Anglo-Boer War Blockhouses: A Field Guide

This field guide, a companion to Anglo-Boer War Blockhouses - A Military Engineer's Perspective, reviews key blockhouses left standing in South Africa. A first-of-its-kind guide, it can be used for virtual visits to learn more about these military structures, or better still to get 'boots on the ground'. Its main aim is to put the blockhouse sites on the battlefield tour map and to encourage professional guides and amateurs alike to explore them in detail or make them a stop-off on a longer trip. Built 120 years ago, these temporary structures occupied for years by the lonely and bored 'Tommy Atkins' have a story to tell, of military industrial proportions. The author visited virtually every site, excepting only a few whose isolation and inaccessibility speak volumes about the challenges offered by the South African veld to the combatants. The guide also acts as a record of the current condition of the sites, all sadly having been ravaged by human destruction and the inexorable effects of weather and the passage of time. Thirty of them are protected by government legislation which has proved ineffective. One day, indeed, this guide may be all that remains of an aspect of our national heritage that we are in danger of failing to preserve.

About the Author :
Simon C Green was born in Jersey and educated at Welbeck College. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Technology from The Open University and a Master's Degree in Information Systems from Cranfield University. Commissioned at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1978 into the Royal Corps of Signals, he served for nearly 30 years in military appointments in Europe, Brunei, and South Africa. He worked extensively in major military headquarters, giving him a unique insight into the staff who fight wars at a strategic level. He was also involved in training staff officers in operational leadership and war-gaming to develop and hone their war-fighting tactics at lower levels of command. He retired from military service in 2006 and settled in South Africa to pursue his passion for military history and writing.

Review :
This book is a gem to be treasured by all who enjoy road trips and history, for blockhouses are concrete evidence of past events. As a eld guide it will add value to any battlefield tour, but its scope is not limited to the Anglo-Boer War; places of interest near blockhouses are also succinctly described. There are directions and GPS co-ordinates for every site. Not only is the book a wonderful guide, but it is an extraordinarily valuable record of the blockhouses that will remain long after the existing structures have disappeared. Nicki von der Heyde Author of the bestselling Guide to the Battlefields of South Africa Join Simon on his exploration of the most interesting and accessible surviving blockhouses from the spider's web of over 7,000 built by the British. He laces the highlights of the buildings, terrain and nearby battlefields with delightful stories about the soldiers who built and manned them over 120 years ago. Rob Milne Author and specialised Tourist Guide