British concentration camps

This is the first general history of the concentration camps of the Anglo-Boer or South African War in over fifty years, and the first to use in depth the very rich and extensive official documents in South African and British archives. It provides a fresh perspective on a topic that has understandably aroused huge emotions because of the great numbers of Afrikaners, especially women and children, who died in the camps. This fascinating social history overturns many of the previously held assumptions and conclusions on all sides, and is sure to stimulate debate.    Rather than viewing the camps simply as the product of the scorched-earth policies of the war, the author sets them in the larger context of colonialism at the end of the 19th century, arguing that British views on poverty, poor relief and the management of colonial societies all shaped their administration. The book also attempts to explain why the camps were so badly administered in the first place, and why reform was so slow, suggesting that divided responsibility, ignorance, political opportunism and a failure to understand the needs of such institutions all played their part.    Since the original research arose from a project on the medical history of the camps, funded by the Wellcome Trust, there is a particularly strong focus on health and medicine, looking not only at the causes of mortality in the camps, but at the ideas which shaped the culture of the doctors and nurses ministering to the Boers.    The author has also used material derived from a database of the camp registers to argue, somewhat controversially, that the camp inmates were primarily landless bywoners, rather members of the middle classes, as people like Emily Hobhouse implied, and that the rather numerous men in the camps were young and able-bodied rather than the old men suggested in the conventional literature.   PAPERBACK, 391 pages. Published June 2013

Softcover edition researched and written by Elizabeth Van Heyningen, published 2013. This is the first general history of the concentration camps of the Anglo-Boer or South African War in over fifty years, and the first to use in depth the very rich and extensive official documents in South African and British archives. It provides a fresh perspective on a topic that has understandably aroused huge emotions because of the great numbers of Afrikaners, especially women and children, who died in the camps. This fascinating social history overturns many of the previously held assumptions and conclusions on all sides, and is sure to stimulate debate. Rather than viewing the camps simply as the product of the scorched-earth policies of the war, the author sets them in the larger context of colonialism at the end of the 19th century, arguing that British views on poverty, poor relief and the management of colonial societies all shaped their administration. The book also attempts to explain why the camps were so badly administered in the first place, and why reform was so slow, suggesting that divided responsibility, ignorance, political opportunism and a failure to understand the needs of such institutions all played their part. 390 pages. Illustrated. Good condition. Tracked postage is R65.00.

Subtitle: During the Anglo-Boer War of Author: Napier Devitt Publisher: Shuter and Shooter () Condition: Very Good - Some closed tears and chipping with slight paper loss. Cover has light marking/rubbing. Else an internally clean, very presentable copy. Binding: Softcover Pages: 60 Dimensions: 24 x 15 x 0.5 cm +++ by Napier Devitt +++ A scarce booklet in which Napier Devitt presents an accounting the facts and circumstances of the South African Concentration Camps of during the Boer War   A passion for books and a passion for collecting fine editions was the recipe that created the successful group of bookshops in Johannesburg called Bookdealers. The group started thirty years ago with one store in the quirky suburb of Yeoville and has grown through the years to a total of five shops, plus our online sales. Bookdealers is well-known for its collectable and used books. We also have a large variety of remaindered books sourced from around the world.  If you collect from one of our five branches there is no delivery charge. We also offer postal delivery (when available) and courier delivery, subject to a quote.

These items came from the concentration camps from the era of the Anglo Boer war. The main item is the bottom part of a oil lamp. All items is pure copper and is more than a 110 years old! 

   TITLE:   THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE ANGLO BOER WAR - 1899 - 1902 BY NAPIER DEVITT DESCRIPTION:   SOFTCOVER 1941.  EDGEWEAR, TEAR &  MARKINGS TO COVER AS IN PHOTO. FEEDBACK:   I TYPICALLY WAIT UNTIL ITEM IS RECEIVED BY THE WINNING BIDDER PRIOR TO POSTING FEEDBACK. THIS ALLOWS BOTH PARTIES TIME TO RESOLVE ANY ISSUES THAT MAY ARISE WITH ANY GIVEN TRANSACTION. POSTAGE:   PLEASE REMEMBER TO ADD POSTAGE AMOUNT WHEN MAKING PAYMENT          

Buy 1901 Anglo Boer: Concentration Camps & Burning Farmhouse Bronze Medal: NGC graded MS 63 for R1,620.00

Buy Facing the Extreme - Moral Life in the Concentration Camps -- Tzvetan Todorov for R40.00

Buy Netherlands: Boer War: Concentration Camps and Burning Farmhouse Bronze Medal for R5,000.00

2009. Soft cover, 330 pages. Very good condition; like new. Under 1kg The remarkable true story of the Queen Alexandra frontline nurses in the Second World War.   The amazing experiences of the Queen Alexandra nurses in the Second World War form one of the greatest adventure stories of modern times, and - incredibly - remain largely untold. Thousands of middle-class girls, barely out of school, were plucked from sheltered backgrounds, subjected to training regimes unimaginably tough by today's standards, and sent forth to share the harsh conditions of the fighting services. They had to deal with the most appalling suffering, yet most found reserves of inner strength that carried them through episodes of unrelieved horror.   Over 200 nurses died, torpedoed in hospital ships, bombed in field hospitals or murdered in Japanese prison camps. Dozens won medals for gallantry. From the beaches of Dunkirk, to Singapore and D-Day, they saw it all. Whether tending burned pilots from the Battle of Britain or improvising medical treatment in Japanese death camps, their dedication was second to none. This is their story.   

SIGNED BY GF JACOBS 1965. First edition. Soft cover, 247  pages. Good condition. The cover has minor handling marks. Under 1kg. South African major Gideon Francois Jacobs of the British Royal Marines recounts his experiences in Sumatra during World War II and whose daunting assignment (at the age of 23) was to take control of the island from the 80,000 strong surrendering Japanese occupation force and oversee the liberation of prisoner of war camps.  

The British sword was buried in a concentration camp in Pretoria so hilt a bit pitted. The Chinese sword in excellent condition. Cliffy 0828811155

1991. Hard cover with dust cover. 292 pages. Very good condition. Gift inscription. The dust cover has minor wear. Under 1kg. The Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 has been called the "last gentleman's war", but that is no reason to ignore the emergence of three remarkable women: Lady Sarah Wilson, Hansie van Warmelo and Emily Hobhouse. Although all three were determined, fearless and strong-minded females, each represented a contrasting viewpoint of the conflict. Lady Sarah Wilson, youngest daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and aunt to the young Winston Churchill, was a conventional British "Jingo"; happy to act as Baden-Powell's leading lady in the stirring imperial drama of the siege of Mafeking. Hansie van Warmelo was a staunchly republican Boer, dedicated to the cause of Boer independence and no less convinced of the serf-like status of blacks within her country. Most admirable of all was Emily Hobhouse, the liberal, pro-Boer Englishwoman who bravely exposed the shocking neglect, mismanagement and appalling death toll in the British concentration camps. Set against the tumult and tragedy of the war, the adventures of these three troublesome women - "that bloody woman", Lord Kitchener called one of them - throw a fresh light on the bitter colonial struggle. Their exploits, ranging from the farcical to the deeply moving, played no small part in the controversies which reverberate in South Africa to this day.

The concentration camps of the Anglo-Boer War caused thousands of deaths and much suffering. But should the women and children in the camps only be seen as victims, or is there another story to be told? The War at Home tries to do just that. Firstly, it explores the unique strength of Boer women, who were often more vehemently anti-British than the men, and their role in supporting the Boer guerrilla fighters. There is also a chapter on the extraordinary Nonnie de la Rey (wife of General Koos de la Rey) who lived in the veld with her six children for nearly two years to avoid capture. A chapter on everyday life in the camps again points out how some camps were run more effectively than others and how for many women the biggest challenge was keeping boredom at bay. In an effort to stay busy, many young Boer women for instance received valuable training as nurse's assistants. Another chapter on the clash of cultures between British doctors and Boer women explains why camp doctors started to blame the personal hygiene and mothering abilities of Boer women when they could not find ways to cure the dying children. The book also takes the suffering of black civilians in the black camps into account with a special focus on black children. As in the white camps, the majority of the 20 000 deaths in the black camps were children. Lastly, in the year in which the Women's Monument in Bloemfontein celebrates its centenary, The War at Home looks critically at the meaning of the monument then and now. Hardcover, 272 pages

1901 Cover of L'Assiette au Beurre showing silence about concentration camps & Kruger with the weight of the world on flipside - as per photo  

General Ben Viljoen My Reminiscences of the Anglo-Boer War (1902) Published: Hood, Douglas & Howard, London, 1902 Edition: First Edition   Publisher's red cloth binding with black titles. Manilla Paper. No foxing, Browned edges from age. Cover stained and taped with cellotape Piece of the spine cover missing. binding with some age associated edge wear. Very light water stain to first 5 pages not affecting the type. Maps and Plates all good and clear. Would do great with a restored or new Cover.Inner pages clear with very minor browning. General Viljoen never returned to South Africa after the war as he refused to become a subject of the British Empire. In 1909 he was granted U.S. citizenship. He was familiar with both Theodore Roosevelt and Mexican Revolutionary Francisco Madero. He fought on the side of Madero at the battle of Ciudad Juarez. His book is described as being 'a realistic description of the war from a Boer perspective'.Some excerpts from Mendelssohn Vol.II: 'The author was instructed by General Joubert to proceed to the Natal frontier, and he subsequently joined the troops under General Kock's command. He does not appear to have had a high opinion of his leader, and remarks, possibly if we "had had less to do with arrogant and stupid old men, we should have reached Cape Town or Durban." From time to time he expresses his discontent with most of the Boer Generals of the old school, and he was extremely impatient of their super-caution, credulity, and superstition, which brought him on several occasions to the verge of insubordination, whilst at times he considered that he had been slighted by Joubert, who appears to have been dubious as to the courage of the leader and his Johannesburg men.' The so-called Handsuppers 'were regarded by the General as traitors, and there is an account of the "execution" of Meyer De Kock who came to Viljoen's camp to induce his men to surrender, and who, it is stated, was the first man who first suggested to the British authorities the establishment of concentration camps. The Boer General defends the blowing up of trains, which he considered quite as justifiable as the burning of houses, and was, he asserts, no doubt as distasteful to him as the latter was to Lord Kitchener.' 'He was sent to St. Helena on February 19th, and speaks with some dissatisfaction of his treatment on the island.'