Soldiers and Bushmen

The Australian Army in South Africa, 1899–1902

Thomas Richardson author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Publishing:31st Jul '25

£37.99

This title is due to be published on 31st July, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

Soldiers and Bushmen cover

Soldiers and Bushmen is the first analytical history of the Australian Army in South Africa.

Soldiers and Bushmen: The Australian Army in the South Africa, 1899–1902 examines the commitment to what was expected to be a short war. It presents a thematic, analytical history of the birth of the Australian Army in South Africa, while exploring the Army's evolution from colonial units into a consolidated federal force.Soldiers and Bushmen: The Australian Army in the South Africa, 1899–1902 examines the commitment to what was expected to be a short war. It presents a thematic, analytical history of the birth of the Australian Army in South Africa, while exploring the Army's evolution from colonial units into a consolidated federal force. Soldiers and Bushmen investigates the establishment of the 'bushmen experiment' – the belief that the unique qualities of rural Australians would solve tactical problems on the veldt. This, in turn, influenced ideals around leadership, loyalty and traditional combat that fed the mythology of the Australians as natural soldiers. The book also examines the conduct of the war itself: how the Army adapted to the challenges of a battlefield transformed by technology, and the moral questions posed by the transition to fighting a counterinsurgency campaign.

ISBN: 9781009597814

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

256 pages