, went on to become prime minister of a united South Africa, as, later, did Smuts. De Wet, alas, could never really bring himself to accept the Union’s role as part of the British Empire and he led a Boer rebellion against Botha’s government at the outbreak of the First World War, serving a brief period in prison as a result.. He eventually died in 1922, virtually forgotten. De la Rey was accidentally shot and killed during the uprising.

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.

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:

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If you enjoyed
Fire Across the Veldt
, read on to find out about more books by John Wilcox…

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

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.

According to author J
OHN
W
ILCOX
, 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
 

The War of the Dragon Lady

Fire Across the Veldt

Starshine