Anglo-Boer War Blockhouses: A Military Engineer’s Perspective

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Anglo-Boer War Blockhouses is a fresh analytical look at how the construction of over 9,000 small fortifications during the Anglo-Boer War sought to change its course. The author examines all aspects of the South African blockhouses during the war: how the initial concept of protecting key bridges morphed into mass-produced, low-cost, pre-fabricated

forts deployed in long lines across the veld; how they were built, manned and operated in a system designed to defeat roving Boer commandos.

The evolution of the ‘blockhouse strategy’ used by Lord Kitchener during the guerrilla phase of the war is examined as part of the wider strategy used to bring the war to its conclusion. Detailed analysis through the lens of a military expert finally answers the question ‘Did the blockhouses win the war, or were they - in the words of the British Army’s nemesis, General Christiaan de Wet - merely he strategy of a blockhead?’

From tracing the use of blockhouses prior to the war, to describing the conditions enjoyed by the average ‘Tommy’ living and fighting in these structures, to recording their post-war dismantling or preservation, this is a deep dive into a topic previously little explored.