LADYSMITH | RUARI CHISHOLM IN SOUTH AFRICA

 Ladysmith By Ruari Chisholm First Edition 1979 | Published by Osprey Publishing Limited, London B & W photos, maps and drawings included. Book condition: Hardcover with dust jacket intact (very slightly worn). Page edges slightly marked.  On New Year's Eve in1899, as the rest of the world celebrated the sawn of a new century, British eyes were focused firmly on the obscure town Ladysmith in South Africa, where the Anglo Boer War was at its height. There, 12 000 of the cream of Britain's regular army were besieged by a force Boer burghers, far inferior in number and resources but determined to inflict a shattering blow on British imperial ambitions. The string of defeats they had already meted out to the battle-hardened troops of one of the world's undoubted super powers had proved their firmness of purpose and stunned both the British and foreign observers alike.  This epic siege, which lasted from October 1899 to early March 1900, and the story of the battles to bring about Ladysmith's eventual relief, is the theme of this enthralling book. Utilising much hitherto unpublished information from contemporary sources in both Britain and South Africa, Ruari Chisholm tells the complete story of the campaign. He sees it not only as a military affair consisting of battles, bombardments, attacks and counter attacks, but also as a case study of human behaviour, Boer and British, solider and civilian.