Naval Brigades in the South African War 1899-1900

The story of the Royal Navy at war with the Boers



As students of the history of Royal Navy will appreciate, there were no major sea battles fought by the British in over a century between the Battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic era and the Battle of Jutland during the Great War. The burgeoning British empire was concerned with expanding its global influence and the task of the navy was principally to support the more generally employed land based forces in a multitude of smaller campaigns. However, it was quickly appreciated that the expertise of sailors and marines could be invaluable on the battlefield, particularly with regard to their expertise as gunners. So naval brigades had been in action from the 1820s in a dozen conflicts, including the Indian Mutiny, the Crimean War and the Zulu War, before the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa at the turn of the twentieth century. This book describes the activities of the big guns ashore and in action on the veldt. Of particular note is the service of the sailors from HMS Powerful at Ladysmith-a feat of arms that is still commemorated in 'the field gun run' at the Royal Tournament. This is a well regarded overview of an unusual subject and an interesting addition to any library on colonial warfare or British naval history. Another Leonaur book, The Naval Brigade in Natal by C. R. N. Burne, a companion to this present volume, is an eyewitness account of the Royal Navy during the Boer War.


Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.