A White Man War An Historical Novel of the Boer War and Mafeking edition by Graham Watkins Literature Fiction eBooks
Download As PDF : A White Man War An Historical Novel of the Boer War and Mafeking edition by Graham Watkins Literature Fiction eBooks 
An historical novel set during a landmark confrontation that dramatically changed the art of war. The story is inspired by a letter from the Boer commander General Piet Cronje;
Sir
It is understood that you have armed Bastards, Fingoes and Baralongs against us - in this you have committed an enormous act of wickedness...reconsider the matter, even if it cost you the loss of Mafeking... disarm your blacks and thereby act the part of a white man in a white man's war.
Signed
General Cronje 29th October 1899
General Cronje's orders are clear; take Mafeking and drive the British out of Africa but Colonel Baden-Powell, Mafeking's commanding officer, is no ordinary soldier and his defence of the town will be no ordinary fight. Themba Jabulani is a victim of a white man's war. A war where there are strange rules. A war where innocents will be sacrificed and heroes will be made. Jabulani is one of the innocents, struggling to survive with his wife Ntombi and young child. Cronje's letter signals the start of a siege that will last seven months. A strange gentleman's siege punctuated by truces, cricket matches and ferocious fighting.
A White Man's War is a story of a siege, regarded by some as a great adventure but by others as a human tragedy. Baden-Powell would learn from Mafeking and go on to found the Boy Scouts, the greatest youth movement the world had ever seen, while others, less fortunate like Themba Jabulani, would suffer a very different fate.
A White Man War An Historical Novel of the Boer War and Mafeking edition by Graham Watkins Literature Fiction eBooks
This book is Graham Watkins’s version of the eight-month siege of Mafeking, which formed part of the Anglo-Boer war. Although he states in the prologue that it is a work of fiction it reads as a statement of historical fact.The author’s main sources of reference, mentioned in the prologue, are English, i.e. the writings of characters Lord Baden-Powell (British Commander at Mafeking) and British war agent, Lady Sarah Wilson, who was captured by the Boers and released to Baden-Powell days later. A third source is from the journal of trooper, William Robertson Fuller. Watkin’s main source of reference, however, is the Anglo-Irish historian and 8th Earl of Langford, Thomas Pakenham’s book, “The Boer War”.
Herein lies the problem. I would have liked to see a more balanced view of the facts – from sources taken from other participants in the siege – the Baralong people and the Boers. There are many.
I think writing about history will always draw controversy. Consider Baden-Powell’s words in the letter he dictates to Lady Sarah Wilson concerning negotiations for her release from her Boer captors: “Luckily for them, it is not the custom of the English to make prisoners of war of women.” The author may or may not know that, two years after the siege about which he writes, 26 000 Boer women and children were starved, abused and killed by the British in concentration camps, including the one at Mafeking. The Baralong people suffered similarly, albeit from both sides.
Watkins writes, "History, they say, is written by the victors and that is true of Mafeking." But when authors write histories about countries they visited on the odd holiday they should be careful to objectively research the facts, as well as to be considerate of remaining sensitivities about the past.
This book successfully describes the grit and ugliness of war. There is a real-time feel to the action that effectively moves the pace along. I felt for the characters of Themba and Ntombi and found the oddities of social exchanges between the British and Boer leaders interesting – a truce on Sundays, dinners with the enemy and invitations to cricket – I can’t see that happening in modern-day warfare.
Editing of the book is required. My rating is 2.5.
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A White Man War An Historical Novel of the Boer War and Mafeking edition by Graham Watkins Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Good perspective with particular focus on the natives
I am military officer, a retired colonel and I am captivated by the boer war. After two tours in Vietnam and as a young man raised in a military family continue to be amazed of lessons not learned and the disregard of the helpless in war. An amazing book! I am the husband of a remarkable lady life loved, gayla miller.
A very gripping and insightful look into one part of the Boer War. This book succeeds in presenting the grit and passions of families and soldiers in war. Watkins portrays the tribes and individual black characters subjected to this colonial conflict with enough depth to create a realistic drama. As a historic novel, Watkin's book, "A White Man's War," offers terse but eloquent accounts of the trauma and victories that all of these people experienced. Watkins uses a realism that is impacting without bogging the story down by overly graphic detail, reminiscent of James Clavell's style for me. The strategies of opposing English and Boer commanders is presented with enough character development to make me feel the turnings of wizened personalities under stress. Excellent Book!
I'm of two minds over this book. On one hand, it's a very detailed account of a battle few people realize impacted the future of war. I'm a big fan of 19th and 20th century history, so the story was fascinating. On the other hand, the book felt more like a blow-by-blow account of what happened than a fictional story. There was no preamble, no setting of the scene. The reader is just dropped right into the middle of the action. The story also bounced quickly from character to character without really developing any of them thoroughly.
My hats off to the author for his phenomenal research. There were times when I was convinced he was actually there. The realities of a protracted siege really came through vividly.
There were three other things I thought the story could benefit from 1) an explanation of local terms like veldt, stadt, et al, 2) clearer section breaks to denote a change in POV, and 3) a careful copy edit to catch the remaining typos.
Ultimately, I think this story was simply too short. If more time was spent developing the protagonists and antagonists, I do think readers would be captivated by not just the war itself but by the characters and their internal/external struggles.
An illuminating, fascinating account of the siege of Mafeking and a period in history that has shaped Africa to this day. The origins and development of the Boer conflict, the innocents that suffered as a result of a war between nations from outside their geographical sphere, is something that was to be repeated time and time again in the great continent of Africa. Here Graham Watkins demonstrates his wonderful writing prowess and his studied historical scholarship. The combination of his style and flair as a writer with his knowledge of history, make him one of my favourite writers. This is a tale of conflict filled with individual tragedy and some bizarre logic that is very much of its time. Cricket matches mid siege on Sundays to boost morale for example are just some of the strange happenings of the siege. That Baden Powell is known more for his founding of the scout movement is perhaps a legacy issue, for at the time he was hailed a hero. I really loved this book not just because I love a bit of history, but Graham Watkins fills the pages of his books with drama that keeps the reader engaged from the very first paragraph. This is my third Graham Watkins book and it will not be the last, Pick it up today 5 stars from me.
This book is Graham Watkins’s version of the eight-month siege of Mafeking, which formed part of the Anglo-Boer war. Although he states in the prologue that it is a work of fiction it reads as a statement of historical fact.
The author’s main sources of reference, mentioned in the prologue, are English, i.e. the writings of characters Lord Baden-Powell (British Commander at Mafeking) and British war agent, Lady Sarah Wilson, who was captured by the Boers and released to Baden-Powell days later. A third source is from the journal of trooper, William Robertson Fuller. Watkin’s main source of reference, however, is the Anglo-Irish historian and 8th Earl of Langford, Thomas Pakenham’s book, “The Boer War”.
Herein lies the problem. I would have liked to see a more balanced view of the facts – from sources taken from other participants in the siege – the Baralong people and the Boers. There are many.
I think writing about history will always draw controversy. Consider Baden-Powell’s words in the letter he dictates to Lady Sarah Wilson concerning negotiations for her release from her Boer captors “Luckily for them, it is not the custom of the English to make prisoners of war of women.” The author may or may not know that, two years after the siege about which he writes, 26 000 Boer women and children were starved, abused and killed by the British in concentration camps, including the one at Mafeking. The Baralong people suffered similarly, albeit from both sides.
Watkins writes, "History, they say, is written by the victors and that is true of Mafeking." But when authors write histories about countries they visited on the odd holiday they should be careful to objectively research the facts, as well as to be considerate of remaining sensitivities about the past.
This book successfully describes the grit and ugliness of war. There is a real-time feel to the action that effectively moves the pace along. I felt for the characters of Themba and Ntombi and found the oddities of social exchanges between the British and Boer leaders interesting – a truce on Sundays, dinners with the enemy and invitations to cricket – I can’t see that happening in modern-day warfare.
Editing of the book is required. My rating is 2.5.
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