A member of the 10th Hussars and a survivor of the sinking of the SS Ismore near Paternoster, Arthur John Montgomery recounts his part in the successful routing of the Boer forces outside Colesberg during January 1900 with the cavalry still using swords and lances aginst the Boers’ mausers.
AJ’s narrative has been edited for readability and grammar, but it still largely remains the voice of the author narrating his impressions, concerns and fears during his baptism of fire outside the dusty hamlet of Colesberg in the northernmost part of the Cape Colony.
Main picture: Painting of A.J. Montgomery of the 10th Hussars