At the outbreak of the Second Boer War, Major General Hunter was on the staff of Sir George White's Natal Field Force during the Battle of Ladysmith in Natal. He led a small raid against some of the Boers' guns, disabled them and relieved the town. Promotion followed and he became General Officer Commanding 10th Division. The Division was sent to join Lord Roberts' army camped at the captured Orange Free State capital. Hunter led them in the march on Pretoria. Once Pretoria was captured they still had to deal with Guerrilla Warfare and Hunter was sent south as overall commander of five columns that converged on the Free State army camped at Brandwater Basin, forcing the surrender of 4,314 Boers led by Marthinus Prinsloo. He was awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Territorial Decoration Legion of Honour (France)Individual image taken from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cardssecond boer war, major generl, archibald hunter, natal field force, battle of ladysmith, general officer commanding, sir george white, guerrilla warfare, orange free state, brandwater basin, marthinus prinsloo, knight grand cross of the order of the bath, knight grand crossof the royal victorian order, legion of honour (france)

The book describes the siege and battles of “Ladysmith” during the South African campaign, with a full appreciation of the patriotism and pride of race which has made Australia a fighting unit in the British Empire.Hard cover, buckram, mid blue colour, gold print on front and spine, illustrated with red, white, blue flag on front and two flags on spine, end papers and fly leaf black coloured paper, 303 pages plain white , illustrated B &W illustrations and diagrams.Handwritten on front fly leaf in black ink, “ To Bev, wishing Reece a merry Christmas, happy new year,..............” words illegible.books, military, boer war, ladysmith

French was born in Kent in 1852. He had a brief service in the Royal Navy before becoming a cavalry officer. He distinguished himself on the Gordon Relief Expedition and was rapidly promoted. French became a national hero during the Second Boer War. He won the Battle of Elandslaagte near Ladysmith, escaping on the last train as the siege began. He commanded the Cavalry Division, winning the Battle of Klip Drift during the march to relieve Kimberley. In Cape Colony he conducted Counter-insurgency operations. Attained the rank of Field Marshall. Awards he received: Knight of the Order of St Patrick, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. French died in Kent in !925, aged 72. Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.1st earl of ypres, john french, second boer war, gordon relief expedition, cavalry, battle of klip drift, battle of elandslaagte, cape colony, counter insurgency operations, field marshall, knight of the order of st patrick, knight grand cross of the order of the bath, order of merit, knight grand cross of the royal victorian order, knight commander of the order of st michael and st george

Lyttelton served in the Second Boer War as Commander of the 4th Brigade from 1899. He temporarily became General Officer Commanding the 2nd Division and the commanded the 4th Division. The Division was involved in the Battle of Spion Kop and the Battle of Vaal Krantz, leading to the Relief of Ladysmith 1900. Lord Roberts referred to Lyttelton as an officer "with great coolness under fire, and considerable tactical knowledge and resource........an excellent commander in the field." Following the end of the Boer War in 1902, Lyttelton became Commander-in-Chief of the whole of South Africa. He and his wife sought to repair relations with the Boer community. In the South Africa honours of 1902 Lyttelton was knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. He retired in 1912 and under insistence by the King was appointed as Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea from that time until his death there in 1931. Other awards received were Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath; Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order; Order of Osmanieh (Ottoman Empire)Individual image taken from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.neville gerald lyttelton, second boer war, commander, 4th brigade, battle of spion kop, battle of vaal krantz, relief of ladysmith, lord roberts, commander-in-chief, south africa, knight commander of the order of the bath, royal hospital chelsea, order of osmanieh (ottoman empire), knight grand cross of the royal victorian order

General Sir Charles Warren was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists ofthe Holy Land. Much of his military service was spene in British South Africa. Previously he was police chief, the Head of the London Metropolitan Police during the Jack the Ripper murders. In 1876, the Colonial Office appointed him special commissioner to survey the boundary between Griqualand West and the Orange Free State. For this work he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1877. He was appointed special commissioner to investigate "native questions" in Bechuanaland and commanded the Northern Border Expedition troops in quelling the rebellion there. In 1879 he became Administrator of Griqualand West. The town Warranton in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa is named after him. In 1882 the Admiralty sent him to Sinai to discover what had happened to Professor Edward Palmer's archaeological expedition. He discovered the members had been robbed and murdered, located their remains and brought their killers to justice. For this he was created a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1883 , also Knight of Justice of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and in 1884 elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1884 Warren was sent as HM Special Commissioner to command a military expedition to Bechuanaland, to assert British sovereignty in the face of encroachments from Germany and the Transvaal and to suppress the Boer freebooter states of Stellaland and Goshen, which were backed by the Transvaal and were stealing land and cattle from the local Tswana tribes. This became known as the Warren Expedition and achieved its aims without bloodshed. Warren was recalled and in 1885 was made Knight Grand Cross ofthe Order of St Michael and St George. In 1885 Warren stood for election for Parliament but lost the vote. In 1886 he was appointed Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis following Sir Edmund Henderson's resignation. Criticised continually for his decisions and actions he resigned in November 1888. Prior to this time he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, January 1888. On the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899 he returned to service and commanded the 5th Division of the South African Field Force. In January 1990, Warren bungled the second attempted relief of Ladysmith at Tugela River. At the Battle of Spion Kop, January 1990 he had operational command and his failure of judgement, delay and indecision despite his superior forces culminated in the disaster. It has been said that Warren was "perhaps the worst" of the British generals in the Boer War and certainly the most "preposterous". Redvers Buller in a letter to his wife described him as "a duffer", responsible for him losing him "a great chance". Warren was recalled to Britain in August 1900 and never again commanded troops in the field. Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.holy land, sir charles warren, british royal engineers, archaeologist, british south africa, london metropolitan police, jack the ripper, colonial office, commissioner, griqualand west, orange free state, companion of the order of st michael and st george, bechuanaland, northern border expedition, warrenton, sinai, professor edward palmer, knight commander of the order of st michael and st george, knight of justice of the order of st johnof jerusalem, fellow of the royal society, knight grand cross of the order of st michael and st george, boer war, redvers buller, knight commander of the order of the bath

White fought at the Battle of Charasiab and at the Battle of Kandahar in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. For his actions he was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1879. White became commander of the forces in Natal in 1899 at the opening of the Second Boer War and fought at the Battle of Elandslaagte. He withdrew to Ladysmith where he took command of the garrison during the Siege of Ladysmith. When his position there became untenable he was instructed by General Sir Redvers Buller to destroy the guns and surrender the garrison on the best terms he could. White insisted on staying and held out for another four months before being relieved in February 1900. For this he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George. Earlier he had been made Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. In 1903 he was promoted to Field Marshall. White received many awards for his service to his country. They include the Victoria Cross (1879); Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (1893); Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (1897); Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India (1898); Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (1900); Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (1900); Order of Merit (1905). He also received the Indian Mutiny Medal; Afghanistan Medal; Kabul to Kandahar Star; Egypt Medal (1885); India General Service Medal (1885-87); Queen's South Africa Medal - Defence of Ladysmith; Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal; King Edward VII Coronation Medal; King George V Coronation Medal; Khedive's Star. Sir George Stuart White's medal and honours are displayed at the Gordon Highlanders Museum. Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.george stuart white, battle of charasiab, battle of kandahar, second anglo-afghan war, victoria cross, natal, second boer war, battle of elandslaagte, kadysmith, siege of ladysmith, general sir redvers buller, knight grand cross of the order of st michael and st george, knight grand cross of the royal victorian order, field marshall, knight grand commander of the order of the indian empire, order of merit, indian mutiny medal, afghanistan medal, kabul to kandahar star, egypt medal, indian general service medal, queen's south africa medal, queen victoria diamond jubilee medal, king edward vii coronation medal, king george v coronation medal, khedive star, gordon highlanders museum

The Second Boer War saw attempted application of bombardment as an alternative to the use of ground forces. In most battles fought during the conflict this was proved not to be possible. There was competition from the other side's ability to take evasive measures. The opponent was able to use cover to protect himself and hide his position. This was the tactic used against the British at the Battle of Magersfontein and the Battle of Colenso. The British had success when they ceased using artillery by itself and used it in conjunction with infantry. British General Buller linked the use of artillery and the movement of infantry in continuous interlocking assaults upon each hill south of Ladysmith. As soon as shelling had finished in a location the infantry moved. The front collapsed on the 27 February 1900 when use was made of a creeping curtain of shell fire sent over the heads of advancing infantry destroying everything 100 yards ahead of them. It was this tactic of the creeping barrage that has been described as "revolutionary'. Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.second boer war, ground forces, battle of magersfontein, battle of colenso, general buller, infantry, ladysmith, interlocking assaults

Ladysmith is a city in the Uthukela District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In 1847 after buying the land from the Zulu King Mpande, a number of Boers settled in the area and called it the Republic of Klip River. The Republic was annexed by the British in the same year and on 20 June 1850 it was proclaimed a township called Windsor. In October 1850 the name changed to Ladysmith after Juana Maria de los Delores de Leon Smith, also known was "Lady Smith", the Spanish wife of Sir Harry Smith, the Governor of the Cape Colony. He was also High Commissioner in South Africa from 1847 to 1852. A for was built in 1860 to protect the villagers from the Zulu. During the Second Boer War British commander Lieutenant General Sir George White made Ladysmith his centre of operations for the protection of Natal against the Boer forces. A number of short lived battles were fought for the control of the town. After suffering many casualties the British retreated to Ladysmith. While the British regrouped in the town, Boer forces surrounded Ladysmith. The siege lasted 118 days during one of the most crucial stage of the war. Three attempts by General Sir Redvers Buller to break the siege resulted in defeat for the British forces at the Battles of Colenso, Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz. The Boer forces attempted to break the siege. This led to the Battle of Platrand, or Wagon Hill, south the town. Buller finally broke the siege in February 1900 after defeating the Boers. Sir Winston Churchill, a young war correspondent was present at the Relief of Ladysmith after having been taken prisoner - between Ladysmith and Colenso - and escaping earlier during the war.Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cards.ladysmith, south africa, zulu, boers, republic of klip river, windsor, lady smith, sir harry smith, governor, cape colony, high commissioner, sir george white, natal, siege of ladysmith, sir redvers buller, battle of colenso, battle of platrand, sir winston churchill, wagon hill

Several bridges were built across the Tugela River by the British in their attempts to relieve Ladysmith. In December the British under Methuen were blocked from advancing on Ladysmith by the Boers. The Battle of Tugela Heights consisted of a series of military actions lasting from 14 February through to 27 February 1900 in which General Sir Redvers Buller's British army forced Louis Botha's Boer army to lift the Siege of Ladysmith during the Second Boer War.Individual image from photographed poster of tobacco and cigarette cardstugela river, ladysmith, lord methuen, boers, battle of tugela heights, general sir redvers buller, louis botha, siege of ladysmith, second boer war