Three Years' War

A stark, first‑person chronicle, this memoir brings the turmoil of the South African conflict to life through the eyes of a farmer‑turned‑commander. The author insists on plain honesty, forgoing dramatized fiction in favor of the raw observations he felt compelled to share with the world. Listeners will hear a voice that tries to capture a small nation’s struggle for liberty while also addressing the broader questions of empire and identity.

The story opens in September 1899, when every burgher in the Orange Free State must be ready to answer the Commando Law. He explains the practical demands—horse, rifle or ammunition, and a modest supply of preserved foods—required to march into war with little more than personal resolve. From that gritty beginning, the narrative follows his early campaigns, offering vivid details of the mobilization, the stubborn determination of ordinary men, and the uneasy transition from civilian life to the harsh realities of combat.