The Boer concentration camps of Bermuda

A stark, first‑hand account shines a light on the plight of Boer prisoners confined to remote camps in the Bermuda Islands during the Second Boer War. While contemporary British newspapers praised the camps as model facilities, the author—himself a former Boer officer—routs those claims with letters, testimonies and his own observations, revealing chronic shortages, inadequate shelter and a stark indifference to basic humanitarian law. The opening pages set the stage for a determined investigation sparked by desperate pleas from imprisoned officials and ordinary soldiers alike.

The narrative follows the author’s urgent journey from New York to the coral‑rimmed archipelago, detailing the obstacles he faces in gaining access to the camps and the grim scenes he encounters upon arrival. Along the way, he documents the bureaucratic hurdles imposed by colonial authorities and the puzzling refusal to allow essential aid, underscoring a broader moral crisis. Listeners will hear a vivid, contemporaneous portrait of a forgotten chapter of wartime history and an impassioned call for compassion.